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Made in us
Been Around the Block





I just recently found out about contrast paint, and I had a question: is this stuff just base paint and washes mixed together? I looked at a video of applying Ork flesh to an Ork Boy, and it literally looked like Waagh Flesh mixed with Nuln Oil.

I'm sure it's more "Teknikuhl" than that, but is this kind'a what it's supposed to be?
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





More or less, yes. I believe that it is technically a very high pigment glaze, but it does work as a base/wash.

Applying it over metallic paints also has some fun effects.
   
Made in us
Been Around the Block





Veldrain wrote:
More or less, yes. I believe that it is technically a very high pigment glaze, but it does work as a base/wash.

Applying it over metallic paints also has some fun effects.


Holy cow, I just watched a video of that. I thought contrast paint was just a faster way to base your minis, but that's actually super interesting about the metals.
   
Made in gb
Walking Dead Wraithlord






cjmate8 wrote:
Veldrain wrote:
More or less, yes. I believe that it is technically a very high pigment glaze, but it does work as a base/wash.

Applying it over metallic paints also has some fun effects.


Holy cow, I just watched a video of that. I thought contrast paint was just a faster way to base your minis, but that's actually super interesting about the metals.


You guys got a link?

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/772746.page#10378083 - My progress/failblog painting blog thingy

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AngryAngel80 wrote:
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 Eonfuzz wrote:


I would much rather everyone have a half ass than no ass.


"A warrior does not seek fame and honour. They come to him as he humbly follows his path"  
   
Made in jp
Crushing Black Templar Crusader Pilot






I think Contrast paints are still kind of in their infancy - I've picked up three - Flesh Tearer and then whatever the darkest brown is, and the sea green, too. I like them well enough, and don't regret picking them up.

I find flesh tearer works as an excellent glaze, but the actual depth of contrast can be a bit hit and miss - on very crisp details, it can often be a bit like a pottery glaze, and offer some very nice contrast and shade in a single coat, but on more shallow details it falls a bit short. Over the top of other reds, though, it produces a lovely, rich, smooth tone, and is really useful for lenses and transitions and the like. I've noticed that it isn't as grainy as some of the contrast paints I've seen used in photos, too, which is really nice for getting a natural shaded gradient quickly, with very little effort. I use it pretty often, and it's a very useful tool, and mostly does what GW promises. I've noticed it's quite forgiving, too, even for one of the darker colours, and if it leaves you with tiny white spots where bubbles have formed then popped, you can just dab some more over them, with almost no detriment to the rest of the red tone. It sometimes comes out a little too pale and cream-of-tomato-soup, rather than a darker red, but if that happens, again, you can just carefully slap another layer over the top and that works really nicely for the most part. I got this paint as an experiment, and really just fell in love with it, totally sold me on the contrast range tbh, and absolutely the reason I bought the paints below.

The sea green is similar, but I feel like the formulation in the colour makes it a bit less contrast-y. It feels like it needs more work than just a single coat, but if you just double up on the green, you can find that it quickly just gets too dark, and you lose detail and depth. More of a springboard than anything else, like a base coat with shade and then a rough mid-tone highlight. Certainly faster than doing it the conventional layering way, but I'm not sure than the outcome is worth it, because details feel a bit too soft, and shadows a bit too dark. A highlight would probably go a long way with this one, but even then, with any softer details, the paint is gonna make you work a little bit harder. Slightly grainier than the red. I will also say that it works really nicely as a glaze though, and I've used it a few times on blue glowy power swords to smooth transitions, and it does that job quite nicely. I could deffo see contrast being good for OSL.

For the brown - I totally haven't mastered this paint AT ALL. Like the sea green, it goes very dark, very fast, and you risk losing detail almost totally. I've found it a bit grainy, too, and when it does do the ol' contrast highlight thing, it tends to come out a bit too pale, making the contrast slightly too pronounced to be naturalistic. I certainly need a bit more practice, but of the three, this is the one I've had most trouble with. Outside of speed-painting to like, a bare minimum tabletop standard, I struggle to really see a meaningful application for these last two, though I will absolutely say that some of that is down to my lack of experience with them.

I will absolutely say that for speeding up batch painting, if you want a rough-and-ready looking army, they do what they say, for the most part. Your dudes will be coloured up, and mostly have an okay bit of depth to them - certainly better in most cases, than just base coat and shade, but to look REALLY good, for the most part, unless you have absolutely crisp, well-defined details, and are just kind of lucky with the formulation of the paint you choose (I'm sure GW are still working on this) you'll need to put a lil more in to get something that looks as nice as the layering method. On top of that, I think it's worth practicing with them a bit, and they take a while to really get your head around. Even while I think I've got the red pinned down pretty nicely (for like, sword handles, it's become my go to, for example, wouldn't use anything else), the other two are still untamed beasts in my paint collection.

There are a few people doing 'eavy metal contrast jobs, and imo, they look absolutely stellar - if any of them pop in, I'm sure they could explain things better than I - and more concisely too, lol, but I know Mengel uses them a lot, and he's absolutely brilliant.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/04/27 02:19:08


 
   
Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

 Argive wrote:
cjmate8 wrote:
Veldrain wrote:
More or less, yes. I believe that it is technically a very high pigment glaze, but it does work as a base/wash.

Applying it over metallic paints also has some fun effects.


Holy cow, I just watched a video of that. I thought contrast paint was just a faster way to base your minis, but that's actually super interesting about the metals.


You guys got a link?

Here's a few examples from Warhammer TV using Contrast paints over a metallic paint:

Spoiler:











 posermcbogus wrote:
There are a few people doing 'eavy metal contrast jobs, and imo, they look absolutely stellar - if any of them pop in, I'm sure they could explain things better than I - and more concisely too, lol, but I know Mengel uses them a lot, and he's absolutely brilliant.

Juan Hidalgo does some good work using mostly Contrast paints for both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/04/27 02:30:58


'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

I did this guy with Contrast over a silver base coat. It's a little messy - I'd do it in thinner coats to get better control if I did it again - but does the job.


 
   
Made in fi
Dakka Veteran





I use Contrast paints regulalry. One of my favourite uses is to use them on metallics. I have no use for metallic red, green blue etc but I use them to turn silver and other light metallics into gold, brass and other metallics. Contrast paints provide the both the colour and shading.

Trim is Snakebite Leather on top of Iron Hands Steel:



Gold is Aggaros Dune on top of Canoptek Alloy:



Gold is Skeleton Horde on top of Canoptek Alloy:



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Made in jp
Crushing Black Templar Crusader Pilot






Oooh, those are some really nice looking metals!
   
Made in fi
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!






Thanks for sharing your metallic contrast paint examples! I really like the shading the contrast paints create on those models. I will be giving this one a try.
   
Made in gb
Stalwart Ultramarine Tactical Marine





Stevenage, UK

I personally love the Contrast paint range for a lot of reasons and you can definitely do far more with them than the originally billed "slap it on and call em done" approach.

They change quite a lot in how they come out based on how much you dilute them and what you do it with. The GW Contrast medium can drop the intensity and viscosity a bit and allow you to have some more control on how you apply them through multiple coats. I've been using them with Vallejo airbrush thinner and flow improver to get some nice glazes too. You can also mix them with "normal" acrylic paints to give different tones.

As guys here have shown they're really nice over metallic paints. I'd encourage people to play around with other colours under them too including yellows and light blues rather than the white/grey/cream that people often talk about.

Rik
   
Made in gb
Dakka Veteran





From what I can tell, contrast paint is essentially a highly pigmented colour (I believe many of them are actually ink based) with a lot of matt medium mixed in and a little flow improver. Contrast medium is just watered down matt medium
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

Got it in one - Contrast are highly pigmented ink washes. Think Shades on steroids, with (generally) better adhesion / coverage.

One thing to be aware of with the Contrast range is that they're highly variable. One hue of contrast may have super pigmentation and coverage, while another colour can be overall weak and blotchy. Worth watching some videos on specific ones you're interested in to see if they're good or not. If you're the DIY sort, something similar can be mixed from artist's acrylic inks, matte medium and flow improver. Brent did a good episode on this very possibility.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/04/27 17:40:55


 
   
Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

Fire_Forever wrote:
Got it in one - Contrast are highly pigmented ink washes. Think Shades on steroids, with (generally) better adhesion / coverage.

From 'The Science of Paint' on Warhammer Community:

Some contrast paints are suspensions, while others are actually dyes.

So some of them are like normal paints, some are not.

Nearly all Warhammer paint is a suspension, made up of a pigment held (suspended, you might say) in a liquid base. Pigment provides the colour, while the base is a mixture of chemicals that provide the physical properties of the paint. After paint is applied, the base partially evaporates, leaving a resin behind which holds the pigment in place.

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

 Ghaz wrote:
Nearly all Warhammer paint is a suspension, made up of a pigment held (suspended, you might say) in a liquid base. Pigment provides the colour, while the base is a mixture of chemicals that provide the physical properties of the paint. After paint is applied, the base partially evaporates, leaving a resin behind which holds the pigment in place.

Good information to add! Many artist's inks are also suspensions. "ink wash" doesn't preclude one or the other, it's more of a category of products. The range between dye, suspension and a combination is likely responsible for the variability in the contrast range, at least in part.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/04/28 16:13:47


 
   
Made in si
Foxy Wildborne







Serious question, what can paint be other than a suspension of pigment in a medium?

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Slaanesh Chosen Marine Riding a Fiend





Port Carmine

The contrast paints also work well if you want to to tint clear plastic canopies.

I would echo the observations that they are quite variable from colour to colour in effect and level of pigment.

Gryph Hound Orange for example has very strong pigments, whereas Aethermatic Blue is quite subtle and thin.

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Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

 harlokin wrote:
The contrast paints also work well if you want to to tint clear plastic canopies.

Warhammer TV has a tutorial where they painted the stained glass on the Immolator.



'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Oh Canada!

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Serious question, what can paint be other than a suspension of pigment in a medium?

Paint is any pigmented liquid.
Usually that's a suspension - colour particles plus a solvent plus a binding agent. For acrylic that would be water (solvent) + acrylic medium (binding agent) + usually a powder (pigment). But it can also be dye. Dyes are solutions, pigments are suspensions. Solutions have one thing dissolved into the other, while with a suspension one thing is mixed with another but not chemically altered. That's why paints separate - the suspension is affected by gravity and the heavier particulate settles out at the bottom. Dyes do not separate.
   
Made in gb
Dakka Veteran





IMO the contrast paints that are dye based (which I assumed were ink, but kind of the same thing?) are much more interesting than the others. Would have liked to see the entire range with those properties
   
Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User





I have about 20 of them. They feel like several different products under one brand. Some of them are really nice and have good effect, some of them are too opaque and you can't use them without thinning them down a lot.

I don't like the "supposed" usage of single coat base+wash application. It works well on highly detailed small areas but I don't like coffee stains effect it can produce on flat areas. Generally, the bigger the area or the model, the less their supposed usage works nicely and more hustle it is to control them. On the other hand they work well as glazes. They also work well over metalics - especially with airbrush. Airbrushing Flesh Tearers Red, Blood Angels Red and Warp Lighting over Vallejo Metal Magnesium or Silver are probably some of the very best colored metalics I ended with so far.

A side note - they need varnish to protect them and also to unify them with other used paints (they have satin finish). Especially if you airbrush them, you should follow with varnish before you do anything else.

There are also two which deserve special noting: Black Templar and Apothecary White. These are probably the ones I use the most. If you like to do targeted washes (like panelining), they are great. The first anywhere where you would use black, the second is my ultimate wash for white.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/05/04 14:08:34


 
   
Made in gb
Slaanesh Chosen Marine Riding a Fiend





Port Carmine

Ladislav wrote:


There are also two which deserve special noting: Black Templar and Apothecary White. These are probably the ones I use the most. If you like to do targeted washes (like panelining), they are great. The first anywhere where you would use black, the second is my ultimate wash for white.


You're quite right, Black Templar, and (particularly) Apothecary White are great paints.

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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





They are indeed meant as a "base + wash in one coat" type of use. Some work better than others -- the "one thick coat" thing is misleading in many cases, as you don't want it TOO thick. Really, it takes practice to apply properly, just as any paints do. They're just different.

I find uses for a lot of them when painting organic things like Seraphon.

I do use Black Templar over metallic for my Iron Hands for a nice metallic black finish, and Snakebite Leather and Wyldwood are both great leather colors for belts and packs.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/05/04 21:04:50


 
   
 
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