A question on paint types

[Trevor]

This statement interested me

Vallejo Model Colour is grittier than GW or Vallejo Game Colour, so it’s good for dry brushing and strong basecoats, but the pigment separates too easily when watered down for excellent translucent highlights, and is difficult to wetblend with since it dries so quickly

I have GW and model colour and can\'t really tell the difference, I never noticed it drying quicker nor separating more.

So how different do people think the different makes of paint are? I\'m looking for peoples various opinions on the different paints.

 

[Hinton]

I use Reaper\'s Master Series paints. This is due more to the fact that those paints come with their Learn-To-Paint kits than anything else and I like them.

The good: they go on pretty smooth, mix and thin well and seem to do pretty good when it comes to layering. They come in triads, so it\'s helpful for beginners like me trying to learn how to highlight and shade properly.

The bad: they come in dropper bottles that really seem to enjoy pugging up. Also, they get a bad batch of paint from time-to-time and the paint turns out very \"grainy\".

I\'ve thought about trying other paint brands, but just haven\'t had the money to really invest in any. Also, considering the varying opinions on the different product lines, it\'s difficult to pick one to try.

 

[Antnol]

I first learned how to paint using GW paint and they are all I know. I have seen, on the other hand, very well painted minis done with Vallejo or Reaper paints. I finally broke down and bought the whole set of Rackhams line of paints. I could tell from the time my brush landed in the paint that it was different. So much different that I cant paint with them at all. they do seem to be thicker without water but too thin with water. I had the same experience with Vallejo paints. It is very easy for me to blend using GW paint but once I try anything else it all goes down hill from there. I think its just what you are used to and what personall style you have.

 

[GreenOne]

From my personal experience, tough limited,
I can tell the perticular statement you quoted is totally off, and probably comes from someone whose soul belong to GW ( Figurately speaking.) I use only vallejo, and use them up to 10 part water, like they teach on their site, and get satisfying results.

I haven\'t tried them all, but my opinion is that they\'re three kinds of paints:
1-Cheap craft paint
2- Quality paint not designed for minis ( Can always be adapted, just ask Shawn for instance.)
3- fine miniature paints.
All the brands mentionned here are from the third category.
Apart from small differences in color ( I.e Cobra leather is not quite snakebite leather.) the main difference is in consistency, and a matter of habit.
Those that swear only by one brand of paint do it out of habit, and they could grow to like the others if they got used to it, adapted their dilution rates and recipes. But since many sound well anchored in their belief, they probably won\'t, which is not a shame, since they can get as good results with the one they\'re using right now.
As a proof, I doubt it\'s possible to tell which brand of paint a specific mini as been painted with, so it probably don\'t affect the results, only the painter.

 

[War Paint]

It can be a case of picking and choosing your colours as they all intermix pretty well.

Example - GW lighter browns suffer bad from pigment drop out.

I find Vallejo Model colour superb and only experience any grit when the paint is too old or been stood too long - They water down much better and more consistenly then GW too

The Foundation paints seem to be thicker than usual GW and hold pigment better when diluted

But being a druchii fiend I love GW Liche Purple.

So try them all out and you will probably end up mixing and matching

 

[JaPizzy]

I think paint selection, even though I sell certain brands, is a personal preference. Some of the best painters use GW while some use VMC.

I like to tell people that they should use varying lines to supplement one another with the colors they like, and only practice will make a great job, and not paint brand.

 

[Avelorn]

@Antnol: Rackham paints aren\'t that great from my experience.. I have gotten the same results as you. They feel much more like cheaper craft-paints with courser pigmentation and doesn\'t dilute well, the result is very powderlike. But great for bases as they are incredibly matt!! I use Rackhampaint sometimes to mix into other paint like GW schorched brown that is a bit shiny.

What Vallejos have you tried? Have you shaken them enough? Vallejos are more similar to GW then Rackham.

I always use a mix of different brands. And one colour that won\'t cover well, like GW Khaki, is instead excellent for getting blends with transparency. Actually if I could choose I\'d have one colour for basework (much like GW foundation) and the rest not covering well like Graveyard earth or khaki. light VMC colours (like ivory and pale greyblue) are incredible useful as well as they can often be diluted to the same transparent result without separating.

Well to sum it up: Different colours do different job.

 

[matty1001]

Iv been using P3 paints for basecoating as they can be thinned well and still cover in one or two coats. The liquid pigment means they don\'t go chalky when thicker than usual so they are fantastic for that job. (GW foundation paints have similar qualitys.)

Then using a mix of VMC VGC and GW paints for everything else.
I find VMC has the best greys, and Ivory (a colour everyone should have) and GW has the best browns and creams, but its all personal preferance.

 

[Herb the bitter]

Using vallejo matte medium in combination with water helps reduce pigment separation when thinning. For the most part I don\'t find my VMC\'s any grittier than my GW\'s.

I\'ve never tried wet blending.