Advice needed

[Guardian_]

Hi everybody,

I am getting back to mini painting, and havent done it for a while. I have always used GW paints, and now, everything has hardend, so, Ill be needing a new pallete. Thats the thing, I browsed some forums, and some kind of "consenssus" is that Vallejo game colours are the way to go for a casual, but pedantic painter. Since, shelling out for a vallejo 72 colour case is not an option, regarding my wallet, Ill need to buy paints as Ill need them.
And thats where YOU come in! Since I dont want to find myself in a situation, "damn I shouldve gotten this color too".

I would need you to break me down a pallete of vallejo game colors and GW washes/colors needed to paint these guys:

http://www.coolminiornot.com/177861?browseid=1915235
http://www.coolminiornot.com/193968?browseid=1915548

http://www.coolminiornot.com/193971?browseid=1915135
http://wyrd-games.net/shop/images/P/The-Judge.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/193969?browseid=1915374

I will use NMM, since Ive done it before, and want to get better at it.

Thank you in advance, cheers!

 

[jcichon]

I would go ahead and buy all the GW washes. I use vallejo, GW, PP and reaper paints so a list of vallejo is kinda tough but here is a few.
Iraqi sand
burnt cad red
basic skintone
flat brown
chocolate brown
german camo dark green
GW blood red
GW flaming orange
GW scab red
GW snakebite leather
GW bubonic brown
GW Moridian blue
GW enchanted blue
GW skull white
GW bleached bone
RP- Reaper Paints
RP chestnut brown
RP Walnut Brown
Those are just a few off the top of my head. Hope this helps. I like Vallejo but they tend to dry with a slight sheen so I have to add Tamiya flat to it.

 

[Einion]

Rather than give you specific recommendations I'd suggest you start with a core group of colours and build from there over time as and when you identify colours you can't mix or would like an easier route too.

Other that just primaries, which is too restrictive for most people about the smallest palette I'd recommend you try would have an orange-red; magenta; two blues, one towards violet and the other more greenish; a good mid-yellow (no need for more than one yellow to begin with); white of course; black; maybe one flesh colour and a couple of browns, whatever looks good to you.

Einion

P.S. You'll need some metallics presumably, and for those I'd recommend you look at the Vallejo airbrush range (see prior threads for some specific recommendations).

 

[Guardian_]

Thank you!
The problem i have with GW paints is storage and thickening, but, when fresh they are GREAT!
But, as I saw/read, vallejo have all the colors that are exact match to GW ones, dont they?
Reaper is unfortunatelly unavailable to me... :/

Also, for metallics, vallejo airbrush are better than gw? (as in, less grainy?) Also, do they chip more easily?
TBH, im still weighing TMM vs NMM at this point...

 

[Guardian_]

If anyone, who uses vallejo extensively, could run through the pictures, and name me the collors used, would be much apriciated!
I am having trouble recognising some..

 

[MrPickles]

game colour heavy colours are great. i would start by buying most/all the heavy colours for base coating. GW for washes and metallics

 

[Einion]

The problem i have with GW paints is storage and thickening, but, when fresh they are GREAT!

Yes, they don't have the best reputation in this regard. If you really wanted to use them though, you can repot them into empty dropper bottles but they are very expensive when you break it down, possibly the most expensive of all the common hobby paints, so anything else of similar or better quality that costs less seems like a no-brainer to use.

Reaper is unfortunatelly unavailable to me... :/

Not able to order online?

Also, for metallics, vallejo airbrush are better than gw? (as in, less grainy?) Also, do they chip more easily?

Yes and, as far I know, no. Do you need to handle the minis a lot after they're done? If so varnishing is a good idea, so the wear-resistance of the paints themselves isn't as much of a factor.

If anyone, who uses vallejo extensively, could run through the pictures, and name me the collors used, would be much apriciated!

Nobody will be able to identify every colour used... even assuming they're not mixed colours... besides that, what if this could be done and it amounted to 64 paints

Einion

 

[Guardian_]

Nobody will be able to identify every colour used... even assuming they're not mixed colours... besides that, what if this could be done and it amounted to 64 paints

Einion

Ofcourse
OK, will try to watch some tutorials first, to see what are ppl using nowdays
Thank you for your help!

 

[Cedric]

My Take On Set Buying

I bought the Vallejo game color paint set, must be close to 12 yrs ago.{putting that BB, fishing sinker or Reaper skulls in each bottle, I think is the best thing you can do for your paints.} Would I buy it again, YES. As a new painter I did not want to go to the game store and buy one or two colors that I wanted to find out that it wasn't in stock. Most game stores then carried GW and their pots were even worse for drying back then with the screw on caps.

My thought on the set thing is convenience. They are all together in a tray by color and type. I put them all away at once and I can grab them all at once to take some where. I think I'm a least a table top quality painter, BUT I'm not a everyday, a weekend, free time or scheduled time painter. I am a hit or miss painter, I got to feel in the mood. So I have all the colors. I'm not running or waiting till the next trip to the game store. If I wanted to paint everyday(never gonna happen) I'd have all the colors. Both Wins.

When I first started out, I used craft paint from Michaels. I'd go buy 4-5 different colors each time they had a sale. Then I realized how many I had and how crappy they made my work look, plus I had to mix to the shade that I wanted. It was ,however, a good thing to learn to mix paints as I went.

I think the second best thing that came of buying the set, is it came with a brush on primer. Didn't know I'd use it so often and at the time didn't know it existed. At the time I was painting just for D&D, where i used just a few of the colors. Later I found Rackham, I had become a better painter and the range of colors that I would need to develop better painting was already in my case. I'm not speaking to brand specifics here, I'm just referring to having a set of all the colors all at once.

My advice
Find some one that uses the types of paint you are thinking of buying, ask them if you use their paints and have a painting session with them, you buy the PIZZA. Then Find some one with a different brand and do the same. Some stores have a few paints available for the UN-painter game player. Go try those. When you find a paint you enjoy, buy the set. It'll save you in the long run, TIME. Something every painted wishes they had more of.

I have since bought a Reaper paint box a few of their colors and a few of Vallejo master series paints (they didn't have a set for these at the time) these are mostly flesh tone paints. I do like Reapers idea of selling tri-color packs. I've also gotten into Warmachine and have bought a few Privateer Press paints. Which most people will do, buy paints out of their set brand because they see something they like.

3rd best thing you can do, is keep a painting diary. Log the figs brand and name, base color then the mixes of each color. Vallejo numbers their paint and my came with a color pamphelet with all the #'s and names. Some one asks or you want to duplicate a color, you will know. Get as detailed as you can and do it as you go; not after applying each color.

Hope my rambling helps!

 

[Cedric]

I'm sorry by the time I got to where I wanted to post, I'd forgotten your specific question. DOH!

In your case set is not the option. so

colors to buy.
Eye dropper bottles have the advantage in a diary and keeping track of your mix ratios. A drop of this and 2 of that watered down with 3 drops, etc.
Doing NNM for me the diary is a must because I'd forget, plain and simple. I also use it to keep track of what I bought and what I want. Writing down prices will surprise you how much spend.
1. brush on primer.
I will now give you the MAIN COLORS I'd buy if I was to duplicate the figures in those links as follows based on Vallejo game color set( they start with 720_ _)
Sonnina 1st link- mostly reds
72011- gory red
10 -bloody red
65 -terra cotta
51 black
hair
39 plague brown
40 cobra leather

Witchling Stalkers 2nd link- Mostly brown
72043 beasty brown
40 cobra leather
39 plague brown
62 earth
68 smokey ink
51 black

Lady Justice 3rd link -mostly blue~black
72021 Magic Blue
23 Electric Blue
51 black
hair
65 Terra cotta
44 Dark Fleshtone
39 Plague Brown

The Judge 4th link- mostly brown and light grey
72043 beasty brown
44 dark fleshtone
40 cobra leather
46 Ghost grey
49 stonewall grey
21 blue magic
23 electric blue
51 black
Hair
40 cobra brown
39 plague brown
72001 skull white
Chain
54 gunmetal metal
52 silver
60 tinny tin

Death Marshals 5th link
browns
43,44,40
blues
21,23,white 72001
72033 livery green
wood
browns from above
72063 desert yellow

These look like great models to get back into the painting. Lots of mass of one color shade and a few distinct opposing colors. If you take out all the duplicates there's a list of 20 separate colors(all of which I use quite often) @ $2.45 via ebay. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[Guardian_]

These look like great models to get back into the painting. Lots of mass of one color shade and a few distinct opposing colors. If you take out all the duplicates there's a list of 20 separate colors(all of which I use quite often) @ $2.45 via ebay. Good luck and hope this helps.

YOURE the man, Ced!

Unfortunately, I already placed an order, altho buying "only" 15 collors, this is what ive got:

beasty brown
black
cobra leather
cold grey
desert yellow
dwarf skin
earth
elf skin tone
extra opaque heavy skin tone
filthy brown
plague brown
magic blue
glacier blue
gory red
stonewall grey

i also already have: gw skull white, blood red, bleached bone

Also got a couple of them kolinsky sables

Its, what I gathered would be a good foundation, other would be mixed. For a start, later Ill expand.

I think I can ask them to change some of the collors, b4 they ship, so Ill change up a bit.
I notice you dont use much of lighter flesh tones for the skin, how come?

Also, you mentioned number of "metallics" here, are they better than GW?
I was planning to get all the gw washes at some point.
This is what Im missing from your list:


10 -bloody red (gw blood red)
68 smokey ink
23 Electric Blue
65 Terra cotta
44 Dark Fleshtone
46 Ghost grey
54 gunmetal metal
52 silver
60 tinny tin
72033 livery green

And this is what I additionally got:

dwarf skin
elf skin tone
extra opaque heavy skin tone
filthy brown
glacier blue

Would you suggest any changes?