The Zen of Paint Brands

finn17

New member
Have these been varnished?

One looks glossier than the other, perhaps they should both have had a coat of varnish to eliminate the difference, one way or the other?
 

ipaintminis

Active member
alright...

i think its the one on the right.

cause to me the paint looks brighter, and i like it

and i like to be different!:p
 

KTHULHU

New member
I agree with ipaintminis.
The colors on the one on the right look much better in my opinion.
And so then,
I also vote for the one on the right.

but what the hell do I know ........???
 

Ebonbuddha

Active member
My first water based paints were for model cars and airplanes. I think it was made by Testor. It\'s been over ten years now, so I can\'t remember. I remember it wasn\'t glossy like the stuff I used on models when I was a kid.
I also used craft paints, GW paints, Ral Partha, and two bottles of Reaper. But I am in love with Vallejo model colours. I likethe wider range of colours, and the colour isn\'t as bright as their Games Colour range.
 

vincegamer

Active member
The Answer

The one on the left is done with Apple Barrel paints, the one on the right with Vallejo.
That means by 2:1 the guesses got it backwards.
I\'m really surprised.
First, the axe handle on the left is rough. The lighter colored paint was rougher than the rest but I wasn\'t going to change it.

Second, the skin on the right is more yellow and everyone complains that vallejo skin tone is too yellow. I don\'t see the grittiness on the right that someone mentioned.

More subtly, the red highlights bled down into the folds on the left one in the back, because the higher water content made it a little harder to control.

Neither one is varnished, but if it would have softened the difference, then that weighs in favor of using craft paints.
I can tell no difference at all in the blues and greens either in person or in the photo, and both were just as easy to work with, except the green needed more coats. I still have never been able to find a red as deep and rich as my Apple Barrel \"Burgundy Rose\" and will sorely miss it when I run out (which may be soon).

Basically, I learned
1 - craft paints can create just as good a look as the fancy stuff in limited ranges (good in blues, bad in browns)
2 - The biggest difference was in coverage, but that is more a function of how you water them down, and I think I watered my Apple Barrel more than my Vallejo.
3 - Craft paints that go bad go REALLY bad. I had to toss my white and a shade of grey. But since they are 10 years old, I can\'t say the Vallejo would do better after a decade. I do have some 10-year old Citadel paints that were unopened in the interim and held up fine.
4 - Most importantly, giving yourself these little side task challenges is a great way to revive your interest in painting, end painter\'s block, or just break the monotony of doing yet another space marine. :)
 
E

E-Arkham

Guest
Nicely done all around.

So I suppose we\'ve proven the Zen statement at the start of the thread? The paint is for the benefit of the painter, not the miniature. :)

Therefore, the extra you pay for a particular paint should (in a perfect world) translate into ease of use which in turn should grant your artist whims the greatest freedom. This statement, of course, assumes that a painter\'s quality of work will improve if he/she doesn\'t have to fight with the paint.

Incidently, I painted a couple of bases to try a colour-fast test, but it slipped my mind to set them in the sun for any length of time. I\'ll do it, but it\'ll certainly take at least a couple of weeks before we can expect to see any results.

Kep
 

Cerridwyn1st

New member
Originally posted by vincegamer
Originally posted by finn17
It\'s like asking, \'Who makes the best camera, Canon or Nikon? There is NO right answer.......A Nikon fan will stick to their guns as will the Canonites...
I thought the Israelites wiped out the Canonites ages ago.

That\'s Cananites, Vince. :)

Thanks for the two pictures of the minis. I guess that the paints don\'t make as big a difference as I thought in the look on the mini.

I find that for me it\'s a bit harder working with the craft paint. Since my big limitation is not the price of a bottle of paint but the time I have to use it, anything that helps me be more productive is worth a few cents more.

So I\'d have to say I go along with the Zen of Painting - my fancy paints are for me, not for the minis. :)
 
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