What paints to buy for competitive painting, or better quality?

[Simontetreault]

Here is my question,


I read about the new GW paints on forums and they seem really good. However, a lot of people have been saying they are mostly for newbies or are not meant for pro painting or competitive. I have been paiting for about 10 years on and off. I really enjoy it and would like to get better and get even better results.

However, I have been using GW all my life. I am wondering what I should be buying if I want better results and if I want to improve my painting? Is GW really that bad? What do the other brands or the good brands offer?

PS : Price is not an issue for me, I get most of this free at local stores because of connections so I just want to know whats best!

Also : will the other range of paints offer washes, glazes, etc or is that only a GW thing?

I've attached some of my work to give you an idea of what i can do...

http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics16/img4f2ec1981cfd7.jpg

http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics9/img439e30f9975f8.jpg

 

[Jbickley00]

Ok well this is a can of worms. The short answer is the brand of paint is not what matters, it is the skill of the painter in understanding and controlling the behavior of the pain that matters. there is no such thing as newbie paint, and professional paint-it is entirely possible to achieve professional level results with any acrylic paint out there. P3, GW, Vallejo, Reaper, foundry, artists acrylics-whatever. People who are criticizing the new GW range are mostly critizing the fact that it is not the old range. They are not familiar with its behavior, and the different types of paint have differnt qualities, and thus it becomes "not for competition." the truth is, sooner or later the new paints will likley win someone a golden demon. They will just have to learn how to make the new paints work for them.
Of course the new GW paints are a system-and a new system. the intention is to use base coat paints over a black primer, and then layer over the base coats until you get your midtones and highlights. Was can be used to add shadow, and glazes to provide tint and unify layers. I should imagine GW hopes to make all of these techniques more accesible to people starting out in the hobby, but that does not make them noob paints. the real skill is in the using of the tools, and that is still an art.
that being said, I long ago left GW and the new set will not bring me back. I use artists paint now, and thats where I'm comfortable and going to stay.

I guess I am trying to say that nothing is "best." Vallejo is the most comprehensive line up out there. and it has mediums and pigments and pastes galore, as well as four different ranges. Vallejo paints are all high pigment, but they tend to lack coverage, in particular as against the GW foundation paints. If you are doing 9 million layers, this is less of a problem,and so a lot of advanced painters use them.
P3 is more like GW, with colors and washes.
Reaper Master Series is good paint, but the reaper system is tria based, like foundry's. Thus they have a defined color for a base, and then defined shade and highlight colors. Of course you don't have to follow this system, just use the colors you want..but the intention is for a comprehensive system.
Foundry is like reaper, a bit more opacity than vallejo, but more expensive.
At the other end, the Americana range, available at Michael's (in the US) is on the cheap end. It is similar in quality to the recently discontinued GW line, and has about 200 colors. They also have a good range of supporting mediums, though no inks.
this is just a rough guide and my own assessment.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Ok lets put a misconception to bed straight away, its not the paints that win competitions, its the painter.

If you can get good results from GW paints then fine, they are not the worst paints in the world and a lot of good painters use them to good effect.
As I've said in the past I still have some GW paints I use but my preference has turned to Vallejo for A) the cost benefit and B) the amount of colours available. That doesn't mean I don't use the Snakebite Leather or Catachan green occasionally.

But lets be honest here it's not the paints its the techniques that the painter uses the paints for, glazing, washing, mixing can be carried out with any paints manufacturers put out and not just one brand in solitude.
As a personal preference I don't like most manufactured skin tones as I think that they're too pink, so I tend to use Vallejo Brown Sand as the base colour adding purple (Vallejo Violet Red) to create a Shadow tone, Vallejo Burnt Umber as a stronger shadow and edging value. For highlighting I add tiny amounts of Vallejo Ivory(*) to increase the levels of highlighting. And that is just the start, larger figures often get touches of Green, Blue and Yellow added to the skin for greater realism.


(* Vallejo Model Colour Ivory is the most used paint in my pallette and pretty much the first colour I'd recommend anyone to get from Vallejo as not only is it a most useful colour on its own but it's superb as a highlighting additive colour. )

 

[Tommie Soule]

It's yourself you need to develop. GW. PP. VGC. or whatever blah you choose.

IT'S YOU NOT YOUR PAINT!

I use GW btw out of habit but i have all the above ranges at the studio

 

[AllTerrainMonkey]

You should be able to get pretty smooth color transitions with GW paint, or any miniature paint line out there; some craft paint and tube acrylics use clay or silicates as agents for adding coverage while miniature paints usually use white pigment, and clay particulates can edge towards being detected with the eye from their size. If you try and try and the paint just always seems to fight you, then pick up a color or two in a different line and use the exact same techniques with them, as you might find they "work" for how you're painting better than another line.

Don't be afraid to mix your own washes and glazes as well, and get comfortable mixing colors. You'll soon become comfortable with the fact it's not a matter of getting the exact same color mixtures as a previous painting session but more placing the same amount of highlights and shadows, making everything else take care of itself.

 

[cfwheeler58]

You might find this interesting....

A candid you-tube review of the new 145 by a seasoned painter.
( He admits to be an airbrush enthusiast who likes Vallejo model air )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyLGC4cK6lQ&list=UUsVtZ8SRClYf4tPzy8HjNtA&index=1&feature=plcp

 

[Einion]

Totally agree with the above comments about it being the painter not the paint - absolutely true. You can literally get top-class results using the most expensive paints available (north of 80 bucks for 37ml) or the cheapest you can get at the local craft store (change from two bucks for 60ml).

Just on this bit:

...I just want to know whats best!

Totally up to the individual. As you'll see if you look at any of the many prior threads asking what are the best paints, there simply is no agreement on this and for obvious reasons - taste varies. What works for one person doesn't for someone else and that may not be any negative reflection on the paint, simple as that.

Personally I'd go away from hobby paints in order to get the most bang for the buck and better paint (in absolute terms) but you can't deny what can be achieved with GW, Reaper, Vallejo etc. given all the award-winning pieces that have been and continue to be done using one or more of the ranges.

Einion

 

[MrPickles]

You might find this interesting....

A candid you-tube review of the new 145 by a seasoned painter.
( He admits to be an airbrush enthusiast who likes Vallejo model air )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyLGC4cK6lQ&list=UUsVtZ8SRClYf4tPzy8HjNtA&index=1&feature=plcp

the part where he disses layer paint is BS.

he's comparing a new pot to some old hex pot that's been sitting around for 2 or more years. well hmm, no kidding the new pot is thinner.

and who cares about coverage on layer paints. they need to be smooth, that's it. if they are transparant and take a few layers to build up the colours all the better.

 

[RuneBrush]

the part where he disses layer paint is BS.

he's comparing a new pot to some old hex pot that's been sitting around for 2 or more years. well hmm, no kidding the new pot is thinner.

and who cares about coverage on layer paints. they need to be smooth, that's it. if they are transparant and take a few layers to build up the colours all the better.

Trouble is that I think there is a culture of gamers who expect to be able to dunk a brush in a pot of paint and wave it over a miniature (aka gaming piece) and end up with the same results they see on the box art. Thankfully there's painters such as you and I and the CMoN community who actually understand the principals behind achieving a good paint job