3rd party alternative to crackling texture paints?

[Khornestar]

Has anyone tried any crackling texture paints from other companies? I like GW's, but it's pretty expensive, so much so that I'm not gonna use it on an infantry-heavy army's bases. I've seen crackle paints at HobbyLobby but they're never the right colors.

 

Any thoughts/experience on the subject?

[sockwithaticket]

Has anyone tried any crackling texture paints from other companies? I like GW's, but it's pretty expensive, so much so that I'm not gonna use it on an infantry-heavy army's bases. I've seen crackle paints at HobbyLobby but they're never the right colors.

 

Any thoughts/experience on the subject?

Can't you just paint over the crackle if it's the wrong colour?

[Khornestar]

Yeah, or potentially mix in paint/pigments to make it the right color, but that's extra work. Beyond color problems is how resilient the dried paint is, too. Spraying matte varnish is how I reinforced the GW stuff, so I'm sure it'll work for anything with a thick enough coat. Maybe I'll just try one out and see how it goes.

[Noserenda]

We tried some spray stuff to paint a board with and it went pretty horribly wrong, i have heard that crackle medium(?) is widely available in art stores and does the same thing, it just requires careful mixing each time you use it.

[Subtle Discord]

While I can't offer a specific brand, I can all but guarantee that GW gets their product from one of the established manufacturers and puts it in one of their own bottles, while adding a hefty 'convenience store' style markup. I highly recommend giving whatever you have access to locally a try, odds are very good it will perform very similarly, but you may need to try a few to find the best solution. GW makes amazing miniatures that are industry leading, but pretty much all of their consumables can be found elsewhere (or made yourself) at much more reasonable prices.

[Major_Gilbear]

Liquitex and Goldern Artists Fluid Acrylics (GAFA) both make a crackle medium that you add to ordinary acrylic paint to make it crackle.

[Carlson793]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmQ7oWHRtU

[Khornestar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmQ7oWHRtU

Awesome, thanks!

[Lemainus]

I use DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish. It dries totally clear, so you'd have to drybrush color to get what you want, but 2oz ran me like $4 and it lasts forever.

[Semper Fortis]

I've used several products available in the US over the years. I only use them for the crackle and don't try and get height or relief from them. I do the relief first with a base of plaster and rock/cork/sand/whatever. Paint is way too expensive to build up height with, IMO.

 

For small areas like infantry and character bases I particularly like Vallejo Crackle Medium. It makes a nice fine crackle proportional to the size of the base that shows the basing color through the cracks. The only caveat is that you have to apply it relatively thinly. If you put it on too thickly it will come off in ugly chunks. You can find it most places that sell Vallejo.

 

For larger areas like tables or dioramas my hands down favorite is DecoArt Perfect Crackle. It's a two step product (though I'll happily give Lemainus' one step product a try) that produces a much larger crackle with very consistent results. It's tough as nails wih a layer of matte varnish over it. I feel it's much more appropriate for a playing surface. It is usually carried by Michael's and Hobby Lobby type places.

 

Both produce a crackle pattern very similar to Martian Ironearth. Both are also available online using google-fu.

 

One old trick is to paint a layer of PVA glue over your base color, then paint your top color on the wet glue. Decant the amount of cheap latex you'll need into another container. Lessons learned: do *NOT* dip your brush back into your original paint can once it has touched the glue; do *NOT* return excess to original can. Messy but can be fun. Makes large random "crevasses" with space in between. The cracks follow your random brush strokes.

 

If you're looking for a pattern different from the soils of Mars, try some of the other crackle products. There is one called Crock or Crocko or something similar that creates a texture like.... wait for it.... crocodile hide. Another product makes a pattern like tree branches.

 

The only one I truly dislike is Aleene's. I have never been able to get paint, ink, or anything else (well, except grape jelly but that's another story) to consistently stick to it.