Experiments with Citadel Tints

[Bryan Blaire]

Really hope they decide to go ahead and either re-release the set or release the tints individually. They are pretty cool for adjusting the colors of paints, when I get back to painting my Space Wolves, I'll try and remember to point out where I've used tinted colors. Haven't done a lot with them yet, but I'm trying to tint a pot of Eshin Grey to be as close as possible to my adjusted Space Wolf "Storm Grey" color I made by mixing The Fang with Eshin Grey 1:1. They also seem like they could have some good uses for skin tones and for some layered blendings (I prefer to work with a 6 step color range and these seem like they will give a more consistent adjustment than I can usually achieve on my own, now I just have to keep the various paint containers from drying out).

So I'm going to admit to being a little frustrated with the tints right now. I have done very limited mixing at this point, but for the metallics, you need a LOT of tint to actually start being able to notice a change. I purchased two brand new pots of Leadbelcher with the hope to make one a much darker silver with the black Horus tint.

 

After 18 large spatula ends of Horus black tint, the difference in the two colors could be described as "very slightly tarnished silver" for the regular Leadbelcher, to "mildly tarnished silver" for the tinted Leadbelcher. I definitely expected more of a difference with 18 spatula additions of tint.

 

Now, it may be that non-metallic colors tint easier (the light reflective flecks could be distorting the tinting as well), but I haven't been able to play with any of those yet. I was hoping to have an easier way to replicate my Space Wolves "Storm Grey", but I don't think the Tint set is going to be my answer to that, and really, the mix is pretty easy.

 

I'm also not sure whether I am just more messy right now, but for some reason, the pot I was adding the Leadbelcher to got significantly more paint mess around the lip, hinge and rim of the pot. A little irritating, but it should seal itself shut well.

[Thunderchylde]

Possibly harder to tint foundation paints as they are, by design, pigment heavy...

[IronDrake28]

As thunderchylde days, from my experience the darker paints are a lot harder to tint.

[Xenith]

It might in fact be easier to darken runesword silver, or whatever Mithril silver is now?

 

Duncas used 14 spatulas of blue to get the pale metallic blue for AL. 

[Major_Gilbear]

So I'm going to admit to being a little frustrated with the tints right now. I have done very limited mixing at this point, but for the metallics, you need a LOT of tint to actually start being able to notice a change.

 

I think that despite adding very large amounts of tint to get coloured metallics in the WHTV promo videos, tints are actually best used very sparingly with small amounts of paint on your palette to help shift the colours you're working with.

 

However, to colour-change a whole pot of Citadel paint with Citadel tint is daft - especially for (1) the frankly very high cost of this endeavour, and (2) the consideration that you can actually just buy other manufacturer's coloured paints ready mixed for a fraction of the price.

 

If you want a metallic black or very dark grey (or a deep metallic blue), I'd recommend the Vallejo Model Air line. They in fact do a set of (8?) metallics that's good value, although I will say that the two golds in it are rather poor and will require some careful glazing with yellow and sepia ink to look good.

 

 

[...] (the light reflective flecks could be distorting the tinting as well) [...]

 

I think this is one of the key reasons. In metallic paint, you have the same mica flakes and acrylic binder for all the colours, and the actual colour is normally provided by a transparent ink-like pigmentation that works by coating the flakes and filtering the light that you see. I don't think the tints are clear or intense enough for this to work all that well, and hence why you need to add so much.

[IronDrake28]

Stormhost silver is what I used or my metallic blue. It worked rather easily.

[Magos Takatus]

 

So I'm going to admit to being a little frustrated with the tints right now. I have done very limited mixing at this point, but for the metallics, you need a LOT of tint to actually start being able to notice a change.

 

I think that despite adding very large amounts of tint to get coloured metallics in the WHTV promo videos, tints are actually best used very sparingly with small amounts of paint on your palette to help shift the colours you're working with.

 

However, to colour-change a whole pot of Citadel paint with Citadel tint is daft - especially for (1) the frankly very high cost of this endeavour, and (2) the consideration that you can actually just buy other manufacturer's coloured paints ready mixed for a fraction of the price.

 

If you want a metallic black or very dark grey (or a deep metallic blue), I'd recommend the Vallejo Model Air line. They in fact do a set of (8?) metallics that's good value, although I will say that the two golds in it are rather poor and will require some careful glazing with yellow and sepia ink to look good.

 

 

[...] (the light reflective flecks could be distorting the tinting as well) [...]

 

I think this is one of the key reasons. In metallic paint, you have the same mica flakes and acrylic binder for all the colours, and the actual colour is normally provided by a transparent ink-like pigmentation that works by coating the flakes and filtering the light that you see. I don't think the tints are clear or intense enough for this to work all that well, and hence why you need to add so much.

 

I can also say the Scale 75 paints are pretty nice. I purchased the copper paint set and it has some good effects for copper, brass and some dull metals for tarnished metal or bronze. I would expect their steel colour paints to be good for less shiny looking metallic colours, though I haven't got that set myself. They also have "alchemy" colours in the sets which appear to serve as a way to alter the metallic paints, though I doubt the citadel tints are the same.

[sockwithaticket]

Rather than using tints, would it not just be easier to add paint to paint?

If I want to darken my Army Painter Gun Metal prior to the wash stage I just add small amounts of black paint on my palette.

Want a metallic purple? Add the purple of your choosing to silver paint or buy a pre-mixed one from elsewhere (I think Scale75 have one).

 

[The_Chaplain]

Rather than using tints, would it not just be easier to add paint to paint?

 

If I want to darken my Army Painter Gun Metal prior to the wash stage I just add small amounts of black paint on my palette.

 

Want a metallic purple? Add the purple of your choosing to silver paint or buy a pre-mixed one from elsewhere (I think Scale75 have one).

 

 

 I think the tints are for a more transparent finish-- like the alpha legion model they showed in the warhammer tv video.  Once they sell the tints separately I'll try them out with both methods and post pictures.

 

Scale 75 do in fact have two metallic purples-- one in their gold and silver/steel set.  I think those metallics are supposed to have a more matte/opaque finish though (if their copper set is anything to go by at least).

[Bryan Blaire]

I think that despite adding very large amounts of tint to get coloured metallics in the WHTV promo videos, tints are actually best used very sparingly with small amounts of paint on your palette to help shift the colours you're working with.

I am not really sure these are actually intended to tint metallic despite what was shown. These are all demonstrated (other than Duncan's video) tinting standard colors, and my guess is they work best that way regardless of how you are tinting.

 

However, to colour-change a whole pot of Citadel paint with Citadel tint is daft - especially for (1) the frankly very high cost of this endeavour, and (2) the consideration that you can actually just buy other manufacturer's coloured paints ready mixed for a fraction of the price.

Well, I don't consider it daft, because this was an experiment, can't really get anywhere with any certainty until you try. So I personally consider this a success and hope that others learn from it.

 

As far as the rest, well, not everyone has the same circumstances, so it's not necessarily true that someone else could just do anything. Let's not assume that all circumstances are the same.

 

If you want a metallic black or very dark grey (or a deep metallic blue), I'd recommend the Vallejo Model Air line. They in fact do a set of (8?) metallics that's good value, although I will say that the two golds in it are rather poor and will require some careful glazing with yellow and sepia ink to look good.

Thanks, that is good info for non-tinted stuff.

 

Stormhost silver is what I used or my metallic blue. It worked rather easily.

Nice! Got any pictures? I'm hoping to get some loaded in this thread this evening. I'm also wondering if the seemingly smaller, higher fleck count in the paint has anything to do with easier tinting.

 

I can also say the Scale 75 paints are pretty nice.

Nice! Still not really on topic, but thank you for posting all that info.

 

Rather than using tints, would it not just be easier to add paint to paint?

If I want to darken my Army Painter Gun Metal prior to the wash stage I just add small amounts of black paint on my palette.

 

Well, in the case of metallics, adding a non-metallic actually reduces the shine. I wasn't seeking to do that, just darken the color of the metallic.

 

In the case of other paints, you could actually alter the properties, depending on what colors you wanted to mix. In Citadel stuff, mixing an Air or Layer paint with a Base paint won't make a paint that has the exact properties of either of the paints you mixed. That could be good, or it could be not what you wanted.

 

I think the tints are for a more transparent finish-- like the alpha legion model they showed in the warhammer tv video.  Once they sell the tints separately I'll try them out with both methods and post pictures.

With non-metallics, it should alter the color (it does alter the color of the metallic, but due to the shine, it seems to take more tint), so it doesn't give any transparency, it just makes a different color. Tinting a container or brush full of yellow paint with the strong blue should make a green colored paint without altering the base properties of the paint itself. You could use this for many things, especially if you want to try and achieve colors with Citadel paint that they don't actually make.

 

On the other hand, if the paints you want to mix are the same type of properties (Layer and Layer, Base and Base, etc.), it is probably much easier to just mix paints of the color you want together to get your new color.

[Major_Gilbear]

I apologise if my comment seemed critical of you Bryan; I assure you that it wasn't meant to be!

Rather, I meant that I thought that GW expecting people to mix two expensive paints together somewhat hopefully/blindly, when they could instead just buy somebody else's paint in the right colour (more cheaply) to start with, was not very smart. Considering that the whole Citadel "system" is generally geared to help people who may not all be Golden Demon finalists, this doesn't really feel helpful in that regard at all, and simply reinforces that the idea wasn't as good as others they've had.

As for the "properties of the paint"... Well, that's partly what mediums are for. In the end though, paint is basically paint, and I still feel the tints are more gimmicky than useful.

[Bryan Blaire]

It's all good, man, just that some options aren't always available/suitable depending on personal circumstances.

 

Agreed. At this point, I'm trying to find a good use or two for them. I could see maybe using some of the Dorn tint to provide a more yellow color to Averland Sunset, rather than being heavy mustard, if you wanted a brighter overall yellow model. Adding a little bit of blue to black paint could give you a decent hue for the basis of a blue highlighted black.

 

For the examples with reds, I am actually wondering if you could make a pot a good Fleshtearers red by adding one spatula of Horus black tint or so, rather than the example on the box of "enhancing" the red color of Mephiston Red with the red tint (not sure how that works, actually).

 

I was hoping for some more experimentation, but not sure when I'm going to be able to jump on that.

[JeffJedi]

I was wondering if some yellow could make Caliban Green more like the older Dark Angels Green.