Assistance in matching contrast paint?

[MiniB1084]

Hello Everyone,

I have recently started a Word Bearers Army and am using a couple of contrast paints in painting method.

The two I am using are Basilicanum Grey and Flesh Tearers Red over a Leadbelcher Base.

I am worried that if I decide to add Tanks to my army that they won't match my infantry and look stupid.

Ive been told that contrast paint doesn't work very well on tanks due to the brush strokes and stuff and that using an airbrush wont give the same effect as on my infantry.

what would you recommend i do? the contrast paint and standard GW paint i use give a metallic dark red. 

I cant figure out how to attach photos so i will give my instagram account name which has the photos already.

My Instagram: Minibminiatures

Thanks Very much

[Lord Marshal]

You can put Contrast through an airbrush, you just lose the 'highlighting' effect, but it also doesn't come out with that awful coffee stain effect on flat panels as it would being hand-brushed on. You'll never get the same 'effect' on vehicles because the point of Contrast is that it highlights the raised bits without you having to go in there with a brighter shade of red/grey anyway, the idea is you miss the 'coffee stains' from a distance because there's so much detailed crammed up there, in the same way you can see them a mile away on flat panels (which is why it's poor for Marine armour funnily enough).

 

Khorne Red and Word Bearers Red look pretty similar to Flesh Tearers Red at a glance though.

[Marshal Loss]

Copying Duncan's approach? Your best bet is to airbrush the contrast paints anyway. If you do them by brush on a tank it will look like rubbish. Here are the alterations I'd make:

• Spray your tanks the same metal colour as your infantry, then do thin contrast layers via airbrush over the hull until you're happy with the colour
• Pin-wash the recesses of the tank with nuln oil or a thinned black/brown colour, as subtle as you can make it, to add a little depth
• Edge highlight the panels with the same colour you use on your models

As my fellow Marshal says, the contrast paints will lose their fancy properties, but the colour will match and that's all that matters here. Otherwise you'll need to play around with normal acrylic paints which won't give you that semi-metallic look so they aren't really an option.

[Rik Lightstar]

The Marshalls have you pretty much covered.

 

If you dont have an airbrush and you're only going to use it for getting some vehicles done, there are some nail art sets on ebay and amazon that come with a small, quiet compressor and airbrush an are around £30 in the UK.

 

I have one and I wouldn't recommend it for anything more detailed, but it will serve well enough for this job.

 

Rik

[Claws and Effect]

Use 2 brushes.

 

One to apply, and another (dry) one to run over the flat areas. You have to be quick, bit doing it that way helps alleviate the splotchy effect on large flat areas.

[Fajita Fan]

The way I’m doing my Alpha Legion is to intentionally make the vehicles look different. I’m using a bright aluminum primer on the infantry and using the turquoise contrast paint to tint them. Their tanks will be done with stegadon scale green and gently highlighted with green for a matte non-metallic look. I can’t make my tank and marine armors to match so I’m making them look purposely different.