Pro Acrylic paints vs GW

[Magat the Cursed]

I'm hoping someone here can help - I'm looking to do a little bone work on my Necrons and was going to use Ushabiti Bone to do this however, if these Pro Acryl have better coverage (its going over black/metallic base) that sounds great... Which colour is closet would you say - Ivory? Bright Ivory?

[jaxom]

I'm hoping someone here can help - I'm looking to do a little bone work on my Necrons and was going to use Ushabiti Bone to do this however, if these Pro Acryl have better coverage (its going over black/metallic base) that sounds great... Which colour is closet would you say - Ivory? Bright Ivory?

I’ll take comparison pictures when I get home.

[Magat the Cursed]

 

I'm hoping someone here can help - I'm looking to do a little bone work on my Necrons and was going to use Ushabiti Bone to do this however, if these Pro Acryl have better coverage (its going over black/metallic base) that sounds great... Which colour is closet would you say - Ivory? Bright Ivory?

I’ll take comparison pictures when I get home.

 

 

You sir are a gentleman and a scholar!

[jaxom]

The bad news is I misremembered what paints I had 

 

You can see from the bottles why I had what I thought you were referring to:

 

 

Here's actual paints, Ushabti Bone next to Olive Flesh:

 

[Magat the Cursed]

The bad news is I misremembered what paints I had 

 

You can see from the bottles why I had what I thought you were referring to:

 

 

Here's actual paints, Ushabti Bone next to Olive Flesh:

 

If I’m honest that’s probably closer to Ushabiti Bone than either of the Ivory’s… having looked at the colour swatches online. (I’m assuming the colour on the right is Olive Flesh?) The only other one might be Dark Golden Brown.

 

Either way your help is appreciated.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Magat the Cursed

[Arkhanist]

I'm hoping someone here can help - I'm looking to do a little bone work on my Necrons and was going to use Ushabiti Bone to do this however, if these Pro Acryl have better coverage (its going over black/metallic base) that sounds great... Which colour is closet would you say - Ivory? Bright Ivory?

Quick swatch of paints for you, over a layer of pro acryl coal black.

 

 

Stripes, left to right;

bright ivory, ivory, ushabti bone, mix, golden brown, olive flesh.

 

The dot under the ivory is pallid wych flesh, which Ivory is much closer to than ushabti.

 

Olive flesh is closest to ushabti, though definitely paler. The stripe to the right of ushabti was a quick 50:50 mix of golden brown and olive flesh, which is pretty close IMO. A little more olive flesh, or a dab of ivory would get it pretty much spot on I think.

 

All the pro acryl paints were a small dot of paint just spread around; single coat. The ushabti took 4 coats to cover the black, though admittedly it's the air version.

 

edit: added an extra coat to each to show the colours a little stronger. Surface of the ushabti is definitely looking a bit janky up close after 5 layers!

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by Arkhanist

[Magat the Cursed]

 

 

I'm hoping someone here can help - I'm looking to do a little bone work on my Necrons and was going to use Ushabiti Bone to do this however, if these Pro Acryl have better coverage (its going over black/metallic base) that sounds great... Which colour is closet would you say - Ivory? Bright Ivory?

Quick swatch of paints for you, over a layer of pro acryl coal black.

 

 

Stripes, left to right;

bright ivory, ivory, ushabti bone, mix, golden brown, olive flesh.

 

The dot under the ivory is pallid wych flesh, which Ivory is much closer to than ushabti.

 

Olive flesh is closest to ushabti, though definitely paler. The stripe to the right of ushabti was a quick 50:50 mix of golden brown and olive flesh, which is pretty close IMO. A little more olive flesh, or a dab of ivory would get it pretty much spot on I think.

 

All the pro acryl paints were a small dot of paint just spread around; single coat. The ushabti took 4 coats to cover the black, though admittedly it's the air version.

 

edit: added an extra coat to each to show the colours a little stronger. Surface of the ushabti is definitely looking a bit janky up close after 5 layers!

 

Thank you for taking the time to do that. On that basis I have purchased Golden Brown and Olive Flesh.

[Inquisitor Eisenhorn]

Can I piggy-back off the original question and ask if anyone here has any experience with using artist acrylics as opposed to "hobby" acrylics?  Like Windsor Newton or Golden?

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I've been using Golden Fluid Acrylics for a long time. Back when GW changed their paint line the first time and got rid of the good old washes, I made up a bunch of replacements with GFA. They're closer to acrylic ink than normal acrylic paint due to their consistency and high amount of pigment - they're quite popular for glow effects. Work great with brush and airbrush alike.

[Inquisitor Eisenhorn]

I've been using Golden Fluid Acrylics for a long time. Back when GW changed their paint line the first time and got rid of the good old washes, I made up a bunch of replacements with GFA. They're closer to acrylic ink than normal acrylic paint due to their consistency and high amount of pigment - they're quite popular for glow effects. Work great with brush and airbrush alike.

Interesting!  I was mainly thinking of the thick stuff in a tube, but I had no idea fluid acrylics was a thing.  This is what happens when you stick only to model/hobby stores for your materials. 

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

This is what happens when you stick only to model/hobby stores for your materials.

Been preaching that gospel for years, brother. I guess that's one of the benefits being into scale modeling (and having an older brother deep into it) before I found 40k.

[Arkhanist]

Depends on the artist acrylics. The biggest weaknesses tend to be a] the size of the pots, with more paint than you're ever likely to use (so though the cost per ml is low, the upfront cost can be quite steep), and the b] pre-mixed colour ranges tend to be pretty small. So if you don't mind mixing up your own colours, it's fine, but if you just want say, ushabti bone, it may take 2 or three pots every time. Convenience vs cost per ml.

 

Fluid artist acrylics can still be quite thick, relatively speaking, and often need thinning down. Pigment density and grain isn't necessarily suited for what we need either; as a rule, pigment grain size tends to be larger (because canvas doesn't need super fine pigment), so it can be harder to get a smooth finish. Pigment density is usually fine, if not amazing, though some can be very good. Professional grade artist acrylics will have a higher pigment density than standard artist acrylics, and student grade the least.

 

Cheap artist acrylics, or even craft acrylics (even lower pigment density and coarse) are good for scenery, as then you're playing to their strengths of low cost per ml and you don't need super smooth layers or a big range of colours.

 

For airbrushing, artist acrylic inks are great, because they have high pigment density in a very fluid medium. They're also a cheap way to make your own washes in bulk with additional artist mediums. Les Bursley's recipes are a good starting point for that. IIRC, secret weapon washes were basically these.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Arkhanist

[Inquisitor Eisenhorn]

Interesting to hear about the size of the pigment grain difference.  Thanks for the responses.  I figure that most types of paint have some sort of useful or at least marginal application and purpose but artist acrylics have been a blank page for me. 

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

GFA High Flow paints in 30ml droppers vs 18ml for most GW paints and around the same price (approx $8 USD right now). Some will be more expensive due to the higher priced pigments, but here's a sample from dickblick.com which seems to have them on sale right now.