How do you paint? (A question & discussion about painting)

[Kaede45]

So this is one part question for advice & one part discussion on painting habits/processes. I combined the 2 because I wasn’t sure how others might react to posting 2 separate posts that are essentially the same thing.

 

For my habits: I prefer painting the individual pieces of my miniatures before sticking them together. I find it better than putting them together before painting, especially for parts that I plan on painting multiple colors & more-so for parts that would be incredibly difficult to reach once they’re bonded. I also never use any primer, mostly because I’m not entirely sure how to do it (that & I'm terrified of how toxic it can be). Seriously, I bought a can of Abaddon Black & have never used it. I’m sure using primer would make the paint stick better & is likely how contrasts are supposed to work, but I’d rather not do it myself & I have no one to do it for me on hand, so I just skip that step.

 

Now for my question: I have been getting better at layering, but opening some of my new pots of shades I was troubled to find that they are extremely thin. I’ve had contrasts & layers that are very thin as well, but it kind of threw me off guard as I’m more used to the thicker bases & layers that I usually buy, but I bought the thin ones for the paint recipes. I used some Nuln Oil with Leadbelcher to get a nice “gunmetal” look, but I had the thought “What if I mixed the colors I want before applying them?” I bought a pallet yesterday & was going to do so, but I figured that before diving into something so experimental, I’d ask if anyone else has tried this before & whether or not it’s a good idea. I mean, I’m not going to dump an entire pot of paint into another, but I wonder if mixing drops of paint in a pallet then applying them would yield a good result or if the “paint one color on, let it dry, then layer the next color on” is the best/only way to go?

 

As always, I appreciate any help & would love to hear thoughts & discussions. Thank you very much & God bless!

[Khulu]

I always prime, but I wear a mask with a filtration thing for it. I also build most stuff before painting.

 

I would not mix Nuln Oil with Leadbelcher before painting. Washes don't have the same kind of consistency as base paints. The Nuln is supposed to go on super thin to just shade recesses. If you mix them ahead of time it could mess up the consistency of the Leadbelcher and wouldn't pool in recesses to add that shade.

 

Different paints are sometimes meant to be used completely differently. Contrast paints are not applied the same way as Leadbelcher, hence the difference in consistency.

[LameBeard]

The only time I mix a shade and a paint is to get a middling consistency - eg for black lining. I sometimes mix black ink and black paint on the palette this way. 
 

But I mix base/layer paints to get the colour I want all the time. If you mix Abaddon Black and Leadbelcher you will get a satisfying gun metal.
 

On plastic models you can get away without primer, but for contrast at its best you want a light and a really smooth undercoat which is why GW developed wraithbone and grey seer. I only use spray cans outside, but I agree they are not the best for the environment.  I find you can brush on Vallejo primers from their little bottles nicely and it has a very smooth finish so is good for contrast. I do “slap chop” sometimes with dark grey/light grey Vallejo primer then contrast.

Edited February 13 by LameBeard

[Firedrake Cordova]

Personally, I assemble my models as fully as I can without making them a pain to paint, and I then prime them with an airbrush using Vallejo's Polyurethane Primer.

 

If you're concerned about spray cans, the best thing you can do is either [a] get a spray booth and mask, or do it outside.

 

Shades are similar to Contrast paints (they use the same medium) - they're going to be rather thin and designed to flow into recesses, rather than apply an even coat over an area. If you're looking to darken a metallic, regular black paint is probably a better bet (as a general rule, over-thinning metallic paint tends to lead to not-great results) ... Vallejo Metal Colour Gunmetal is also a very good option (as are Steel or Magnesium depending on how dark you want the colour) . Having said that, you could always try mixing some paint up on your palette, painting part of a base rim or a spare bit of sprue, and seeing how it comes out if you're curious.  

Edited February 14 by Firedrake Cordova
Removed the accidental bold formatting *facepalm*

[Wormwoods]

I tend to paint in assemblies, model mostly put together barring anything that would be over the chest, the head, stuff like that. Larger models are usually just painted in pieces. I'm similarly unimpressed with Contrasts. Tried a few when I first got back to the hobby, found it less satisfying than just doing layers and shading manually, so dropped them except for the occasional use of a skintone contrast for doing leather.

[Grotsmasha]

Priming is more important for pieces that'll game with, as they are handled more, and more succeptible to the paint wearing off over time. Priming adds additional staying power to the paint-work, and personally I recommend varnishing gaming pieces too.

I've always primed outside, with the wind at my back, I know masks are best practice, but I've rarely used one.

Shades and Washes don't really mix with tradional paints, mostly because their pigmentation is so low comparitively, they wont make the difference you're hoping for.  Contrasts, however are a lot stronger and will tint a tradional paint.

GW makes a darker metal called Iron Warriors, and might just be what you're after.

Sometimes Layer paints will start to separate, and will need the ever living crap shaken out of them to have them recombine into their intended viscosity. Some people add stainless steel or glass mixing balls to their pots to aid with this. Additionally there are more expensive (and more convienient) ways to do this ex. a Vortex Paint Mixer.

 

[Ace Debonair]

7 hours ago, Kaede45 said:

So this is one part question for advice & one part discussion on painting habits/processes. I combined the 2 because I wasn’t sure how others might react to posting 2 separate posts that are essentially the same thing.

 

For my habits: I prefer painting the individual pieces of my miniatures before sticking them together. I find it better than putting them together before painting, especially for parts that I plan on painting multiple colors & more-so for parts that would be incredibly difficult to reach once they’re bonded.

 

Ah, a kindred spirit! 

 

I always paint every single part of the model separately, still on the sprue, at least up to the point where I'm going to apply washes/drybrushes/other things to bring out the details. Getting the base colours blocked in on-sprue helps me have less anxiety over which bits are even slightly visible on the completed model so I don't beat myself up over missing bits.

 

My other habit: I can't generally have any other plans for the day when I start painting, otherwise I just stress myself out about being on a timer, even if I'm literally eight hours away from going out.  I don't know why, since eight hours is enough time to paint and base a couple of models to my usual tabletop standard, even taking my perfectionist attitude into account, I just get panicky about being "on the clock".

 

I can 100% recommend using spray primers, though, which I always do outdoors. I've never used a mask, but I have managed to spray-paint the flagstones white once or twice over the years. Generally I prime the entire sprue, but I also tend to get snow-blind as to what's done or not done so it often takes two attempts to get it right.  But it's so much quicker than trying to prime everything by hand even with that taken into account, and these days having hobby time is harder and harder, so speed always wins out for me.

 

My only other advice is always go for white or other light colour primers if you're going to use contrast paints; they're designed for use on top of light colours, and painting an even layer of white (or other bright colours) OVER black paint is a righteous pain in the neck. I can say that with the regret of way too much experience in that field! 

[TheArtilleryman]

I always prime with a spray can. I think I primed by hand once in 1996 and I thought “to heck with this.” Spray primer helps the paint adhere to the model so much better. I mostly use black for priming as it gives automatic recess shading. Moved away from white a long time ago, although I would probably use something like wraithbone now if I wanted to paint a brighter scheme.

 

Tips for spray undercoating: Always do this outdoors and spray the models in lots of short bursts instead  of one long burst. This uses less paint and avoids spraying it on too thick. Also make sure you spray directly downwind - not just to avoid a faceful of spray, but to make sure the paint doesn’t blow away from your models and get wasted.

 

GW shades are so runny, that’s right. When they changed the formula years ago it was a really odd shift from the washes they used to make, as they were much “stickier” and coloured the model more, while the shades have less impact on the base colour and just flow into the recesses. Even the contrast paints don’t seem to do what they’re advertised as doing for me as they’re so thin. I keep mentioning Coat d’Arms paints, but their inks are the same as the old Citadel washes, so are worth trying if you want your shading to have more effect on the colour below. Their ink armour wash over leadbelcher would give you the gunmetal effect you describe.
 

I know I should paint my models in sub assemblies, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’m way too impatient in this respect and just want to have the model built, primed and ready to go, apart from things like tank turrets and sponsons, or dreadnought arms, where you may want them to stay removable for movement or weapon swapping. Yes it can make it a little awkward to get to details, but my stuff is never going to Golden Daemon so I can live with it.

 

Regarding mixing, I rarely do it. Again this is probably impatience - I can’t be bothered with the extra time it takes, or effort involved in trying to get the exact shade. I’d rather just take the colour out of a pot so I know what I’m getting every time. 

Edited February 14 by TheArtilleryman

[Firedrake Cordova]

12 hours ago, Wormwoods said:

 I'm similarly unimpressed with Contrasts.

 

10 hours ago, Ace Debonair said:

My only other advice is always go for white or other light colour primers if you're going to use contrast paints; they're designed for use on top of light colours, 

There's a knack to using them (unlike their initial marketing), and they really want to go over a smooth surface (this is why the Wraithbone and Grey Seer primers are slightly satin - matt paint is microscopically rough). I don't know if you've tried it or not, but they make good washes when watered down with medium, and also good glazes when airbrushed due to the punchy colours and high pigmentation.

 

 

[Karhedron]

I also always prime with a spray can as it gives much better coverage and adhesion. The colour of primer I use depends on the colour scheme I am using.

 

Reds and Yellows - White primer

Greens, Greys a Blues - Grey primer

Dark colours and metallics - Black Primer

 

Reds and yellows are very "translucent" colours which means the undercoat tends to show through, even if you apply multiple layers. For this reason, I always use white primer for these.

 

Where possible, I also use a colour spray over the primer to give me a base colour to work with. This is a big time saver and also gives a smooth finish. The GW range of rattle cans is good for some colours but there are also some big gaps. The Colour Forge range of sprays are supposed to match GW's colours but I have not tried them myself so cannot confirm.

 

I also favour sub-assemblies if certain parts are going to be painted in a different colour or if assembling a model fully will make it hard to reach parts to paint. I good example of this are space Marines who often hold their bolter in both hands. This can make it hard to paint areas like the chest eagle. So I leave the arms off, paint them separately and then attach.

 

You can see this on a couple of models I am working on below. The Company Champion has his arms painted separately so I can access the model's chest for painting. The Reiver sergeant is easier but I have still done the heads separately. This makes the face easier to get to and also means that the neck is accessible. This is helpful for models like Intercessors that have high collars.

 

 

[TheArtilleryman]

40 minutes ago, Karhedron said:

The Colour Forge range of sprays are supposed to match GW's colours but I have not tried them myself so cannot confirm.

I pretty much exclusively use their Matt Black these days because it’s cheaper and you get 25% more per can than the GW one. I’ve also used their steelforge silver which is meant to look like leadbelcher and it’s also really good - it looks like this:

 

 

Their cans need a bit more shaking than GW and don’t want to be too cold before use so I store them indoors. They also take slightly longer to dry. However it isn’t enough of a difference to be an issue. I’d recommend them.

Edited February 14 by TheArtilleryman

[Madao]

I am using primers for zenithal/slap chop and moved out from using black/gray/white to coloured ones, e.g. brown/green/yellow - it is great for anything besides white and blue baseocoats/contrasts. I really like how red and yellow look over it.

I tend to use an airbrush for priming, but when I want to prime only few models, I usually use Vallejo primers with brush (old formula, I haven't tested the current one).

[Dr. Clock]

On 2/13/2025 at 10:11 AM, Kaede45 said:

painting the individual pieces

I also do sub-assemblies on like 5/6 models. At first it seems like you're saving time painting every piece separately before assembly, but with more complexity in build and for proper glue adherence this is a two steps forward one step back situation. That's to say that the final assembly steps entail some risk, and it's better not to have spent too much time getting the perfect finish on something right before it get misted up by superglue, or you realize you have to scrape half of it away to get the join to set properly.

 

So  I sub-assemble just to prime and base for the most part, understanding that there will be necessary touch-ups after full assembly but that at least the hardest to reach areas will have some paint of a vaguely correct colour on them and I can focus the rest of my time on the... actually visible parts of the mini, and in their proper orientation.

 

Essentially - 2 assemblies are usually enough for a basic infantry, 3 for marine-size, 4 for characters, and 5+ for vehicles.

 

I also do not use spray primer, though I get a friend with an airbrush to put a couple coats on the big stuff. I paint in small enough tranches (max. 5 minis at a time) that I'm perfectly happy doing the first coats by brush. I used to prime black, but these days it's Wraithbone or Grey Seer all the way.

 

On 2/13/2025 at 10:11 AM, Kaede45 said:

“What if I mixed the colors I want before applying them?”

 

You can definitely mix paints to get different colours than right out the bottle. However, keeping the paint medium as similar as you can between the two (or more) products you're mixing will be key. 'Shades' are not for 'colouring', they're for... shading one or more existing, 'flat' values. Metallics are generally engineered to go on as flat as possible, but the underlying 'shiny pigment' is literally just tiny flecks of mica, aluminium and micaceous iron oxide... This means that they won't really mix consistently unless you use a correspondingly strong medium and pigment. For me that means I'll only really mix metallics 'down' with a strong black, if at all. To 'tint' metallics, I just use shades or glazes, and some people will even use something as strong as contrast right over a flat metallic for the really esoteric / cyberpunk stuff.

 

Once you've selected two paints with similar chemistry, you can combine them for wet blending on the pallet or on the model without too much issue. I usually do this for blending adjacent hues (so like orange to red or purple to blue) more than for bright/darkess, because making 'brighter' colours isn't usually about 'just adding white', and shading similarly not just about black...

 

Wet blending is fun and effective, but for the ease of it all I'll often just underpaint, i.e. 'use a nearby hue before the target hue' to get additional richness 'from the bottom' instead of in one layer, or only where you highlight. Specifically I'm thinking of underpainting orange with pink, blue for green, or even weird stuff like purple or blue for skin tones. Classic GW style is to just to build up a stack of layers in very similar hues but different brightness, whereas I often find more interest and success in going between hues.

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.