Eh guys,

Hope everyone is doing right out there.

Well for my third thread (at a moment, don't worry, I'll stop enumerating them), I've mode into "how will I paint my army". I have several ideas coming into my head at the moment but I won't quite talk about them so I can post later on pictures of my painted undead army . Still that doesn't mean I won't say a word about my ideas but as little as possible to not spoil all the thing.

So my questions range from the general one to the precise one, let's go :

1) I've read here on the forum that some of you use and do recommend Army Painter colors. So I checked their website and saw that the flasks look taller and fuller than the Citadel flasks, I tried to see the exact content of ml but couldn't find it, can someone tell me please ?

2) I've got many old Citadel flasks of colors in my room (that were kept inside a closet), when I shake some of them it still looks that the paint is still fluid. I bought them say... in 2012-13, don't know, do you think they are still usable ? I mean, I don't want to throw my money through the window by buying brand new paints while I still have a stock that may work again...

3) I've already asked @AnimusLiberus and this is an obvious fact : we all will paint our minis in a personalized way by just giving them an identity, an historical background and even names to each soldier (well that's going too far, maybe) BUT, my question is maybe stupid, will you also personalize the heroes ? I mean, my answer would be yes because I did it with Warhammer minis, but I mean when it was Commissar Yarrick I had to paint I just painted it like it was shown on the books... because he had his own story well written and exciting, that would have been a shame to me to not respect his "true colors". So that's why I'm asking with Ardus Ix'Erebus... I'd like to make him look as the special undead He is but also not too much of a foreigner to his troops and look like a hair in the soup (french expression transliterated spotted) on the battlefield...

4) Do you know where I can buy accessories for basing ? I'm not especially looking for grass or sand (I've got some) but small objects like stones, crystals, items like barrels or skullheads, you see small object to actually garnish the base of each unit and that you could find on Warhammer sprues. I've checked here and there but not seen anything really exciting. I've got at home a "Northern Wastes basing kit" from Gamesworkshop with small stones, small stalagmites, etc. I'm looking for that kind of stuffs. on The Army painter site, they do have some but it's only for military purpose so not what I'm looking.

5) the daqan default colors are too warcraftish to me....but no one cares about this last remark so...Ileave you here and thank you for your answers

Army Painter is 18ml (.6 fl oz). If you are looking for a new paint and have not tried Vallejo, give their Model Color and Game Color a try...I think they are some of the best acrylic paints out there...

To make your heroes stand out i can recommend pink, great colour nad not used that often .

Now back to beeing serious, detailing with gold or an other colour not used in the army/unit can help, for miniatures that are seperate to their base something to stand on, for example a rock or a fallen enemy, would also help.

For basing you can take a look at MiniNatur if you want flowers or tufts on your base they also have great stuff you can use when making terrain or a table, or you can take a look at Kromlech , or you could take a look at the things from Ätztech , and here you can get human and elf skulls and here is the stuff from Warlord Games , or you could go into a hoby store in your town and take a look at what they have, same goes for online stores many have a hobby or base/basing category.

And here the basing stuff from Gale Force 9 . And another great thing for terran or bases that involve timber (like a ship deck or the runway of a dock) are those wooden things you get in a McDonalds or similiar places to stir your coffe. And you can always use putty to make something and perhaps even stencils like these could be used.

I forgot to say look everywhere and i mean literally everywhere nit only hobby stores but all the stores and beautiful nature itself (you know it's healthy to take walk in nature very now and then), you can find so much stuff you can use if you look at different stores and outside of your home.

For example back when the Tyranids of 40K got their Drop Pod Codex entry GW didn't release a model so people had to make one themselves, many used styrofoam eggs or dried plant/fruit shells you can get at decoration stores (I hope you guys understand what I'm taking about) and said stores are a good place to look for stuff you can use for basing and terrain/table building, they have those little stones you use for decoration, in different sizen and colours (although you should paint them it looks better, but same of the stranger colours might be used for amgical or alien planet stones) or other stuff like plants and things, I personally got my stones which I use for base decoration from such a store.

Same goes for animal store (again don't know the proper name) you can get the stones used in filling your aquarium or terrarium, and those fake plants can be painted and uses for your table and i know some people use the bird sand you use for their cages as basing materials because it's cheap and you get a lot.

And i have also seen kids toys like ships and fortresses used for wargaming, yes you have to paint them and perhaps put a little bit of extra work in it but then it can look real good, i have also seen a orkified Playmobil crane, that took much work to but looks really good.

Waiqar armies may find these helpful:

http://www.toadkingcastings.co.uk/store/p23/Skull_and_Bones_Sheet.html

15 minutes ago, Tvayumat said:

Waiqar armies may find these helpful:

http://www.toadkingcastings.co.uk/store/p23/Skull_and_Bones_Sheet.html

Nice but the only thing I have casted are dice and spells in video games, but fortunately I play Vampire Counts so I have a nice collection of skulls and bones.

22 hours ago, Iceeagle85 said:

To make your heroes stand out i can recommend pink, great colour nad not used that often .

As my Vampire Counts will attest. This is not a Sarcastic recommendation.



Accent Colours are very important. And Pink can work very well

That's killer looking

how do you obtain that realistic flame-look for your torches ?

Paint Whole Flame White.
Paint a little less of whole flame Light Yellow.
Paint a little less than that of Yellow.
Paint a little less than that of Yellow-Orange.
Paint a little less than that of Orange.
Paint a little less than that of Orange-Red.
Paint a little less than that of Red.

Best if you do it while the paint is wet, so that the colour underneath kinda mixes in at the joining area... That's how you learn to Blend, basically - Although what I have there isn't Blended, its more striated colour transitions...

Go back, mix up a heftily transparent yellow with Ink/medium, or even just paint/medium/water - apply in a few very thing glazing coats to areas where torchlight would shine.


Flames done in about 20 minutes tops. These are hardly my best effort to show in that department, but they got the job done.

Blendng would take more time, and would look a thousand times better, but I havn't been able to blend since I left Australia.

The whole point about painting is that its got to look good AT ARMS LENGTH. Not up close on SuperMacro (although, if you can, kudos).

So Colours and Contrasts are important points - drawing your eyes across a table to what you want them to rest on... Bright Vivid glowing Greens for Spectrals, met dark, sombre browns for the Bone work... Dull, drab blues and blacks for Generic Infantry met Vivid Royal Purples and Pinks for the vampires... Enough so that, when you looked at it at as a whole, it was coherant - but your eyes were attracted to these brightly vivid centerpieces.

and what kind of paints to you use ? I'm considering moving for some colours to Army painter but honestly I don't know i've taken a look at Vallejo and read a lot of good comments on their products. I still owe quite a range of old citadel paints that need a little shake to be operational again, but that's it.

The 100% Games Workshop Vampire Counts army was painted with 100% Games Workshop Citadel Colours, Washes and Inks, as I did so In Store on my off-hours as I worked for them for a time.

I use Army Painter and Vallejo most. They're great for coverage, have a wide set of colored, mix well to create new colors and are reasonable in cost. The dropper bottle is now a must for me.

I have some P3 (Privateer Press Paints) but not enough to really talk much. No local store sells them so not as much hands on to make me take that leap.

I still have some Citadel (GW) paints left over bit have not bought anything new in about 4 years. IMO, the pot design allows for to much waste through inability to get the paint onto the brush or drying up in the pot. The lack of a dropper makes matching what you did the last time very difficult. Citadel has also changed the pigment inside the pot without changing the name on the pot at least twice in the last 20 years.

For scenery, terrain, maybe even large vehicles, I'll use generic paints from the hobby store. I use an airbrush for much of this so any airbrush paint will work well. This can also be used for pre-shading.

For basing I often go to the local Train Hobby supply. Things like Woodland Scenics are incredible and often cheeper than our own hobby.

Whenever you are shopping keep your hobby in mind. Tools designed for the real world can often be repurposed. I use baking supplies, kitchen tools, office supplies, jewelry making supplies and even toys (Plastic army men are great fodder for testing paint)

IMO, the amount of paint you get and the quality of it, it's hard to beat army painter.
I can see more professional or enthusiasts going out for a ton of vallejo colors, but really the army painter mega bundle is just one of the best deals out there for a new painter. I think their washs are extremely good. If I remember right, the team behind it is a bunch of ex-citadel guys.
I bought some army painter paints on a whim one time, used them like twice, and came back two years later and they were still great after a good shake.

Every Hobbyist will have their Opinions and reasons for what they choose.

I'm usually using Citadel paints, because of these factors (which, are due to my location and circumstance).

Vallejo Droppers are "cold damaged* in delivery, which means they're horridly separated, and often, even staining a different colour, and I Hav eto go cross-town to get them, and there's no Returns. But that's what you get living in Canada and expecting things Delivered in the Winter...

This happens the same with Army Painter, only its a little better with their Washes and a lot worse with their Primer Cans...

Games Workshop is not only closer, but being an actual store, if I order something, and it comes damaged, or pick up something damage, I can return it, refund, and/or reorder until It is Right . I pay comparatively to the other two, and there's some colours I just can't get anywhere but Vallejo...

But again, personal circumstances

I will always recommend a hobby paint over a basic acrylic paint, just due to pigment density and pigment clumping... You can certainly use a generic acrylic brand, but you're best straining it through pantyhose before using it, and freely acknowledging that it will never cover as quickly and easily as a hobby paint - you're always doubling down on effort for price

thanks to all of you again for your valuable answers. Last question (but not for too long, don't worry) : I saw Army Painter colour primers cans... what do you think about them ? Isn't that the same principle as citadel primer cans ? I mean I don't get the concept. I read their leaflet but still : this is a primer can that contains also a basecoat paint ? Then I don't know if I delve into Army Painter products at some time if I have to pick the usual black primer or if I may allow myself to try another colour... Because let's say I prime my minis with a Citadel chaos black primer : I've been told that if you want to basecoat it in black you still need to add a base of chaos black once the prime has dried. Is it the case with army painter colour primers ? Thank you !

24 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

I will always recommend a hobby paint over a basic acrylic paint, just due to pigment density and pigment clumping... You can certainly use a generic acrylic brand, but you're best straining it through pantyhose before using it, and freely acknowledging that it will never cover as quickly and easily as a hobby paint - you're always doubling down on effort for price

This is exactly what I needed to hear. My wife and I had various acrylic craft paints before I painted my IA miniatures, but I've been wondering if it is worth investing in some hobby paints instead. It seems like I owe it to myself to at least give it a try.

34 minutes ago, Elrad said:

thanks to all of you again for your valuable answers. Last question (but not for too long, don't worry) : I saw Army Painter colour primers cans... what do you think about them ? Isn't that the same principle as citadel primer cans ? I mean I don't get the concept. I read their leaflet but still : this is a primer can that contains also a basecoat paint ? Then I don't know if I delve into Army Painter products at some time if I have to pick the usual black primer or if I may allow myself to try another colour... Because let's say I prime my minis with a Citadel chaos black primer : I've been told that if you want to basecoat it in black you still need to add a base of chaos black once the prime has dried. Is it the case with army painter colour primers ? Thank you !

Well for GW I can say Abbadon Black(the colour in a pot) is a different black than the primer black, so if you paint your miniature and make mistake and correct it with the other black it can be seen but probably only if your looking at them from close distance.

I can't say anything about the army painter ones maybe they have fitting colour pots.

Army Painter primers (spray cans) are really nice...but, read the directions...also, they are expensive. I either use Vallejo with my airbrush, but I have achieved great results with rustoleum primer ($3 or $4 per can).

All a matter of what you like...I have talked to many people who love army painter, but I have never had good luck with them. Except their washes (inks, whatever)...their deep shader is a must for me...

40 minutes ago, Elrad said:

thanks to all of you again for your valuable answers. Last question (but not for too long, don't worry) : I saw Army Painter colour primers cans... what do you think about them ? Isn't that the same principle as citadel primer cans ? I mean I don't get the concept. I read their leaflet but still : this is a primer can that contains also a basecoat paint ? Then I don't know if I delve into Army Painter products at some time if I have to pick the usual black primer or if I may allow myself to try another colour... Because let's say I prime my minis with a Citadel chaos black primer : I've been told that if you want to basecoat it in black you still need to add a base of chaos black once the prime has dried. Is it the case with army painter colour primers ? Thank you !

3 minutes ago, Iceeagle85 said:

Well for GW I can say Abbadon Black(the colour in a pot) is a different black than the primer black, so if you paint your miniature and make mistake and correct it with the other black it can be seen but probably only if your looking at them from close distance.

I can't say anything about the army painter ones maybe they have fitting colour pots.

Army Painter very specifically and explicitly gives a 100% color match guarantee on their identically named primers and paints.

I've moved almost entirely to Army Painter for my work and can't recommend it enough, particularly with the new colors they're releasing this year. The paint is high quality and it comes in dropper bottles, which is my big issue with buying Citadel for anything other than the occasional texture or some shade I just can't be bothered to mix.

Seems I have to try Army Painter then, normally I use Citadel paints because my go to toy where I buy board and video games carries GW products so I buy there if possible.

I try to experiment with various types of paints, usually hobby ones. Vallejo is my typical go-to paint and they have some glorious kits out there now. I really like Army Painters wash set and recommend one. I even use some artist sprays like Montana because of the large variety of different colors for priming.

I hear good things from Wargames Foundry paints too but you have to import them. The way they do it is by doing a set of three paints: the base color, then a shading and highlight color to compliment it.

I have never used army painter primers. I have always used automobile primer, I have recently tried Vallejo brush on primer and if my batch didn't suck, it would have been excellent. It was very bubbly, and wouldn't stop bubbling around details which I read can happen from time to time. The flat surfaces, the primer was excellent on the test models. I do however plan on trying out the army painter primers with these models.

2 hours ago, Joker2007 said:

Army Painter primers (spray cans) are really nice...but, read the directions...also, they are expensive. I either use Vallejo with my airbrush, but I have achieved great results with rustoleum primer ($3 or $4 per can).

Also this.

I 100% love Army Painter, but you can't go wrong by Vallejo products, and I too prefer airbrushing on Vallejo primer to using the AP stuff in a rattle-can.

Army Painter, at least in that regard - Its a Shortcut.

Priming is not Basecoating.

Priming should not be Basecoating.

If you're Priming so much you have a Base Coat, you're using too much Primer.


Primer should be a dusting to prepare the surface of the model to accept the base coat.