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Last updated |
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This section is dedicated to collecting the various tips and tricks I have collected from various sources over the years. I am presenting them here since they will be of use to Clan War players to help them paint their figures. Enjoy! If you have any ideas, please feel free to send them in, I am always taking submissions.
Table of Contents
A Primer on Primer -- Preparing your figures before you paint them.
Acrylic Extender -- A great tool for painting.Other Links
Painting FAQ - A great little document that answers many of the basic questions about painting figures.
A Primer on Primer
This article came from The Cult of the 4-Armed Emperor.
by Martin Connell (martyc@hpnjmc.njd.hp.com)Note: The names Chaos Black, Skull White, Smelly Primer are names of Games Workshop acrylic paints. I find the line to be very nice myself, YMMV. This was taken off a GW-centered site, so some contamination is inevitable.
Q) Before painting, do I need an undercoat, a base coat or a primer coat? I am a little mixed up with the definition.
A) As I understand it, these phrases often overlap. After a figure is cleaned up a coat of paint is put on it that ideally etches into the metal to grab hold and has a good "tooth" for other paints to hold on to. This coat is called a "primer" and it's the combined etch and tooth characteristics that leads to there being special paints specifically called "primer". Because it is "under" everything else it is sometimes called an "undercoat".
In the GW style, after priming large area are painted with the basic color that are will be. Highlights and shadowing are inked/painted on top. This is a "base coat". Because it's under the highlights and shades it's sometimes called an undercoat.
I use primer coat and basecoat as these terms do not (well, rarely anyway) overlap.
Q) Is there a difference in the preparation needed when I paint a metal figure or a plastic figure ? Is the undercoat/ base coat/ priming coat necessary for both types of figure?
A) Yes and no. One reason for Primer used to be to stop lead rot. Better casting techniques, alloys etc have pretty much eliminated lead rot (not a problem with pewter). And plastic doesn't get lead rot at all. The whole "etch" and "tooth" thing can end up being more theorey than anything else, so you can get away without priming.
Personally, I would never paint a figure without priming because: 1) it's a uniform starting point; 2) it points out where I haven't cleaned the mold lines enough; 3) if you don't wash a figure (but I think you always should), a good primer will cut through the oils from your hand and leave a good toothy base for paint.
Q) Is Chaos Black, Skull White used for undercoat or for base coat?
A) Is sometimes used as a primer but I don't recommend it. Use Citadel "Smelley Primer", Armoury Primer, or *the choice of champions* Floquil Primer. Careful with the Floquil though, it's a "hot" laquer so must be used with caution on plastics. [I can confirm this! I once melted several models because I used too much Floquil on them. However, the stuff is the best I have ever used - Kuni Tetsu]
Q) In what way is GW's Smelly Primer different from Chaos Black/ Skull White?
A) I think it's a little more reactive than the black and white which are just acrylic paints. Not sure though, haven't used it.
Q) In what way is the spray paint (white, grey, black) different from the liquid paint?
A) Two schools here. I prefer spray as I get a uniform coat on the figure. Also spraying Floquil (lightly) lets some of the hot stuff evaporate so it's not quite so caustic to plastic. Brushed on Floquil can be instant death to plastic if not handled very sparingly.
Brush on usually ends up thicker than spray, but the artsy types claim it gives them a better "feel" for the figure; flow of folds and what not.
Q) How do you ensure that the spray paint get into the nooks and crannies? I have quite a problem with this.
A) I spray in several sessions. I stick the figure with blue tac to an old spray can top. I make several passes while rotating the top. In about 2 hours the primer is dry to the touch. I lay the figure on its back with it's base toward me, essentially shooting up his nose. In 2 hours a repeat for the back. Wait 24hrs before painting.
Remember, the primer doesn't have to be perfect. If a few areas have a light grey of the metal peaking through it's not the end of the world.
Q) For metal figures, I am thinking of using Testor's liquid primer, I think painting on the primer on the metal figure is easier than spray painting the figure. Any comments ?
A) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Sorry, I panicked) Testor's primer comes of smooth. It is intended really for model cars to get that high gloss finish. It is thick and has not much tooth. See above mentioned choices. These are real figure primers
[I prefer the black primer for figures in armor, but you have to put a base coat of grey or white on the face before painting flesh tones or they will come out too dark. With black primer, you paint a coat on, and the black will darken it so that it is a shadow tone. Then you paint or liberally drybrush the figure again to deepen the color on those areas you want to be brighter, and then highlight raised portions using drybrushing to bring out depth in the model. Remember when applying highlights to keep a single light source in mind while painting, so that the highlights (representing light striking portions of the model) seem to be coming from the same point.]
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Acrylic Extender This stuff is great! A drop of Acrylic Extender added to paint on your pallete will keep it from drying out too quickly, so that you can get more painting done. It also smooths out the color, and can be used to "thin" the color while keeping the color even. I use it to make Citadel colors a little more translucent for use in Shinjo Yoshimitsato's painting technique for painting rank and file. If you use inks, you can use Extender to thin the ink as well, keeping the colors vibrant.
Make sure you do not use too much, or the paint will become too dilute and will not give you true color. Using extender does mean that your figures will take longer to dry, so keep that in mind.
Rick Peterson has also brought up that if the paint stays wet, you can then blend two colors together. This is an advanced painting technique that can lead to spectacular results. The new color will combine with the color below it, so you can change shades from one color to another without an obvious dividing line. This is sort of what I do, but I allow the layer below to dry and then make the top color more translucent so that the color underneath will show through.
You can find Acrylic Extender in most art supply stores.
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