Thinking about getting back into painting

[Ithilkir]

Thinking about breaking out those models that haven't seen the light of day for many a year and getting back to some painting however I need to restock my paints. What I have is pretty limited and to be honest i'd be surprised if they haven't dried out by now and i'm guessing my brushes might be usable... for a bit.

Any tips on getting a decent paint collection going again without spending a fortune? I know the easiest is simply to buy one of the GW or Vallejo paint sets but anyone haveany other ideas?

[Magictobe]

You don't have to buy a complete set. There are many products in their that you will not use (for the first 5 years) and chances are that paints are solid on that time.

I suggest maelstromgames. You get free postage easily (small amount to buy)

You buy the individual paints that you want and need. There is a starter set of paints (8 bottles and 2 brushes). You get some extra bottles of fancy colors you want and start painting. I suggest a primer for the models as well because otherwise they get chipped real easily.

Good luck.

[spubbbba]

Magictobe gives great advice, I’d certainly avoid GW if cost is an issue. Their new range is as good as any out there but much more expensive.

If you’ve used GW paints before and are familiar with them then Coat d Arms are great since they were the old supplier of GW paints. And they are still sold in the old pots so not only are they cheaper but you also get almost 50% more paint. Plus I love those old pots and have some that have kept the paint usable for 20 years.

[el Superbeasto]

'Ere we go again... (-and here I go again... ) I'll just copy-paste one of my former posts to save time:

Maelstromgames is a great place to get your fix! And as Magictobe says; it's free postage (for orders above £10 inside UK or £20 outside).

Regarding paints, I have only good things to say about Formula P3. The paint is smooth, good for blending and has good coverage. Simply love'em to bits!
http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.p ... p3&sou=cat

If you like the old Citadel paints, you can also try Coat d'Arms. They are the old manufactures of Citadel paints and all their colours are therefore directly comparable to Citadel colours. It's a good solid product (though I still prefer P3).
http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.p ... da&sou=cat

I don't have a lot of experience with Vallejo, but the ones I've used have been with mixed success. Some were top notch while others were pretty lousy.
If you like the drop bottles, I can recommend Reaper Paints. They can be a bit hard to find in Europe, though, but they are nice to work with. -And if you're lazy when it comes to mixing your paint (like me), Reaper Paints can be the answer to your prayers as they come in "triads"; shadow, base and highlight.
http://www.reapermini.com/Paints/corecolors

Hope this helps!

[Magictobe]

Talking about reaper. The bones kickstarter had nice painting sets for 18$ for 12 bottles. I order all 4 of them. Great price.

[Magictobe]

And maelstromgames just added a 30% discount voucher for all IN STOCK items until next friday in my mailbox. If there was a good time to buy paints, it is NOW!!!!

WAREHOUSE-MOVES (to add to your shopping cart)

I should charge maelstrom for this advice

[el Superbeasto]

And another copy-paste with my words of wisdom...

Buy or make yourself a wet palette (like this one: http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.p ... al_101_000). It's such a much more pleasant experience to paint with and you only need to open your paint bottle for a few seconds at a time.

Finally, if you're looking for brushes as well, I can recommend the ones from Coat d'Arms:
http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.p ... ob-cda-ptg
They are synthetic but they spread the paint really nicely, they are cheap and they keep their shape way better than the other brushes I've had. I prefer the "superstar" version which is your standard round handle brush. The "professional" version has a triangular handle. It's just a matter of preference. The brush itself is the same.

PS: P3 also make some excellent brushes. A bit more expensive, but if you stay with their "hobby" versions they're still fairly cheap.

[Magictobe]

Just upped my brush set with 10 brushes for £20 shipped to Belgium.

[el Superbeasto]

Just upped my brush set with 10 brushes for £20 shipped to Belgium.

Coat d'Arms brushes?

[Dr. Von Richten]

If you like the old Citadel paints, you can also try Coat d'Arms. They are the old manufactures of Citadel paints and all their colours are therefore directly comparable to Citadel colours. It's a good solid product (though I still prefer P3).
http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.p ... da&sou=cat

Interesting ...

Is there a comparison list for Coat d'Arms and previous GW range somewhere? Some names are the same ('Blood Red', for example) but others aren't (I can't find 'Lich Purple', and there are 2 purples which might fit)?

[Magictobe]

Just upped my brush set with 10 brushes for £20 shipped to Belgium.

Coat d'Arms brushes?

Your reply came in too late and when I look back they only have 1 brush in stock so ...

Next time, will keep your advice in mind.

[el Superbeasto]

If you like the old Citadel paints, you can also try Coat d'Arms. They are the old manufactures of Citadel paints and all their colours are therefore directly comparable to Citadel colours. It's a good solid product (though I still prefer P3).
http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.p ... da&sou=cat

Interesting ...

Is there a comparison list for Coat d'Arms and previous GW range somewhere? Some names are the same ('Blood Red', for example) but others aren't (I can't find 'Lich Purple', and there are 2 purples which might fit)?

'ere you go!
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint ... lity_Chart

[Steam Ball]

Vallejo has 3 lines, Game Color, Model Color and Model Air. The mixed complains normally come down to putting them all in the same bag, when they are different acrylic formulas, and pigment types too. Originally they had VMC only, for militar miniatures mostly. Then they developed VGC to target gamers and VMA to make sure colors would work in airbrushes.

The Game and Air have less viscous medium, Model one is thicker and needs lots of shaking. Add a small non rusting marble in the pot to help with that. Reaper ones have it included. And lots means cocktail style and beyond, you get plenty of pigment and some colors sediment fast, but with enough shaking they work again. Another tip: flip them every time you pick them, sometimes store them upside down, others normal (storing in boxes helps, flip them all in one go). Never crush the bottles, use a pin to clean the nozzle, and shake again if you get transparent fluid instead of colorful paint.

All them work with paint brushes, but test VGC and VMC is using a spray gun or airbrush. Game range has bright colors mostly ("fantasy miniatures"), while Model goes with more natural shades in general ("militar miniatures"), Air has mixed range ("militar tanks & racing cars"). For metallics, go with VMA over VMC, it's thinner pigment matters with metals.

About brushes, thick with good tip is better than any 5-hair ones. You will load lots of paint, it will not dry while working, and you will have plenty of control to do thin lines. Expensive? No, Escoda, Rosemary and others have great natural hair tools. Rosemary series 33, size 2 is 3.80 pounds now, that is "big" size and the most expensive sable hair they got; series 99, red sable, just 2.30. Just never wet them to the metal part, and they will last longer. Clean them with soap and alcohol, or brush cleaning product from art shop.

[el Superbeasto]

Vallejo has 3 lines, Game Color, Model Color and Model Air. The mixed complains normally come down to putting them all in the same bag, when they are different acrylic formulas, and pigment types too.

I'm not at home right now so I can't double check but I'm pretty sure all my experiences with Vallejo - good and bad - are based in their Model Color series plus their washes. (Not a big fan of their washes BTW.)

[Dr. Von Richten]

'ere you go!
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint ... lity_Chart

Muchos gracias, senor!