CHOOSING (AND USING) THE RIGHT PAINTS: PART ONE

As the name of this blog is The Sage Brush, it was only natural that our first technical article was about selecting and properly using the right paint brushes. But TSB is, after all, a painting blog, and what would a painting blog be without an early and in-depth discussion of paints?


We have already discussed why the right brush is the most important acquisition for painting - but a paint brush isn't very useful without the paint, is it? As with brushes, choosing the right paint is so essential for the best results possible.


ENAMELS OR ACRYLICS?
The first question is: Which type of paint should I use, enamel or acrylic? To find our answer, let us look at the benefits and drawbacks of each:

Enamels: Pros: Durable and chip-resistant, longer drying time (to enable blending)

Cons: Requires solvents to clean up, paint and solvents have strong odors and possibly harmful vapors, can be flammable, longer drying time (increases the amount of time to finish the work). May damage certain plastics, depending on the solvents used.

Acrylics: Pros: Cleans up with water, non-toxic, no vapors. Faster drying time.

Cons: Faster drying time (not as much time for blending), can rub or chip easily.
As we can see, enamels don't offer a lot of benefits, but there are a lot of reasons not to use them. And those reasons aren't reasons with easy workarounds. With acrylics, however, the drawbacks can be easily avoided with a couple of readily available products. We will go into those a little later and in future articles, but for now, suffice it to say: Acrylics are the indisputable best choice for miniature painters.
To be sure, there are some painters out there who do absolutely magnificent work with enamels, but they are very skilled and very experienced painters. They're not the sort who visit painting blogs like this, they are the sort who write their own blogs. They also have ventilated spray booths, airbrushes, and protective respiratory equipment.

So, for the purposes of this blog (and probably all future content), we will operate under the assumption that you will be brush painting with acrylics. I stopped using enamels over 25 years ago and I think my results (and my health) are better for it.


WHAT BRANDS DO YOU RECOMMEND?
There are an awful lot of brands of acrylic paints available to the hobbyist - some are far more suitable for this hobby than others. If you go to an art store or craft store, most of the types you will find are not going to give the best results. Generally speaking, you want to avoid any paint that comes in a toothpaste-like tube as these paints are far too thick for the type of painting we do. I also do not recommend the acrylic "craft paints" that come in bottles that look like trial size shampoo. These paints do not have the adhesion characteristics we need, and tend to go on far too heavily to get a thin, uniform coating like we need.

You will want to select a brand that's designed specifically for plastic/resin models and metal miniatures. The best places to look for these are game stores and hobby/train stores. There are still many brands to choose from; I would not personally recommend Polly, Humbrol or Tamiya for brush painting. I was never pleased with Humbrol or Polly acrylics when I used them many years ago, and while I did use Tamiya paints when airbrushing armor models, that's a topic for an advanced article much farther down the road.

So, what brands do I recommend for brush painting miniatures - and why? Here's my go-to list:

Vallejo Game Color - This is the line that I recommend most highly. They are of a similar formulation to the Vallejo Model Color line (AV's FAQ says that they have "a lower viscosity than Model Color and a resin more resistant to frequent handling"), but Game Colors are more brilliant than the matte Model Colors and thus, usually more suitable to our purposes.

A huge benefit of this product is that they come in 17ml dropper bottles, which are compact, long-lasting, and discourage you from painting right out of the pot (we will discuss why that's bad in an upcoming article). I bought a complete set of AV Game Color paints about 15 years ago, and with proper care and occasional thinning, stirring and cleaning of the removable dropper nozzles, they've lasted me quite well. I've only had to replace a few colors in that time. AV also makes many auxiliary products that I highly recommend for painting - brush-on primers, varnish, thinners, and mediums which will help you to get the best results.

Citadel Color - When I began painting with acrylics, Citadel was the only serious paint line designed for what we do. This was when I learned that Humbrol and Polly acrylics were unsuitable for miniature painting. Citadel's advantage is their "technical" approach to miniature painting. Their painting guides are second-to-none and I highly recommend the "How to Paint Miniatures" book and accompanying DVD, as well as any of their many painting guides specific to the army or faction you may be using.

The "technical" approach refers to the division of paint products into various types, depending on application. The painter will use a given Base paint to undercoat the model, applying a wash of a particular Shade to that, and then painting one or more Layer paints to establish the overall color of an area. Onto this, the hobbyist can apply a drybrush highlight using the Dry line, but I recommend edge highlighting using one of the Edge paints (or even a lighter Layer) instead. They also have a variety of Glaze colors; a Technical line for effects like rust, oxidation, corrosion or blood; and a Texture line for easy basing and similar effects (I do not recommend this unless you are painting line troops to a tabletop quality).

All in all, the Citadel line has come a long way and has helped enthusiasts to pioneer new techniques for amazing results. I remember when they released the Expert set of inks in 1990, and seeing the amazing effects we could achieve with ink washes. The paints in the old vinyl flip-top bottles have lasted incredibly well - I still have a blend for Space Wolves that's kept its consistency for 25 years! The newer hard topped pots are easier to open, but they don't close so well - it's easy for paint to accumulate along the rim or to otherwise fail to close them fully, causing the paint to dry out rapidly. I learned to my chagrin that "Liquid Green Stuff" quickly becomes "SOLID Green Stuff" when it's not fully and properly closed.

I would say that about half of my most widely-used paints are Citadel colors, because of their approach to painting and the specific applicability of their specialty paint lines.

Formula P3 - No, this is not a new format for auto racing. It is a line of paints by Privateer Press, the company that produces Warmachine and Hordes. Like the Citadel range, these colors are intuitively designed for easy shading and highlights - it's easy to tell which colors to use together.

The biggest reason for using P3 paints is that they have a liquid pigment base - this allows them to be thinned without separation or loss of brightness. This is very important, as later on we will discuss why you want to thin your paints rather than using them at the out-of-the-pot consistency. Coverage is fantastic with P3 paints - but I don't buy the "single coat" line in most cases. Don't worry about that, as in a later segment you will see why several thin coats are better than one thick one.

One note of caution: The original P3 metallics had some significant issues and are not recommended. These metallics had the white label like the rest of the line. Privateer responded to the issue by reformulating the metallic line and releasing new metallic colors with a black label. The black-labelled metallics are great, just like the rest of the P3 line.

These are the three primary brands I use - I do not have much experience with the Reaper Master Series paints or the Army Painter line, but I've heard no complaints and I leave it to the individual to decide for themselves if these products are suitable. One brief but very significant recommendation, however, goes to Army Painter Quick Shades. When Citadel reformulated a few years ago, painters lamented the loss of Devlan Mud and Badab Black, and noted how Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil were not exact substitutes. However, Army Painter's Soft Tone, Strong Tone and Dark Tone should be in every miniature painter's arsenal, regardless of what other lines you use. They are truly that versatile and that essential for best results.


SUMMARY
Herein, we have discussed why acrylics are the medium of choice for our particular applications, and what brands provide the best options and have delivered the best results. in Choosing (and Using) The Right Paints: Part Two, we will discuss which specific colors and auxiliary products every painter should have in their box, and later we will discuss the best methods of controlling consistency, flow, and properly loading a brush.