Compare and Contrast.

Hi folks.

Contrast Paints, initially promoted as a quick and easy way to get painted models on the table top but still looking good, is this the case?

I initially bought some of these when they came out to play with, so are they the miracle paint that everyone thought they would be? Simple answer is no, are they good paints? Undoubtedly yes. Let me explain.

The marketing from GW was basically slap one coat of this on something and it will shade/highlight and do everything you want, and yes, they do work like that and for some the results will be fine. Personally I don't like the look. It works for some stuff but not everything and I think that is the key - it's to find out how to use them to provide the best results. I don't use them as the miracle paint, I use them as another tool in my box. I also think to get the best results from them you have to use them in the right way, I don't think just slapping them on is the best way to get good results. Also some combinations work better on certain models than others and by combinations I mean the actual paint colour but also the undercoat you use as well.

So what they good for? I find the best use of them is on models with some texture, by this I mean a model that has detail, raised surfaces. For Armour I don't think they work well at all as the paint can tend to pool (although there is one exception to this that I have found so far - more on this later). I also find that they work better on regular sized models, things like regular infantry. With larger models you tend to get the pooling/streaking problem but again there are exceptions.

As well as the paints, GW released a specific Contrast Medium. Medium is basically the same stuff as the paint but without a pigment. It's used to thin the actual Contrast paint and I make use of it a lot, it helps to reduce the pooling issue I mentioned previously.

So lets have a look at some of the models I have used it on and how I used them. Firstly an army I started purely because Contrast Paints got released and one of the armies they work amazingly well on - Sylvaneth.

Sylvaneth models are covered in texture, they are essentially walking Trees and the surface of the models are all texture. They also use a fairly limited palette of colours which are Browns and Greens (well those are the colours I went with).. GW posted an article on the Community site with some examples of Sylvaneth models painted in Contrast and they looked simply amazing and were painted in a really short space of time. I have always wanted to do a Sylvaneth army and even bought and painted models before, but had a really hard time getting them to look the way I wanted and also to look consistent, here was the solution. The models are painted with just 4 Colours. I started from a Grey Undercoat, the one specifically designed to be used with Contrast paint. I then did the flesh tones first as they are a bit harder to get too. I tidied up any bits with the same Grey (but the pot version). I then did the Brown and then the Green whilst the Brown was still a little wet so it blended in. I did thin down the Contrast with just a little Medium. The Sword is just a Contrast Blue straight from the pot. The only thing I used a non-Contrast for was the Silver on the sword handle. That is all it took on these models, and the Treeman is a big centre piece model. Now I said earlier that it isn't good for large models, well this is one of the exceptions. Take, for example, the Giant model. I tried using the Contrast skin tone on this model, but as the areas of skin are actually pretty large and flat the Contrast doesn't work well. It gets a bit blotchy. For my Giant I did use the Contrast skin tone, but I mixed it with Medium and used it as more of a wash. I then went over the skin again with regular paint to get a more smooth finish. I think you'll agree that the Contrast on the Sylvaneth models works a treat.

The next set of models that Contrast is great for is another AoS army - Tzeentch. The main reason, is again, that the models have some texture to them, but also the colour palette that is available with Contrast. Tzeentch Colours are traditionally fairly bright and the Contrast range offers this. Again I had been struggling with things like Pink Horrors getting a consistent colour that I liked which was easy to achieve each time. With the Contrast Pink, one coat straight over and done. I did mix in a little Medium to get it to flow around the shape of the body better and to give is a slight translucence. I used the Wraithbone undercoat on these. The Exalted Flamers body uses a slightly different technique. I painted the model with the Blue Contrast, but when it was still wet I applied some Medium to areas where I wanted it to be lighter. You then have to keep an eye on it as it dries and guide it to where you do or don't want it. The flames are just straight Contrast Yellow and Red out of the pot, again applied at the same time, so when the paint it still wet, you can blend the Colours together where they meet. Same technique was used on the Screamers. I painted the Disc with regular paint.

Next up some Nighthaunt. These were done using a similar technique to the Tzeentch stuff above. I used the Wraithbone undercoat and then a 50/50 mix of the Blue Contrast with Medium. When that was done I then used just Medium to paint down the model whilst it was still wet so that the Contrast remained darker at the top and then went to virtually nothing at the bottom. Once dry I then used a Wraithbone paint as a dry brush at the bottom of the model so make the ends of the cloaks basically white. The Grey and metal were regular paints with a Black wash and a light Grey highlight. As they are simple models and using this method you can really get them done quickly whilst also getting a really nicely painted model.

Now on to some 40K. At the top of this post I said Contrast wasn't great on armour but there are some exceptions and this comes back to the combinations point. I tried the Yellow Contrast straight over the Wraithbone undercoat for painting some Imperial Fists, and whilst it works, I don't like the colour and it does get a bit blotchy. What Contrast does work well on is Iron Warriors and this comes down to using the Grey Contrast and a Leadbelcher Undercoat. As the two Colours are fairly similar this minimises the blotching affect and this also works on the vehicles too. In general Contrast on vehicles looks bad as it streaks, but this particular combination seems to work really well. The Iron Warrior infantry models below are just a Leadbelcher undercoat and a generous coat of the Grey Contrast. The rims and shoulder pads are painted with regular paint, but using this method gives you a great looking model in no time at all. The tank was done in the same way, but you have to make sure that you don't streak so brush those away if you see it happening, but you have to be careful, if you go over an area that has dried too much as it then leaves a blotch. So don't go over the same area too many times.

The next model is a Thousand Sons Marine. I have only done one of these so far, I did it mainly to see if Contrast would work. I thought long and hard about either using a Gold or Silver undercoat but in the end I stuck to the Wraithbone. For this model I actually used two coats. The first coat was a 50/50 Contrast Blue and Medium. The second coat was 2 parts Medium to 1 part Contrast Blue. This gave the armour a translucent effect that I was after. I then did the Gold trim with regular paint. You have to be really careful here because if you get any Gold on the armour you don't really have anything to cover it up with. So if you do get some on there get it off with some water quickly.

So that's it, my guide to using Contrast paints. To conclude they are really useful and an excellent addition to the paint range. If you want to just slap it on and get some models on the table it works, but the effects aren't great. If you are an experienced painter that wants to try and get some different techniques into your painting they are awesome too. They really do have some benefits in terms of getting some great affects with little effort, but not for everything. It's worth while doing a little experimentation on some old models if you can because, as I have said loads, its all about certain combinations. Certain paints and undercoats look better than others. So go ahead and give them a try, I think you'll find the results surprising.

Until next time…