It's good watching this video again. Every time I find myself tempted to buy a Citadel shade or contrast paint, I rewatch these videos and remember why I haven't bought them. I can make my own.
I did suspect that the contrast paints were some mix of an acrylic matt medium PLUS a flow improver. Now I use flow improver with my normal Citadel base paints (98-96% distilled water + the remaining Winsor and Newton Gala Flow Improver) to make sure that the paint is uniform across the medium when it settles on the mini (it effectively reduces surface tension of the liquid / paint), I use Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver to prevent paint clogging the tip of my airbrush both are Ethoxylated fatty acids so both would work. Thanks for this tip.
I think if you add some varnish to the medium mix you can get it to act more like gw medium. The varnish makes the paint pool to itself more like the gw stuff.
So it looks like GW uses a high pigment ink to make their contrast paints, you can use that or a Wash. I'll show you what I think is the rest. Top Contrast Paints article: spikeybits.com/2019/07/7-most-popular-contrast-paints-some-going-for-100-a-pot.html
You can get the concentrated pigment by using acrylic inks which also come in very "poppy" colours 😀 or try secret weapon washes the pigment content in them is very high and they are probably in some cases better than contrast paints
I have noticed that too man, some colors don't perform as well as others. I have a little over 20 colors. I'm very excited for the release of Army Painters Speed Paint line. Going to get the complete Air box so I can leave my regular paint box at work, using the Air line at home. I will be getting the full box of the Speed Paint. I like other paint brands but I have 100% confidence in Army Painter especially at the price.
Practically what you need is A) a very concentrated color/pigment B) an acrylic carrier/medium with very good flow properties, meaning low surface tension. I found two ways of doing that. COLOR => FW or Liquitex acrylic ink. Afew drops go a long way. Alternatively Golden High Flow colors (they replaced their airbrush colors) especially the transparent ones. MEDIUM => Liquitex or Golden Airbrush medium + flow improver. Its better that plain matt medium cause it already have some retarder and flow aid within it. An other alternative is Pledge/Future shine. It basically is a very liquid acrylic gloss varnish with self leveling properties.
Please correct me if I get this wrong from the video, is he using say 1 part standard acrylic paint to 1 part 50/50 flow improver and pure acrylic medium?
Hi, I just started this hobby and don't have the acrylic inks yet. What are the disadvantages of using regular acrylic paint instead of ink? The color less vibrant / pop? I hope someone could give me some answers. Thanks.
Hi, there are much more nuances in the properties of individual colours/paints, but here's a short simple pointer. Ink is usually thin (watery), has a relatively high pigment load, and is often translucent. Paint is thicker due to the different emulsion (acrylic medium) and usually more opaque than ink. Simply thinning acrylic paint with water will not give the same effects as ink; as the relative amount of pigment is diminished (diluted) it will give a less intense finish. Also, if too much water is used, the pigment particles lose their binding with the acrylic medium, often resulting in a smudgy looking surface. Hope this helps.
@@rougarou3716 Many thanks for the explanation. I was thinking to buy some inks. But I just heard Vallejo released his contrast paint. Vibrant color and not so expensive. Should I buy inks or Vallejo Xpress Color?
@@kerodrone1220 Hi again, personally I think inks are a bit more versatile, but with Vallejos new affordable contrast paint (about half the price of Citadel) you can now get into the speed painting game pretty quickly. Whichever path you choose to start your painting journey, you'll probably eventually get to a point where the other option will cross your path again and complement your possibilities; for example, if you choose for contrast paints now you may also want to try inks in the future, and vice versa. Hth.
It all depends on if you want a "cheaper alternative" or if you want "this exact thing, I want this and nothing else because it's perfect". You can get deep into making your own paints with powder pigments and various mediums, thinners and emulsifiers. Assuming you have some idea what you're doing (or don't mind learning through trial+error and wasting some time+dollars along the way) this will almost always give you the best results because you have 100% control over the viscosity, opacity, pigmentation, surface tension, pooling, shine etc. etc. - if it's not right it's because you didn't make it right. Going this route can get pretty pricey if you go for the very best pigments available, but again I stress that this will give you the most control in the end. Every "contrast" paint product is ultimately a pre-mixed, batched version of something you can make yourself. It is theoretically possible to recreate any kind of commercially available ink or paint with other commercially available ingredients. When it comes to getting as close as you can for the least money/effort - well, ultimately the effort saved will be spent researching other peoples' experiences to get the information you need without the personal expense. There are 1001 different ways of getting close to the vibrancy, viscosity and coverage that you're looking for and none of them are wrong - but none of them are 100% right either. Only you can decide what is good for you. We are fortunate to live in an age where there is a ridiculous wealth of information from dozens of talented painters and teachers at our fingertips, we just need to have the time to spend listening and watching. If you want to test inks, you should start with Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink. Depending on where you live it might actually be easier to get these than the Citadel/Army Painter contrast/speed paints as these are sold in any Michael's craft store. On average a 30mL bottle of one colour will cost around the same as a 18mL bottle of Citadel Contrast paint (sub-$10). You will want to add at least some amount of Matte Medium to these - I do not recommend adding solely Airbrush medium (thinner+flow improver, the kind of medium a hobby painter is most likely to have on hand) unless you are also adding un-thinned acrylic paints to the mix as otherwise the result will almost definitely be too thin for your purpose (these inks are not designed nor marketed solely for mini painters). It's not massively cheaper than just buying contrast paints, but it _is_ cheaper, and ultimately will give you more freedom and control over how you use them (you can use the same inks to create washes and glazes). I don't think I've ever used the exact same recipe twice. I also don't think I will ever find the "perfect" mix. You should really think about what kind of minis and what kind of personal painting style you're going for. Personally I do not play wargames and therefore never do batch paints - the "speed" part of speed-painting is of little interest to me, only the result. I just do character paints of mostly D&D minis, specifically lots of liches and other skeletal models. I go for bright yet matte pastel-type colours in the pinks, greens and blues and like to create a lot of very cyberpunkish atmospheres and vibrant glow effects around eyes, spells and crystals. I use my blue, red and yellow primary colour inks a lot but I also like to use the Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments "Undead set" from the Army Painter D&D line as despite being classical acrylic paints the colours are fantastic starting points/references for the colours I tend to use the most. The more variety you have in your painting arsenal, the less you limit yourself when achieving your ideal mix. If you stick with the hobby and progress more and more, you might find that there is no substitute for patience and detail. Some of the very best painters in the world use nothing but acrylic paint and water, without even using an airbrush. You can make even the dullest paint "pop" simply by intelligent use of other colours around that colour. Contrast is not one colour, it is the _difference in colour_ between one or more colours. Simulated ambient light and simulated reflective material (this includes "non-metallic-metals") are some of the most powerful tricks you have when it comes to making a colour look like another colour entirely - by tricking the brain. Think of it like a home cook using a sous-vide cooker and an air fryer to make good food vs a 50-yr restaurant veteran chef making *GREAT* food with one cast-iron pan and a gas stove. If you want to do stuff like wet-blending and get a professional-yet-classical 'eavy metal look then that will take time mastering traditional paints. I know I'm a little late but hopefully you are still painting and progressing.
I'm wondering if you could potentially increase the quality of the blue by using an ink instead of an acrylic. They're much more pigmented, and would hold up better to thinning. Just a thought!!
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Does Vallejo flow improver recommend it is diluted with water before use? I have Galleria which is like Liquitex in that it says on the bottle to dilute it with water before use. Want to follow your recipe but wondering if I should add neat flow aid or diluted
@@spikeybitstv thanks, have you ever used other brands? I’m guessing a drop of neat Vallejo Flow Improver is equivalent to a drop of diluted Liquitex/Galleria
Some great tips here. Been struggling with decision whether to invest in some key contrast paints. I have inks and medium. Might give them a go first. For example, I did try vallejo dark flesh ink and its amazing. Soooooo pigmented and works amazing for dwarf beards and dark orange items.
Disagree this technique is similar to Contrast, it's more like a step towards a contrast alternative. At best, you are creating thin glazes. Have been using Vallejo Flow Improver / Liquitex Matte Medium mix for years, it thins paint and improves capillary action. Downside is decreased pigmentation, the color becomes thinner and more transparent. Contrast is a glaze medium with extra pigment. It works because color pools in recesses and draws back from high edges. To replicate, you would need to add pigment - this technique simply dilutes the standard GW colors. If you wanted to build on it - any maybe make something better than Contrast - talk to a company like Caddo Pigment. They do custom color blends of dry pigment and could provide an exact match for GW paints. To get a rough equivalent to Contrast, all you need is this mix with about triple the pigment of a standard GW paint. This could be done profitably at scale. Pigment / the mediums you recommend are cheap when bought in volume. A drum of the stuff in the Vallejo bottle costs about $64 and could fill it 200x times. Liquitex has some bulk product solutions, but there are other matte mediums that would be a better option.
I have been curious about the contrast paints here lately. With they way they act to provide contrast, is it possible that it is made up using 2 different sized pigments or maybe even a dye and a pigment? I think that would tint flat surface but allow the heavier pigment to settle into the recesses.
Is matte medium different than matte fluid medium? Are they interchangeable? I meant to buy matte medium but bought matte fluid medium instead. Will it still work?
Thanks for the great video! Have you tried making the mixture with Liquitex Matte medium? If so how does it compare with the Army Painter mix? Thanks again!
@@spikeybitstv I've run some absurdly OCD specific tests on this, and there ARE differences - mostly in the grain/grit of the medium particles. Though they do both have some pretty heavy particles compared to say, Vallejo Matt medium which is much closer to a PVA like substance (which I think makes sense considering the Vallejo stuff mentions polyvinyl resin I believe on the bottle). Different effects basically to achieve the matte effect - PVA/vallejo creates a matt surface without added visible grain/texture. If you really examine how contrast looks when dried on say, the GW pallette paper plastic stuff, you'll see how fine grain their matting agent is compared to the rest. This is a big part of the secret I believe, and why the other matt mediums often don't look quite right. Contrast is extremely fine in it's action - much closer to a lot of the matte varnishes out there (specifically tested Golden matt varnish, and the finish is truly the same. One thing to note - be wary of over thinning matte mediums - if you've ever noticed that irregular finish to a GW wash if you add water or too much flow improver, this is why. It's not so much separating as it is overly diluting the matting agent, causing it to be too dispersed. All this nonsense brought to you by being obsessed with near microscopic differences. I'm fun at parties.
Great idea!! I will try it....can you tell me which manufacturer makes the horse riders? I have not seen them anywhere yet.....They are really amazing.....and so is your painting.....!!
I can't really tell either. I see he had something called Citadel Contrast Medium. Well, why would you need to add anything more than paint to the Contrast Medium? Isn't that the whole point about having Contrast Medium? Just add paint and go? Or was he saying that plain ole affordable Matt Medium can be used instead of the GW Contrast Medium, but instead only adding paint and being finished you'll have to add paint PLUS Airbrush Flow Improver? And wtf, why was there Army Painter quickshade medium, talked about in the video? I'm a total noob with this stuff, but his way of giving a recipe is not too good. To summarize he should have then announced the recipe and that's it. No substitutions from AP or whatever. After going over that again then he should mention again the substitute items you can use. I'm certain most people understood him fine, but as a noob in this area, he could have done better. I am sentencing him to 2 years, only synthetic brushes and the lowest rated craft paints! LOL
@@alb639 The recipe for the DIY contrast medium was 50% matte medium and 50% flow improver. Judging by the amount of mixing done it’s probably 50% base color and 50% DIY contrast medium with varying degrees of success, which will naturally depend on the pigment and it’s coverage. If you’re looking for something that can be bottled and used exactly as you made it, you’ll probably want to tweak the ratios. Just experiment Important to note is that to truly replicate citadel contrast paints (or most mini contrast paints in general), the ratio of pigment to medium is approximately 3:1. This is why In the video it’s stated any sufficiently “poppy” paint will perform best- they have more pigment in their formulas. Lower pigmented paints will be drawn down with this effect. To counteract this, you could look into mixing this medium with inks: they usually have a lot of pigment, but they are also very diluted, and so you’ll want to tweak your formula again. All paints of all kinds are some mix of pigment, medium, flow aid, and some other ingredients, so don’t be afraid to experiment to find what you like. Goobertown Hobbies has more info if you want more. Midwinter Minis also has a video on DIY paint medium, which while a bit different purpose is principally the same and you could even use for the basis of your formula!
I want to understand what's being talked about here, but I feel like there's just too much lingo I don't understand, so I'm just left wondering how I can even begin to start painting miniatures like this :\
@@jonathanlane444 It's just like, just in regular paints you have like 4-5 different types, and then suddenly we're doing mixes with other stuff, and different paints and I'm just like @_@
@@jonathanlane444 I feel like I could probably do well. I just get overwhelmed when watching these videos because I'm not as technically competent about all the different variations etc. Paints are so expensive already, so I thought this might be useful knowledge, but I can't see how I'd be saving much money if I'm just buying different other paints to mix together for an effect.
Have you had a look at Vince Venturella? He has a goldmine of info for beginners to professional level painters and 230+ vids on just about everything you could think of in the mini world. th-cam.com/video/N88NtHNmz1Q/w-d-xo.html
@@MrNovaStreams I Second Peter's suggestion of Vince. He's one of the best out there for creating detailed explanations and demos. Look up his video on "additives", "glazing", and "drybrushing" to get started. I bought a whole paint set from army painter, because I got a good deal, but honestly you don't need more than 10-12 smart paint choices to do everything you need.
Umm... EVERY kind of paint includes "some kind of medium". Medium is what holds the pigment in solution in the solvent, in this case water. That's what MAKES a paint - pigment, binder, and carrier. Pigment, Medium, and Solvent.
It's good watching this video again. Every time I find myself tempted to buy a Citadel shade or contrast paint, I rewatch these videos and remember why I haven't bought them. I can make my own.
Just buy inks, so much better than acrilycs for washes and contrast and they can be used for airbrushing
I did suspect that the contrast paints were some mix of an acrylic matt medium PLUS a flow improver. Now I use flow improver with my normal Citadel base paints (98-96% distilled water + the remaining Winsor and Newton Gala Flow Improver) to make sure that the paint is uniform across the medium when it settles on the mini (it effectively reduces surface tension of the liquid / paint), I use Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver to prevent paint clogging the tip of my airbrush both are Ethoxylated fatty acids so both would work. Thanks for this tip.
I think if you add some varnish to the medium mix you can get it to act more like gw medium. The varnish makes the paint pool to itself more like the gw stuff.
So it looks like GW uses a high pigment ink to make their contrast paints, you can use that or a Wash. I'll show you what I think is the rest. Top Contrast Paints article: spikeybits.com/2019/07/7-most-popular-contrast-paints-some-going-for-100-a-pot.html
Thinking of trying this recipe but adding ink colour and more glycerol.
You can get the concentrated pigment by using acrylic inks which also come in very "poppy" colours 😀 or try secret weapon washes the pigment content in them is very high and they are probably in some cases better than contrast paints
I have been using inks with both glaze and mat mediums with good results. The ink seems to give you more of the pop you are looking for
I was just thinking the same thing! experimentation with paint and inks would get really interesting.
New drinking game: take a shot every time Rob says "poppy"!
POPPY BITS
Spikey Poppy
I'm hammered, now. Thanks.
Fast track to cirrhosis of the liver.
I have noticed that too man, some colors don't perform as well as others. I have a little over 20 colors. I'm very excited for the release of Army Painters Speed Paint line. Going to get the complete Air box so I can leave my regular paint box at work, using the Air line at home. I will be getting the full box of the Speed Paint. I like other paint brands but I have 100% confidence in Army Painter especially at the price.
Practically what you need is A) a very concentrated color/pigment B) an acrylic carrier/medium with very good flow properties, meaning low surface tension. I found two ways of doing that.
COLOR => FW or Liquitex acrylic ink. Afew drops go a long way. Alternatively Golden High Flow colors (they replaced their airbrush colors) especially the transparent ones.
MEDIUM => Liquitex or Golden Airbrush medium + flow improver. Its better that plain matt medium cause it already have some retarder and flow aid within it. An other alternative is Pledge/Future shine. It basically is a very liquid acrylic gloss varnish with self leveling properties.
Please correct me if I get this wrong from the video, is he using say 1 part standard acrylic paint to 1 part 50/50 flow improver and pure acrylic medium?
@@MaZEEZaM correct.
Hi, I just started this hobby and don't have the acrylic inks yet. What are the disadvantages of using regular acrylic paint instead of ink? The color less vibrant / pop? I hope someone could give me some answers. Thanks.
Hi, there are much more nuances in the properties of individual colours/paints, but here's a short simple pointer.
Ink is usually thin (watery), has a relatively high pigment load, and is often translucent.
Paint is thicker due to the different emulsion (acrylic medium) and usually more opaque than ink. Simply thinning acrylic paint with water will not give the same effects as ink; as the relative amount of pigment is diminished (diluted) it will give a less intense finish. Also, if too much water is used, the pigment particles lose their binding with the acrylic medium, often resulting in a smudgy looking surface.
Hope this helps.
@@rougarou3716 Many thanks for the explanation. I was thinking to buy some inks. But I just heard Vallejo released his contrast paint. Vibrant color and not so expensive. Should I buy inks or Vallejo Xpress Color?
@@kerodrone1220 Hi again, personally I think inks are a bit more versatile, but with Vallejos new affordable contrast paint (about half the price of Citadel) you can now get into the speed painting game pretty quickly. Whichever path you choose to start your painting journey, you'll probably eventually get to a point where the other option will cross your path again and complement your possibilities; for example, if you choose for contrast paints now you may also want to try inks in the future, and vice versa.
Hth.
It all depends on if you want a "cheaper alternative" or if you want "this exact thing, I want this and nothing else because it's perfect".
You can get deep into making your own paints with powder pigments and various mediums, thinners and emulsifiers. Assuming you have some idea what you're doing (or don't mind learning through trial+error and wasting some time+dollars along the way) this will almost always give you the best results because you have 100% control over the viscosity, opacity, pigmentation, surface tension, pooling, shine etc. etc. - if it's not right it's because you didn't make it right. Going this route can get pretty pricey if you go for the very best pigments available, but again I stress that this will give you the most control in the end. Every "contrast" paint product is ultimately a pre-mixed, batched version of something you can make yourself. It is theoretically possible to recreate any kind of commercially available ink or paint with other commercially available ingredients.
When it comes to getting as close as you can for the least money/effort - well, ultimately the effort saved will be spent researching other peoples' experiences to get the information you need without the personal expense. There are 1001 different ways of getting close to the vibrancy, viscosity and coverage that you're looking for and none of them are wrong - but none of them are 100% right either. Only you can decide what is good for you. We are fortunate to live in an age where there is a ridiculous wealth of information from dozens of talented painters and teachers at our fingertips, we just need to have the time to spend listening and watching.
If you want to test inks, you should start with Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink. Depending on where you live it might actually be easier to get these than the Citadel/Army Painter contrast/speed paints as these are sold in any Michael's craft store. On average a 30mL bottle of one colour will cost around the same as a 18mL bottle of Citadel Contrast paint (sub-$10). You will want to add at least some amount of Matte Medium to these - I do not recommend adding solely Airbrush medium (thinner+flow improver, the kind of medium a hobby painter is most likely to have on hand) unless you are also adding un-thinned acrylic paints to the mix as otherwise the result will almost definitely be too thin for your purpose (these inks are not designed nor marketed solely for mini painters). It's not massively cheaper than just buying contrast paints, but it _is_ cheaper, and ultimately will give you more freedom and control over how you use them (you can use the same inks to create washes and glazes).
I don't think I've ever used the exact same recipe twice. I also don't think I will ever find the "perfect" mix. You should really think about what kind of minis and what kind of personal painting style you're going for. Personally I do not play wargames and therefore never do batch paints - the "speed" part of speed-painting is of little interest to me, only the result. I just do character paints of mostly D&D minis, specifically lots of liches and other skeletal models. I go for bright yet matte pastel-type colours in the pinks, greens and blues and like to create a lot of very cyberpunkish atmospheres and vibrant glow effects around eyes, spells and crystals. I use my blue, red and yellow primary colour inks a lot but I also like to use the Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments "Undead set" from the Army Painter D&D line as despite being classical acrylic paints the colours are fantastic starting points/references for the colours I tend to use the most. The more variety you have in your painting arsenal, the less you limit yourself when achieving your ideal mix.
If you stick with the hobby and progress more and more, you might find that there is no substitute for patience and detail. Some of the very best painters in the world use nothing but acrylic paint and water, without even using an airbrush. You can make even the dullest paint "pop" simply by intelligent use of other colours around that colour. Contrast is not one colour, it is the _difference in colour_ between one or more colours. Simulated ambient light and simulated reflective material (this includes "non-metallic-metals") are some of the most powerful tricks you have when it comes to making a colour look like another colour entirely - by tricking the brain. Think of it like a home cook using a sous-vide cooker and an air fryer to make good food vs a 50-yr restaurant veteran chef making *GREAT* food with one cast-iron pan and a gas stove. If you want to do stuff like wet-blending and get a professional-yet-classical 'eavy metal look then that will take time mastering traditional paints.
I know I'm a little late but hopefully you are still painting and progressing.
I'm wondering if you could potentially increase the quality of the blue by using an ink instead of an acrylic. They're much more pigmented, and would hold up better to thinning. Just a thought!!
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Can you use airbrush thinner instead of flow improver?
Does Vallejo flow improver recommend it is diluted with water before use? I have Galleria which is like Liquitex in that it says on the bottle to dilute it with water before use. Want to follow your recipe but wondering if I should add neat flow aid or diluted
Ive never diluted the flow improver :)
@@spikeybitstv thanks, have you ever used other brands? I’m guessing a drop of neat Vallejo Flow Improver is equivalent to a drop of diluted Liquitex/Galleria
@@griffglowen5555 im not sure. i never used any others :)
Some great tips here. Been struggling with decision whether to invest in some key contrast paints. I have inks and medium. Might give them a go first. For example, I did try vallejo dark flesh ink and its amazing. Soooooo pigmented and works amazing for dwarf beards and dark orange items.
Dark Flesh Ink? I don't see that paint in vallejo range - am i missing something?
@@kamil261 hi. Yes. They do a flesh ink. And its awesome for red hair over a white base coat.
@@neilbrown2451 I see Game Ink Skin Wash - this is it?
@@kamil261 hi. Yes. That's it.
Disagree this technique is similar to Contrast, it's more like a step towards a contrast alternative. At best, you are creating thin glazes.
Have been using Vallejo Flow Improver / Liquitex Matte Medium mix for years, it thins paint and improves capillary action. Downside is decreased pigmentation, the color becomes thinner and more transparent.
Contrast is a glaze medium with extra pigment. It works because color pools in recesses and draws back from high edges. To replicate, you would need to add pigment - this technique simply dilutes the standard GW colors.
If you wanted to build on it - any maybe make something better than Contrast - talk to a company like Caddo Pigment. They do custom color blends of dry pigment and could provide an exact match for GW paints. To get a rough equivalent to Contrast, all you need is this mix with about triple the pigment of a standard GW paint.
This could be done profitably at scale. Pigment / the mediums you recommend are cheap when bought in volume. A drum of the stuff in the Vallejo bottle costs about $64 and could fill it 200x times. Liquitex has some bulk product solutions, but there are other matte mediums that would be a better option.
You're correct I also mention you would want to use high pigments or inks too :) Corr
I have been curious about the contrast paints here lately. With they way they act to provide contrast, is it possible that it is made up using 2 different sized pigments or maybe even a dye and a pigment? I think that would tint flat surface but allow the heavier pigment to settle into the recesses.
Do you think you can use epoxy resin ink for mini painting?
Could I substitute Liquitex flow aid additive for the airbrush flow aid?
That's what I use and what I found is that you want about 60% medium, 20% flow-aid, and 20% water.
I have the Vallejo airbrush thinner but I have Windsor an Newton galleria matt medium how many drops do i need for 50-50
How did you get the retail army painter set behind you?
Is matte medium different than matte fluid medium? Are they interchangeable? I meant to buy matte medium but bought matte fluid medium instead. Will it still work?
I’m not sure what that is honestly sorry
@@spikeybitstv its also made by liquitex looks quite the same, wasnt sure if there was a difference or not.
Thank you for your time big dog.
If you use inks then the contrast medium , you will get exactly the same results as contrast medium
Really useful video - thanks! :)
Thanks for the great video! Have you tried making the mixture with Liquitex Matte medium? If so how does it compare with the Army Painter mix? Thanks again!
Its the same as the warpaint medium from Army Painter :) litreally
@@spikeybitstv I've run some absurdly OCD specific tests on this, and there ARE differences - mostly in the grain/grit of the medium particles. Though they do both have some pretty heavy particles compared to say, Vallejo Matt medium which is much closer to a PVA like substance (which I think makes sense considering the Vallejo stuff mentions polyvinyl resin I believe on the bottle). Different effects basically to achieve the matte effect - PVA/vallejo creates a matt surface without added visible grain/texture. If you really examine how contrast looks when dried on say, the GW pallette paper plastic stuff, you'll see how fine grain their matting agent is compared to the rest. This is a big part of the secret I believe, and why the other matt mediums often don't look quite right. Contrast is extremely fine in it's action - much closer to a lot of the matte varnishes out there (specifically tested Golden matt varnish, and the finish is truly the same. One thing to note - be wary of over thinning matte mediums - if you've ever noticed that irregular finish to a GW wash if you add water or too much flow improver, this is why. It's not so much separating as it is overly diluting the matting agent, causing it to be too dispersed. All this nonsense brought to you by being obsessed with near microscopic differences. I'm fun at parties.
rob manages to out-do patrick bateman in the art of staring-directly-into-camera-over-shoulder
How about using ink with that mix?
You could.
Great idea!! I will try it....can you tell me which manufacturer makes the horse riders? I have not seen them anywhere yet.....They are really amazing.....and so is your painting.....!!
They are Forge World's death riders of Krieg.
@@spikeybitstv Thanks for your super fast answer....:-))
@@spikeybitstv Thanks, I also love the look of those and wondered what they were.
Then 50% medium...50% flow...and ink?...
So.. what's the recipe?
Airbrush flow improver, matte medium, and ... I assume paint? In which ratios? :)
I can't really tell either. I see he had something called Citadel Contrast Medium. Well, why would you need to add anything more than paint to the Contrast Medium? Isn't that the whole point about having Contrast Medium? Just add paint and go?
Or was he saying that plain ole affordable Matt Medium can be used instead of the GW Contrast Medium, but instead only adding paint and being finished you'll have to add paint PLUS Airbrush Flow Improver? And wtf, why was there Army Painter quickshade medium, talked about in the video?
I'm a total noob with this stuff, but his way of giving a recipe is not too good. To summarize he should have then announced the recipe and that's it. No substitutions from AP or whatever. After going over that again then he should mention again the substitute items you can use. I'm certain most people understood him fine, but as a noob in this area, he could have done better. I am sentencing him to 2 years, only synthetic brushes and the lowest rated craft paints! LOL
@@alb639 The recipe for the DIY contrast medium was 50% matte medium and 50% flow improver.
Judging by the amount of mixing done it’s probably 50% base color and 50% DIY contrast medium with varying degrees of success, which will naturally depend on the pigment and it’s coverage.
If you’re looking for something that can be bottled and used exactly as you made it, you’ll probably want to tweak the ratios. Just experiment
Important to note is that to truly replicate citadel contrast paints (or most mini contrast paints in general), the ratio of pigment to medium is approximately 3:1. This is why In the video it’s stated any sufficiently “poppy” paint will perform best- they have more pigment in their formulas. Lower pigmented paints will be drawn down with this effect. To counteract this, you could look into mixing this medium with inks: they usually have a lot of pigment, but they are also very diluted, and so you’ll want to tweak your formula again.
All paints of all kinds are some mix of pigment, medium, flow aid, and some other ingredients, so don’t be afraid to experiment to find what you like. Goobertown Hobbies has more info if you want more. Midwinter Minis also has a video on DIY paint medium, which while a bit different purpose is principally the same and you could even use for the basis of your formula!
Nice
I want to understand what's being talked about here, but I feel like there's just too much lingo I don't understand, so I'm just left wondering how I can even begin to start painting miniatures like this :\
Easy there dude!
Look up glazing vids og some airbrush basic vids there will help ya
@@jonathanlane444 It's just like, just in regular paints you have like 4-5 different types, and then suddenly we're doing mixes with other stuff, and different paints and I'm just like @_@
@@jonathanlane444 I feel like I could probably do well. I just get overwhelmed when watching these videos because I'm not as technically competent about all the different variations etc. Paints are so expensive already, so I thought this might be useful knowledge, but I can't see how I'd be saving much money if I'm just buying different other paints to mix together for an effect.
Have you had a look at Vince Venturella? He has a goldmine of info for beginners to professional level painters and 230+ vids on just about everything you could think of in the mini world.
th-cam.com/video/N88NtHNmz1Q/w-d-xo.html
@@MrNovaStreams I Second Peter's suggestion of Vince. He's one of the best out there for creating detailed explanations and demos. Look up his video on "additives", "glazing", and "drybrushing" to get started. I bought a whole paint set from army painter, because I got a good deal, but honestly you don't need more than 10-12 smart paint choices to do everything you need.
Ink's are your friends
Sweet Devastator.
9:35
Glazing medium AKA Futureshine floor wax!
Do you still chew your greenstuff?
100%
Umm... EVERY kind of paint includes "some kind of medium". Medium is what holds the pigment in solution in the solvent, in this case water. That's what MAKES a paint - pigment, binder, and carrier. Pigment, Medium, and Solvent.
what is "poppy" he keeps saying
Hacer esto es lo mismo que comprar clones a china. LO MISMO, estas CLONANDO una pintura barata para que sea como la ORIGINAL.