*_Hands down_* that's a personal preference and you need different paints for different jobs. I'm glad you find joy in Contrast paints, I merely think they are OK. If you were gifted a set of Army Painter's version of contrast paints(sounds like you can't buy these yourself?), you opinion might change. Don't lock yourself to 1 brand. Also consider that most of your contrast painted minis do not look like your minis from before Contrast paint. I see a lot of color and less detailing, but that's speed painting for you.
I completely changed my mind about Contrast paints. Well maybe not completely, I still think there is a other options out there for everything they do, that is better if you know how to, but the VERSATILITY of these paints makes it an absolute weapon in everyones arsenal, and especially when you are starting out they are so good for so many things!
Last year when I painted my minis with acrylics and contrasts I feel little shame because contrasts for noobs like many people told. Now my shame is in the past, thanks!
Good for beginners but there's some depth to them! Contrasts were a great way to practice glazing and undershading that I probably wouldn't have tried to tackle with normal acrylics. They're also better at being washes than actual washed imo. Certainly expensive as heck but it's nice to see people find utility in these paints like I have, beyond what they were marketed as
They are a revelation, through and through. But at the same time, contrast paints are showing the ugly side of this hobby: Elitism. Newbies can get excellent looking miniatures just by dry-brushing a neutral gradient and simply filling in the colors. By some long-timers, this is seen as almost cheating and they get VERY hostile gatekeepery about it. I think that's fucked up. Shouldn't this hobby be open to everyone? And if they ARE ways to make your minis look better, regardless of skill, why not embrace it?
I would love to see long and detailed tutorial how to get those looks. What to look for, how to approach and apply describe while painting a figure... Those results are astonishing!
Contrast paints were a gamechanger for me, even if I don't use an airbrush nor do zenithal priming. They've allowed me to paint several armies to a decent standard in a very short time, and now there's more painted than unpainted stuff in my pile of shame.
$6 dollars maybe. Standard price for most miniature paints. Sure, they come in slightly bigger bottles but at the end of the day it is just glorified washes.
I do feel like I'm a little spoiled living in the UK (and reasonably close to GW HQ as well!) as I can pick up a pot for about £4 which works out at about $5.30. There must be some excessive price hiking going on with imports...
It's high, but it's on par with the rest of GW paints around here; $5 for a small pot, $10 for a large pot. Still wishing they'd switch over to using dropper bottles though!
This has been the single most helpful video I have seen to help improve my airbrush skill. Understanding how light/shadows work in real life can really bring a miniature to life. I have two kids and little time to work on my Death Guard army, this has helped a lot! Thanks Squidmar for the awesome videos!
While GW said they're a cheat for noobs, but I've never been happy with the finish on them, but I find people like you Squidmar or Juan who have used them and understand how they work, they seem to look amazing
I made room on my table, prepared my airbrush kit and your method really works! So, thanks a lot, there is really a significant difference to just brush them on.
I've been using the pro-acryl transparent paints, and have never touched the GW contrast paints. One huge difference I have is that you want to zenithal with colours other than just white. Using the CMYK theory for transparent paints is a huge step in the right direction, and allows you to really play with the zenithal. lightening green with a base coat of yellow makes things much more interesting than just going with white. Red and yellow under brown is a go to for wood textures. I don't know how well that will work with these, but I'd be interested to know.
I love doing this with contrasts too! Wraithbone and Zandri Dust are excellent base tones for getting a single contrast colour to look wildly different between highlights and shadows.
What do you generally do for prepping the paint for the airbrush with contrast? Are you adding airbrush medium? How much are you thinning the paint if at all
Your videos looking at contrast all those months ago are what got me back into mini painting. Contrast over a zenithal is very much my go to these days - I’m not a hugely skilled painter and I don’t really have the time to spend a lot of time making my models look super pro, but I love a game with painted minis and contrast really helps with this.
Please do more videos on contrast paint tutorials. I’ve been seeing an increasing number of creators, including yourself, do amazing things with them and I want to see more
I love how you admit you dont clean your brushes but you're tge reason I knew to buy brush soap when starting to paint. I even got a certain brand because you posted it.
I'm excited for army painter speed paints, and have also started just using glazing medium to make my own paints. But I do really like a lot of the contrast colors.
Yes can get Craft paints 100mil for $3 , and make your own contrast way way cheaper . Many of the craft paints are easily as good as the bigger brand names .
Something I have been trying is after doing the zenithal highlighting I do a very precise black oil pin wash on the details. You would be surprised how good the details pop after you do your airbrushing and contrast painting.
I actually love using contrasts in ways they aren’t meant for necessarily. Skeleton Horde contrast is great over metallics, it ages them really well. My most recent use is using plague bearer’s flesh contrast as a thinner for Nurgle flesh. I painted up the lord of blights using just big man’s glow and plague bearer flesh contrast and got a ton of great variety and Nurgley flesh. 2 paints and I had highlights for days, super happy with it as someone who doesn’t normally like flesh. I did have to mix in some blue for shadows later, but it can’t always be easy.
Will be interesting to see how the citadel contrasts go vs army painter ones and the scale instant colours. Have you used these other brands Emil? Especially since the army painter ones are 1/2 the cost!
Scale75 ones are great. And cheaper, atleast at my fav. store. Warcolours also has their "Antithesis" line but I haven't used them yet-. And of course "Schmincke Aerocolor Professional"... there is really no reason to buy citadel.^^
@@BaphoMettbroetchen I wouldn't say there is no reason to buy the GW paints, in my experience each of the different "Contrast" paints act differently. There is a huge difference between my Contrast line and Instant Colors.
@@BaphoMettbroetchen I tend to agree. Obviously the results are good, the minis look fantastic for the amount of time spent. But I simply don't understand why you would use contrast paints for that?? What you want is a vibrant, translucent paint that sprays well. Sure. There are a lot of those out there (Schmincke beeing one of them, daler rowney inks as well)! Why use contrast for this? And don't get me wrong, I use contrast myself. But I pay for their flowing properties, which you loose completely when shooting them through the airbrush. So why do it then when you have cheaper alternatives?
Hey Squidmar, how do you deal with overspray/paint dust when airbrushing indoors? I didn't see you using a ventilation box so I was wondering if you have any issues with your room & workspace getting messy from the airbrush usage?
Not Squid, but personally I have medium air purifier from Xiaomi and it deals with the dust pretty well, I don't even have a dedicated space for it, just a bigger piece of cardboard shaped in a way that directs potential dust into direction of the device
@@EricHonaker The build up is slow but significant. If you set a piece of white paper near where you spray for a couple months you won't really notice anything wrong with it, but if you compare the front and the back of the paper you'll be amazed how blind you were when you just looked at the front.
Great video! I had the same revelation a few weeks ago. They're now my favorite paints as well, both with the airbrush and by hand. Just bought ten more pots 🙂
I am so glad you did this video! I came into the hobby right around when the contrast paints came out. I still like traditional acrylics, but the contrast paints are so amazing when paired with a Zenithal highlight. I felt like a lot of content creators immediately were against Contrast because they were so used to using traditional paints. Now I think a lot of people have come around and seen how useful they can be. Much love from Minnesota!
Another tip is that if you are painting highly textured material like fur capes, chain mail, or scales adding a light white dry brush after the zenithal can also really help the contrast paint show through
I've been using that method for some time,, it's really great to have fast and great looking models :) I find that the first step of using and modulating light and shadows with a white ink the most important part of the whole process :)
I have a handful of Contrast paints that I use a good bit and I like them for what I use them for but the cost is so high to get a full range and it's hard to justify when I already have other paints that will get the job done. So, I am super excited about Speedpaints- half the price of Contrast is REALLY appealing.
Im an army painter fan. I didn't like contrast paints it was a massive scam PR marketing stunt those paints r overpriced dont deliver on their pronises. WG isn't what they used to be. They sold themselves to a vulture fund prior to hasbro acquiring them bc they were heading to bankruptcy. WG is a shame. It's worse than what Apple does. Literally WG should be out of business for ripping people
Honestly... I was never as excited for an airbrush as I was for yours. Just sold some of my hobby stuff I had lying around here, just to order your airbrush. I LOVE the design and for me as someone who always wanted to upgrade my Ultra to the next level, this is the right moment. Really looking forward to it!
Dude am so jealous contrasts has changed my life for speed painting just can't get a airbrush don't have the set up and would rather spend it on minis but man the results speak for them selves well done man hopefully mabey one day lol
Awesome Video, thank you. I'm getting an Air Brush for X-mas and I've been picking up the contrast line once a week since October. So now I can't wait to apply some of these techniques.
I’ve been looking at getting an airbrush for a while for my army! This video has pretty much cemented the idea! Unfortunately I can’t get yours, but I hope it’ll come back some time!
Emil ,i live in France ,also here all GW products are very expensive ! The solution is very simple to spare money,i buy directly in England to the shop "ELEMENT GAMES",i bough them all my Contrast ,ALCLAD,Monument hobby PRO ACRYL,etc..👍👍❤
I also paint my minis with about 90% Contrast. They're a great line and make things so much faster with just as good results. Looking forward to trying the Army Painter Speed Paints next year.
Yeah same here. The video reviews of the paints I've seen seem very encouraging, both being cheaper than GW contrast, and some colours being much easier to work with.
I remember paying just under £180 for a full set of contrast paints, plus a can of Wrathbone primer, plus a pot of Wrathbone base paint here in the UK, so the overseas price-hike is pretty brutal. They've been fantastic paints for my amatuer ass though. I managed to get an entire Zombicide game tabe-ready in a fortnight, which for me is a huge achievement.
I’m not a huge fan of using them on armour or large smooth surfaces unless it’s just a glaze to add some colour. Although I guess if you’re using them through an airbrush there isn’t a problem. But I’ve found them amazing for smaller and more organic shaped models
I love them on my custodes, over a base of a super bright silver. It makes the armor look fantastic, and even roughens it up a bit. For other sield companies i wouldnt like it, but the Aquilan Sield is supposed to go around protecting people so i find it matches the concept!
I am waiting for the Army Painter Speed paints. Everything I have seen so far from the samples given out, they seem to be at least on par with GW contrasts but much cheaper. Looking forward to their release in February.
What ive found is contrast paints are great for "organic" textures (skin / cloth) where traditional paints work best on metals/stone/ect. Then of course you can use them as a glaze or wash in of themselves.
Basillicanum grey is amazing for recess shading as a way to feather out shadows, and aethermatic blue is just great for general blues and greens and purples. Also the airbrush is probably the tool for making contrast paint useable, because as a range they are inconsistent when brushed on, but sprayed they aren't. Also the upcoming Speedpaints by Army Painter may be worth looking into, since they work as a consistent range and their shading comes from the different pigments within the paint itself rather than contrast where the shading is just from paint clogging.
I've been trying to reproduce the ArmyPainter speedpaint medium/paint effect just from visual. I have something very similar. It's not just matte-medium and flow aid. Here we go: Take Liquitex pouring medium (matte), and fill up any container with it to 90%, then 10% water. The pouring medium is already very thin so you barely need any water. Take that pouring medium/water mix and put it in any new container at a solid 60% volume. Then 10% glaze medium Then 30% flo-aid medium. It's awesome. Please try it, change it, post about it or rant to me about it! But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! 2 to 1 for paints, 1 to 1 for inks, or to fix the flow of your GW contrasts
The colors on those orks are just so vibrant and the end result feels so alive! I'd love to mimic this result! Are detailed videos of you painting those in the works? This is really inspiring me to try airbrushing my orks and get my massive horde looking great! Thanks for the quality content!
I'm going to have to slightly disagree with you about contrast paints through an airbrush. What I have noticed is it depends on the contrast paint. Some contrast paints actually look better when you don't use the airbrush. The way I decide is if I use a paint brush and the most raised surfaces get very little paint then an airbrush tends to do a better job because you end up getting more color on the raised surfaces. However if you use a paint brush to put a contrast paint on and it has a tendency to leave a darker raised surface then using an airbrush tends to destroy the contrast. Basically what I find is when you use the airbrush the contrast paint has a greater tendency to dry on the more raised surfaces and seeps into the crevices less which essentially reduces the contrast. So if you want to determine whether to use an airbrush or not with a contrast paint, paint a test piece and see if the raised portions are too light and if they are use an airbrush to darken them up.
Hi, great vid. Just two questions: 1. How do you dilute the paints when airbrushing? 2. Do you matte varnish them (they tend to be a bit glossier than normal paints)?
I just use Vince Venturella’s airbrush thinning mixture with all paint including contrast paints and it works great. I believe it’s 70% airbrush thinner to 30% flow improver. It’s in one of his airbrush instructional videos
@@thare1774 thanks, I just wasn´t sure if the normal thinning mix would be ok, after all, the contrast paints have probably different medium. You can even buy it separately for dilution.
I feel like I am the only one who doesn't like them tbh 🤣 just not very consistent between colours is my issue, some look super strong but when applied they aren't and some just look ok but when applied they are really strong 😅 I see how they can be super useful though. Marco Frisoni has shown amazing aways to use them, Inks and oils over the last several years. Many people have copied from him directly especially with the inks and oils that's when they blew up again around 2 years ago or so (think it's two and have years ago now actually if not more)
Some paints are just bad (like Ultramarine), but others I really like (Warp Lightning or Talassar Blue). Somewhat diluted high pigment paints over white also give a similar effect (tried with Kimera). Speedpaints from Army Painter also give much of the same effect for half the price (will be out feb 2022).
I think a few are ok, but they aren't the godsend that a lot of people make them out to be, without the proper tools and techniques the model doesn't look right. A lot of the models I see that have been painted with contrast paints end up looking splotchy
I don't have an airbrush, so I mostly use regular acrylics, but I really like using contrast paints for more organic stuff: skin, including on faces; teeth and bones, skulls; leather; wood; dirt for terrain; or anything that's meant to be a bit dirty and messy. They're also great for sort of special effects, like glowing eyes or power weapons, or for making metallics look a bit smoky or oily. I was surprised to see you using them just over already blocked in colors directly, in the later steps; you're supposed to use them over some sort of white, but I guess the semi-transparent colors do blend together nicely!
Great work and good content. I would love to see you tackle a large vehicle with just the method you mentioned. How would you handle highlighting? Would you re-zenith after applying a midtown contrast? Then do your highlight contrast over it? I would be so encouraged to see it after watching this video. Thanks!
Emil, try contrasts paints over metallics. I use contrasts as filters over vallejo duraluminium, this way i can get a nice shiny surface. Fo example Snakebite leather gives nice brownish gold hinting towards brass.
Scale 75, and liquitex acrylic gouache mixed with some water and medium and a bit of flow improver worked similar to contrast in my experience. Consistency takes practice though. Next time I make a bottle of what I call technical medium I'll start with maybe 1/3rd a bottle of medium(of your choice) and add a bit of flow improver then add water until it's the right consistency. Then you can add the medium to any color with good pigment to get contrast paint.
Awesome, gotta get me some contrasts then! Another paint range i can recommend for airbrushing is senneliers abstract acrylic paints. They come in bags for roughly the same price as a gw pot but with 10x the amount of paint. They cover extremely well and they have a really nice and vibrant finish to them. They have an amazing white paint that just covers like a dream!
Although I will use speed paints for d&D figures for a customer ($10 per figure) I prefer contrast paints when possible because I can go back in later with plain acrylics to layer up or highlight. With speed paints, there's a risk of reactivation unless you thin the acrylics with speed paint thinner.
I need to step up my game especially since I ordered the airbrush... so much info I don't know where to start. But, I won't get any practice without actually painting. My anxiety gets the best of me and makes it hard to start painting 😅
Super great to see. When do we get a tutorial (Start to finish full paint) showing how you use and apply these? I've been using them since they came out, but your techniques seem really interesting. It would be great to see a "move by move". Thanks for the great videos.
GW's Contrasts are my guilty pleasure paint line for sure. Plaguebearer Flesh and Apothecary White are my favorites so far. Plaguebearer is so vibrant, and the touch of brown gives such a nice effect, while Apothecary is perfect for adding subtle shade to white, and highlights to black. I tend to only use them as very light glazes, tho, rather than like washes or shades, which helps a lot in getting that airbrushed quality even with a regular brush.
Try a Rosemary and Co. Pointed Round Pure Squirrel #2 for Contrast Paints. For whatever reason, the squirrel brush works great. I happened to get one in their Workbench Warriors set and randomly tried it. Wow!
@@SquidmarMiniatures They definitely look more consistent which is the thing I hate about Contrast the most. From everything I've seen so far SP looks like it should be better in both price, quality and results. Here's hoping!
I love my contrast paints BUT I really dislike the pots specifically for them. The paint dries on the top and its not easy to get a good mixture (you can say that about other paints but I digress). I put the entire range into some 22ml dropper bottles from Monument Hobbies, problem solved, problem staying solved. Looking forward to getting my Squidmar Airbrush to add to my others. Love the videos!
I have never used contrast paints so you got my intrest BUT 9$ is a bit too much for one paint. So I went and did some digging. I live in Poland and apparently we have these paints a bit cheaper here. They are around 47 kr. Strange. I have no clue why. XD Now I have to buy a few and try 'em out. You make it look so easy XD
I'm waiting for the Army Painter contrast line. Saw a lot of reviews and they seem a bit better than these GW contrast plus, they'll be cheaper!!! I don't know how they'll work throw an airbrush but they are in a dropbottle so that's another plus
I use mostly contrast with brush only and I still think it works better, looks better, and is faster than traditional methods. At least for base coats. Then can layer or highlight or whatever with normal paints. I tell people I mainly use contrast and they immediately write me off as a beginner lol
Not read all 180 comments but was wondering about using a primer that's not black. Or spraying a second primer or base coat with a dark colour. I find black primer, white zenithal then contrast paint still means the contrast paint can be dulled by black shadow. Wondered whether a brown or red shadow would be better 🤔
I like to use my shadow colour to prime the miniature, then my light colour as the zenithal highlight. After that you can just use the contrast paints as a colour filter, giving the impression of more dynamic lighting across the whole model
Watch out for the Speed Paint range from Army Painter. Most likely half the price and the different colors behave the same (not like GW contrast). So far all videos have been very promising.
I have most of GW's Contrast paints. I'm looking forward to see how they will compare with The Army Painter's version of contrast paints due out in early 2022. I have The Army Painter's Complete Airbrush set pre-ordered and I'm looking forward to seeing how those paints work with the new Squidmar Airbrush that should be on the way soon.
I am in love with this approach and use it for months now! Such a time saver. I was using just black and white spray cans at first, but I have done a few things since then. I use three cans, black, white, and grey seer as three gradients to start and then use white in the airbrush for select volumes. I love the idea of two different contrast paints from above and below; I haven't done that, yet, because, like you said, they are expensive! As my acrylics dry up, I'll be headed this way, too. I also agree with what you said about contrast paints with a brush. I see this all the time on Discord with someone just sloshing paint on and it looks so blotchy on armour pieces it's hard to read. Is that camo or just grime? Why is the grime everywhere?
To be fair you can get an awesome result using just a brush too, thinning down and a subtle wash over a drybrushed can look awesome too. (Doesn't own airbrush but paints 99% using it)
Like Citadel Contrast paints? Wait till you try The Army Painter soon to be released SpeedPaint range coming out early next year at nearly half the price. The timing of this video is u canny, glad Squarespace is the sponsor....
@@SquidmarMiniatures I agree- you make good content and I am subscribed because you have good modelling and painting tips and your work is very appealing to me. Maybe I was worried the evil G-Dub had gotten their claws into you 😉
So when airbrushing with Contrast paints do you need to go from the lightest colors to darkest colors or will the highlight contrast show up on the darker paints?
Harder & Steenbeck's limited edition Squidmar airbrush can be picked up until 11 dec 2021 by following this link: harder-squidmar.de/eng
*_Hands down_* that's a personal preference and you need different paints for different jobs. I'm glad you find joy in Contrast paints, I merely think they are OK.
If you were gifted a set of Army Painter's version of contrast paints(sounds like you can't buy these yourself?), you opinion might change. Don't lock yourself to 1 brand. Also consider that most of your contrast painted minis do not look like your minis from before Contrast paint. I see a lot of color and less detailing, but that's speed painting for you.
I got your airbrush but I need to know, did you had flow improver for the contrast paints ?
@@ironfiststudioandminiature2512 mostly I don't
@@SquidmarMiniatures thanks, I kinda figured but I don't feel like ruining the new squidmar air brush I just ordered right away 😉
@@ironfiststudioandminiature2512 just clean it in between colors :) and properly after your finished for the day
I completely changed my mind about Contrast paints. Well maybe not completely, I still think there is a other options out there for everything they do, that is better if you know how to, but the VERSATILITY of these paints makes it an absolute weapon in everyones arsenal, and especially when you are starting out they are so good for so many things!
Last year when I painted my minis with acrylics and contrasts I feel little shame because contrasts for noobs like many people told. Now my shame is in the past, thanks!
Good for beginners but there's some depth to them! Contrasts were a great way to practice glazing and undershading that I probably wouldn't have tried to tackle with normal acrylics. They're also better at being washes than actual washed imo.
Certainly expensive as heck but it's nice to see people find utility in these paints like I have, beyond what they were marketed as
Black templar over a bright silver gives the machineguns and submachineguns of my 28mm germans a very convincing blueing of the weapons.
They are a revelation, through and through. But at the same time, contrast paints are showing the ugly side of this hobby: Elitism. Newbies can get excellent looking miniatures just by dry-brushing a neutral gradient and simply filling in the colors. By some long-timers, this is seen as almost cheating and they get VERY hostile gatekeepery about it.
I think that's fucked up. Shouldn't this hobby be open to everyone? And if they ARE ways to make your minis look better, regardless of skill, why not embrace it?
I would love to see long and detailed tutorial how to get those looks. What to look for, how to approach and apply describe while painting a figure... Those results are astonishing!
Same here. I would really like to see the process more in detail.
Same here... Great video
I'd like to see the process in greater detail too.
Contrast paints were a gamechanger for me, even if I don't use an airbrush nor do zenithal priming. They've allowed me to paint several armies to a decent standard in a very short time, and now there's more painted than unpainted stuff in my pile of shame.
Way to go, my man !
Same they really help me with ts
So $10 is imho a little too high for the pots. What would you consider a reasonable price?
$6 dollars maybe. Standard price for most miniature paints. Sure, they come in slightly bigger bottles but at the end of the day it is just glorified washes.
I do feel like I'm a little spoiled living in the UK (and reasonably close to GW HQ as well!) as I can pick up a pot for about £4 which works out at about $5.30. There must be some excessive price hiking going on with imports...
In my city average price is like 4.35$ gw paint is like 8-10$ so I tend to not buy it
in the uk we can get them for £3.56 from third party stores, that price is fine for me
It's high, but it's on par with the rest of GW paints around here; $5 for a small pot, $10 for a large pot. Still wishing they'd switch over to using dropper bottles though!
This has been the single most helpful video I have seen to help improve my airbrush skill. Understanding how light/shadows work in real life can really bring a miniature to life. I have two kids and little time to work on my Death Guard army, this has helped a lot! Thanks Squidmar for the awesome videos!
While GW said they're a cheat for noobs, but I've never been happy with the finish on them, but I find people like you Squidmar or Juan who have used them and understand how they work, they seem to look amazing
I made room on my table, prepared my airbrush kit and your method really works! So, thanks a lot, there is really a significant difference to just brush them on.
Really like how vibrant those squigs are. Would love to see a longer more detailed video on them (if you haven't done one already that is...)
I've been using the pro-acryl transparent paints, and have never touched the GW contrast paints.
One huge difference I have is that you want to zenithal with colours other than just white. Using the CMYK theory for transparent paints is a huge step in the right direction, and allows you to really play with the zenithal. lightening green with a base coat of yellow makes things much more interesting than just going with white. Red and yellow under brown is a go to for wood textures.
I don't know how well that will work with these, but I'd be interested to know.
Ahhhhh, I was just writing about this. Don't see it often. Maybe marco frisoni only, maybe.
Their paint range is the absolute best out there. Completely changed my hobby life.
I love doing this with contrasts too! Wraithbone and Zandri Dust are excellent base tones for getting a single contrast colour to look wildly different between highlights and shadows.
@@neilbrown2451 He is amazing!
@@devinoliver2396 I've been using them and Kimera as my core paint ranges since finding them
What do you generally do for prepping the paint for the airbrush with contrast? Are you adding airbrush medium? How much are you thinning the paint if at all
I’ve used contrast through airbrush a bit, i added a tiny bit of thinner, but that’s it and they were fine
Your videos looking at contrast all those months ago are what got me back into mini painting. Contrast over a zenithal is very much my go to these days - I’m not a hugely skilled painter and I don’t really have the time to spend a lot of time making my models look super pro, but I love a game with painted minis and contrast really helps with this.
Same here, contrast over zenithal looks so easy AND nice!
Please do more videos on contrast paint tutorials. I’ve been seeing an increasing number of creators, including yourself, do amazing things with them and I want to see more
I love how you admit you dont clean your brushes but you're tge reason I knew to buy brush soap when starting to paint. I even got a certain brand because you posted it.
I'm excited for army painter speed paints, and have also started just using glazing medium to make my own paints. But I do really like a lot of the contrast colors.
Yes can get Craft paints 100mil for $3 , and make your own contrast way way cheaper . Many of the craft paints are easily as good as the bigger brand names .
Something I have been trying is after doing the zenithal highlighting I do a very precise black oil pin wash on the details. You would be surprised how good the details pop after you do your airbrushing and contrast painting.
Snakebite Leather is hands down my favorite paint for leather pieces. So easy to use and you get great results. ;)
I actually love using contrasts in ways they aren’t meant for necessarily.
Skeleton Horde contrast is great over metallics, it ages them really well.
My most recent use is using plague bearer’s flesh contrast as a thinner for Nurgle flesh. I painted up the lord of blights using just big man’s glow and plague bearer flesh contrast and got a ton of great variety and Nurgley flesh. 2 paints and I had highlights for days, super happy with it as someone who doesn’t normally like flesh. I did have to mix in some blue for shadows later, but it can’t always be easy.
Will be interesting to see how the citadel contrasts go vs army painter ones and the scale instant colours. Have you used these other brands Emil? Especially since the army painter ones are 1/2 the cost!
we've been sent just a few paints but its not enough to give a fair assessment.
Scale75 ones are great. And cheaper, atleast at my fav. store. Warcolours also has their "Antithesis" line but I haven't used them yet-. And of course "Schmincke Aerocolor Professional"... there is really no reason to buy citadel.^^
@@BaphoMettbroetchen I wouldn't say there is no reason to buy the GW paints, in my experience each of the different "Contrast" paints act differently. There is a huge difference between my Contrast line and Instant Colors.
Also if you use the contrast medium you can just add any colour of paint you choose and make your own ones!
@@BaphoMettbroetchen I tend to agree. Obviously the results are good, the minis look fantastic for the amount of time spent. But I simply don't understand why you would use contrast paints for that??
What you want is a vibrant, translucent paint that sprays well. Sure. There are a lot of those out there (Schmincke beeing one of them, daler rowney inks as well)! Why use contrast for this?
And don't get me wrong, I use contrast myself. But I pay for their flowing properties, which you loose completely when shooting them through the airbrush. So why do it then when you have cheaper alternatives?
I would very much love to see a full video on how you paint a mini using the 90% contrast paint technique! Your Troggoths looks so good!
This was simply AMAZING. This is exactly the method how I'm striving to paint; thank you so much for laying it out so clearly!
I like how easy the contrast paints can be used even through a 0.2 mm nozzle. On a well prepared model with zenithal highlight they are really great.
Hey Squidmar, how do you deal with overspray/paint dust when airbrushing indoors? I didn't see you using a ventilation box so I was wondering if you have any issues with your room & workspace getting messy from the airbrush usage?
Not Squid, but personally I have medium air purifier from Xiaomi and it deals with the dust pretty well, I don't even have a dedicated space for it, just a bigger piece of cardboard shaped in a way that directs potential dust into direction of the device
For water-based acrylics, I found that all I needed was some sort of backdrop for overspray to land on and it kept the area pretty clean.
@@EricHonaker The build up is slow but significant. If you set a piece of white paper near where you spray for a couple months you won't really notice anything wrong with it, but if you compare the front and the back of the paper you'll be amazed how blind you were when you just looked at the front.
Great video! I had the same revelation a few weeks ago. They're now my favorite paints as well, both with the airbrush and by hand. Just bought ten more pots 🙂
it'd be good to have a video of an example model end to end - the steps make sense but it'd just be cool to see it all fit together
I am so glad you did this video! I came into the hobby right around when the contrast paints came out. I still like traditional acrylics, but the contrast paints are so amazing when paired with a Zenithal highlight. I felt like a lot of content creators immediately were against Contrast because they were so used to using traditional paints. Now I think a lot of people have come around and seen how useful they can be. Much love from Minnesota!
I’m seeing more and more airbrush videos using inks, thanks for calling it out. I should try it for zenithal instead of spray can
Another tip is that if you are painting highly textured material like fur capes, chain mail, or scales adding a light white dry brush after the zenithal can also really help the contrast paint show through
I've been using that method for some time,, it's really great to have fast and great looking models :) I find that the first step of using and modulating light and shadows with a white ink the most important part of the whole process :)
I have a handful of Contrast paints that I use a good bit and I like them for what I use them for but the cost is so high to get a full range and it's hard to justify when I already have other paints that will get the job done. So, I am super excited about Speedpaints- half the price of Contrast is REALLY appealing.
Im an army painter fan. I didn't like contrast paints it was a massive scam PR marketing stunt those paints r overpriced dont deliver on their pronises. WG isn't what they used to be. They sold themselves to a vulture fund prior to hasbro acquiring them bc they were heading to bankruptcy. WG is a shame. It's worse than what Apple does. Literally WG should be out of business for ripping people
@@user-ro1cs5hp5e Not to mention you get Way more paint in Vallejo / Army Painter etc .
A love how you painted the WH Underwrolds Orcs. Each in a different colour...beautiful!
Contrast paints were the video that introduced me to your channel, cool to see a throw back
Honestly... I was never as excited for an airbrush as I was for yours. Just sold some of my hobby stuff I had lying around here, just to
order your airbrush. I LOVE the design and for me as someone who always
wanted to upgrade my Ultra to the next level, this is the right moment.
Really looking forward to it!
Was curious how you'd deal with cleaning up errors with the contrast paints since they are translucent, any tips in that area?
Really love that you’re getting to paint your own minis. Great video.
Could you do/have you done a video showing this process end-to-end and maybe a chart showing your favorite combinations to light/dark?
Emil, what on EARTH is that music played during the big reveal shot...it's KILLER man
Dude am so jealous contrasts has changed my life for speed painting just can't get a airbrush don't have the set up and would rather spend it on minis but man the results speak for them selves well done man hopefully mabey one day lol
Awesome Video, thank you. I'm getting an Air Brush for X-mas and I've been picking up the contrast line once a week since October. So now I can't wait to apply some of these techniques.
I've started using contrast paints for the hide and fur on my beast snaggaz and I've really liked the results
Can't wait to get my Squidmar Airbrush!! Will definitely be trying some contrast paints through it when I get it.
I mainly use contrast paints for glazes, they're such a handy tool 😄
really are :)
Your recent videos have been amazing, you can tell the love and work that goes in them.
Glad you like them! really appreciate it
I’ve been looking at getting an airbrush for a while for my army! This video has pretty much cemented the idea! Unfortunately I can’t get yours, but I hope it’ll come back some time!
Emil ,i live in France ,also here all GW products are very expensive !
The solution is very simple to spare money,i buy directly in England to the shop "ELEMENT GAMES",i bough them all my Contrast ,ALCLAD,Monument hobby PRO ACRYL,etc..👍👍❤
I also paint my minis with about 90% Contrast. They're a great line and make things so much faster with just as good results. Looking forward to trying the Army Painter Speed Paints next year.
Yeah same here. The video reviews of the paints I've seen seem very encouraging, both being cheaper than GW contrast, and some colours being much easier to work with.
I remember paying just under £180 for a full set of contrast paints, plus a can of Wrathbone primer, plus a pot of Wrathbone base paint here in the UK, so the overseas price-hike is pretty brutal.
They've been fantastic paints for my amatuer ass though. I managed to get an entire Zombicide game tabe-ready in a fortnight, which for me is a huge achievement.
I’m not a huge fan of using them on armour or large smooth surfaces unless it’s just a glaze to add some colour. Although I guess if you’re using them through an airbrush there isn’t a problem. But I’ve found them amazing for smaller and more organic shaped models
yeah with an airbrush this is not an issue at all.
I love them on my custodes, over a base of a super bright silver. It makes the armor look fantastic, and even roughens it up a bit. For other sield companies i wouldnt like it, but the Aquilan Sield is supposed to go around protecting people so i find it matches the concept!
I am waiting for the Army Painter Speed paints. Everything I have seen so far from the samples given out, they seem to be at least on par with GW contrasts but much cheaper. Looking forward to their release in February.
I’d be willing to say they look better imho
What ive found is contrast paints are great for "organic" textures (skin / cloth) where traditional paints work best on metals/stone/ect.
Then of course you can use them as a glaze or wash in of themselves.
Basillicanum grey is amazing for recess shading as a way to feather out shadows, and aethermatic blue is just great for general blues and greens and purples.
Also the airbrush is probably the tool for making contrast paint useable, because as a range they are inconsistent when brushed on, but sprayed they aren't.
Also the upcoming Speedpaints by Army Painter may be worth looking into, since they work as a consistent range and their shading comes from the different pigments within the paint itself rather than contrast where the shading is just from paint clogging.
Thank you very much, now I use this technique for my 10mm WoodElve-Speedpaint-Army-Project. I hope it workes 😅
Definitely bringing back that colorful style from the 90s
Did you add flow aids or dilution to Contrast colors before using with airbrush?
I've been trying to reproduce the ArmyPainter speedpaint medium/paint effect just from visual. I have something very similar. It's not just matte-medium and flow aid. Here we go:
Take Liquitex pouring medium (matte), and fill up any container with it to 90%, then 10% water.
The pouring medium is already very thin so you barely need any water.
Take that pouring medium/water mix and put it in any new container at a solid 60% volume.
Then 10% glaze medium
Then 30% flo-aid medium.
It's awesome. Please try it, change it, post about it or rant to me about it! But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!
2 to 1 for paints, 1 to 1 for inks, or to fix the flow of your GW contrasts
The colors on those orks are just so vibrant and the end result feels so alive! I'd love to mimic this result!
Are detailed videos of you painting those in the works?
This is really inspiring me to try airbrushing my orks and get my massive horde looking great!
Thanks for the quality content!
I'm going to have to slightly disagree with you about contrast paints through an airbrush. What I have noticed is it depends on the contrast paint. Some contrast paints actually look better when you don't use the airbrush. The way I decide is if I use a paint brush and the most raised surfaces get very little paint then an airbrush tends to do a better job because you end up getting more color on the raised surfaces. However if you use a paint brush to put a contrast paint on and it has a tendency to leave a darker raised surface then using an airbrush tends to destroy the contrast. Basically what I find is when you use the airbrush the contrast paint has a greater tendency to dry on the more raised surfaces and seeps into the crevices less which essentially reduces the contrast. So if you want to determine whether to use an airbrush or not with a contrast paint, paint a test piece and see if the raised portions are too light and if they are use an airbrush to darken them up.
Hi, great vid. Just two questions:
1. How do you dilute the paints when airbrushing?
2. Do you matte varnish them (they tend to be a bit glossier than normal paints)?
Indeed - it would be interesting to know what you use to dilute them and an idea of how thin
I just use Vince Venturella’s airbrush thinning mixture with all paint including contrast paints and it works great. I believe it’s 70% airbrush thinner to 30% flow improver. It’s in one of his airbrush instructional videos
You also don’t have to thin it out as much as regular paint as it’s not as pigmented. A couple drops per fill of the reservoir and it shoots well
@@thare1774 thanks, I just wasn´t sure if the normal thinning mix would be ok, after all, the contrast paints have probably different medium. You can even buy it separately for dilution.
I feel like I am the only one who doesn't like them tbh 🤣 just not very consistent between colours is my issue, some look super strong but when applied they aren't and some just look ok but when applied they are really strong 😅 I see how they can be super useful though. Marco Frisoni has shown amazing aways to use them, Inks and oils over the last several years. Many people have copied from him directly especially with the inks and oils that's when they blew up again around 2 years ago or so (think it's two and have years ago now actually if not more)
Some paints are just bad (like Ultramarine), but others I really like (Warp Lightning or Talassar Blue). Somewhat diluted high pigment paints over white also give a similar effect (tried with Kimera). Speedpaints from Army Painter also give much of the same effect for half the price (will be out feb 2022).
I think a few are ok, but they aren't the godsend that a lot of people make them out to be, without the proper tools and techniques the model doesn't look right. A lot of the models I see that have been painted with contrast paints end up looking splotchy
This is great! I'm going to go paint flat SM vehicles with contrast via airbrush now!
I don't have an airbrush, so I mostly use regular acrylics, but I really like using contrast paints for more organic stuff: skin, including on faces; teeth and bones, skulls; leather; wood; dirt for terrain; or anything that's meant to be a bit dirty and messy. They're also great for sort of special effects, like glowing eyes or power weapons, or for making metallics look a bit smoky or oily.
I was surprised to see you using them just over already blocked in colors directly, in the later steps; you're supposed to use them over some sort of white, but I guess the semi-transparent colors do blend together nicely!
Great work and good content. I would love to see you tackle a large vehicle with just the method you mentioned. How would you handle highlighting? Would you re-zenith after applying a midtown contrast? Then do your highlight contrast over it? I would be so encouraged to see it after watching this video. Thanks!
Emil, try contrasts paints over metallics. I use contrasts as filters over vallejo duraluminium, this way i can get a nice shiny surface. Fo example Snakebite leather gives nice brownish gold hinting towards brass.
Scale 75, and liquitex acrylic gouache mixed with some water and medium and a bit of flow improver worked similar to contrast in my experience. Consistency takes practice though. Next time I make a bottle of what I call technical medium I'll start with maybe 1/3rd a bottle of medium(of your choice) and add a bit of flow improver then add water until it's the right consistency. Then you can add the medium to any color with good pigment to get contrast paint.
Thank you so much!!!! Thats an amazing Video that Changed my mind about these paints.
Awesome, gotta get me some contrasts then!
Another paint range i can recommend for airbrushing is senneliers abstract acrylic paints. They come in bags for roughly the same price as a gw pot but with 10x the amount of paint. They cover extremely well and they have a really nice and vibrant finish to them. They have an amazing white paint that just covers like a dream!
Army painter are brining out speed paints soom for about half price so dont rush to buy everything.
damn, you and ninjon posted ib the same day? its indeed a great day
Gotta say those minis look incredible!!!!
Emil, you are so talented and I get so much inspiration from your art and your content. Thank you! ❤️
Although I will use speed paints for d&D figures for a customer ($10 per figure) I prefer contrast paints when possible because I can go back in later with plain acrylics to layer up or highlight. With speed paints, there's a risk of reactivation unless you thin the acrylics with speed paint thinner.
I need to step up my game especially since I ordered the airbrush... so much info I don't know where to start. But, I won't get any practice without actually painting. My anxiety gets the best of me and makes it hard to start painting 😅
Super great to see. When do we get a tutorial (Start to finish full paint) showing how you use and apply these? I've been using them since they came out, but your techniques seem really interesting. It would be great to see a "move by move". Thanks for the great videos.
GW's Contrasts are my guilty pleasure paint line for sure. Plaguebearer Flesh and Apothecary White are my favorites so far. Plaguebearer is so vibrant, and the touch of brown gives such a nice effect, while Apothecary is perfect for adding subtle shade to white, and highlights to black. I tend to only use them as very light glazes, tho, rather than like washes or shades, which helps a lot in getting that airbrushed quality even with a regular brush.
I usually fast forward promos ... but this one was funny.
I stayed and watched it deliberately.
Grym videos som alltid 😁 använde du något för tunna ut contrast färgen när du kör den i air brushen ? Och isåfall vad 😇
Try a Rosemary and Co. Pointed Round Pure Squirrel #2 for Contrast Paints. For whatever reason, the squirrel brush works great. I happened to get one in their Workbench Warriors set and randomly tried it. Wow!
Thanks for the tip. Just ordered some from their website. V affordable.
This video reminded me how excited I am to get the full AP Speed Paints line and use those rather than Contrast
They're different, more like a ink like wash
@@SquidmarMiniatures They definitely look more consistent which is the thing I hate about Contrast the most. From everything I've seen so far SP looks like it should be better in both price, quality and results. Here's hoping!
3 days ago I find out about airbrush + contrast paint amazing combination, and now Squidmar talking about it? Coincidence i think not! ;)
I love my contrast paints BUT I really dislike the pots specifically for them. The paint dries on the top and its not easy to get a good mixture (you can say that about other paints but I digress). I put the entire range into some 22ml dropper bottles from Monument Hobbies, problem solved, problem staying solved. Looking forward to getting my Squidmar Airbrush to add to my others. Love the videos!
oh yeah totally agree, that the post are terrible!
Citadel pots are bad for everything. Bad at staying open or closed
Great video! Do you use a thinner or contrast medium with these?
I have never used contrast paints so you got my intrest BUT 9$ is a bit too much for one paint. So I went and did some digging. I live in Poland and apparently we have these paints a bit cheaper here. They are around 47 kr. Strange. I have no clue why. XD
Now I have to buy a few and try 'em out. You make it look so easy XD
I'm waiting for the Army Painter contrast line. Saw a lot of reviews and they seem a bit better than these GW contrast plus, they'll be cheaper!!! I don't know how they'll work throw an airbrush but they are in a dropbottle so that's another plus
I use mostly contrast with brush only and I still think it works better, looks better, and is faster than traditional methods. At least for base coats. Then can layer or highlight or whatever with normal paints. I tell people I mainly use contrast and they immediately write me off as a beginner lol
Do you thin the paints for airbrushing at all?
I think you'd really like the contender to the throne. Army Painter Speedpaint range, whenever that will be released
Not read all 180 comments but was wondering about using a primer that's not black. Or spraying a second primer or base coat with a dark colour. I find black primer, white zenithal then contrast paint still means the contrast paint can be dulled by black shadow. Wondered whether a brown or red shadow would be better 🤔
I like to use my shadow colour to prime the miniature, then my light colour as the zenithal highlight. After that you can just use the contrast paints as a colour filter, giving the impression of more dynamic lighting across the whole model
Watch out for the Speed Paint range from Army Painter. Most likely half the price and the different colors behave the same (not like GW contrast). So far all videos have been very promising.
I have most of GW's Contrast paints. I'm looking forward to see how they will compare with The Army Painter's version of contrast paints due out in early 2022.
I have The Army Painter's Complete Airbrush set pre-ordered and I'm looking forward to seeing how those paints work with the new Squidmar Airbrush that should be on the way soon.
I’d really like to see some in depth tutorials on how to airbrush with contrast paints when you have time.
Would be good to see you do a comparison with Army Painter Speed Paints when they come out
I really like Talassar blue, it’s such a nice color and has pretty good coverage among contrast paints.
Can’t wait for the next update for the manta! Great vid btw
I am in love with this approach and use it for months now! Such a time saver. I was using just black and white spray cans at first, but I have done a few things since then.
I use three cans, black, white, and grey seer as three gradients to start and then use white in the airbrush for select volumes. I love the idea of two different contrast paints from above and below; I haven't done that, yet, because, like you said, they are expensive! As my acrylics dry up, I'll be headed this way, too.
I also agree with what you said about contrast paints with a brush. I see this all the time on Discord with someone just sloshing paint on and it looks so blotchy on armour pieces it's hard to read. Is that camo or just grime? Why is the grime everywhere?
To be fair you can get an awesome result using just a brush too, thinning down and a subtle wash over a drybrushed can look awesome too. (Doesn't own airbrush but paints 99% using it)
Hey Team, What is a good alternative to the Contrast Paints? Maybe Vallejo Drawing Inks?
Emil, I think you have some of the most creative sponsor sections in your videos
Like Citadel Contrast paints? Wait till you try The Army Painter soon to be released SpeedPaint range coming out early next year at nearly half the price. The timing of this video is u canny, glad Squarespace is the sponsor....
gw shill all the day right?
@@SquidmarMiniatures no idea, just uncanny.
@@jameswilson5087 Lets start a conspiracy, those seem to be doing well these days :) we just make ideos and have fun with minis mate.
@@SquidmarMiniatures I agree- you make good content and I am subscribed because you have good modelling and painting tips and your work is very appealing to me. Maybe I was worried the evil G-Dub had gotten their claws into you 😉
So when airbrushing with Contrast paints do you need to go from the lightest colors to darkest colors or will the highlight contrast show up on the darker paints?
Yes. I think so. As they are translucent. I tend to go yellow, then orange then red in the shadows, for example
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the army painter speed paints coming out next year