Games Workshop Contrast Paints: My Thoughts One Year Later

[@MrTumnus1987]

I love contrast, 20 year veteran here and they've revolutionised the way I paint hordes of models. Recently I've painted 50 poxwalkers in 2 weeks, start to finish. Contrast are a tool, they don't replace the entire toolbox, I've still highlighted and weatgered them with traditional paints in addition. And thats the key, using them in with your regular paints to enhance your technique.

[@samcooke343]

Totally agree. Too many people criticising them seem to think they're meant to replace your whole process. Of course they can be used by themselves, but if you use them to enhance your current process you can get 90 % of your normal results twice as fast.

[@MrSussurrus]

Same. They're a great tool that everyone should try. I got some for my horde armies, but I've been surprised at how often I use them on my display models. I use them with some more contrast medium mixed in to make subtle changes to flesh tones.

[@helikontex2467]

100% while they are fine on their own to a degree, they look fantastic with highlights. They are just a step in the whole process and that depends how far down the rabbit hole you wish to go

[@tiddleywinks121]

I couldn’t agree more. The Contrast paints definitely have their place but they’re not the “end all, be all”. Some people might like painting strictly with Contrast paints others might avoid it like the plague. At the end of the day - it’s all about what make YOU - the painter - happy. Get painting!!

[@karalas]

@@tiddleywinks121 I just started using miniature paint they have really helped me feel comfortable with he effects I have been lesrning to creating compared to old school model painting techniques I already knew that work differently due to point differences

[@cordial001]

To my mind Contrast is great. They finally got my wife, who was scared to paint because she thought she would suck, to try painting minis and built up her confidence. For that alone, I love them.

[@darkowl9]

A friend who would never have painted, ever, now paints because of Contrast. I think GW made a great choice in figuring out these paints, marketing them and bringing in more people who found painting too time-consuming or daunting or whatnot.

[@wesleymitchell3486]

I couldn't imagine painting yellow without contrast paints. I looked for years for a quick way to paint yellow basecoats without wanting to hurt myself. Iyanden Yellow over a pink primed model with white zenithal highlight.... man, the results are insane. Best yellow I've tried yet.

[@anderslundtoft2315]

Do we have a video or some pictures of that?

[@agentorangecb1]

Is the yellow one good for metallic gold i.e. weapons or armour trim? I'm broadly looking for a light and dark (white and black) but then something good for metallic silver and gold

[@Cajpaintballer]

@@agentorangecb1 I would say no. Iyanden yellow from the brush has an orangish tint. The method OP describes takes advantage of the airbrush and a thin coat to get just yellow, and the pink primer is used for shadows of the yellow. Gw has a gold contrast equivalent, but I think their retributor armor or a scale 75 metallic will get you a very nice end product.

[@agentorangecb1]

@@Cajpaintballer Thanks for your input Caj! On the GW site 'method' images, it looked to me like they are using them on metallics and from Kevin Carpenters comment thread it seems some people do this but i guess yellow isn't the best choice. I bought a few and got mixed results so far for matte application... I think that i personally prefer using traditional layers, washes and highlights overall but I'll keep experimenting and find a use for them!

[@KevinoftheCosmos]

I really like how you can make any of them into metallic colors when basing with stormhost silver or leadbelcher.

[@janp5063]

I use that for my Warptalons E-Claws, Leadbelcher then Blood Angel Red + Stormhost highlights and then i try a even layer of Blood for the Bloodgod.

[@AG-yl2iv]

I'm so glad someone brought this up! My favorite combo has been X-11 chrome (or any BRIGHT/SHINY metallic silver) with a thin coat of Blood Angels Red and highlights of Nuln Oil Gloss gives it this polished metallic red that looks AMAZING. For my Necron wraiths I'll do the same silver base, but put a thick coat of Black Templar all over it and have this oil soaked machine look going on.

[@jamesmhebert]

A G - post a few pics somewhere! Would LOVE to see this look!!!

[@stratking86]

The "dunes" contrast paint over leadbelcher makes a great aged gold

[@Rune3100]

Any sort of bright silver (stormhost, runefang steel, aluminum from Vallejo air metallics) plus Akhelian Green is how I do my Heresy Era Alpha Legion and I love the look

[@TheKingwaffle1]

This may be one of the best comments sections. I can’t recall a video where I keep checking back in for more color combination ideas. Rock that fez even after your haircut.

[@dwsonye]

I like contrast paints for leathers mostly, haven’t really got into the other colors. I’m still new to all this.

[@FreeSailer35]

I have found they are perfect for other mini, I used them for DnD minis and they work great there.

[@janp5063]

I love the Black, Skeleton Horde is also great for Skulls and Tusks and Blood Angels Red is nice, oh and the purples are also good.

[@cypherdras]

Great for skin as well, terrible at anything large and flat though.

[@Thornspyre81]

Yeah I have all the brownish ones and they're amazing for leathers and wood

[@TwitchOfTheDeathNerve]

Flesh tearers red is amazing. I’ve been using that and a wash of agrax earthshade instead of blood for the blood god to do much more realistic blood.

[@druidobianco9734]

I’m gonna try this!

[@peterandjunko]

I love flesh tearer red as well. I use it on top of a coat of wyldwood for a nice red leather look for capes, scabbards and such.

[@charleswatson2605]

I use it for my Crimson Fists!

[@markmcdowell2733]

This and Voluptuous Pink are two great colours for me.

[@jameslane9537]

That is one of my favorites. It was perfect for my Legion Imperial Guards and GoA Algoryn.

[@lv100Alice]

contrast on demons is like my favorite use of the paint

[@JayAndNightASMR]

Same with zombies, amd pox walkers etc. As they usually only need a flesh tone and wash. So something that does both is useful

[@zodiacvonking7588]

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

[@ArawnNox]

Anything with a lot of detail is great. I've been painting my friend's Death Guard for him and the contrast paints work so well with all the crevases and details.

[@regentcid4348]

Plaguebearers and bloodletters on easy mode that look great.

[@timdams]

After 20 years I finally started painted thanks to contrast paints. I'm now addicted to them and am improving as we speak. Little by little I start trying out new techniques, such as dry brushing and keep being amazed how fun and 'dimple' this all is. So, for me, contrast paints were like a gate paint: it allowed me to get over the initial barriere!

[@rosskwolfe]

"Candy-lookin'" sounds like an insult an Ork would actually use.

[@3ratsinatrenchcoat605]

IZ YOU AN ORK OR IZ YOU A CANDI-LOOKIN HUMIE!!!!!!!! Yup, it works

[@BOYVIRGO666]

With things like orks contrast paints are fine if you shade and clean it up but it does come out abit pastel.

[@havindatadhd]

I laughed pretty hard at this comment 😂 thx man

[@squidcultist0022]

OY YOU KANDY LOOKIN' GIT

[@Slenkamure]

@@BOYVIRGO666 nothing wrong with pastel colored orks, betting those boyz are ard and not to be trifled with because they are wearing pink armor

[@historygems1190]

I agree with everything you said. One addition for the blood Angels red, I found that worked really nicely on robes as they have lots of ridges.

[@PrinceEphriam]

It works really well on mechanics standard grey to make a general dark red color. Started using it that way for my corsairs to good results.

[@Vallinen92]

I picked up Contrasts for my Ork Army, I love the "bubblegum" feel that it gives. It's a perfect fit for orks!

[@demonthault]

Yeah, Contrast over zenithal primes is my go to for 28mm these days, and now I've begun adding watercolour pencil highlights! Priming a darker colour then dry brushing a lighter colour also works very well as a base for Contrasts, especially on smaller scale miniatures.

[@shaneflickinger]

To my eyes, Space Wolves Grey has a blue tone whereas the Gryphcharger Grey has a green tone.

[@crouchingotter]

Shane Flickinger My eyes tell me the same thing.

[@just_gut]

Just a couple things I've discovered using and experimenting with contrasts: First, some contrasts over a silver/gunmetal look great. If you want a colored metallic, it is hard to go wrong with contrast over Ironbreaker (or your chosen equivalent from another line). Second, you can get a great mix with a contrast over another contrast, or a contrast over itself. I used Darkoath Flesh on a coat of Darkoath Flesh to get a color that looked much closer to a natural black skin tone than with anything else I've tried in the past. I used these two techniques on the weapons of my Nighthaunt to get great looking aged weapons. Undercoat white, Ironbreaker base, first coat Plaguebearer Flesh, then a second, less thick, coat of Snakebite Leather while the Plaguebearer Flesh is still wet. The contrasts will run together in an interesting way that makes it look like it has this patina on the weapon. Finally, on a personal note, Gryphcharger Grey is maybe my favorite color I've seen from a paint. I've used it for some of the cloth bits of my Iron Warriors (there's more than you might think on some characters and plenty on Cultists) and for the ethereal ghosty bits on my Nighthaunt. It has this great quality that makes it a dark blue-grey in the recesses, a light blue-grey on the surface, while still lightly staining the very raised edges.

[@maxxon99]

I've found that a light drybrush really improves the final result. Another thing is that if your primer is "rough" as sometimes happens with sprays, it stops the contrast flowing and working properly. Contrast absolutely needs a smooth base.

[@nvcn86]

imho: battle ready? go for contrast, it will look ok. then you can learn to add some highlights. then you can switch to old school techniques, if you like painting.

[@crowntimber1]

Skeleton Horde is alone worth its weight in gold even if they trash the line keeping that for random skulls would be worth it

[@vs9mm]

I LOVE this paint for bones..works awesome when adding skulls to bases!

[@kBaylife_painting]

It's also an amazing skin tone for models you want pale. I use it a lot for that.

[@willyum3108]

Skeletal Horde is #1.

[@Unholycrumpet]

100% agree about snakebite leather and wyldwood. It’s so delightful to see a black and white model transform into a rich detailed brown with dark recesses.

[@40minutekebab]

I used Black Templar for an Escher Leather Jacket and absolutely hated it. I've just started using it over a Leadbelcher base on weapons or Titan chassis, and it's perfect! Ends up like a heavy Nuln Oil that also shades the flat sections. Really happy with it.

[@srsgoblin]

Yeah Black Templar has completely overtaken my uses of Nuln Oil. It's also really good for panel lining.

[@ernieme101]

try using Basilicanum Grey instead of Templar . it may take 2 coats to get the darkness you want . i find templar is just too dark a lot of the time .

[@ernieme101]

@@srsgoblin yeah it's brilliant for black lining . thin and flows off the brush better than regular paint .

[@L33TSAUCEJ0SH]

As a relatively new player coming late to 8th edition 40k, the contrast paints have some great uses, I can't imagine trying to paint up 20 or 30 Poxwalkers with traditional/classic method, not only would it take much longer my personal results would be lacking. Great product.

[@frankpacella7288]

Contrast has effectively become the major workhorse of my paint shelf. I've used them to paint a few hundred models by now ranging from 28mm Hundred Year's War, Adeptus Mechanicus, to 15mm War of Spanish Succession. My experience has shown that it works extremely well over large and non-technical pieces like robes, boots, backpacks, so on. However, it is extremely well complemented by including metallics and standard paints. In other words, contrast paints work by reducing the heavier workload of your models and thus reduce time spent painting per model.

[@tymoteuszkosinski5352]

Four words: Aethermatic blue on skinks. Two coats and it looks awesome

[@abramnotabraham2253]

Been loving Aethermatic blue on plasma coils

[@harriswilson9952]

@@abramnotabraham2253 I've been using it over silver for Eldar armor and some cloaks. Great stuff.

[@pervyturtle2673]

@@abramnotabraham2253 thats a good idea. I should try taht

[@johnbryant6690]

Aerhermetic one cost is awful. 2 is really good. You can even do a light panel line a bit and then come in and get some great definition.

[@agentorangecb1]

The best voice in miniature hobbyism. Very soothing, Bob Ross vibes! I got an okay result with cheap black acrylic hobby paint thinned with water and medium glaze. It's just a base coat but it highlights all the tones and details, so should make painting easier. I am brand new and just started yesterday. My main objective yesterday was to get over my hesitance to paint and not to see it as a hassle or insurmountable! It went okay. I don't have ideal conditions but set up was quite easy and i didn't make a mess. All my models are detailed and it's intimidating but i realised using thin layers didn't lose detail and so there's nothing that can't be undone. Painting with some music on and youtube in the background was soothing and I'm just eager to do more and learn more now 😁👍

[@scott4433]

i just started a couple months ago after many many years from my early teens painting mini's. Best advice is get a couple of your base colors from a local hobby store and a wash or two. Getting the main 3 Red, Blue, Yellow, and maybe an off white. you can mix to any color you will need at first. keep watching Uncle Atoms vids... he has some great "starter" vids kzbin.info/www/bejne/janGaoqOZ66BppY kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5OYgZVrh5p0kJY Also Goobertown Hobbies have some great beginner tips. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rF6lnYmPe92ZiKM

[@agentorangecb1]

@@scott4433 Thanks Scott! I was the same.. i played as a teen and just got back in over the last year. I never had patience for painting back then but i really see the appeal now and feel motivated by the excellent minis i have. On reflection, the general purpose acrylics don't mix together well for making colours and my brushes aren't fine enough for mini detailing. I did okay with what i had but it took ages of trial and error and wasn't precise or really replicable. I have ordered some reasonably priced but more appropriate supplies (Vallejo base colours, dark and light washes, fine brushes, desk lamp for better light) and i will check out the vids you recommend while i paint 😁👍🎨

[@roban28]

I bought a packet of 3mm ball bearings and dropped one in every pot. Helps agitate the paint when shaking and gets all that white stuff of the bottom.

[@boltthebirb7233]

Hi there, I've been looking around for some paint agitators. From the videos I watched people have had issues with rust if the bearings were not proper stainless steel. I'm going to use glass beads to avoid any headaches. Hope you dont have any issues. Cheers!

[@robs9143]

@@boltthebirb7233 After looking for alternatives to steel I found that hematite beads are recommended and available for cheap on ebay (amongst other places). This is fully oxidised iron and therefore chemically inert. They are also relatively heavy, which may be beneficial as an agitator.

[@johnmcconnell9979]

Army Painter sells them and I bought a pack. I've had no problems with them - they work great!

[@davidm5421]

@@robs9143 The hematite beads are about half clay, which is what holds them together. Don't know how that affects their use as agitators.

[@ironbomb6753]

Army Painter Stainless BB's for a fast easy inexpensive way to get agitators in your paint. I used to put copper BB's in my Humbrol paints decades ago. I still might have a couple viable tins of that stuff.

[@matthijs2981]

Holy cow I can't believe there's no honorable mention for Iyanden yellow. It makes yellow painting actually possible instead of fighting your chalkyness and transparency every step of the way. Also, I get the sediment reeeaaaally bad on my apothecary white. Can't figure out how to shake it away.

[@pastsevenpainting9977]

Tie it to a jigsaw, I put mine in a nail polish shaker with an agitator and it works ok

[@ArawnNox]

Its so bad in Apothacary white. It seperates really badly in Plaguebearer flesh, too, but that responds to shaking pretty easily. Some folks have suggested adding a glass bead as an agitator (rather than a ball bearing which may rust before you're finished with the pot).

[@omgraggy5358]

You can use casandra yellow wash instead. You Will get a smoother result and it dont seperate as badly as iyanden yellow

[@DJCallidus]

They seem great for the people their aimed at. I'm not one of those people, I love painting minis, mixing paint, shading, dry brushing. Now that t-shirt has caught my attention. 🤔 Thanks Uncle Atom

[@rybo0072]

They work great using multiple techniques I think of the contrast paints as basing and shading at once, then throw on your highlights and boom eavy metal styled minis In half the time. My only gripe with contrast paints is they are alot harder to use

[@StormcastMarine]

You don't think painting contrast glazes over a metallic under-paint to give you a colored metallic qualifies? You don't have to use them like you're a noob, slapping on buckets full and hoping for the best. They are amazing glazes as well.

[@DJCallidus]

@@StormcastMarine Really I don't have to use them like I'm painting a house? Who's have thought that. Just wasted money on a 4 inch paint brush. 😏

[@StormcastMarine]

@@DJCallidus I don't think that attitude is appreciated on this channel, I may be wrong. Some people, not all, look down on dry-brushing, like you look down at contrast. Those people would put dry-brushing and contrast paints in *exactly* the same category, for *exactly* the same people. But somehow you've convinced yourself, as a dry brusher (as opposed to edge highlighter), that you're too good for a quicker solution, makes a lot of sense #sarcasm.

[@DJCallidus]

@@StormcastMarine You're just full of irritating assumptions. That what's prompted my 'attitude'. I've been into it for ages. And use different methods for different things. I don't 'look down' on other methods, I actually said they were great. I like to take my time painting as I actually enjoy it, I don't see it as a chore. People are free to do what ever they want. I'm not into forming little cliques about what's right or wrong, that's beyond pathetic to me.

[@siouxwire]

This is so exactly in line with my experience it's eerie. Tip: Use snakebite leather over salmon pink for a nice rust colour

[@irrationalgaz]

Thanks for doing this retrospective video. There was so much content on youtube about contrast at launch and the cacophony of voices tended to drown each other out. Spending a protracted period of time with the the product and observing how the paints have been incorporated into your workflow is not only a more honest approach to reviewing them, it also feels like more credible breakdown because you could point to specific use cases.

[@AndroskiProductions]

I just painted my first mini in 3 years and color blocking followed by contrast paint worked really really well.

[@barrywonderdog]

My two cents: the contrast paints generally work well on anything that has an expectation of unevenness or randomness. And if you're really careful, they kind of work as a pinwash. So, Snakebite Leather works really well because aged or worn leather isn't meant to be even. With very few exceptions - best typified by Black Templar - the rest just look blotchy and patchy in places they shouldn't. I think this is why they are really popular for people painting things like Poxwalkers because they are supposed to look random. I think using them as a panacea is wrong, but so is dismissing them out of hand as being 'beginners stuff'. They have their place.

[@supaganzai]

SKeleton horde over an off white helps make the colors that don't stand out very well in the contrast line stand out even more. Add in a drybrush and you can be up and running to tabletop standard quickly. Plus it tunes the super vibrant ones down a few notches and it helps a lot.

[@proxytag]

To anyone who wants to introduce contrast paints to your painting process, if you do a gloss varnish before you put it down it'll flow increadibly well. Also make sure to put on another layer of varnish after if you want to dry brush as they're quite weak. If you are looking for alternatives to contrasts, scale75 has a line coming soon, Kickstarter has finished, keep an eye out for reviews later in the year. The orange and yellow work very well for fire, or using them through an airbrush as a filter. I also like akhelian green.

[@dekai7992]

Thanks for your thoughts! Another colour I'm able to get tremendous mileage out of is Flesh Tearers Red. It's such an awesome, complex, rich red that doesn't have the cherry feel of Blood Angels Red. It's kind of like the mature version of that, and I also like to mix it with Agrax Earthshade to create intense and saturated shading for red elements that doesn't dull down the base colour, as Agrax tends to do when used on it's own. It's awesome!

[@mattknupp59]

Painted an Owlbear with contrast paints.....blew my mind as it was perfect for the larger textured surface. Great viscosity to find the nooks easily and I was able to get a good looking paint job very quickly.

[@jeffrockwell7133]

I use Contrast paints to do almost all of the work on my Infinity models. It works really well because the Infinity models are so finely detailed, and the anime aesthetic means that "bubblegum" look you describe ends up looking just fine.

[@talonmaster77]

An interesting combo I've noticed for contrasts is using a gemstone technical over a similar color with a metallic base, it tends to make the paint look almost like the candy paint used on classic cars

[@Pioprok]

I like using Contrast paints on bright silver (Vallejo Metal Color Chrome or Mithril Silver) to make eg. metallic red/blue etc. Super easy and quite good looking.

[@jordank1489]

As a very lazy and sloppy painter, Contrast paints are the best thing that ever happened to me. So much so that they've convinced me to do a bit more work on models, so I'm edge highlighting (never used to) and all sorts now. It was like they unlocked the next level for me

[@Gutock]

I am a boardgamer first and so kind of resigned myself to gray for life. After Contrast, I'm actually painting and enjoying the process. I'll never win any awards, but it's fun, kind of relaxing, and gives me a good sense of accomplishment when I finally table the stuff.

[@TheMartinChronicles]

👍 I'm trying to paint up Nemesis and have been watching tons of videos.

[@mdyates87]

I love the flesh tearers red Been using it to paint up some red corsairs and its great, goes on smoothly and covers areas well. It's the only contrast I've used so far, I'll be picking up some more for sure, thanks for the tips on other colours to look into.

[@joelalcazar8558]

Flesh Tearers Red is an awesome deep crimson color. I also like Gryph-hound orange when done over a yellow base coat. Another zenithol (not sure if I spelled that right) to try on orks is a purple primer followed by a yellow zenithol highlight. The ork green works really well over that.

[@krisdog88]

I can't believe it's been a year already! I do like these paints, but I use them in conjunction with other paints.

[@stormbee29]

I’ve started using them for everything, combined with Zenithal and a rough highlight/drybrush. Even metals I use a contrast paint like basilicanum grey highlighted with silver, or gore grunta fur with retributor armour to give a metal effect. I can get a fairly detailed like necromunda characters done in 2 hours

[@adrianbenson2521]

For the blues, the only one I use all the time is Ultramarine Blue. I'm painting a ton of figures for a Prussian Seven Years War army and it's perfect for the uniform coats. Blood Angels Red and whatever the name of the pink one is works great for the uniform details like cuffs, facings, turn backs and whatnot. Snakebite leather and Gulliman Flesh are favs too. Overall I've gotten a lot of use out of the Contrast line, I"m a fan.

[@listeningtopaintdry]

Great video! I am in the same boat you are. The browns are just fantastic. I would put Cygor Brown one level higher. It’s like Frank’s Red Hot. I put that stuff on everything. I find that 99% of time I use the contrast paints as glazes. They thin really well. They do dry a bit glossy but that’s what a little varnish is for. Thanks for all you do for the community Uncle Atom. You’re awesome.

[@sernet]

blood angels red is amazing with pre-shading, just airbrush it and those reds work like a charm. I know it because that is how I powered my way through all my blood angels and I'm really happy on how they turned out

[@woodyrobinson9628]

Thank you so much..you're always encouraging & keep me painting to the level that's fun to me

[@52Miniatures]

Thank you for this video Adam. I was / have never really been all that interested in the contrast paints. On certain things I have found them very useful, especially on a metallic zenithal. But my lacking interest has kept me from buying more than two bottles (one of them happened to be ultramarine blue.. kind of the reason as well why I was put off of the whole thing to be honest). Knowing that you have been messing around with these paints for a year and hearing your summary was great. Thanks for that!

[@BBSoonerOU]

I recently got back in to warhammer painting after about 2 decades, and I'm powering through your videos while I paint. I love your content and video format, thanks!

[@kevinsettels4450]

I mostly only use them for clothes, fur and leather as a base coat. Sometimes as a thicker type of wash with some contrast medium added.

[@That_Guy_In_The_Sky]

You sir and your information is a gift? Thank you.

[@zoogoo404]

Any tool to the box is a good thing. Contrast paints work well as friggin' *washes* when you thin them down and when it's not possible to find some colours of wash? They're a godsend. Augment the shade of your darker colours? Put some contrast of the same colour over to top.

[@glenndean6]

Yeah, contrasts have been great for specific applications. I like them for robes and fur (Wyrmwood, Basilicanum Grey). They've been fantastic for Legion Stormtroopers/Clones (white prime, Apothecary White, Praxetti White drybrush + Black Templar) and Battle Droids (white prime, Skeleton Horde, Terminatus Stone drybrush) -- both in effect and speed. I tried countershading to do my Legion Vader Operative and it turned out great. Over a white zenithal prime, I first highlighted the top highlights with bright white, put some darker grey in the shadows, and some metallic silver in areas where I wanted black to sparkle a bit. I then did Black Templar over all of that. Turned out great -- I basically just had to pick out fine details and then use some gloss varnish on the helmet and a couple of other spots. Much, much easier than the layers of grey and Nuln oil I did with my first Vader, and with a better effect.

[@TheJayCrow]

Around the time that Contrast came out, I decided to start a brand new Salamanders army using them in GW's advertised "One thick coat and done" method. At first, I loved how quickly they helped me get my army up to a tabletop standard, but I've found over the year or so since that I'm really not happy with the look of them, and have gone back to doing all my marines the old fashioned way. Now I'm looking at going back to all the marines I did back then and repainting them entirely. Contrast paints are a great tool, but I think GW advertising them as a one-step solution is doing them a disservice. Side note: Black Templar is great for getting Salamanders skin done quickly and effectively!

[@zyphier]

I’ve found contrast good for painting base coats, because they tend to work good for that. Then I can go back and toss on some highlights, or dry brush.

[@akitainu78]

First, thanks for another great video! I use contrast since their release in combination with classic techniques and metal clolors. All the contrast paints do indeed shade and highlight in once, at least the 10 I use. For me they are the new base blockers.

[@johncleave]

Militarum green is my favourite contrast paint, it looks amazing slapped onto packs and canteens and stuff, I used it for all the leaves on my trees which looks great as well.

[@neilkirkley1500]

What a great video thanks, I had a pretty good experience with contrast paints on my pox walkers I got through like 24 of them in 2 3hr sessions, base colours at least. Subbed

[@poppyappletree1400]

Flesh Tearers Red is gorgeous, one of my favourites

[@mih2]

Used selectively, some of them are great tools - when dry brushed! For instance, the skel' horde has been a sanity-saver painting multiple squads of Star Wars Legion B1 Battle Droids & the blues, reds and greens work well for the clone squad colour differentiations.

[@JasonRoe71]

A real mind blower for me was adding contrast medium to the contrast paints. I found on some of the paints in the line it not only lightened the intensity of the color but it also made it run smoother and not get the blotchy finish like when I paint straight out of the pot. I used a ratio of 2:1 medium and volupus pink on my deamonettes an pink horrors and it got rid of the blotchy finish and toned down that color amazingly.

[@Longo556]

Totally agree. I’m really liking them. I would add a couple tips. Try them over a metallic paint for a neat effect. And, you can save some paints with a light dry brush. I’ve even used mechanicus grey on a vehicle with a dry brush to even the tones. They’re worth experimenting with. Timing is huge for me, you have to be quick or you’ll get weird edge lines in the middle of your surface.

[@mrcynicalgooner]

The white stuff is acrylic medium for anyone wondering. There's less of it in the colours that have greater coverage (like black templar) and it is in fact the reason contrast paints work, along with a flow aid.

[@AeonVoom]

i varied the goobertown zenithal of pink and white and sprayed contrast yellow over it with my airbrush (it goes great through the airbrush without thinner or flow improver, btw). Result was a very vibrant golden yellow almost neon orange fade. Also when shooting it with the airbrush, you can apply layer for layer and that increases the opacity of it, making it more intense and more orange-ish. Very pleased with the outcome for my tau army project so far.

[@noctilithe1008]

I completely agree with what you said. I will add that militarum green is great, and the bubblegum effect is cool for screens and lights for Warplightning green.

[@aaronrichards6163]

I liked how the "candy" effect turned out on my Tzeentch Horrors. It gave them a bit of an otherworldly look. Ultramarines Contrast looked good on the Blue Horrors. I think it works out better on curvy, organic surfaces. Aethermatic Blue makes for cool Brimstone Horrors as well. And I used Volupus Pink on the Pink Horrors if anyone is curious.

[@AlwayzFresh]

I see them as a reverse wash, depending on the colour. It pools in the cracks and crevices, but because it is a color, it becomes brighter in those areas and less intense the raised parts.

[@vinterbjork4128]

What I really like the Contrasts for is to use them over a metal prime/base. Stormhost silver does a really nice gold (with nazdreg yellow) or Brass/Bronze (Gulliman Flesh) for example to use on Custodes. Leadbelcher with a bright color and 50/50 Contrast Medium makes a really nice Candy-paint looking effect. Also using them for leather bags is super convenient.

[@toddsmith5197]

I have both Orks for 40k and Legions of Nagash for AoS...I completely agree about the browns for Contrast. The skeleton hordes is amazing for banging off decent tabletop standard skeletons. And the Orkskin( exact name eludes me right now) is great for the same but of course for the orks. I think contrast is a great tool for your kit but not the end all be all of painting.

[@japercefull]

They are great for wet blending and gradients. And some love for Talassar blue.

[@IcarusGames]

I've used a handful of the contrast paints a fair bit now and my general observations are they are brilliant for anything that isn't a large flat panel. I have used blood angels red as the accent colour on my skeletons and it looks amazing on the cloth and shields. The skeleton horde is a game changer for painting skeletons. And the skintone colours are the only way I play human flesh now. Something I actually plan on trying this week is using black template to make better black power armour. My idea is to take 2 models, one primed black and one grey and just drybrush the heck out of them to get those edges to be much brighter than the surround, and then go over the whole thing with black templar to get rid of the chalkyness of the drybrushing, bring the colour back towards black, but keep those brighter edges. I've got high hopes for the technique!

[@gergelymacsai3776]

My cadre of painters (varied experience levels) uses contrasts for all kinds of things, mostly to enhance other techniques. I, too, agreed with your assessment of the individual paints and have a small thing to add: Aethermatic Blue is amazing. Especially for Nighthaunts' ghostly parts followed up by a drybrush/layer of Ulthuan grey and white scar.

[@dredsirius]

I love them for Washes and in certain situations. I have my DG that I do with Militarum Green over a black primer/white drybrush and looks great. I tried fleashtearers red and wooow that is THICK, but great as a glaze to give some semi matte look

[@RobertFox-chewbacca]

Exactly right Uncle Atom. Contrast paints are a brilliant solution in certain cases. Not for everything or everyone, but excellent in certain circumstances. I love Apothecary White. Skeleton Hoard is also fantastic.

[@BlueDi93]

I'm new to the hobby, and I only paint because of contrast paints!

[@ArawnNox]

They're very newbie friendly and with an added effect of teaching you brush control.

[@VoyeurTheNinja]

Metallic paints and Contrast have given me some of my favourite results, thus far. Lead Belcher and Magos Purple, for example.

[@bartdevuyst]

Good point on the zenithal technique with Contrast Paints! I have tried that technique as well with these paints and it works wonders.

[@wapniak666]

imo because of how transparent most of contrast are they are amazing for blending and highlighting armor parts painting dark angels armor is soo easy and result are much much better than whatever i was able to achieve using normal paints especially as you can mix non-contrast with contrast medium and get better color range

[@jackdeily8615]

I also want to add that some of these contrasts make absolutely phenomenal all around glazes when painted over a fully basecoated and drybrushed/highlighted model. All of my iron hands were base coated black, wetbrushed dark grey, drybrushed light grey, and then Terradon Turquoise all over. Providing A heavy cold green tint, it bleeds together the highlights, adds vibrancy to an otherwise simple greyscale model, and adds the illusion of blending. Flesh Tearer over leadbelcher gives a freakin' tasty candy red for pre HH thousand sons, and If you basecoat Leadbelcher>highlight silver>Flesh Tearer Contrast, it boosts the contrast paint's ability to provide a vibrant highlight. Just painted 6 reaper bones mummies, 6 skeletons, and a skeleton minotaur in around an hour.

[@baronvonklausnitzer4474]

I rarely used Contrast paints as advertised, but they are used a lot as shades, glazes, and panel lining. I love Black Templar, Wyldwood, and Space Wolves Grey, and the flesh colours.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

7:49 "Fill up that belly...on the brush..." Wow, for a brief moment I thought he wanted us to ingest the paint! LOL 😂 🤣 😅

[@funghazi]

That's more Miniac's thing.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@funghazi Moist! *slurping sounds*

[@Rhone007]

Great video Uncle Atom! Your Stormtrooper video is what initially sold me on Contrast paints, and I'm very glad you've done this detailed review. Thanks!

[@paintfortauva]

I resisted contrast paints, and then after a long time I gave in and tried it. I love them

[@ThiccInk]

For ultramarine blue I’ve started using it for shadows. Don’t use it like a wash, but if you paint it specifically into corners and crevices it’ll look really good. It’s better than just a straight up black paint imo.

[@brandeng.8718]

I LOVE using my contrast colors to pull paint my miniatures for boardgames.

[@kwalkrkcco4397]

I used the contrast paints on my Adeptus Titanicus buildings for their base colors and doors. Then picked out metallic details with the regular paints and used inks for the windows. Came out quite nice and let me finish them pretty quickly.

[@EricHonaker]

100% agree on Snakebite Leather and Skeleton Horde. They're just about perfect. I also think that Warp Lightning is a great color, if you have the right use for it. It's very bright and SFX looking, so I don't know that I'd use it for much outside of that kind of thing.

[@garryhale4224]

Zenithal highlights and contrast paint is the quickest way to get good details on a model. Don't be scared to mix contrast paints together. Also do some work after the contrast paint is dry. Highlights or dry brush takes your work to a new level. I've blended colors on a model for first class effects. They're the backbone of every model I paint now.

[@spacetoy4584]

I really like using them in conjunction with all the traditional paints, but never use them solely. Overall very pleased with them, and you can mix them nicely with bases and shades.

[@lowriderbug]

I use them as a wash over other colours to achieve really good quick results. Basecoat leadbelcher, highlight it with stormhost and use snakebite leather gives a really pleasing gold. For bases I use astrogranite highlighted with wraithbone then a layer of aggaros dunes contrast makes a dirt brown base. I don't like using only contrast because the models do look a little unfinished if you only use contrast but when used with a few areas of traditional painted areas and an edge highlight or two really makes contrast look great.

[@ArawnNox]

I found them to lower the bar of entry for painting when I got in to the hobby. I use them in combination with traditional acrylics and that combo really works. I also found them to be at their best when you have models with a lot of detail for them to flow in to. I think of them as a wash and base in one. You still, I find, want to build up highlights if you want to take them a few steps beyond table ready. I painted my whole squad of wyches in the better part of a day with contrast, then one more day to make them pretty with highlights. I LOVE using some of the contrasts really thinly over metallics, too. It's such a nice effect. Definitely going to give a zenithal highlight a try with them (if it works out, it'll really help save on the primer because holy crap does GW charge a lot of their primers)

[@christopherclayton5500]

I tend to use contrast as a base+shade and then drybrush over it with an lighter color. Camo with elysium over it, for example, is pretty Raptors-y. Gryphcharger Grey is greener and Space Wolves Grey is bluer. I noticed this when drybrushing Administratum Grey over both.

[@BalooSJ]

Contrast paints are generally much better for highly textured areas than flat panels. Faces and fur work great, Space Marine armor not so great. Some of my thoughts on specific Contrast paints: Guilliman Flesh, Darkoath Flesh, Fyreslayer Flesh: all three are great skin colors, in order from paler to more tan. Plaguebearer Flesh works pretty well too for zombies that are more of the plague-ridden variety. Skeleton Horde: Great for all sorts of "dirty white" things - not just bone, but teeth, rope, and things like that. It can make for an OK blonde hair as well. Aggaros Dunes: it's supposed to be for sand, but I've found that it works really great for wood details. I mean, while a *tree* is brown, actual *wood* is usually more white/yellowish, and Aggaros Dunes works great for that. Snakebite Leather: Superb for light leather stuff. Just amazing. Also, use it over a mid-to-dark silver (e.g. Ironbelcher) and you can get a mean bronze. Gore-Grunta Fur: Nice for brown animal fur, like bears and stuff. Space Wolf Grey and Gryphcharger Grey: Yeah, they're a bit similar, but when used on textured areas it's clear that the Space Wolf is more blue-ish and the Gryphcharger is more green. Space Wolf works great over metals to create a "blue steel" look, while Gryphcharger is good for lighter stone (for example, I used it as the skin color of a stone giant, and that worked out pretty well). Volupus Pink: Very nice for internal flesh, like tongues, gums, and such. Magos Purple: A nice light pinkish purple. Militarium Green: Good for things that are supposed to be the color of leaves. Basilicanum Grey: Dark-ish grey, good for things like stone. Also works great to use over a bright silver to create a more muted iron/steel look. I think I like the darker ones a bit less than you do, because I rather like the highlight/shadow effect you get from most of the contrast paints, and they don't do it very well (except for Black Templar). For example, none of Shyish Purple, Wyldwood, Ork Flesh, or Leviadon Blue gives a good contrast effect IMO. They do provide good coverage, but require significant work afterward to pop. I actually like Militarium Green better than Ork Flesh for orcs, because I think it shows off the skin textures better. I believe it's closer to something like Darkoath Flesh in value, which makes the details pop better. I do wish Games Workshop would expand the line. I'd love to see a lighter brownish grey for example, for earth-toned stone. Or some more of the mid-range colors - I could use a purple that's in between Magos and Shyish, for example. I also find it harder to mix colors with contrast, because the difference between in-bottle or on-palette color and on-miniature color can be pretty big. For example, I wanted a greyish light brown for some earth elementals, and when I tried mixing Snakebite Leather with Basilicanum Grey, I needed to use far more Snakebite than Basilicanum because the grey was so dominant over the brown. I think I needed to use something like a five or ten to one ratio (though it's hard to tell when your unit of measurement is "one loaded brush").

[@michaelcacchillo7003]

I agree with a lot of what you said. As someone who has been playing and painting a lot of Crisis Protocol, it feels like contrast paints were made for those models. Even liked the Ultramarines Blue on Thor

[@michaeljdauben]

This video kind of reinforces my opinion on Contrast Colors. Some colors are useful in some application, but they don't replace regular paints.

[@Xercius]

I just kickstarted the Scale 75 instant colors, similar to Citadel’s contrast line. Excited to get my hands on it.

[@jamdog1986]

Me too!

[@pariah_eagle]

I can only agree on the ones you talked about, I use magos purple and the yellow for my imperial fists, which is pretty amazing with a zenithal highlight. Then drybrush it and it looks quite good

[@13threalm26]

Ultramarine Blue mixed 1 to 1 with Contrast Medium works great for a modern jeans look. Though I still do a drybrush highlight with a grey. Granted that is all I have really used the color for.