Why Did Everyone STOP Using this Painting EXPLOIT?!

[@dylansovine3343]

PAINT THE BIG NID BOi!!!!!!!

[@ReadThisIfYourG3y]

Wait twenty months and he’ll probably consider it

[@AHeadC]

Waiting on the sea monster kitbash!

[@TheRealCalPerr]

This needs to be the top comment on every video till its done

[@dracometeors3010]

Did he ever paint things he built ?

[@nicholasmeibaum5090]

I really like your more simplistic painting videos. You really show that we can get good results with just a few basic steps. This is really helpful for people like me, who are painting for table and myself (rather than to wow others). I also think this looks better than slapchop, but that's personal preference.

[@bdags1996]

Easily the best mini painter on YT. Thanks for staying true to yourself and creating BANGERS every single time!

[@Setsuraful]

I personally enjoy washes over contrast paints, right now Berserker Bloodshade over Blood Angels Red is working wonders for my Behemoth Tyranids. Super rich reds with nice dark actually contrasting detail and its super easy to do on the 2 billion models.

[@aaronbono4688]

I mix up washes and contrast paints because sometimes contrast paints look better for some things while washes do a better job with other things.

[@maverickman6486]

@@aaronbono4688 I've started mixing washes and speed paints together. I've also used some future in there too. Got some cool results for a thicker wash.

[@Icyblade01]

Wow that initial blue Tyranid is probably one of my fave paint schemes I've seen!

[@GheyForGames]

i was totally thinking the same, the colours go SOO WELL together

[@jameskersteter6350]

​@@GheyForGames🎉

[@CausticCaterpillar]

I’ve found that using a limited palette is a game changer. I have tried using multiple different colors on a model to get as much detail into a model, but it can get cluttered on the character very quickly. With my recent converted tomb king army, I chose a simple 3 color scheme (green, blue and bone) and subtle hints of bronze, I’ve made some of my best and most favorite paint jobs. I’m considering a tyrannid army after all the new releases, and I will probably use a bunch of washes and dry brushing (dry brushing is my favorite technique next to doing fades between colors). Thanks for the video and tips! Loved the look of your ‘Nids!

[@zramirez5471]

TLDR: no one included washes in their slapchop video so the entire industry forgot 😂 I use this over a harsh Zenithal (and typically some form of contrast/Xpress)

[@ArtisOpus]

*Ahem* ;)

[@zramirez5471]

@@ArtisOpus it turns out I have a LOT to learn about dry brushing... I swear I had it mastered on battle mechs in the 90's but now it's TECHNICAL??? No more base/wash/dry brush/done...

[@JPWestmas]

Nice temperature contrast on that model too! I also think that using dry brush verses edge highlighting with some thicker paint depends on how glossy verses matte you want a material to look on the model.

[@morith5108]

If done right, dry brushing can save SOOO much time and look great. The true magic is understanding the different technics and how they can complement one another to make something amazing. Great video showcasing these styles.

[@lordbiscuitthetossable5352]

Gotta say, this video was awesome. Might think on trying it to try and speed up my legion painting. Though I think a good part of it is your well refined skillset and desire to experiment, I haven't dome so in a little while.

[@colinmatter4697]

Love this video. Reminds me that simple techniques and busting out a model while just adhering to some color theory and being mindful about the order of your steps can still give you really nice looking results. Thanks for the remind Ninjon!

[@avatarofaiyel]

Man, those AK paints look amazing. It's like that perfect compromise between a wash and a contrast paint; more pigment than a traditional wash, but not as gloopy as contrasts. Need to look into them I think

[@blakearius]

I just bought a whole bunch. I'm not even sure you need to dilute them for basecoat. They are very versatile and dry to a pretty matte finish.

[@RecklessFables]

The introductory statement to this video is some of the best meta commentary about *waves hand at everything* I've seen in a while. I wasn't ready for this level of profundity before my first cup of coffee.

[@chwbcc]

Instead of painting the warm areas after, paint them before the wash. The tiny changes the overall color of both the warm areas and the skin giving it the same effect but it’s easier to correct if you mess up during paining the warm areas.

[@Deredeo13]

Tbh you really are the only painting channel that I enjoy the personal flair. Duncan has the amazing meta nerd culture knowledge but you are just plain funny, keep it up!

[@citizenrico42]

Wait this is a painting channel?? I thought it was comedy 😉

[@olafolafsson2755]

Sam Lenz for the raw oldschool artist vibes and Ninjon are the only watchable ones for me.

[@JackSpadeXI]

It's so nice to get a different opinion on filling vs highlighting. I see a ton of other painters do multiple primers with a dry brush. Its good to see a base layer with a was and then a paint job.

[@DarkDragoonLord]

Left the paint scene for like 15 years and came back to everyone talking about contrasts and slap chops, and they never looked as good as a simple wash and highlight job. Was a real “old man shakes paintbrush at clouds” moment for me.

[@jameskersteter6350]

left in 6th edition when they first time doing zenithal highlights over black. thought it was dumb then, now everyone's doing it. it's nice to see someone doing it right. although I dry brush after washing. then highlight

[@Elvings92]

I use both techniques depending on what I want to do. It's easier to do blends with contrast but the layer technique is unmatched for highlights

[@everymans40k]

I agree 100% I'm 54 years young and have been playing since 2/3rd edition. Way back when WAAAGH!!! Orks was a thing. When i show up to a game or a GT/RTT folks are like "holy cow" that looks so good and they tell me that my paint style is so different. Even to let me know that i have an "Old School" look to my minis. I love it...Wash, Drybrush, Higlight, Detail...so on and so on.

[@Micsma]

​@@everymans40ktry not to disparage painting styles and techniques. It's that kind of attitude that points people away from the hobby.

[@HeadCannonPrime]

I've been painting consistently for 30+ years. I think it comes down to time and effort spent. In the amount of time it takes to paint 10 models in layer, wash, highlight I can just about paint an entire army with speedpaints and that is not an exageration. I just painted 15 different models in about 4 hours. Enough for an entire necromunda game. And they look good enough to play with. I doubt i could have even basecoated the same 15 models in 4 hours with regular paints. If you don't love painting or painting is only a means to your actual hobby, that time savings is huge. Once you are proficient with speed paint, it is just SO much faster.

[@RavenTheScythe]

As someone who does the whole basecoat, wash, drybrush most of the time ... great to see. Table top ready.

[@alfredpotts6136]

Although I have a few contrast, speedpaints and Xpress paints, I still tend to use base coat, wash, highlight for a lot of my models. I tend to mix my washes using equal parts Vallejo ink (usually black, sepia or a mix of the two), Vallejo matt varnish and water.

[@KingOfOnes]

Another perfect painting video from Ninjon. I especially love that you keep the theme of each video concise, unlike a lot of other painters who tend to ramble, restate things and otherwise add bloat making their video 2 hours long. I really wanna see you try object source lighting, maybe on some Necrons??

[@ObsidianCrane]

Not all of us left washes behind when people started pushing "new" techniques and forgeting about washes. :) Given your description of the AK washes matches how I feel about their regular paints, I'm very interested in the washes now. As a thought I think you need to revisit the "colour theory" converstation - perhaps less about the fancy colour works and more just general conversation about how similar colours work together and how accent colours that contrast are so powerful. The whole blue-grey tyranid on the orange base is a great example of this sort of "colour theory", even if you never looked at a colour wheel or worried about "triads" or "complementary schemes" etc. 3 things spring to mind after this video about washes: 1) You didn't cover Army Painter Tones - their wash range - the Light, Dark, & Strong are GW mimics, but their Blue, Purple and Red washes are great. 2) Washes are a great way to add depth and colour interest to a high flow paint (Contrast/Express/Speed etc) 3) You don't need to put the wash over the whole area. At 10:54 when you say you could have used a Black Wash and you're right - instead of covering the existent colour you could have quickly ran a little bit just down into the joins between the plates to help with their definition. A little bit of spill onto the lower plate doesn't really need correction, but you can drag it out to make the sort of lines you did for the first higlights to give more texture and depth to the plates.

[@ArtisOpus]

Lovely work as ever - and excellent use of your Big D!

[@kmykz]

phrasing!

[@SatyricSaint1999]

Ninjon goes "back to the basics" and still paints it better than 70% of the people in the hobby. 😂 Nice bugs man.👍

[@AsgeirrSpjuth]

You gotta up that persentage. I think his basic painting is probably better that at least 90% of painters. All about colour choice and brush control...

[@KT-pv3kl]

what did you expect from somebody who has a youtube channel about painting minis with 200k subs? being average?

[@AluminiumPanda6]

This is awesome! I think the thing with any painting technique is... technique... you did a "cheat" technique, but still manage to make it look killer because you've practiced it a lot and know how to tweak it and prioritize things like edge highlighting to make it stand out still. I think we tend to look for the "easy" thing to do, and when it doesn't look good, give upon it, rather than realizing there's still a technique and skill required to make it look good.

[@madMARTYNmarsh1981]

My only issue with the Pro-Acryl washes is how quickly it dries on my wet palette. It is the only brand that dries so quickly on a wet palette. Otherwise they're another good product from an excellent brand. Their Miracle Glaze and Wash medium is magic.

[@danajadzia3390]

Fantastic. I love the focus on how long the technique takes. I often watch videos to observe new techniques and there is no indication of how time consuming it can be so I don’t really know if it will benefit me overall. Displaying a timer on screen or something to give an indication of how long each step takes would be amazing, so even if we are slower or faster we get a sent of what proportion of time each should take.

[@gdonaldson26]

Can't help but feel that we all just get swept along with the new painting craze and forget that the old reliable techniques are just as good, if not better for 90% of what we need. I certainly do!

[@rockycaroozo]

Your tutorials have been fire lately. Probably the number one channel for learning new techniques and why to do them.

[@No_nameOG]

Your workspace looks so nice. If I showed mine, it’d probably give you an aneurysm. Edit: I love how you accept your mistakes and build on them, even though your models always look amazing.

[@cjh.1920]

Favorite mini painting intro. Never change it.

[@josephcrawley7622]

I just got started with miniature painting, and it's your videos like these that make me feel more comfortable as a beginner.

[@strohslights4996]

Thanks as someone with nerve damage and shacking hands this was very helpful. I have been out of the hobby of painting for years. Using a lighter base coat with colored washes wasn't something we did in the 90's. My kids purchased my first sets of washes and inks for Christmas this year and they have sat there because I wasn't confident in how to use them and painting is very frustrating when you used to be good at detailed work but can no longer physically achieve the results of old. These relatively new product and videos like this I have found very helpful. Thank you.

[@UnderChromey]

For a moment there I was like, what, of course we had washes in the 90s... And then I remembered, oh wait, no, we used one wash - flesh 😂

[@TheHipHopapotimus]

I can’t believe one of these takes you just an hour. Amazing skill Ninjon!

[@petercaie8609]

Thanks for the video, Ninjon. These look amazing with no complicated technique. I will use exactly these tips to get my 9 year old son to paint his first minis. THANKS!

[@MifferDK]

Can we please have the list of paints you used for the model that you painted in the video? Pretty please

[@JamieDaggers]

Good stuff as always Jon! Weirdly enough I've been kind of revisiting washes lately too, so the timing is perfect! I'm also about to finish my Tyranid half of Leviathan so it's even more timely. Great video!

[@makoajohnson2341]

I feel like lately I've hit a plateau and have been almost over trying to much frustration. These videos lately that you've been getting back to basics have been nice to refresh and restart without being so critical

[@corytokay9787]

Great video! My go to wash lately has been just to mix flow aid, water, medium and whatever colour paint I need right on my pallette.

[@alancook1053]

Your last two videos have been very helpful in the Techno Mancer Style!! Your spin and production with this more refined teaching style is brilliant Jon!! Good for you and us!! Great job!

[@mirage809]

Those AK washes are looking really interesting. I've really fallen in love with their 3rd gen acrylics recently after stumbling upon a local store that stocks them. Gonna have to wait and see if my local store will start stocking these as well.

[@kaocottontail]

Watching you edge highlight is so satisfying! It's the thing I have the most trouble with by far.

[@scottdunn3339]

@Ninjon What basecolor did you use for the green tyranid? I must have missed it. I plan on doing that scheme with some modifications.

[@bobbyhay7227]

I think it’s ak green sky

[@marcwittkowski5146]

That first one looks absolutely awesome. Makes me want to paint an army in that paint scheme.

[@davidwasilewski]

I never stopped using this technique. I paint units and armies by base coating, washing, dry brushing and then maybe a quick highlight in a couple of key areas e.g. faces and shields. You can rattle through a normal rank and file miniature in 30 - 40 minutes by batch painting in this way and I’m happy with the results!

[@Ronindennis]

Time is my most important asset. This back to basic is just what I needed! Thanks!

[@brendanarmstrong7802]

Army painter gets (pretty rightly) written off next to other layer paints, but I honestly think that washes are where they shine. The army painter quickshade washes are fantastic, and one of the best early purchases I made way back when I first started painting minis.

[@garrettvelkjar3136]

Yeah, I was really surprised he didn’t test them out in this video. Army painter washes are great and imo have been much better than the last two generations of citadel.

[@ASpooneyBard]

I was going to comment the same thing. The Quickshade set is only like 30$ USD so it's an easy purchase and great for experimenting.

[@MisterTingles]

As some additional info for anyone shopping around, the washes from GSW tend to dry pretty glossy as well, and their depiction of the colors online doesn't really match up with what the colors actually end up looking like. They can still be useful paints to have, if you know that though, i use them for terrain when I plan to put a water effect over them for example, or for slimier parts on monster minis. Their Intensity Inks can make for cheaper alternatives to Contrasts as well, most of those dry pretty satin, their Opulentus Black is great for black armor and carapaces. Also, Targor Rageshade is great over metallics to add a touch of complexity and color variation, especially on silvers and gunmetals, for stuff like exhaust manifolds and flamethrowers.

[@ScytheNoire]

Opinion 1: AK paints are not talked about enough with miniature painters. Those Deep Shades came out the best looking for the base wash. AK makes top tier paints. Opinion 2: Monument needs more wash colours.

[@wildgophers91]

I gotta say that blue tyranid is maybe my favorite of all the outcomes I've seen from videos on the new models.

[@isisnmagic1812]

Great video as always and yes the more we paint not only do we get better in the hobby , we paint faster, so profound.

[@jastat]

That's cool I'm going to give both a try thanks

[@samburke7508]

Hopefully this gets found, saw this tip on a TikTok or youtube short somewhere. If you put contrast medium over a glossy shade after it dries it will take away the gloss. Been using this trick for a little while.

[@LaughingBearGames]

That was an awesome tip for the removing of the paint to avoid the chalky dry brush results. Really liked that tip!

[@graefx]

Base color, wash, dry brush got many a mini of mine on the table back in the day. Coming from the age of "talent in a bottle" badab black wash and devlin mud i highly recommend Army Painter dark and strong tone.

[@jc5512]

Works great on specific types of model - nids or lizards - which have enough detail and large areas of the same colour

[@jorgahouy3511]

Great video. Very straight forward, very educational, very understandable.

[@johnnycashrules157]

Started using my army painter washes, this helped me so much thank you

[@Pers0n97]

These new gaunt makes me think they they would be the perfect type of minies to use drybrush on. Literally just a two tone base (flesh and armor), wash and drybrush.

[@rmfberry261]

those deep shades look really nice. didnt see cofee staining at all gets nicely in the deep area and it tints that hight in that middle ground.

[@pepdawg18]

One of my favorite videos so far!

[@a.k3arns561]

I would love to see a video where you focus on painting white! I’m starting to get to a point where I like my routine but feel like I could still improve on getting it smooth and looking great

[@Kidfry]

Love that yellow / orange base on the first one. Going to steal it.

[@akaqueequeg]

I agree washes are way better than constrast and speed paints. I tend to use constrast paints for small details only. However the citadel washes imo look better than the others and high flow and miminal effect on the mid tone is the primary qualities I want in a wash. I always found the old formula really glossy and simply give the model a quick blast with some matt varnish or satin varnish throughout the process to both protect my work and help with highlight applications. That's something that is good practice either way because it helps cleaning up spill over on to finished surfaces.

[@OxMann13]

"There's no edge highlighting here, we don't have time for it." "Okay next I'm going to edge highlight"

[@Ctec87]

Going to have to try this, looks awesome.

[@SorcererTim45]

I like to make my own washes with Matt medium, water, ink, and a bit of dish soap. Maybe in a future video you could experiment with using washes in this way?

[@AzraelThanatos]

There's another option as well for a wash/shade. I've had a lot of luck using acrylic inks from the artists isle at the craft store (Brands like FW and similar). They thin very easily once you get a hang of the specific ink in how thin you need it for what you want. They're also much, much cheaper than most of the washes.

[@D00M3R-SK8]

They both looked great.

[@dornjr]

I still feel scale-modelers/railroaders slowly take a sip and shake their head at all the things we minigamers rediscover. 😉

[@perkulant4629]

Got to say the citadel ones seem to do a better job in the halfway comparison.

[@CodeLlama]

I recognize your shirt!!! Go go Kingdom Death!!!!! All hail the Dragon God! I love 40k and love your videos, and love seeing that you're a fan of that incredible board game!

[@Urabrask10]

nice kdm shirt my dude. Man of culture for sure.

[@NerdLegionInc]

Question. do you have a video going over how you transfer your potted citadel paints to dropper bottles? i'm thinking of doing the same.

[@lordnovas]

Awesome video, it brings back memories. I use to do this process until Contrast came out.

[@muser44Xst]

I learnt how to paint before washes and shades were on the market, and they were a huge game changer, but sometimes I find myself still making my own washes like when I started.

[@joshfoss7407]

I find that most of my time is trying to prevent and then subsequently fix mistakes in small areas where I get a color where it wasn't supposed to be. A big culprit is basecoating edges like where the carapace meets the skin. When you have two different materials with wildly different hues and saturation, how do you approach painting those connecting areas?

[@TheDreadGazeebo]

I do this in conjunction with zenithal highlighting. easiest way to get natural looking blends

[@pointandshootvideo]

The content of this video is great! Really good tips and tricks. Thank you!

[@jasonrheins5357]

Those cobalt keep modular shelves look very cool, but, speaking only for myself, with limited hobbying space I need more storage/surface area. 20 regular or 16 GW/Proacryll paints in ~45 in² (7.375×6.125) of table space just 'aint enough! I don't love the generic 6-tier nail polish step displays I use for 15-20mm dropper bottles, but 80- 90 of them in 120 in² lets me keep a lot more paints close to hand on my small hobby desk. Ditto the 21 hex Citadel stands I use for pots (about 17.5 in² if you angle them steeply). The cobalt keep ones aren't very tall, though, so if they could stack vertically that could make a big difference....

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Jon . 🐺 Loupis Canis .

[@dew7972]

Was kind of hoping to see Vallejo washes in this video. Understandable however if you didn't have them if you didn't have them on hand. Was wondering how they compared to the overall citadel washes and such. I planned on getting some to try out since they seem to have comparison colors to Citadel. However, haven't been able to find any kind comparison video over Vallejo washes. Love this video. I do enjoy washes on some, specially something with a lot of creases or creases that are hard to reach and gives it more of a well shaded look. It works so well in those, then toss a nice layer on top to bring out the raised edges. Smooth surfaces can make it look weird and pooly.

[@StephenLeaSheppard]

I want to point out one of the other problems with Contrast and why Contrast alone can produce minis that look flat. The eye has two sets of photoreceptors: rods and cones. Rods are much more sensitive to light but don't distinguish color, while cones are worse at seeing in the dark but do distinguish colors. What this means is that parts of real objects that are in shadow in the real world almost always look less saturated, or vibrant, than brightly lit surfaces. Contrast paints are heavily pigmented and when you use a Contrast paint, the pigment settles in the recesses of your model and pulls away from the open surfaces. What this means is that a model painted exclusively with contrast will have vibrant , highly saturated shadows, while the areas of the model that represent brightly lit surfaces can have a sort of desaturated, pastel effect: an inverted saturation profile. To the extent that mini painting is just about mimicking how light falls on large objects, this is a problem -- we may not realize why what we're seeing doesn't quite look like a real big object that's far away, but it doesn't, and we can sense that it's off.

[@fatrobin72]

My pre contrast sylvaneth was done mostly with a brown wash over the zandri dust spray with a slight drybrush of something lighter. It left for a simple, quick colour scheme that looked good enough on the table top (wouldn't of won any painting comps)

[@perrygrosshans8537]

Always good content. Also, never ever change that beginning montage.

[@matrixmr5]

Great video, although I see a lot of KZbin painters use AK Interactive paints but they are not easy or cheap to get in the states. If anyone knows a place I would love to know.

[@LemanoftheRussVI]

Great footage on the highlight steps ! Well done video.

[@Sergiocalvominiatures]

Super cool video! Should I start a new tyranid army?

[@davidhitchcock2495]

Can I achieve the effects of a wash without needing to buy a whole new range of products? Will thinning paints to a glaze consistency and applying them to only the recessed areas do the same thing that a wash does?

[@rexhurley4380]

Thanks for my lol of the day. you style of presentation is just so real but also hilariously funny and entertaining

[@kaibe5241]

Nobody stopped. I continue to fall back to it as my main way of painting. Imho washes are better than contrast paints in almost all cases, you can do much more with them. I prefer to use contrast paints for glazes, actually.

[@TimotheeLee]

I don't know anything about painting figures but your logo design is striking. The craft of graphic design, in this computer age, has gone down the toilet. It's nice to see someone that knows what there doing.

[@thomgizziz]

Spelling and grammar is the thing that has actually gone out the window. It is their not there and stop kissing ass.

[@Boodoosh69]

Both those minis look fabulous, cracking video Jon :) Not a big fan of painting so anything that cuts the painting time down is a big plus in my book :)

[@kmykz]

both turned out great!

[@NotTheStinkyCheese]

I was thinking of doing a pale blue/grey skin for my marauders (the not-orks from Mantic's Deadzone/Firefight game) ... and the pale blue for that model might be worth copying.

[@raymondharnack4160]

I still have a full set of P3 paints that I use and love…. Gonna be a sad day when I can’t get it any longer. A lot of their colors are staples in my painting.

[@modelclubtv]

Gonna give those AK Deep Shades a try, thanks for showing them!

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

LOOK at all dem colors you have there!

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

Good boy NinJon! 🍻👊🥰

[@justincasebro1567]

Great vid John, I definitely got some take aways.

[@ruberiusgadget795]

Hi! This is an awesome Video with great painted Tyranids. Thanks Ninjon ❤. Greetings from Germany Ruberius