The TRUTH behind GW Contrast Paints

What are they good for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Just kidding, I just wanted to quote that song. Games Workshop has come out with a new range of paints, let's put them to the test!
PATREON OR DIE: patreon.miniac.co
BUY MINIAC MODELS/MERCH/DIGITAL COURSES: miniac.co/
SUPPORT MINIAC: miniac.co/page...
RECOMMENDED HOBBY GEAR: miniac.co/page...
PODCAST OR DIE: www.trappedunde... & / trappedunderplastic
GRAM OR DIE: instagram.minia...
AMAZON OR DIE: amzn.to/2vb1j6X
FACEBOOK OR DIE: facebook.miniac.co
END CREDITS SONG: • By the Sword - Ethan M...
INTRO SONG: • Double Helix - Ethan M...
New to miniature painting? Start here: beginner.miniac.co
New to the channel? Start here: videos.miniac.co/
Submit an outro for me to use: forms.gle/h8xo...
Contrast Paint Chart: imgur.com/a/LV...

[@beasticorn]

THE CHARTS ARE BACK!! YEAH BABY!

[@Miniac]

CHART CITY, BABY!!

[@Arenuphis]

WE MUST GIT DOUBLE THE CHARTS THERE MUST BE A WRAITHBONE AND A GREY SEER CHART Like seriously, that'd be very helpful

[@CavScout1]

I agree. GW needs to dump this contrast range. Stick to the classic method

[@CypressPunk34]

Great review, but you did omit some really important information. How do Contrast paints taste compared to the normal GW paints?

[@zephy64]

This the most important of questions. We need answers!

[@AaronWeberGA]

Dear god, this is what we really need to know.

[@slushosaur]

familiar but hard to place, not unpleasant... what??

[@chrisdanish84]

Having tasted them at warhammer fest i can confirm they taste better than the old foundation paints.

[@naphaneal]

awful. really, really awful.

[@dannyeccles1894]

Also my 8 year old's reason to seeing these was very positive. He loves the idea of just putting a single colour and getting them to look more like my minis than having to use a few different techniques. And remember, he's 8 and only just started painting and playing, so anything that helps him keep his enthusiasm is great as far as I'm concerned.

[@rossmorton7002]

Exactly. I would've loved these to paint my Space Hulk minis when I was a kid.

[@Anjohl]

I think they're fantastic for beginners.

[@novaiscool1]

True, but given the price it is likely not something that most people would by for there kids given that cheeper options are available.

[@Phoenix8492]

I got some Guilliman Flesh contrast because I have always had problems when it came to shading in recesses of faces or fabrics. It actually looks quite nice once you get over the fact that you’re not using actual base coat or real paint. You can throw it right on when there’s a white prime, but I was told that for a black prime an undercoat of Wraithbone was necessary; if all else fails at least I have a parchment paint color now.

[@Mantyszyger]

We never had these tutorials at the dawn of gaming. He will be a pro painter by the time he's 13-14 even just casually keeping up with it if he has an eye for it. The largest hindrance for a new gamer or painter is not really knowing what they are doing and learning from mistakes. Many mistakes and a lack of knowing how to paint quickly or any guidance at all washes people out of the hobby in droves.

[@harveyjoe2496]

"one coat" *Terrified Duncan screeching*

[@sexybrugutu]

Lol

[@CallanElliott]

The Codex Rhodesartes does not support this action

[@jadayaindigo7696]

Oh thank goodness - i thought this was gonna be an expose on something like "GW contrast paints were made from ground up orphans".

[@Dylius01]

They aren't? Well count me out

[@Joey_Forman]

Dylius01 ye that isn’t very grimdark of them

[@MollymaukT]

They're Duncan's tears. He weeps every time someone doesn't thin their paints

[@nwahnerevar9398]

Welcome to Brexit Britain 🇬🇧

[@jmmartin7766]

Their 'flesh tones'? *Liquified real human flesh!* 💀

[@High_Lord_Of_Terra]

This is why nobody can get any paint, all the bloody you tubers have them all!

[@Persona6Blue]

They took ur peints!

[@High_Lord_Of_Terra]

@@Persona6Blue bursturds!

[@joconnor6]

mafoota this made me laugh

[@Faetheor]

vallejo colored washes are the same thing.

[@Beatriz_Molina]

@mafoota LOL

[@richardpurvis1072]

This is by far the best review of contrast paints I've seen... Good job!

[@KuK137]

@@Wildbowl2iggy I disagree, he made biased opinion after painting *one* model in the most basic way not even trying different techniques. I like how he discard real experts opinion "because GW invited them" when they are actually at far greater liberty of saying what they think because they actually know what they are talking about and don't need GW attention. What MWG or Tip already shown with the paints is indeed far better and quicker than what you can do with normal acrylics, but you won't see that on biased and barely informed video like this one...

[@silverfischdotnet]

And yet still no one has reviewed Apothecary White.

[@cyberargh]

@@silverfischdotnet because its total shite, that's why :D I've tried it at my local GW shop and its very very far from being actually white

[@silverfischdotnet]

@@cyberargh I know it's supposed to be a slightly blue white, but with white being the lightest color... it seems like the idea of a contrast paint wouldn't work at all with white.

[@chrisvasko16]

@@KuK137 What are you talking about, he tried one said it was pretty basic, and if you are happy with it then good, but then he tried multiple different techniques to see if he could get it to pull better color. As far as "real experts" what makes them anymore experts than he is? Also yea generally when a company invites you somewhere you feel more obligated to say something nice about their product, and even if they hadn't GW certainly isn't going to share that.

[@skynes]

"It's a little bit of a grey area." Irony. In Contrast's attempt to erase grey, it itself became it.

[@GrasshopperKelly]

"you were supposed to destroy the Sith! Not join them!"

[@pldcanfly]

"It's a little bit of a grey-seer area."

[@theonetruedoge6375]

I am the senate

[@dragonmartijn]

50 shades of boring

[@Pablo-pe2rv]

“Even GW’s pallet paper” *boi are you out of your goddamn mind *

[@Emloch]

I think their main focus with these paints is to lower the barrier of intimidation for people who want to jump into this hobby, but are scared away by the painting aspect of it. Great job, Scott.

[@JCZFootball]

I agree. Get people who dont think they can paint, painting. once they realize they can and it isnt so difficult they buy the more expensive stuff that produces a better quality paint job.

[@leehigh2611]

JCZFootball but contrast IS more expensive than regular paints, by almost double..

[@charlesslaton5924]

Aaaaaaah. Then they should probably focus on not charging the same for a box of plastic minis what they used to charge for a box of metal figures. Fixing the price point would probably lower the barrier of intimidation for a lot more people and get them playing.

[@breadiztasty]

I think this would be great for kids

[@TorianTammas]

emloch - They sell colors for double the price. When you look at the competition they sell even the standard colors for a better price. It is just another hype to pay for an overpriced product which can not do the miracles they promise.

[@finnmcgrath3672]

“I wish I could thin them to my desired consistency” Contrast medium: “I exist”

[@marcusmaxon4033]

I got to test the contrast paints at my local GW store yesterday. I am a veteran painter and I really wanted to see if I could use these in my toolbox. Instead of using the plague bearer the store supplied I bought the cheapo (relatively) quick start space marines that I could assemble there. So I got to try the new primers. The new primers are FANTASTIC, the quick start space marines are blue plastic and with a quick and dirty spray there was NO blue showing. So much better than the corax white primer which tends to be inconsistent and lumpy. Then I got to applying the paint. Which took a lot of getting used to,. I decided to go with space wolves because it would give me grey, yellow, and red to work with. The models come out a bit splotchy but no more so than when new painters paint without understanding about thinning their paint. I think there’s a learning curve here. I was going for quick and dirty and I got the three marines fully painted in under an hour. So it’s probably good for young new players to use the system for what they call “battle ready”, but for me , I agree I prefer to put the time in. However, I did find some great potential for these paints. For one thing they dry much faster than inks and glazes. So using them as washes would be great. Second since they are so thin, there is a lot of blending potential there. Third, the paint range use the same pigment palette as the traditional range so you can layer or dry brush over without it looking wonky. In summation I’m saying that I agree that these paints aren’t going to magically paint your army. But I disagree that as a veteran painter that I won’t use them to supplement the current range. I also think that painting neophytes will at least have color on their models which is seriously better than gray plastic.

[@teamredshirt]

Well said, I found myself using them as a semi base coat/mid tone, reinforcing the shadows and highlights with traditional paints gave a really nice, relatively quick table ready effect for troops that let me move onto the daemon engines that could be the wow pieces Of my army. I did this on some bloodletters that I hadn’t gotten around to painting, and while close inspection will find flaws, they look good in a squad and they stand out when they are on a table against all the grim dark style paintjobs I see nowadays.

[@oscarsaris3183]

I just got into this hobby. It's hard to find an informative channel that explains things in a clear way for a beginner, but is also fun to watch. You just got yourself a sub.

[@Holo25sm]

Inviting novice painter was a brilliant idea. Good job!

[@LaserWombat]

It really wasn't. They're not necessarily for novices. They're a tool for people to get armies painted. They also dont have to be used for every surface. They should really just be used for what they're good at.

[@MysterySemicolon]

I think you guys missed the point entirely, despite actually saying it out loud. You focused on how it looks rather than how it works. I work 40-50 hours a week and then have other stuff going on, then I have on-call time some weeks and somewhere in there I'm supposed to dedicate 100s of hours of painting to get my troops to look like they're 4 or 5 layer shaded? No, this is perfect for me. I can sit down on a Saturday between fixing my car and getting groceries and polish off a unit that looks halfway presentable on the table at the game shop. Period. It's entirely meant for me and other guys who have actually played either primed or outright not even coated grey plastic at the store.

[@raywhichway1790]

You can get the same effect spray painting the miniature then just using a wash or ink on top of it as these contrast paints. By spray can of spray paint. I'm still not sold on these as anything more than Games Workshop just "branding' inks/washes as something else then jacking up the price for them. There are better and cheaper alternatives out there for less cost and price.

[@Mantyszyger]

There is a reason why some painters created their own "dips" back in the day. Jar filled with their coloured mixture. Hang model upside down and dip it in the paint, remove, let dry, done. Maybe a slight touch up. Contrast paints are essentially amazing "dips". They are time savers.

[@YayaBunWa]

Yeah dude, I think people forget that we exist, and just how hard it is to motivate yourself to paint an entire army when you know it’s going to take over 2 hours or even more just to get a mere footsoldier presentable, and then you do the mental maths and realise it’ll take over a year just to host a small 1k point army - let alone a dream army. Heck, I’ve even considered paying someone to paint a force for me - cos what’s the point in my money when I’ve got zero time to enjoy it, so may as well use it to shortcut past the arduous part of my hobby, ...except, I refuse to do that because of dignity and that I want ‘my army’ to feel like “my army”. So then, it’s a catch 22: if I want the pride of seeing my little men kicking butt out there, then I need to earn that feeling-but then, I know it’ll take forever to get them done, so the small amount of free time I have is delegated to activities or tasks that reward me far greater in every sense (like family & friends, or even a computer game), which just leaves me thinking, “why did I bother buying these? Heck, why do I continue to dream that I’ll be able to use them or finish them one day? ... I wish there was an easier way/solution”. ... And then Contrast paints came out. Seriously, I don’t have the energy to get some spraying apparatus or put together some kind of “nifty tricks” for shortcutting that some of the other people around here are suggesting as some kind of “alternative”. Pfft, come on, unless I trip over it on the way to buying groceries or on my way home from work, I’ll never even know it exists, let alone find the time and energy to “learn it”. Contrast paints are a genius move by GW, and they can take my money. I don’t care that it’s probably overpriced (come on, all GW shit is, that’s why I use a general hobby store down the road from work, for all my brushes or scalpels etc etc etc, so I don’t mind buying specific stuff from GW in return). Fact is: the COST of the time these are saving me far out-values the hike in price on these paints. It’s absolutely worth it when I calculate the maths like that (cost of paint minus the value I put on my meagre free time = WOOORRTTHH IT). And yeah, the end result will suck compared to normal methods, but I only ever planned to ‘try’ on the special individual or important models in my army - “regular goons” can be grateful that I’m painting their sorry butts at all. xP So yeah, Contrast Paints are the best and were always meant for the majority of hobby’ists that can only dream of painting an entire army in a single lifetime. If your complaint is “painting normally still looks better, you only need to spend more time and patience”, then you’re grandly missing the fucking point, ahahaha.

[@Mantyszyger]

@@YayaBunWa I keep meaning to put a speed painting tutorial up, but I'm sure there are many out there already. Basically, do painting in batches. Assembly line style. Do all the brown pouches, ropes, bags. Do all metal. etc across your entire army or unit. So when you are done, the whole thing is done. With contrast, it makes that process even faster. You can always go back and do more fine work

[@YayaBunWa]

@@cinialvespow1054 Well... My friend has recently taken up Warhammer and he's been showing me what he can do with the new Foundation paints&tutorials + giving me a rough estimate of Time-Spent Painting, and honestly: it's incredible how much of a difference these paints make for speed painting. As for either 'not painting them at all' or 'just undercoat them + dip them in something, etc whatever ya want': I did that with my first army back in, erm, probs 2005 (was Imperial Guard) and I then took in my army to my local GW, where they proceeded to interrupt my match with another local and demand that I pack away my stuff (or go over to the painting table and get to work on my undercoated units, etc), and 'not to try this again with an unpainted army in their store'. Frankly, I do have options - like playing at a hobby-enthusiasts club or find/make friends in the area, etc - but there isn't much in my area (or, at least, there wasn't back then; at least I now have a GW within 20 minutes travel compared to 1.5 hours before) and the other alternatives that I was aware of weren't any closer nor "open-doored", sadly. So yeah: that's basically why I come from the perspective of a 'hard line'; not because I'm "anally retentive", but cos people have always been dicks about this to me and that's just solidified itself in my common sense as a prerequisite for participation. :/ And fuu, I was born in '90, fuuu not a boomer zzz~ fu-fu-fuu~

[@shinankoku2]

Of all the contrast videos I’ve watched, you’re the first one to get a rank beginner to try them out. Kudos!

[@mr.organa7154]

My hands shake really bad, I even had to use weighted pens in school. I am very interested to see if this range helps me as my minis look kinda bad as is. Thank you for the very good review!

[@zets8238]

Hey, I see your plight as I myself have a natural tremor. I just have to say when I painted my first mini I felt pretty bad about the result. But with the addition of these contrast paints I have been much more satisfied with my recent paint job than my first, really helped my enjoyment of the hobby.

[@EdAllen]

When my hands shake I rest the heels of my hands & little fingers on the table, so they just can't shake as much. It helps.

[@bena.4487]

I've read that a dude with shaking hands would hold a brush in his left hand while holding the mini, and put the bottom of the brush in his right palm (painting hand). This way the shaking of both hands would be "synchronized". Maybe you should give it a try

[@mandowarrior123]

Can you use your mouth?

[@elcidbob]

Right there with you man. If you've never come across the idea of a mahlstick before, it may be worth a shot. www.creativebloq.com/how-to/level-up-your-painting-skills-with-a-mahlstick Might take you a bit of testing to figure out where to support one while painting models, but every little bit helps.

[@alfyb4512]

Finally, a serious review of this line! Thanks for the great work, this gives a good idea of who and what Contrast is for. As an average painter who wants to improve, I still want to work on the extra details. I can see some use for Contrast, but certainly not to the point of revolutionizing that process. It’s a tool, one more in a rather full box, and I’m sure some pros will find great uses for it that I will want to emulate.

[@Finalrellik99]

The contrasts are great paints and the trick to them is to add them to your painting arsenal, not replace your arsenal. Using the contrasts alongside the classic paints really allows you to do some cool stuff

[@theinfinitejourney904]

I can admit that I am indeed living under a rock at the moment

[@Dinguskhan5003]

Isn’t everyone?

[@theunreal_TOEBEANS]

Not only am I living under a rock, but I am also a normal person.

[@ichthus_eleison]

The main objective for this Contrast Paint Set is to not look at your minis the way we use to do it when we love painting them, but to be watched from the top, as an army on the battlefield. It's clearly focused on players who do not have the patience to paint and who want to play as soon as possible. Maybe GW should have use that subject as a main campaign argument, and not making people believe they will be some painting masters with this magical product. Still a gap between what I believe the creators of the product had as intentions and what the marketing department decised to say in order to make more benefits.

[@kingxerocole4616]

Yes, the Fireslayer Flesh Tone is more than a little tempting for 75 gray dorfs in our cabinet.

[@Jack_OLanterns]

I've been watching all the videos I could on contrast paints. This is by far the best one out there. I've been waiting to see your take on them. And as expected honest, insightful and tempered hype. Right on.

[@KuK137]

More like ignorant, biased opinion after 5 minutes of trying and not even attempting to use them in different ways. I'd believe this video if real experts on other channels didn't show vastly better results already...

[@Mr_jz_12]

@@KuK137 you mean, you distrust an honest review over the paid/rabid fanbois/gw placements?

[@cpaterson9763]

@@Mr_jz_12 lol

[@dangerwizard42]

I really like the new contrast paints. I've been painting off and on for almost 20 years and was tired of the 3 coats and shade for nearly every color. Contrast is very close to a one-and-done method and has helped send me into a painting overdrive. Medium really helps thin out the more opaque colors and you can always touch up contrast paint jobs with more details but the water color, loose style of painting suits me well. I think I can finally paint up a full 2000 pt army by then end of the summer and am really excited about that, not to mention colorizing my huge back log of CMON and DnD minins.

[@gwayawan]

Totally agree. For my aos regiments its a must. Even as a layer for heroes miniatures it does the job! I did this year with contrast: - 60 bloodletters - 50 chaos warriors - 30 plaguebearers - 20 putridblightkings - full army of nighthaunt - etc....

[@wietze1220]

I love the contrasts for models with high texture. I recently used in on a war hydra from games workshop, and i had 90% done in 10 minutes. Just needed to add some details in the traditional way. Also, the contrasts are great over a metal basecoat

[@lenoks_de]

Really great and honest review. It think it is really bold of you - and I appreciate that! - to critizie the product even if you will get "black-listed" for future GW sponsored products to review. I totally agree with you on the fact that the PR with the pro painters was a little bit odd! I think I will stick with my "normal" arcylic paints that I already own. But maybe if I should ever go for a 10.000 tyranid modells army, I will give it a try.

[@zouweninthesky3445]

I really appreciate you for being honest and loyal with your audience. I feel like youtube lacks it a lot. Thank you

[@khadorstrong]

Its impressive how far you've come in such a short time. They sent you the entire line? That's outstanding man! Keep up the good work.

[@mlabuguen]

This is why Miniac is my go to for product info. It's not "this is the best because I use it" Or "this is the worst, because I hate it" just a bunch of good info and actual visuals, well presented in a great format.

[@beltzrobert]

30 ork boyz, done in an hour at my table top standard. That is my use for contrast.

[@truegregthompson]

exactly what they are for. I honestly have never seen this guy before but can be sure I wont bother clicking again if he needs over an hour for 1 mini using contrast paints and says that the paints didn't live up to his expectations. Serious question btw, does he sell his services? I feel a lot of the paint studio guys will be lukewarm at best towards a product like this.

[@PP-th4ft]

@@truegregthompson those orcs are gonna look quite bad, though. If you are willing to make that tradeoff, more power to you, but I'd imagine most people want their miniatures to look as good as possible, even if it takes much longer to get them done.

[@beltzrobert]

@@truegregthompson I dont think he does commissions. I dont know. He does really good paint work. He is a skilled painter. I wouldn't take his opinions in this video as a gauge for the rest of his videos. His videos are really good and I do recommend watching them.

[@beltzrobert]

@@PP-th4ft they won't be bad at all. All paint will be laid on with care and be done in about 25 minutes. Then clean up the lines and errors about 10 minutes. Lay down a dry brush 10 minutes. Paint the metallics and shade 10 minutes. Paint the bases about 5 minutes. This isn't including drying time and there is overlap. Like while the boys are drying I'm painting bases. All in all normal paint time for 30 boys is about 1 hr and 45 minutes using normal system. I'm not edge highlighting ork boyz to be perfection. I'm painting them up to look good in a squad and good when picked up. They aren't ment to look excellent.

[@KuK137]

@@PP-th4ft You wot mate? Turn off your biased blinkers, lots of people already done orks with contrast and for greenskin painting they are ace, looking better in five minutes than traditional method of spending an hour and 5 different paints and shades per ork...

[@SquidmarMiniatures]

Totally agree with this from my testing and the tutorials I did. I like the colors, but they're not a end all be all. Great paints; but not everything, more of a complement.

[@shaynehull2705]

Short and simple: love them. They have revolutionised my hobby. Like some other commenters, I'm a dad with a full-time job. My painting time is limited. These have really increased my output. Are they perfect? No. Some go on blotchy, but I can live with that. My method is Contrast Paints + edge highlight for all non-metallics. I use metallic paints for metal, wash it, then edge highlight. I don't layer. That's the main step I've saved time on. Overall, the number of completed models outweighs the slightly more blotchy look.

[@derekkrumel1407]

My guy! I've watched a bunch of your vids and I've recently gotten back into minis after taking about a decade off since I was but a wee lad. Content creators like you and Squidmar, Darren Latham, and the 'how I paint things' guy have REALLY helped me dust off the ol' brushes and I wanna say thank you for all the free learnin'! Alright so I had an actual comment though on contrast paints... SO I'm looking at the Sigmar fella and while your buddy is an amateur his piece was still decent enough and definitely did 90% of his homework for him. if you compare it to the example model you have it's pretty impressive that he could get so much color and so much, ya know, contrast with what amounts to basically two steps per surface. I mean that's just auto-pilot. So the model you painted, with a little technique, was actually pretty solid on most of the surfaces and like before you've got one step that does a ton of work for you. So I mean obviously it's kind of nutter butters that you can do so unbelievably lazy and still get a workable result. I mean for batch painting this seem like it'd be incredibly helpful in particular... But yo so for new painters or people that struggle with the techniques this gives them the opportunity to use a few simple techniques to get really amazing results. I mean, you've got three steps plus a bonus one if you're cheeky. Prime. Block in your primaries. Hit those areas with your contrasts. Bonus: throw a layer of highlights in there. Easy. Seems like it'd give you a real solid result with the third least effort. I suppose I'll try it out myself, at any rate. Oh yeah and for sure GW has somehow never been a cool company despite doing possibly the coolest thing ever idfk how it works but hey that's life. Anyway thanks!

[@oskaroutofnowhere2860]

Basically it's good enough to paint 90 guardsmen for tournament to get extra points for having painted army

[@arcian6210]

Hey scott, I've seen online that some application of the more opaque colors over metallics resulted in some nice results.

[@wadecallahan6257]

This was great, thank you! My son and I are new to the hobby and this is exactly what I needed to see to better understand Contrast..it's a bit overwhelming and your video def helped me grasp it better.

[@antroz321703]

Contrast paints are really useful for basecoating the primary color of space marines or for painting cloth.

[@Mephiston]

works pretty great for orks too

[@ghostfaceknuts]

Thanks for doing this video. I'll admit, I've watched many many videos on these contrast paints and have felt the hype anxiety verging on bloodthirst, that I needed these new tools and products. I was pretty sure that I'd open a paint pot, slather it on and would have your hard earned skills immediately. I needed someone to tell me to simmer down. There were some cool effects I've seen demonstrated though. GW put out a video called "Contrast and Classic: Stormcast Eternals" and I really like the blue over gold effect, coming out as a metallic teal. I'll still try these, but I appreciate unbiased report. (It's a report when the charts come out)

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

So, unless there's a category for "Contrast only" minis, you won't one winning any painting contests any time soon. But if you really, really want 200 Hormagaunts to keep a Stormlord occupied...

[@Mikey__R]

...then you're probably better off getting an airbrush. I seriously doubt brushing on contrast paint could be anywhere near as quick as airbrushing. It's only my opinion, but I also think zenithal highlighted models look way, way better than the splotchy result that nearly everyone I've seen gets from contrast paints. Zenithal the flesh, base coat the carapace with a brush, drybrush the carapace ridges, then give the whole thing a wash. Done!

[@mikeclement4029]

@@Mikey__R if you've got an airbrush and know how to zenithal highlight a model you are not the target audience...

[@Mikey__R]

Hi @@mikeclement4029, you're not wrong. But I also think the target audience would be better off with a solid base coat. Once the hype dies down in a couple of months, we'll see who really finds use for these unusual and very niche paints. Right now, it's too early to tell.

[@NotTheStinkyCheese]

The GW Heavy Metal team used contrast paints (or as expert paints would have called them : inks). Ain't nobody ever going to judge a mini in a contest based on (assumed) painting technique, unless that was part of the requirements. Beginners aren't going to win any painting contest regardless of technique, unless it is a 'best beginner' type of thing. Everyone else will use whatever tools available, which includes inks and airbrushing.

[@Mikey__R]

@@NotTheStinkyCheese yeah, and beginners don't stay beginners for long.

[@ReallyBigBadAndy76]

This is without a doubt the best video on contrast paints I have come across. Thanks for doing so many different experiments - this really gives a better idea of the experience we are likely to have with the paints. I have been thinking of them as similar to inks and it seems like that’s not too far off. I probably wouldn’t use these unless I had a whole ton of units to get through in a short amount of time.

[@silverrose7554]

Grate job on the video ! It definitely looks like a wash . I worked for BTP for 10 years and we used a wash mixed in with our paints to get a wash over the solid paint . So I would recommend using that the same way . One step looks to blotchy .

[@Smilomaniac]

I didn't buy into it being magical, but I did expect it to be a high pigment wash that'd be easier for beginners to use, since the concept of thinning your paints is a bit more complicated than just adding water. It seems to fulfill that role, but I also see it as discouraging people from actually learning to paint, not because the contrast result is good enough for you not to bother learning, but because you don't gain any experience from using this paint. I've painted about a hundred mini's, so I'm just past the beginner phase - It takes work, there are no shortcuts to learning how to paint miniatures. I don't really see any point to getting these paints as I can create any shade of paint I want with 6-7 different pots and thin them down to be a glaze or shade if I want. I learned how to do that because I don't want to buy five different flesh colors to paint the occasional sergeants head.

[@AliceSouthey]

> but because you don't gain any experience from using this paint. I'd argue against this. Contrast paints seem like a pretty good way for someone intimidated by painting to learn to cleanly paint "within the lines," without having to worry about anything else. I don't imagine I'd ever use them myself, but I can see myself picking up a few as a gift for someone on the fence about taking up mini painting.

[@Smilomaniac]

@@AliceSouthey - Hey if someone gets encouraged from using these, then all the power to them. What beginners will find out when swapping over, is that regular paints will act completely different and need to be managed accordingly. You wouldn't learn how to paint by using washes only for example, you don't get the knowledge on how to proceed, if that makes sense. It's like jumping from water colors to inks or oils - They're not the same.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Miniac has entered the chat.

[@sinisterplank3113]

It's funny how this comprehensive, honest and not entirely approving review made me more interested in trying these paints out than any of the other "these are great" reviews I've seen. I was highly sceptical due to the whole "revolutionized!" hype around it, but now I'm thinking there's probably a place and use for these paints in my hobby.

[@jimmysexton5634]

experience is everything, been making my own washes and " contrast" paints for over 20 years. it's all on how you blend and what you use, that's why it's art.

[@Zeros_Hobbies]

Thank you so much for your true honesty i had this same feeling.

[@alexcc293]

One of the most sincere KZbinrs I have seen; thank you Scott!!!

[@belindabennett4666]

you got it right. Just make sure that people know that this is great if you want to put way less time, that this will be a good fit. But don't expect that you are going to be an award winner with this. I think sometimes its hard for new painters because there are so many awesome ones out there with youtube channels, and not enough of..."hey...you are just starting out, its okay to be globby, wall-eyed, three color, horrible metallic freak" it gets better.

[@SthMejin]

Not a great painter at all, but I want to get better at it and get through the mountain of grey minis I have the old fashioned way. So I really appreciate the way you tackled talking about this from multiple perspectives and acknowledging the people out there who may not have as lofty goals to their quality of painting. This is the type of honest review that helps the community. Real pros and cons. Different perspectives. Not all praise, not all cynicism and bashing.

[@AdeptusMumbles]

Thank you for the examples and comparisons. Very helpful in better understanding the uses of contrast paints.

[@InquisitorKryptman]

Honestly you're a great KZbinr and don't pad your runtime with nonsensical ranting, love your quirky personality and humor, paint on Mini Fam.

[@andygorman858]

You have to be the only youtuber that tells me what I ‘need’ to hear, not what you want me to hear. I was wondering just what and how these contrast paints worked.....now I know and will probably carry on using washes and inks that are cheaper and do the same thing. Thank you for keeping shit real!

[@zbway57]

coming back in 2021 to mention (since the templars box just came out and I've been elbow deep in crusade colors) that your tips about the more opaque shades are spot on. I have been using the lighter colors as a wash over more traditional shading methods, but the black templar contrast really is nice for the primaris models over just a grey seer primer, and with minimal edge highlighting I am able to get a great finish. Def a good range (esp. the opaque ones) to keep around even for more experienced painters, just not as a "solves it all".

[@jarekb6524]

This has to be the first time when I see a headline starting with "The THRUTH behind (...)" - and truth is actually what follows.

[@filips.6482]

I still prefer to spend hours upon hours on one mini... and be absolutely not happy with the results, that to cut corners... and not be happy with the results ;)

[@sailoroftheinternet3290]

Completely agree

[@bradwainwright6236]

I like taking my time, 1-2 hours a night 3-5 nights a week. Don't want to get into the grey army trap and have to face painting 2k of orks all together contrast or not

[@woodyrobinson9628]

I appreciate your honest review of the product for some of us just getting paint on it and getting it on the table what were trying to do

[@VideoCesar07]

Great review for anyone wondering about these. I would see these paints as another tool to use in my arsenal, not a complete replacement. As long as you can temper your expectationse, especially to a newcomer to the hobby, the paints can work really well. I always remind any noob that the minis are painted by professionals who know how to get the best results so no matter what the product promises, it will still take some practice.

[@recordatron]

Personally I'm very happy with the paints. Due to my standards it's given me the impetus to paint my hordes of Astra Militarum whilst not being too precious about how they come out and not having to spend as much time with washes and highlights. I agree that I'd still use standard paints for some jobs though.

[@augmentedfrequency6646]

Sampled these. There great paints makes it easy to full paint an army fast. Personally I found them great for organic applications like skin, guts, some woods.

[@toothlessrick3970]

I'm just getting back into model painting after a 10+ year hiatus. All my old GW paints were worthless so I went to the local GW shop to get more and I see that they tossed out the old color scheme and they have a whole new line of different types of paints that I have to get used to. When the topic of 'Contrast' paint came up, the salesman said it was 'revolutionary' but in the next breath he said 'I don't use them myself because it doesn't go on right'. So I'm going back to what I know best and just buying base colors and some washes (shades), why the name change is beyond me. The was a good and honest review of the product, thanks.

[@madnessbydesign1415]

3 years later, it seems Contrast Paints have found their place - not as a replacement for standard paints, but as more of an 'effect' paint set. Contrasts over metallics can be very cool, and do behave differently than washes. For a lot of people, the inexperienced painter's model would be fine. But the more advanced painter can still get something from this line... :)

[@jaimerontome2424]

After testing with the contrast paints, I find them situational, the only use I can get from them is to paint over models based on leadbelcher to mimic alpha legion or thousands sons from the heresy era.

[@skwam7202]

That's the only use I could think of for them ngl

[@monkeybuizznes1]

I think they look absolutely amazing over a metallic primer. The other primers are meh, but with a metallic one you get kinda a shiny color to whatever you’re doing. Really ace for Alpha legion IMO

[@SeraphimBelial]

Got any pics? I'd love to see

[@monkeybuizznes1]

Mayor McNopeNuhUh Pete the wargamer did a couple over Metallics, the teal was radical

[@Noodlepunk]

I'll have to try this, I kind of like the water color look the paints have.

[@unclebill9134]

As a newbie i have NOT painted any minis yet, I've been watching your videos and WOW your good. I hope to start painting by the end of this year. again as a newb I got a long way to go forbefor I can start. I don't have anything at all yet, no brushes, no paint, nothingy. My airbrush kit is on it's way in the mail and I'm putting my hubby desk together in my bedroom.

[@nerdherd1819]

I think this is a fair review. I can see the use of Contrast, but also that it's not for my style, especially as I try more and more to create a cohesive and distinct style and try to use more advanced techniques.

[@jamieholmes100]

I disagree I like them I use them as a base then use normal paints for highlights and metallics but that’s just me everyone has there own views

[@nottelling6598]

That's the most unique unit of Stormcast Eternals I've ever seen. Nice job!

[@bitzbox]

Good to see an honest review on these. They are certainly interesting and have their place. I look forward to experimenting with them for sure but they certainly won't replace my regular painting

[@TheAurgelmir]

For more control over your application use a GW Glaze Brush. And when they say one thick coat they mean it. I love the paints. For those quick and dirty models done

[@PhilipRikoZen]

I have like 200 cadians, arcoflagellants and skitarii, i have nor the time or the skill to paint them to a great level so 4 years ago i tried to base them with a white waterbased spray can and paint them with washes (except metallics, those for me look good only with metallics, NMM is too time consuming), at some point i could paint 10 cadians in 1 hour, base and rim too: - green wash for the clothes - black wash for the shoes, helmet and the gun - fleshtone wash for face and hands - base whatever technical and a wash - rim sand color. Not only the result is ok (i even got compliments from the club lol) but it gets a dirty grimy, even camo look to the miniatures without any idea of how to do it. And with washes you can do another thing: wash! I think if GW would have just done videos explaining you can paint with washes over light bases it would have been just fine, they would have sold a ton of washes without having to invest in a new line. Or just do new lighter colored washes like yellow etc.

[@cmedalis]

No Product is a substitute for Practice. Great review and cool to see more guests on the channel!

[@jackdeily8615]

What I have had a good time with is mixing a contrast paint with a shade that compliments the contrast paint's dark tones, usually in a 3:1 ratio contrast to shade. So for example, Flesh Tearer's Red with Carroburg Crimson, Black Templar with Nuln Oil, or Agarros Dunes with Sepharim Sepia. Sometimes the result looks almost airbrushed, and are slightly more transparent than a straight contrast, which when applied over a metallic undercoat, can be beautiful.

[@davemack1026]

All paints are good. I like that you have another option to add to your paint lines. Washes are amazing and cut time down on a 15mm by half. Good review

[@TeeeCeee]

Thank you for honest review.

[@matthewm9792]

Would you able to compare Vallejo Game Inks to this line? They seem to fill a similar function and I'd love to hear the differences in how they perform. Love the videos! Keep it up!!

[@dibackdraft]

Good honest review, it is how my oppion on them landed as the local commission artist/good painter as folks say. I am just a basement artist watching videos and practicing alot in my mind... but anyway that doesn't matter for this comment. I didn't see them is vital or at a level of replacing my paint line. They area great added tool in my kit and can get some cool results. The tradition paint line is still my go too, with contrasts being used like a wash, glaze or watered base paint.

[@briankupcheck5426]

Hello - I have yet to receive my own contrast paints but I am suggesting that you do an update video for the following as I believe these points are due for a test/discussion 1.) Using different bases with contrast (there are people showing it over metals (leadbelly is the citadel base apparently) for a totally different effect) - I assume it will work over a "faint" green, yellow, blue, etc... on top of the suggested greys and whites they say to use. 2.) Using the contrast medium or multiple coats to show what they accomplish or cannot accomplish

[@quentinf274]

Hi from France ! This is an amazing review. Thx for that great job.

[@RamseyEassa]

Great video! Glad to get your opinion on the range

[@mikegovan3203]

Because of the thinness of the paint I like to use the orange as a finisher when doing rust (it gives the look that the item has been rusted for a long time). I will not use this paint as my primary go to for painting my stuff. Great informative video.

[@EDarien]

I like what you said a lot. The only thing I would have added, in addition to the difference in your skill to the average painters, is the difference in painting for display and the intricacy that you do and tabletop quality to get through them quickly to field an army that isn't just grey or primed.

[@Hoschikus]

I'm a bad and slow painter, but I still think contrasts are not my salvation.

[@PBZ00]

The more paints the better. Its great to have access to a range of acrylic paints - Its not a replacement, its enhancement and expansion of a nice range. .

[@DauntlessPanda1986]

I agree with this assessment. It’s clearly aimed for the beginner painter and those who prefer to focus on gaming rather than painting. I will find more satisfaction knowing I put the time in to get my minis looking nice than using a quick fix. I’m sure there are applications which would appeal to me ( I think they’d be great to get a sheer look to fabrics and cloth) but I don’t need to buy more paints when I can develop the skill set to achieve effects regardless of colour used.

[@xaxuelx7987]

If you want to make your own contrast paints or washes use windex with the streak free attributes with your acrylic paint... mix to desired consistency... I use Vallejo paints and they seem to work well with a 2 to 1 ratio of windex and paint respectively.

[@somsoc_]

They make acrylic mediums for this exact purpose! Much more healthy for you, and a lot of benefits whilst painting - paint stays workable longer but doesn't go watery, and lets you make opaque colours highly translucent. I use Liquitex's gloss/matte mediums for models and painting in general and it's great stuff.

[@eXileLies]

I like the Red & the Grey the most - not for painting a Character or models, but the Grey is just awesome for Bases, while the red is just a good glaze when thinned down.

[@vargaslc2]

Was that a tub of ice cream in your shower?!?

[@mrmagpiepromotions]

Really good, balanced review. My son and I tried the range at a taster day, some of the colours turned out really great, others less so. I really like the range, and I think for some painters it really will be revolutionary.

[@MrHigesama]

I've painted a grand total of 3 mini's. For my bigger skills I've been pretty pleased with how they've come out. I use a master series paint kit i got from my local hobby shop. I don't know nearly enough to know which paints are the best for me at this stage in the game. Butt I'm having fun with it! Keep posting stuff dude. Love your channel.

[@northdot9]

"It's a little bit of a grey area" , I see what you did there.

[@panhandle99]

Great review. Really useful. I'll be sticking with regular GW paints.

[@Belphoron]

Thanks for the honesty. Maybe make another video later on when you have tested this paints more and experimented with different base colors and also the medium to create different mixes of color, fluidity, viscosity etc.?

[@uriplayz8713]

Heyo Miniac! Fairly novice player and painter here. In total, I’ve painted just over 100 models, all but 10 so far being Raven Guard. Those 10 are part of an ongoing project where I’m painting some Adeptus Custodes. What I noticed in the video and applying it to my experience is that there are some colors that seem to work much better and more consistently than others. You mentioned Black Templar being one of them, and I concur after seeing someone paint Raven Guard with contrast paints. But, I think that as a novice painter who started with messily-applied Abbadon Black with Leadbelcher highlights, it just takes time and experience. I’ve gotten many previously grey minis on the table and I’m just using GW’s normal product line, and it works very well especially with a bit more experience under my belt since when I first began. And another great point, as seen with the Stormcast Eternals in the video, is that metallic colors don’t look good when done as contrast paints. Painting something like Retributor Armor with Reikland Fleshade and highlighting with Auric Armor Gold and Stormhost Silver looks much better than Nazdreg Yellow, and Leadbelcher looks much better than the grey contrast paint applied to the Stormcast Eternal’s Hammer. I think the conclusion to be made about contrast paints, as you said, is that it depends on what sorts of models you’re using. More elite armies with less minis like Stormcast Eternals or my Adeptus Custodes are much harder to paint to look better in large units because those elite armies don’t have large units like, say, a group of 20 Poxwalkers. Contrast paints do appear to be good for horde armies such as Death Guard, Imperial Guard, or Tyranids among many others, but for more elite armies, you’re going to be spending about the same amount of time on less total models, so as you said, the extra time for a better look makes a good trade. Great review, and it was good to see the charts back too!

[@complexemotions338]

I have 170 skeletons to paint. Lower quality is fine for me as long as I get them out faster.

[@benvoliothefirst]

Let me give you one good tip, when I dip you dip we dip! Source: 2K points of undead, back before they were split into TK/VC... :)

[@AJDeLaRosa]

Thanks for the review, Scott and Mark! This video pretty much confirms that these paints aren't for me. But they are a step forward for all those unpainted armies!

[@stephenrenwick8781]

A great vid, this is the first time I have bothered looking into Contrast Paints...so we’ll done 🤟 years ago I painted with inks and washes. The only difference was a darker undercoat with a dry brush of a lighter colour to help with the contrast.

[@VestedUTuber]

If I ever reboot my 'nids, these are going to be great. The color scheme I came up with for them suits these paints - before, what I've done is basecoat the entire model using Army Painter white, then use a heavy "slobberwash" of Ahriman Blue over the entire model before painting the caripice and claws black and giving the whole model a light highlight drybrush of space wolves grey. As for the current army I'm working on, I don't really see myself using these on anything but cloth. Custodes lend themselves more to a color basecoat + drybrush technique.

[@Headpool98]

I think I will just use them for blending. Since I can't for the life of me figure out how to do that.

[@davea.9927]

You and me both friend lol

[@keenanmccarty9925]

SAAAME

[@Miniac]

I don't think these paints lend themselves to blending in any special way, and even make it more difficult.

[@thebrewsky26]

The Alton Brown of mini painting, great video, love the formatting and testing

[@Shootkicksass]

Lol that's a good comparison

[@Miniac]

warms my heart to hear this

[@CulturedRuffian]

Great review and thanks for using the Others to showcase. I was hoping to use Contrast paints to finally get that project started but use them as a quick base and work on from there with some select highlights and shades. I do like the result you achieved on top of the zenithal undercoat and will most likely do the same. As you say, they’re not the magic solution but seem like a good way to get a bit of a head start.

[@joshy7759]

Oh my God, a review where they provided you review materials but you also have fair critique? I'm blown away, a couple other channels I've tried while getting into the hobby felt like watching adverts. Subbed and ringed