What's the Best Miniature Paint for You?

[@apollo3604]

I really enjoy this format. Just sitting and having a conversation. Not trying to teach necessarily explain. Just two dudes sitting talking about what they enjoy.

[@lv100Alice]

citadel paint is best because if you get a little spoon you can eat it straight from the pot without getting other dishes dirty

[@EngineerJeff]

hahahahahaa!

[@Geerladenlad]

"You don't want to eat these paints trust me on this one." - Deadpool.

[@chaosnightravngaming88]

Well we know this guy's a vet now, thanks for the advice

[@MasterCrash123]

....What?

[@heckinmemes6430]

I like the flavor of Magos Purple..

[@skylergalle3732]

This was fantastic. More of this stuff please

[@GarethNewtonWilliams]

Was just thinking that.

[@krisdog88]

I love it when you and Sam get together and talk paint and painting!

[@XOREGOX]

I am in the process of painting my 5th, 6th and 7th minis right now. I figure i won't be worried about "best paints" for a while. My biggest worry is getting paint to go more or less where I want it to go.

[@giovannidimaggio7961]

Remember to also just compare yourself to your previous miniatures and not something that you see on Reddit or KZbin. You can aspire to be like them. No problem in wanting that. But look at how far you've come from where you've started.

[@Born_Stellar]

haha yeah I started with craft paints a year ago... although technically I've only finished 6 models, I have about 40 at some stage of WIP, lol.

[@nathangerardy2669]

@mike gallimore I have to agree with Mike here. The cost of paint isn't that much that you can't get at least a few of the main colors of your army. I've used cheaper paints and I only use Citadel and Vallejo. I'm open to others, but always used those and have been happy with the results vs cheaper stuff.

[@stewybaby4]

Pal you will never know what your best work will be until you use the best materials; that means the best paint and the best brushes. Im not sure how old you are??? But if you are an adult 18+ then you shouldnt have any excuse not to invest in good materials. Maybe you dont want to get good? Maybe youll stick with video games instead. If youre gonna stay in the hobby? Spend the money and take the time to learn about the Art. I started when i was 7 and now im nearly 50. It doesnt get Old it just gets better!

[@xmrpaintx1]

@@stewybaby4 what does being 18+ have to do with anything? What if the dude is 25 but can't afford the 'good stuff' because he has a child, or a sick spouse, or any of the other million bad things that can effect even the most financially prepared adults. Your comment makes you sound like an ass. Something tells me you are the life of every party 😂

[@magnusmillerwilson]

SAM! In WI! Awesome! What a great team up! Thanks for this video, Uncle Atom!

[@tabletopminions]

Sam and I live in the same town. We hang out. Thanks for watching!

[@_lime.]

Paint is like any other tool, you just build up a collection over the years. No one goes out and buys every tool imaginable, all from the same brand. You just get what you need for your current project and over time you end up with a whole range of things.

[@ccreevan]

This came at just the right time; I’m about to buy my own paints instead of borrowing and wanted to be confident in my pick for my first set of paints to work with, and I’m glad to see for the most part that there’s no wrong set, just varying degrees of right.

[@andrewbrehaut]

Paraphrasing Vince Venturella’s excellent video on what paint is made of, all paint has four groups of ingredients: • pigment • solvent • binder • additives (a catch all for everything that isn’t the first three) Everything that isn’t the pigment is known as the “paint vehicle”. With mini paints, and acrylic paints in general, the solvent is water, the binder is an acrylic resin. Additives often include things like drying time extenders, opacifiers (for pigments that’s are naturally transparent like a lot of yellows), flow improver (for example in reaper paints). Pigments vary wildly based on paint brands. In the “artist quality” (2D fine art) paint world, the tubes will list all the pigment numbers on the back, and you can go look them up. In the mini painting world, not so much. In contrast, watercolor paints the solvent is water, and the binder is gum arabic.

[@paul0132]

The best mini paint is the one that ends up on the miniature. Everything else is a bonus.

[@Martinezz94]

As someone who wanted to get into painting bought alot of things but never really did the jump. This hurt my soul hahaha

[@JSTaylor556]

This guy gets it

[@Bishoptay]

75% of my paint collection is Army Painter but I also have Vallejo and Citadel in there as well. Completely right that no brand is perfect.

[@Tottytoland]

This is so strange to me because I've found army painter to be mostly terrible.

[@danielbennett2405]

@@Tottytoland Agreed, I started on army painter and had to fight with it so much. Going citadel/Vallejo was so much more enjoyable. Although army painter black/white were ok. Army painter ultramarine blue is the worst paint I've ever used.

[@jackmcallister1256]

I find my main issue with army painter is how much you have to mix it at times to get a thorough consistency. Once you get that worked out I've not had much trouble using it though I haven't used all the colors I've bought yet. I was looking for an affordable, dropper bottle paint set and found AP's stuff. I may try others eventually but save for the amount of mixing you have to do it has been good to work with, especially with just a small amount of flow improver. I used Citadel before then and while I do like their paints the pots are inexcusably bad and feels like you end having half the paint dry before you can use it or it gets in the areas where it is supposed to seal up and prevents a good one.

[@kgeo2686]

How do you like ultramarine blue?

[@swaaahtome]

@@Tottytoland same... Ive never had a bad citadel paint, they always work with a little bit of shaking, but army painter? Ive used ball bearings and shook for 5 mins straight and still it separates and is unusable, phoenix orange and babe blonde are absolutely awful.

[@KensanOni]

Thoughts - Hot Bright Yellows tend to be more transparent out of the pot unless they've added other colors to the mix. So your Bright Bumble Bee Yellow usually needs to be painted atop of a white, or needs as Sam says another less transparent color mixed with it, to help fight that. This is pretty universal among high quality paints. At this point, (and heaven knows I'm no expert) I'm using either Vallejo Paints, which I've just been using since I was a teen, and probably will always admire, but I'm favoring Golden Fluid Acrylics, as I bought those for my artistic pursuits, and while they were wrong for the type of art I wanted to do, they are doing just fine on the Miniatures. While they are more expensive, which is a consideration for people, I've tested a couple of colors against Citadel, and found they worked about the same (Especially the Purple). While I've not tried the special line of Citadel Paints for effects, I've not felt any regret using the Goldens. I particularly like the Pearl Iridescent paint, because you can mix that with anything to get a bright shiny color to add to your paints. It's beautiful. I'm still relearning the hobby, so I don't know how much my opinion really counts, but look for high pigment quality, with as pure a binder as you can fine, and you should be fine, IMO.

[@karmaq8462]

Yeah golden has awesome acrylics , you only need 3 and white and black .they are creamy too .

[@facenoise465]

That part on the yellow is absolutely true. I read in a modelling guide that for lighter colours white has to be painted underneath, else it won't look like the colour wanted.

[@b.a.barackas2141]

I just got an 8 pack of Golden fluids from my local Michael's as my first set of paints (did a bit of research online). Find they work wonderfully, although I have no comparison. Wish I had more colours now. Probably gonna pick up some Vallejo metallics, since I hear there is no comparison, and I need those shiny colourz.

[@gregorynathanjohnson]

I think you were looking for the word medium, of which the medium could be acrylic, oil, tempra, etc.. Here is further breakdown Paint is = ground pigment and/or dye + medium/binder Mediums help the paint flow and set to a hard paint film. Mediums for miniature paints are most often acrylic (a polymer, essentially a plastic), or an oil based enamel Traditional art mediums have included: wax, egg yolk, casein (milk protein), oil (linseed, walnut, etc.), and others. Ground pigment can include colored earth, iron oxides, processed metals, burnt wood or bones etc. Dyes can be made through industrial chemical processes or with plant dye chemically bound to metals, etc. Binders: is anything that helps hold the dry pigments together, so the medium could be considered a binder. Other binders include wax, varnish, lime, and others. Binders can be unnecessary if a medium is present. Often manufactures take this as an opportunity to fill the paint with non visible, cheap, additives to bulk up the volume to make a profit. Vehicles: are additives like water, or more medium that can help make the paint flow better

[@404ErrorPage]

Mephiston Red has been hands down the best red I've used over the years.

[@gaborboth3602]

Vallejo's Heavy Red is mine. Even a thinned coat covers like magic.

[@0newingedcrow]

This is what threw me for a loop. I've never had any trouble with painting red, so hearing Sam and Adam say that it's a tricky color took me by surprise.

[@lewdkingdomdoujinshi8801]

I love Khorne red the depth of the darkness is beautiful

[@stewybaby4]

Yes Buddy i totally agree; i paint historicals (dont hate me lol) Bought about 9 different Vallejo Reds and still couldnt find The Red i wanted. Found Mephiston Red just by shear accident; and ending up buying 5 of them! so i would never run out. It is the King of Reds! for any Miniature

[@adamtucker1896]

I just started orks! Mepheston red is a wonderful red! So fast!

[@stevejohnson5093]

Sam's comment about "helper colors" allowing for working with difficult colors is interesting. The way I learned to paint is the "GW Way" where you basecoat the full area with your mid-tone, add shading on top of the mid-tone (usually with a wash), then add highlights on top of the mid-tone. This method means that you need a really opaque basecoat to show through the shading and layering. It makes sense that if you start with mixing your mid tone with your shade/highlight color it will be easier to work with.

[@TheGameSmithsTable]

My preference is the best product! Whoever makes the best color that requires the least work for me to get it to do what I want in terms of color saturation, flowing, etc. Great video.

[@YourRealBestFriend]

I had flashbacks to that one time in artschool when I did a mural in pigments and the oxide-red I was mixing felt like putting brick-dust to medium.

[@cdsouthpaw]

I use a combination of brands, for me it’s color selection > performance > anything else. I love these little discussion videos. Thanks TM!

[@TheRunesmythe]

Wee, time to go into a (relatively) quick explanation of paint! All paints contain pigment, a solvent and a binder. In the case of acrylic paints, this is pigment (that doesn't change), water and an acrylic binder. The binder basically provides a lattice for the particles of pigment to adhere to, acting as a carrier; as the water (solvent) evaporates, the binder is what actually locks and holds the pigment in place on the surface of what you're painting. As long as you maintain a certain percentage of the binder, you can add more solvent (water) to thin it to your desired consistency; if the level of binder ever dips below this percentage the pigment winds up floating on the solvent and without the lattice those particles of pigment drift apart and can't form anything like a cohesive bond. This is why, if you've thinned your paint too much, it separates and you can actually see the pigment; it looks like grains of colored sand (the size depends on how well the pigment was ground) and when applied the pain will dry very splotchy and is more easily scraped away from the surface. Interestingly this is also the reason why you get "coffee staining" when you use too much wash or thin your wash too much; since they're thin to begin with, the pigment can separate more easily even when the wash is used full strength. As for the topic of the video; it seems like consensus is that there isn't necessarily a single brand of paint that can be called "the best" which is definitely something I can understand since my collection of paints is rather diverse when it comes to brand. I have Vallejo paints from pretty much all of their lines (excluding Game Air simply because I haven't found any colors I feel like I need there yet), Army Paints, Reaper, Golden Artist's Acrylic, Rub'n'Buff, Tamiya and Citadel; when buying them, it came down to what color I wanted and what brand sells that particular color. When people ask me which paints they should get, my advice is always; it depends entirely on whether or not you're on a budget and how much you want to sink into this hobby. Depending on those answers, I'll tailor my recommendation based on cost versus quantity (how much paint you're getting for the price you're paying).

[@varshard0]

Damn good stuff here. Could you explain why some color is unlikely to stick even without thinking? Do they use different binding for each color even in the same brand?

[@TheRunesmythe]

@@varshard0 So far as I know, binders usually remain the same within a specific line of paints. As a further explanation as to why I chose that wording, I'll use two Vallejo lines as an example; Model Color and Game Color. Vallejo Model Color uses a vinyl acrylic binder (because the paints were originally intended to be marketed towards special effects shops for painting masks, so they needed something more flexible but when that didn't pan out they instead decided to market it to miniature and model enthusiasts but kept the same binder) which is why they have a slightly rubbery feel to them and dry with a bit of a satin finish. Vallejo Game Color, on the other hand, was always intended for miniatures and instead uses an acrylic resin binder. This isn't something specific only to Vallejo; there are a number of companies who produce several different products under the same brand name (AK comes to mind immediately), so its worth doing research on something if you're thinking of buying it just to know what you're dealing with. The other factor is the transparency or opacity of specific colors; colors like red and yellow tend to be very transparent naturally, regardless of the type of paint (acrylic, oil, lacquer, etc.) and thus require more work not only to achieve a good opacity but a strong, resilient layer of paint. One final thing to keep in mind if you're having problems with paint is the nature of a suspension (this is what paints are; a solid suspended in some form of liquid); they separate over time, with the heavier solid pigments settling to the bottom. If you've ever gone for a ling period without using a paint and find that you're getting either just clear fluid or what looks like a *very* diluted color, this is the reason. Even if a paint looks well mixed in the bottle, its still worth shaking it for a few minutes just to make sure everything is fully incorporated; this goes double if the paint has been sitting unused for any length of time.

[@vaporiiz]

havent painted anything in years, this was a very informative video for someone wanting to get into painting miniatures

[@12neef]

This is a nice treat. Two videos in a week 😁

[@stewybaby4]

Im an old school painter; in and out of the hobby for about 40 years. You Guys are so lucky, when i started painting at 7 all that was available Humbrol enamels; which i still prefer to acrylics. We didnt start seeing half decent acryllics until the end of the 90s. And now? You Guys are stuck for choice! I paint Historicals (dont hate) and i watch these videos and tuts because Art is Art. I as yet have not found the perfect range; last few years i believe i wasted alot of money on vallejo, i dont like the coverage at all. I bought every Red in their range looking for the Perfect Red and they failed! BY accident i discovered Citadel Mephiston Red and i love it; i immediately bought 5 pots just so i would never run out lol. One of the Pro painters that i talk to uses most ranges but he now uses Scale 75 most the time. I have just splashed out on a Red, Blue, and Green Scale 75 Set of Artist quality acrylics. Will they make me a better painter? Not sure? I believe they dry ultra Matt which is important when you are trying to create "realism." But like the Fellas said; dont be afraid to explore other ranges.

[@Gunny_Huntarr]

Hands down Vallejo is the most versatile & consistent for me. I use everything including Apple Barrel :gagreflexvomit (no KINK SHAME) ....I love'd this conversation

[@Anthony-hp2kt]

I've gone nutz and just buy what I like. Mostly P3 ,citadel and Vallejo, but I've also found a few reaper colors I like. I've gone into this fun spiral of experimentation since the start of the year and figure, if I absolutely hate it, take a few pics for Frankenstein memories and strip it. A bit bummed that we can't meet at adepticon. Missed you guys last year because we only can for the day. Had a project for the wicker hat contest and everything. Looks like my waaaaaaaaaaagh hat will have to wait till 2021 lol

[@duckster313]

Back in the late 90s, I absolutely loved Chessex's paint line. They were thick and creamy, and went on so smooth.

[@colecantos3273]

I like a mix of Army Painter, Vallejo, and Citadel paints.

[@Xaltotun]

Citadel is great for base colors imo. Amazing coverage.

[@nathanehrenberger4519]

I really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you for the info and the casual format

[@vocenoctum2046]

I decided last year to start painting mini's again after a long time away, so figured I'd get a good starter set. Reviews are all pretty "it works", so I settled on the D&D Players Starter, which uses Army Painter paints. I was not having good luck with them, even thinning with water they didn't seem to flow right. God a couple colors I was missing in Vallejo and they were much smoother and nice, so I got their painter set that has a much. Overall, very happy with the Vallejo, and I've gotten into the Citadel contrast line also, and it's giving me the look I want. I'm more an Atom painter than a Sam painter, and I'm fine with it. :)

[@noreasternbrewmaster8705]

I have found that you really need to shake the crap out of Army Painter. I add beads to my dropper bottles as stirrers, otherwise you get massive inconsistency. Just in case you want to try to salvage that set.

[@proxytag]

There's good colors in each range, but there's also some awkward colors in those ranges too. Kimera Kolors paints are incredible though, it's got 13 paints in the set but they mix perfectly since they've only got one pigment in each paint, and 30ml dropper bottles makes it worth picking up a couple of their paints at least.

[@EnterTheFenix]

yep, and then you have to be adept at mixing and have to record your recipes etc if you want to paint identical things down the track. Im not saying they arent good (i love them too) but that process is beyond so many painters in this hobby

[@Jamc_latino]

I like to paint miniatures and I just bougth my Amry painter set and also my Vallejo set for airbrush, but I also work as a formulator for a Paints factory, I work developing resins for industrial and architectural paints, all I have to say is that paint is not only watter and micronized pigmnet as you mentioned, the are a vehicle (resins system emulsion for water base) and a lot of additives that can help to increase the properties of paints. What I have found so interesting is the vallejo flow improver very interesting from a paint formulator perspective, the way it improve the airbrush application have moved me to know more about it, I dont know if it is composed of glicols or siloxane-eter additives, but it is so good for what it is requiered.

[@realsonofmars]

GW, Vallejo, P3, S75, Reaper, Inks, army painter tones, W&N oils, liquitex heavy body, I use them all depending on what I'm doing. It really is more about what you're looking for, the properties of the paints, and how to mix them to get the paint to be where you want it, behaving how you want it.

[@leostarrs-cunningham8576]

On black - I used to mix my own black, so I could mess with the tone, using Prussian Blue, Cadmium Red and Burnt Umber (lineseed oil as medium). Worked a treat and I always got a super rich colour with loads of depth.

[@fundude365]

The best video on youtube about paint drying.

[@hironagamaki9744]

i have a lot of citadel GW paints mostly but mainly because it the most easily accessible to me but personally for preference GW Citadel - Mainly Contrast Black/Red/Green, Technical Paints, dry paints, earthy bones (Wraithbone, Morghast and Ushabti) Vallejo- Black and liquid Metallic paints , metallic model color warpaint - primer others- actual nail paint, actual sand, actual Blood (accidents but it worked?)

[@heasne1738]

Why were you using real blood on your models?

[@hironagamaki9744]

@@heasne1738 i accidentally cut myself on some of the metal model or with a knife when scraping of the mold lines This was back in 2006 back in my "misspent youth" days took hiatus and came back at 2019 I love blood for the blood god Edit: I remember someone in my old community tried painting a Nurgle demon in "TRUE" Nurgle fashion.

[@flint9080]

I just painted a bunch of fists using Arteza paints. Wow. I am sold on those. They where 50 paints for 40$. I put over a base of Army Painter Desert Yellow paint/primer. Everything else was Arteza. The paints come in a paste like tooth paste so you have to get a medium. Every color essentially starts out as a dry brush. But I now have a matte and a gloss medium and now every color can be whatever consistency or finish I want. I liked the colors so much I just picked up their metallics line which I love as well, 36 for 40$. I could not start with a white or black primer and go to yellow. I could do that with GW paint if I wanted. I am not spending 5 dollars for a pot which dries out in a couple years. I have one hundred colors for ~90$. My only issue is that I want to use them all and that will take me a long time. Please comment and I will share pics with a link to what I have painted.

[@joehough838]

1300 minis in and still painting and, well, Sam and Atom are spot on. I started using enamels back in the 80s as they were pretty much it. When acrylics started to really become available I made the switch, but there were folks who painted incredible minis with enamels. Paint with what you like and just enjoy the hobby...

[@manyslayer5889]

Getting back into minis over the last few years, I paint primarily with Citadel paints I bought 20+ years ago (old hex pots, both flip top and twist top). A few were dried out but most still work fine.

[@LordPadriac]

Reaper has been the best paint overall for me. It makes the largest portion of my collection by far. I bought the set with the first 108 colors of their master series. It's unbelievable good quality and just doesn't seem to dry out and the minis love it. I have also never had a problem remixing one of the Reaper paints no matter how long it's been since I used a given color. That might have something to do with the little silver skull bead in every pot though. I will be buying the rest of the line soon. Economically and customer service wise they are far and away the best company I have dealt with. I have a small selection of Vallejo and they work but I have noticed that some of the colors I was most interested in one of their wargame sets I bought, a few of the florescent colors in particular, seem to permanently separate and just won't remix. I also have the 8 bottle set of Vallejo's metallics and washes. I do like Vallejo's washes but I find I need to thin them or they tend to act like thin paint rather than a wash. Citadel I fucking hate with the burning passion of a thousand suns. The pots suck and seem designed to waste paint and are fairly difficult to use and then close properly. Even when closed properly and sealed their paints just dry out with a quickness in the pot. Once I learned the hard way how the pots were garbage and needed extra attention to be sure they were sealed properly I thought I was okay. I ended up going to the hospital for a three week stay and when I was recovering at home I was going to do some painting only to find out that half the GW paints I had at that point had dried out in the pots despite being sealed well and fine when I last used them. Most of their specialty paints, like the dry paints and the special effects ones, are even worse. The only GW stuff I still have and still like are their washes, the glazes (which are now discontinued) the liquid green stuff. Although to be honest I do not like their washes and liquid green stuff so much that I will be replacing them with more GW when my current supply runs out. GW sells pots that come in under size in ounces that every other brand sells and charge more per paint on top of it making it even more expensive. Now that I've gotten the hang of using Vallejo's washes I think I will be switching over to them and the Reaper washes as the GW stuff runs out. The liquid green stuff is great but it does seem to want to begin drying out almost as soon as you first open the pot when you get it home. I am looking for a replacement.

[@dtmjax5612]

Vallejo. Best all around for me. Vallejo Air for airbrush and Game Extra Opaque for brush. Hard to beat IMO.

[@WSWarsaw]

I just started not to long ago. But I literally use every acrylic paint i can get. Now for the apple barrel and folkart I use creatix airbrush reducer and only shoot them out of the airbrush for base coating. It's okay as long as you can get your mix right. And it saves you $$$. I detail mostly with game color by Vallejo. The creatix candy paints are amazing for brushing to. Some cool effects can be had with those.

[@FISTFULATHUNDER]

The stuff the pigments are "floating" in is called vehicle. It carries the pigment and gives the paint its properties. Such as water based acrylic paint versus alcohol based enamels, or a heat resistant ink that is used on a ovenable plastic bags that you cook vegetables in. The pigments are mostly universal in all paints/inks.

[@bradlothrop4076]

Artist paints have the fine pigment and "medium" can be added for the various properties. Golden, Liquitex and Kimera work incredibly well if matched historical colors are not needed (Vallejo for that then). Acrylic inks and high flow paints are there as well.

[@ShipWreck68]

Im into 28mm wargaming and I find Reaper triads to be the easiest and best to use. They are naturally thinner most other paints so it makes painting the layered highlighting very easy.

[@hobbyhammer954]

I've had several models make it onto Games Workshop's community-sourced product listing photos where a large portion of the model was painted with Apple Barrel paint, without them knowing it of course. You've just got to experiment until you learn how to use it. That said, more expensive brands are unquestionably easier to use. Not that those community-sourced product listing photos are examples of award-winning paint jobs, but it's certainly a Games Workshop endorsement of a well-painted model.

[@beerenmusli8220]

This is a great format. Reminds me a lot of a podcast, but I can see your facial expressions, which I appreciate.

[@Boodoosh69]

The advantage of one manufacturer is that many step by step instructional videos tend to use one set of paints. Looking at GW as a prime example, as you got to start somewhere and I got a shed load of GW minis. Now that I start thinking of my own paint schemes and non GW minis I start trying different paint manufacturers.

[@kodain]

Holy hell, am I first? Last time I was this early, it was still cool to wear parachute pants. Oh, and Vallejo paint. It's in a drop bottle, has good quality, and is cheap compared to its contenders.

[@RogueWraith909]

If it covers properly it's good paint I guess is the easy answer. Personally I've got Citadel and Army Painter to play with and am brand new to miniature painting, the Citadels seem a bit thicker but the Army Painter paints are brand new and apparently the first stuff coming out is not the paint (which I didn't know - you need to really make sure you shake that bottle properly before use). Once I got the paint mixed properly I'm not seeing much difference, they both cover well but I like the fact I can't spill the Army Painter ones easily due to the dropper bottle design.

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

Scale 75 in my humble opinion followed by P3 Vallejo and Citadel. Scale 75 has such a lovely matte paint. But honestly so many citadel and p3 have unique colors that I’d spend forever trying to make. So I love that.

[@CupofTea101]

P3 and WarColour are best for me. Started with Citedal, but overtime have found, for me, there are cheaper and better. Perhaps Citedal is most people's go to paint , cause it's readily available on the high street. Happy painting people.

[@Alittlefruitgoesalongway]

Yeah. I still use Citadel for everything pretty much, but it works for me. It allows me to support my local store and when I want to follow a painting guide that GW makes I know the exact colors I can use to try and achieve a similar effect. I think guides like that really help new painters get started without worrying about color theory, such as they helped me get started. Now I'm starting to do more of my own thing.

[@CarrotVision3DCarrotsAreVision]

I tried to paint a yellow over purple recently. Let's just say they still a slight green tint on the very edge after many layers.

[@Jake_E57]

Really love your videos like this. I think unlike most subscribers I'm not a miniature painter (I generally go for a 6 or 7 inch scale), but there's a lot of great information here that I can extrapolate and use in my own work.

[@Jbay2608]

I'm still new to 40K. Right now I'm using the Citadel paints for my Ultramarines, simply because my local hobby store has the whole range and the Citadel app makes it so easy to find out what colours I need for my army from base to highlights.

[@shellbackbeau7021]

I have had p3, (maybe some)army, and citadel/GW in the past. I don't like the GW paints. Some, their white in particular are just rubbery clay. But mostly it's the pain in the ass that the pots are. I recently bought amsterdam gouache primaries, they work great, although very matte. I also bought the full lines for cephalopod colors or whatever their brand name is, and also all the box sets monuments has, minus the out of stock transparents. I've used maybe a dozen total so far from all the new paints, and I really enjoy using them. Now I do have over 100 new paints to try out still, but so far I am very happy with my purchases. I do prefer the size of the bottle and the lid nozzles that monument uses, but cuttlefish's dropper lids are pretty good once I thinly coat them in a black liquid rubber.

[@larrywagner1432]

Over the six months I’ve been getting back into painting. I started out with paints from different brands but found it hard to deal with all the different names for colors (being slightly color blind doesn’t help). To help myself I went ahead and bought the Army Painter 50 color set. It’s helped me so much having a set of colors that build on each other. I still have other brands and will buy certain things from those. But having a single base set has helped my tremendously.

[@wezab]

Great discussion. I found I actually have two sets of paints. I have Valejho for my FoW figures and citadel for my GW products. There is some spill over for each, primarily because, a Velejho white in a dropper bottle means the colour will last longer and not get tainted by my careless brush. I thought it was kind that you didn't follow the issue of bottles. The primary trend being dropper bottles for miniature paints but with citadel bucking the trend with fairly difficult bottle to work with. (Which is not a comment on the paint inside, just the container).

[@bopaintsminis]

As a new painter, I have tried Citadel, P3, Coat D'Arms, Scale 75, Vallejo, Reaper, and Monument, and I really like the thinner paints better, except when they get TOO thin, but that it user error, SMDH.

[@Spongemonkey26]

I paint mostly blood Angel's and have never had a difficulty with refs. That was interesting to hear a lot of people do. White and Yellow however have been difficult but eventually I realized the pure versions of those colors aren't meant as bases, and in pure whites case, I believe it to be no more than a final edge or spot highlight.

[@chestersleezer8821]

Well at the moment I am finding that Vallejo's Game Colors and their Express Colors are really good. Though Army Painter does have some very good colors as well. GW can just take they small & overprice pots and keep them. Will not use any Citadel Paints in like two plus decades.

[@marek011011]

for me the best thing about citadel paints is that they come in that little tub so i can take just a tiny bit of the paint instead of relying on the dropper bottles like vallejo which will squirt out a bigger drop

[@SOTMead]

If you have a color of miniature paint that you don't like, it still makes great scenery paint! I've been going through all my P3 pots making scenery, they're 12-15 years old now and I need to get some value out of them. I really wish P3 would go to droppers as well.

[@TypeiZ]

i like ultramarine contrast colour a lot, but not for painting space marines. i think it's one of the best ways to paint jeans stuff with the right drybrush. ^^

[@EmmanuelIstace]

Hi ! Got back this month into the hobby after a 10 years break, serious question, why are most "miniature people", when referring to "regular acrylics", compare to the lowest quality acrylics ever made ? I have quite few acrylics from Royal Talens (mainly Amsterdam range, but also few from their Van Gogh and Rembrandt range), I used them with a bit of fluidifier to avoid breaking the paint, and ofc, it's not "finger in the nose" easy, nothing is never finger in the nose easy, but it's way beyond everything that's on the tube regarding "cheap acrylics vs specialized acrylics" and worked really nice, especially regarding price, until I was able to get few vallejo and army painter as replacement for my dried out paints, and still, I'm still considering using those for my painting, imho, that would be awesome if few great painters like the ones present here would give a try to the "normal" or even high end acrylics on the market, nobody in the art world use the cheap acrylics often mentionned and ofc those will never be good enough for anything serious, wether it is on canvas or on a miniature. It's kind of sad that the knowledge from the art world is not imported in the miniature world and most miniature painter have little to no interest in learning how to paint or draw, how light works, how to use colors, sculpt a bit, etc... That's working against the "miniature brand" as, for instance GW, have really no interest in you becoming knowledgable and would prefer to have to stick to their product line, but we are not "their friend", or it's kind of an abusive one direction relationship (like telling people one specific tool for one specific job, as long as we sell it ! just the colors names are a jail, as the names have no real equivalent, once you start having in your head colors names like Skull White, Bleached Bone, Chaos Black, Codex Grey, Mithril Silver, etc, you'll not be able to transfer that knowledge to other brands, where in the art world, pantone or pigments names are used most of the time, allowing you to buy a titanium white or cadmium red from accross brands and be more or less sure you have the correct hsv you were looking for, especially when looking for nuances that don't always can be seen through the packaging or too much altered by ambient lighting) There are all skills and knowledges developed for centuries in the art field that would apply really well with miniature painting and it's most of the time a totally free of charge knowledge ! Yet, would make few brands not that happy, but not sure it's the hobbyist job to play the brand game :/ Knowledge is freedom (as well as money, time invested in knowledge will be more beneficial imho than time investing in learning calatog or buying pre made "solutions") (BTW, been binge watchibng your channel while getting back into it, I love your general attitude, I feel like you are more a gamer/hobbyist than a consumer, especially regarding proxy or using other rulesets with miniatures you already have, etc, etc, that's really amazing to have that opinion on the tube, got back into LOTR and currently planning on "altering" BloodBowl into RingBowl, like everybody does in tabletop rpg, funny how people would consider that sacrilegious sometimes, like if the GW police would arrest us by doing what we want with our private properties, that's consumerism at it's peak and I feel you would be on the opposite side of the spectrum, maybe your age/maturity/generation ? (with a lot of respect)) That's a TLDR message, bless you if taking time to answer ! love and play.

[@squidcultist0022]

I've found that ProAcryl works great as basecoats and layering they're strong but easy to thin. Citadel makes good technical paints and Vallejo has excellent metallics. Different paints do different things better than others. Sticking to one brand

[@kelliblanton9420]

I agree that different companies have different strengths. I love Citadel technical paints, but also their contrast line. I use Reaper for all my detail work. I haven't tried ProAcryl yet, but I'll give them a try if I get the chance.

[@BadAndy3]

Warcolours makes the best white. Zero chalky and very smooth.

[@j453]

Vallejo USA colors on amazon, you get your ROYGB"P"urple (lulz), black, white, brown,yellow ochre, military green, azzure (sky blue-grey), flat flesh, "buff"(kind of a sandy tan) silver and gold. All for 40-46$ (sometimes it's on sale, might be prime only though)

[@Hiroak]

I got the big set of army painter and they have been great. I couldn't get them to go through my air brush so I watched a video. Turns out increasing the psi to 40 isn't how you get better flow. Now I spray at 10 psi and they work great.

[@hobbiest6831]

I think for beginners finding a paint you like is more secondary to learning the paints and tools. For example after I started using a wet palette my thoughts on allot of paints changed and once I learned my method and tools I was able to say oh I like this one for this purpose or that paint for dry brushing ect.

[@Capzielios]

Uncle Atom, you and I are going to have to throw down about Ultramarine blue. I love that contrast to the ends of the earth.

[@michaelwade6086]

My least favorite is Army Painter, because they don't seem to mix well. My preferred paints are Vallejo and Citadel. I feel like I get very good quality from both in general, but Vallejo tends to be a bit better and about half the price, plus they use dropper bottles, which help the paint last longer. Also, I'm finally getting around to my Ultramarines army and initially I hated the Ultramarines Blue contrast paint, but I love it now... I found that using it as a base, with a drybrushed layer of Macragge Blue over it created a fast, clean, and smooth finish. It looks great on the minis and is saving me time.

[@SigfridSWE]

I would like to see a secund video on this subject were you talk even more about the Strengths of some paints. For example, in some situations it mite be most efficient to use contrast paints for the fastest but best result. And some times "classical" method are faster and gets you a better result for less work. And what are those situations in your opinion...? Formost of us, thats Whats Its about. We are not artists... We want to lern technics that easyly can be replicated and optimising all the "hobby cheats" you can, to get as close to "box-art" as possible in the easyest/fastest way possible. Thats what a lot of us are after. Nothing bad with replacing skill with some extra mony to get some help in some situations if you can. (Im a builder, I kit-bash like crazy. Thats my thing. Then, I want a hight lvl fast) I think thats what people mean when they ask about paint. You did not answer that in this video. Thank you ☺️ 🤘🏻

[@facenoise465]

I believe the same applies for scale modelling. Tamiya and Mr Hobby is my go to but I also have an entire set of Vallejo paints for Luftwaffe aircraft, along with AK and Mig weathering products. When I got into Flames of War, I simply used the same paints and techniques as I would usually do with my bigger stuff. I did not expect this but It turned out excellent. Right now I'm just starting to venture into W40K with the First Strike starter and I'm already thinking I could maybe use the USN Navy Blue for the Ultramarines. Reckon it would work?

[@stevenjones-gv1kg]

I use apple barrel, Americana, craftsmart, decoart, Vallejo, armypainter, folkart, citadel and liquitex different mediums each has good colors to bad ones. Some is the cost to just hard to get my hands on but on citadel it’s just to must for how little you get. I also have used a few canvases paints there nice pigments just very thick

[@lukemcdonladson6648]

Always luv you talking to Sam Lenz . Very Cool Chill Vibes . 🤘🖤💙💚💛💜😁

[@MentoliptusBanko]

Wow, I'd like a tattoo from Sam

[@paulausten5786]

I’m using Scale 75, Vallejo, Citadel & army painter at the moment. I will probably add Kamara & p3 at some time. But I love Scale 75 at the moment.

[@Squeaks-ii]

I am with you but only use citadels technicals and contrasts. I just recently picked up scale 75’s instant paints and am excited to use it.

[@davidm5421]

I started with Floquil many years ago, which had very fine pigment. Didn't like the xylene thinner, tho, and it didn't like me. Switched to Humbrol paints, which I like very much. Their silver is very good. Also, they sold their medium, which was useful. Coming back to the hobby after some years, I dabbled in craft paints, which I still use for terrain, then settled on Vallejo for most work. I do have some Reaper triads for skin and hair. Also liking Mission Models primers.

[@rattlesnakedaddy7566]

I have a mix of GW, Valejo, Scale75, P3, and Golden. P3 has some of my favorite consistency. Easily thins while maintaining good saturation.

[@kevinishki]

I think getting a set is a good idea. It a commitment and you got all the colors you need to get your minis painted. If the paint doesn't work for you it's probably not the paints fault if someone can make it work so can you. That's how I look at it. Commit and figure out how to make it work

[@matthewanglin1]

Help Sam create his own KZbin channel, his personality is perfect for it.

[@TheNoobPainter]

He has his own Twitch stream. He's SamsonArts over there if you want to check it out.

[@thedogman2576]

I haven't painted any Miniatures in probably over 20 years but in my garage I have a bunch of the old metal minis like Ral Partha etc. so I'm going to slowly build up my paint collection and start painting again what paints color-wise do you guys suggest I start buying first?

[@maverickman6486]

Apple barrel can be used well. The best way to use apple barrel is to use washes as the last step to smooth out the paint.

[@trolltothebank]

Loved the format, absolutely.

[@bennyaae2437]

i think its more about how well does it stick to the model, so thick paint like GW is good for base coating, and use lighter paint for wet blending, making it easyer for thin paint to stick to the thick paint better then the plastic model itself?...

[@2WARDEN2]

Most of my paint is Reaper because it's really thin, but I also have a peppering of Army Painter, Vallejo, and Citadel (Who undeniably have some good technical/specialist paints).

[@eingames9931]

Many moons ago it was citadel paint (due to the lack of choice). Twenty years later I am getting back in and only use nuln wash only with many Vallejo and army painter. Just really starting to get to grips with what these paints can do when used with good techniques.

[@maxxammax0]

As a total noob, i love Vallejo game colour paints.

[@coreymorse1347]

According to Anne Foerster, who designed Reaper's paints, the pigment size thing isn't really the problem. Any given pigment making roughly the same color is going to be roughly the same size across all the brands because if it's not that size it will be a different color. Rather than the pigment the chunkiness/chalkiness is usually coming from the size and type of the matte particulate. There are some exception, like when companies use different types of pigments to achieve the same color you can end up with bigger pigment chunks, but generally if it's the same pigment and same color then its the same size.

[@obvie6036]

Great video guys. I'm curious what you both would think of Scale75 paints. It's a tie for me between them and P3 for my favorite. Their new creamy paints are very different, still deep in the learning curve with them.

[@EngineerJeff]

Love me some Vallejo, but I'm amiable with using certain P3 paints as well as Reaper.

[@SOTMead]

I have several flip-top pots of Citadel paint from the early 90s that are still good and maybe even superior quality. Their pot design is substandard, though, especially now. I'd put them back on the menu if they'd go to dropper bottle.

[@ReadyToRole]

The video itself aside, is that a Pa-chow shirt in the style of the supreme shirt?!

[@tabletopminions]

Yeah, it’s a prototype - I haven’t made it for production yet. I’ve gotten a little positive feedback on it. Thanks for watching!

[@syntaxlost9239]

Recommend you guys start experimenting with lacquer based acrylic paints and enamels. I know they're not commonly used in the miniatures world but us modelers love them.

[@skyisred213]

Is Sam 4’ 10” or is Uncle Atom 7’? I must know!

[@tabletopminions]

I was closer to the camera and sitting on a taller chair, if I remember correctly. I'm about 6'2" and Sam's about 6'4" I think. Thanks for watching!

[@TomPollardPhotography]

“These cows are small, those cows are far away!”

[@SRaburrido]

@@tabletopminions This is Lord of the Rings level stuff, you made Sam into a Hobbit. And yourself into an old wise man.

[@PretentiousPainters]

this was a nice and good video, thankyou. i feel more encouraged to try different paint lines

[@Ricstroh]

Thin paints with water and matte medium. Reduces coffee staining. Paint is made of pigment, binder and base. Pigment is the color, base is water and binder is acrylic.

[@thealldayspecial]

100% Vallejo makes some the best metallics out there where the consistency tends to work evenly and the color looks excellent when dried. I cannot recommend it enough and if you want a fun metallic, I highly recommend their Gunmetal Blue, it makes for great power swords. Their bronzes are also really solid as well.

[@shrimperlincs3395]

1 year on and still helpful.

[@worromot]

I use citadel for most but sometimes the colours can be a little "earthy" so if i want vibrant im going Vallejo. They're also good for coloured metallics and airbrush. Ive tried army painter and it refused to have any coverage whatsoever and didn't work in airbrush either.

[@worromot]

Also worth mentioning is Mr. Colour which is very similar to vallejo. Make sure you get the acrylic line and not laquer. White label is what you want.

[@connorjensen9699]

I think red isn't really a problem color anymore - I'd substitute bright silver in. its gotten better, but its still not on the same level as other colors often.

[@Dan-id8wv]

P3 are great, but they fall short when it comes to cold colours. Especially blue and green. Fortunately I like to paint in warm earthy colours, using colder ones for accents, so the range works great for my purpose.