Some miniatures for Song of Blades and Heroes (Rust Monster face reveal)

[Bloggard]

Testing out the new Citadel Contrast paints: I'm very impressed so far. I started these yesterday, along with about 50 other figures. I think the new paints are going to be a huge help in finishing off quick RPG encounters.

aaghh - they do look good. I was hoping to ignore these new Contrast paints ... but look worth a go.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, all!

This stuff really is so good for your established painting method eh? Tried 'Bone primer - white drybrush - contrast' yet?

Yes - though the great irony is that I'm now looking at scores of black-gesso-coated minis (especially Essex Great Scaly Orcs) on the production line and thinking "Hmm ...". But I'm sure I'll come back to those!

On white drybrushing - yes, I did that with a few, including the mushroom man. But I don't think it actually makes much difference. The "Wraithbone" is so light that it's not far off white to begin with. Ironically, miniatures sprayed with GW's standard white seem to benefit more from a drybrushing with Vallejo white - because Corax White or whatever it is is less bright and less opaque.

I accidentally experimented with an orc I'd started to paint before drybrushing white; the one leg that didn't get the white drybrush looks just the same as the rest after a coat of Skeleton Horde.

Last night, I experimented with a few 15s. It works really well - enough to make painting 15s take a tiny fraction of the time of 28s, which wasn't the case - for me at least - before.

I also painted a batch of Skaven yesterday (still have the bases to do). One thing that initially troubled me was how clean the colours looked. But I've since discovered that you can slop Skeleton Horde or one of the browns over the initial colour to make it drabber.

The one problem I've noticed is that the Wraithbone spray makes the bases a tiny bit harder to paint; the Vallejo burnt umber I use as a base coat seems to cover it slightly less well (unless I'm imagining things) because it's less absorbent. It's no biggie, but for a batch of goblins I have lined up, I'm going to spray with the bases covered in masking tape and then apply pumice gel afterwards.

[Ockman]

Last night, I experimented with a few 15s. It works really well - enough to make painting 15s take a tiny fraction of the time of 28s, which wasn't the case - for me at least - before.

Show us the 15mm!!

[Hobgoblin]

Show us the 15mm!!

Your wish, etc., ...

Apart from the metals, these WIPs have had only contrast paints applied. Two of them need a wash or a contrast paint over their metals (more noticeable with ogre). The ogre also needs a lot of neatening up and details (those Blood Dawn orcs are huge, though - bigger than some 28mm goblins). But I'd be happy with the barbarians now in a pinch, or with eyes and a couple of highlights for preference.

And they were very quick ...

[Ockman]

Thanks!

I'm not sure if I'm going to invest in new paint, even if I am a slow painter. Your models look good, though. How quick is very quick?

[Jagannath]

I bought some to experiment with 6mm, mostly unsuccessfully and here’s what I’ve found:

The pics online I’ve seen that aren’t that impressive look to me like folks aren’t slapping it on thickly enough so aren’t getting it to run into recesses but equally the more you put on the harder it is to be neat. I think I might use it on models with mostly one colour then paint a highlight the do detail traditionally.

The fur looks really good here Hongoblin, that’s definitely a good use for the stuff.

[Hobgoblin]

How quick is very quick?

A single brushful did all the grey fur (using "white" contrast paint) on the middle figure. Then a few strokes for the darker patches on the fur. That was it. Again, a single brushful did all the skin. So it's really fast.

Over the weekend, I got about 50 figures underway with the contrast paints. Most of them are more or less done (bases being the main thing needed).

I masked bases with tape when spraying yesterday and found that worked well. I use pumice gel for basing, and it's actually better to apply it once the figures have been undercoated, as the gel doesn't tend to stick to the Wraithbone as it does to the bare plastic. So less cleaning up's required.

Jaganath - yes, it's great for fur - the white in particular. I've painted a grand total of one Copplestone barbarian of the pack I own before; while these two need a tiny bit of detail on the faces and weapons, they're just about there. I can imagine ripping through (e.g.) Demonworld beastmen or the other Copplestone furry 15s with these. I'm going to pick up a few more of the browns to experiment with.

I'm also pleased with how it's come out on the skin. The thighs and arms of the barbarians are as good as I need 15mm to be. I'll do more touching up on the ogre, as he's got to match ones that are already done traditionally.

[Hobgoblin]

These four took me less than an hour and a half with contrast paints. They're no great shakes - but they're done, and they give me a new RPG encounter (that the kids haven't seen).

I did the metals very quickly first, then washed all the rest of the models in Skeleton Horde, so that subsequent colours were dulled by that. I really liked the look of them in pure Skeleton Horde - almost tempted to do an entirely bone-coloured warband that way (clothes and all - a bit like chess pieces).

[DivisMal]

Hobgoblin! What an amazing Devilry (or Hobgoblinry)!

I’m really impressed by your results. I mean one really has to decide beforehand: do you want your favorite hero character or churn out like 20 beastmen in the same time. I’ll see and get some contrast paints, I guess.

[Cubs]

Nice. Skels should be drab and skanky in my book anyway - they really can't be too grotty.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, both! Here's an equally grotty beast - one of a dozen Skaven that I've set about with the contrast paints.

Again, he's rough and ready - but he is one of a twelve that just need their base rims done and the odd dab of silver-grey and silver to complete them.

[Dr Mathias]

No doubt about it, Contrast is going to get minis on the table a heck of a lot faster for many gamers.

Your posts are selling me on them... I have a bunch of basic African tribals that I simply don't want to paint and I bet I can knock a tribe out in a day with these paints.

EDIT: Also, regarding the skellies- are those two on the left Frostgrave, 2nd generation GW skeleton for the third, and a really old school 1st gen on the far right?

[Hobgoblin]

Cheers! I'm an unlikely evangelist for GW, not having been particularly keen on most of their stuff since about 1987, but I do think these paints are extremely useful.

EDIT: Also, regarding the skellies- are those two on the left Frostgrave, 2nd generation GW skeleton for the third, and a really old school 1st gen on the far right?

Yes, that's right. The Frostgrave ones have soldier, rather than cultist, bodies, and the newer GW one has a Wargames Factory orc flail chain/head after I chopped off his axehead to use on some other conversion.

[Cubs]

I imagine they'll be very popular for anything with lots of texture, like furry skaven and such. Convenience sells, there's no doubt about it. There's no point telling people they can simply mix their own colours with a glaze medium, if they're happy to pay a couple of quid extra to have it ready to use in a pot. It's a broad church and saving time is an attractive prospect.

[beefcake]

I wonder how applying a white  dry brush over a skeleton bone  primer, then contrast paint would work. I may pick up a green for my hoard of grenadier lizardmen.