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

[Hobgoblin]

I haven't used Cygor Brown, but there are certainly some colours that are a lot 'heavier' than others - Snakebite Leather, for example. That might actually be a better eagle colour (maybe thinned a bit with medium).

The standard way of using the contrast paints seems to be "light colours first, then darken gradually" - on the basis that the dark colours will generally "erase" the lighter ones (the black often seems to do exactly that). But some of the "heavy" colours seem to resist this (Blood Angels Red, Snakebite Leather, etc.).

I have noticed that they can be quite tough on the brushes. The main thing, I reckon, is that water isn't always enough to clean the brushes at the end of a session. So I've been using a bit of soap and hot water afterwards too.

I have used Wyldwood (also a dark brown) quite a lot: mainly for spear hafts and the like. I've also used it for 'filling in' shadowy areas and lining (as with the goblins above).

[andyskinner]

Do you find Wyldwood to not be as "heavy"?

Snakebite Leather is where I was going next.

thanks
andy

[Hobgoblin]

It's just a feeling from using them for a few weeks, but I'd say that the black is darker but 'lighter' than Wyldwood, which is darker but 'lighter' than Snakebite.

So, of the three, my feeling - and it is just a feeling - is that Snakebite is the 'heaviest', despite being the lightest colour. I haven't tried diluting it with medium, but it is a very good, strong colour.

[andyskinner]

Thanks, that is helpful.  I agree about black, though I diluted mine with medium.  The gray parts I did that way look good.  Cygor seems very heavy, even thinned with medium.

Interesting to know that I may need to take that into account even more with Snakebite Leather.

I wonder why so tough on brushes.  I'm not even thinking about how hard to clean.  As I applied, it felt like it was treating my brush worse than drybrushing.  I'd have expected something that goes on so wet to not have that much effect.

andy

[Jagannath]

Yup - absolute brush killer is contrast. I’ve now got cheap brushes just for contrast use. I keep a pot of isopropyl handy for printer stuff, so I do one swish in there then under a tap when I’m done.

[Hobgoblin]

Here are some more contrast experiments: Mantic "naiads", who'll be fulfilling a Sahuagin-ish role in our next RPG game. I got 10 of them about 90% done earlier in the week and decided to push these two over the line tonight.

They're by no means delicately done, but as they'll probably only feature fleetingly in the game, I think they're OK - especially as they'll be appearing en masse.

The figures themselves are OK, but they've got the softness and indistinctness of detail that you get in a lot of Mantic figures. I don't mind that, though - the main thing is that they'll give me some unusual humanoids to throw at the players.

[Vladimir Raukov]

They look fantastic!

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks! I've got to finish off the rest fairly soon; I've found that the contrast paints all too readily create a situation where dozens of miniatures are "90% done", but need some extra impetus to get the over the final hurdle. I'm now on my fourth can of Wraithbone spray ...

What contrast paints are superb for, I reckon, is 15mm. Here are some Ral Partha Demonworld beastmen. They've had nothing done to them that wasn't contrast except steel/Agrax on the metals, a Nightshade wash around the eyes, and a couple of highlights on the eyes and teeth. I certainly couldn't paint them better "conventionally"!

[Jagannath]

Man that’s brilliant - perfect usecase. I’ve always avoided those (EXCELLENT) beastmen because my ‘usual’ painting method makes fur sooooo laborious. 

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks! Yes, the contrast paint is great for fur. It also helps that these beastmen are exceptionally well cast - hardly any mould-lines or flash at all.

[Hobgoblin]

These are the quickest miniatures I've ever painted: a few shambling things from CP Models to fill out the chaos hordes I'm doing in 15mm. The RPE beastmen won't be involved in those, as they'll be forming warband elements to accompany the hordes. I quite like that Moorcockian distinction between "creatures of chaos" that are relatively stable - like the Olab or dragons - and the degenerate beastmen and once-human things that form most of the chaos armies.

[Hobgoblin]

I painted up a big batch of miniatures for our friends' boys; my kids introduced them to Song of Blades at the weekend. As well as finishing off a bunch of dark-blue GW orcs that I'd painted with a "wash-only" technique a while back, I got a few more done with contrast paints - very quickly.

These are pretty rough and ready, but I was quite pleased with the wolf, given the speed at which I got him done. Most of all, though, I was pleased with the Mantic orcs. They look really rough in the photo (and they are pretty rough), but I got all three done in an hour flat. I undercoated them in black gesso, then drybrushed them grey then white. After that, I just sloshed on the contrast paints and then did the eyes and teeth. It worked pretty well - this photo doesn't really do them justice. I'm going to paint up another batch using the same technique. The strength of pigmentation in the contrast paints really comes through, as the colours were still bright over the monochrome layers, despite the black undercoat.

[Ragsta]

These all look really good, I wasn’t going to be swayed by the contrast paints at all but you have started me thinking now!

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, Ragsta!

I've been experimenting a bit more with contrast paints over black undercoat and grey/white drybrushing; I think that might be the fastest way to use them. I've got a troll and a few little gribblies on the way with that technique and should manage to post the results tonight.

I'm also planning to do some more Mantic space orcs for myself like those above. They're not flattered by the photo, but the time/results ratio was very pleasing.

[Hobgoblin]

Here's a Reaper Bones troll, not quite finished, but done with contrast paints over black undercoat and grey and white drybrushing. I'll add a few more highlights when the base is done. And, at the other end of the scale, a Bones hordling done in the same way. He's joining my 15mm chaos hordes.

For dark and slimy things, I reckon this is the quickest way to use contrast paints. I've done something similar in the past using washes (there's a 'ravage bear' earlier in the thread), but the contrast paints work a bit better, because the pigments are so strong.

In this way, I'm planning to rip through various Bones monsters that have been cluttering my cupboard for a while.

The troll is based for 28mm HotT, but as his skull and severed head are fairly discreet, he'll work well enough with my 15mm-on-28mm-bases HotT project - either as a behemoth or, perhaps, as a god.