When did you change from Enamel to Acrylic Paints?

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

@ swiftnick
Does anybody still straighten their bush by popping it in their mouth?

Yep

[Jabba]

Only started using acrylics three and a bit years ago when I started wargaming. All my models as a youngster where enamels.

[Hammers]

Does anybody still straighten their bush by popping it in their mouth? I can't kick the habit. That and cleaning the brush in whatever liquid is handy. Could be water, tea or wine.

Of course. No better way to shape it.

[Plynkes]

I was a late developer. I used my trusty Humbrol enamels right up until the mid 1990s.

I didn't switch until the 2000s. Bloody glad I did, though. I'd never go back as long as you can buy acrylic paints.

My gaming pal and nephew, terminal hipster that he is, a couple of years ago made the switch the other way. After growing up on Citadel paints in the 2000s, he recently decided he prefers the old-school charms of Humbrol.

[Plynkes]

I've never been a brush-licker. I dip it in water and roll it on the back of my left hand (which is also often my mixing palette - my left hand is usually a multi-coloured mess at the end of a painting session).

[Hammers]

I didn't switch until the 2000s. Bloody glad I did, though. I'd never go back as long as you can buy acrylic paints.

My gaming pal and nephew, terminal hipster that he is, a couple of years ago made the switch the other way. After growing up on Citadel paints in the 2000s, he recently decided he prefers the old-school charms of Humbrol.

Ha! Is he in the market for hand crafted, small batch, single cask, limited edition enamels (12 months aged in burbon barrels)? I could slap some stickers on my old paint pots...

[Daeothar]

I was an incredibly impatient and volatile kid when I was a wee lad. So for my 10th birthday, back in 83', instead of the usual Lego, I received a pile of plastic kits, a tube of polystyrene cement, a selection of Revell enamel paints and some cheap brushes. My father cleared a bit of desk space in the attic, under the small skylight, and got me an old mustard jar filled with terpentine to clean my brushes.

And that entire summer vacation, I spent in the attic, glueing and painting those Revell and Airfix kits. Some actually went flying through the attic because of my frustration, but come winter, I had been transformed into a very, and later even incredibly, patient boy.

Over the years, I became very adept at using enamel paints, eventually getting used to all of their characteristics. So much even, that I remember painting Tactical Air Command patches on the sleeves of 1/72 pilots, using the tackyness of the paint to create very thin lines (the sword on the shield, if anyone knows what it looks like )

So I was very confident in my abilities with enamels when I came into contact with GW products. When visiting a hobby shop in '88/ '89 looking for model kits, a box of RTB01 Beakies cought my eye and on a whim I bought it. Eventually, I painted it with my trusty enamels (black Dark Angels with red markings), but I didn't know what to do with them other than that (didn't know about the game).

Then I saw a commercial on TV for MB's Hero Quest game, and I thought; that looks like those guys I painted, and I knew I had to have it. So I bought the box and painted the entire contents (plus all expansions) with enamels again.

And I remember seeing the painted minis on the side of the box and thinking; 'that's not possible; those pictures must have been manipulated'.

A couple of years later, I went to a gaming convention with some friends (must have been in '92; I bought my first WD there; issue 145), and saw my first Roge Trader gaming table. Besides being completely gobsmacked by the coolness of it all, I now finally saw with my own eyes just how detailed the minis were painted; with acrylics.

So it was possible after all.

The guy who made the table and painted the army gave me two of the greatest pieces of advise I ever got in my hobby life:

1) Switch over to acrylics; you'll never look back
2) Any piece of packaging can be a cool Scifi building, just add some huge numbers and a couple of hazard stripes

The second advise certainly was true, but the first one was a complete game changer!

I bought my first set of Acrylics (GW starter paint set; hex pots with white flip tops, some of which I still have and occasionally use!) not long after and it was as foretold; I've never looked back once...

[Dr. Zombie]

Does anybody still straighten their bush by popping it in their mouth? I can't kick the habit. That and cleaning the brush in whatever liquid is handy. Could be water, tea or wine.

Yes on all counts.

[zemjw]

I was late changing from enamels to acrylics, although there were a number of years where I used both. I probably only fully committed to acrylics about 10 or 12 years ago.

I had to use enamels fairly recently for something and I'd forgotten how bad the brush cleaner smelled (I used polyclens blue stuff rather than straight turps). Didn't bother me when I was younger, but I was glad when the project finished and I could get rid of the brush cleaner.

I still have dozens/scores of the humbrol pots in the loft, along with a couple of the old airfix paints in glass jars with screw lids (anybody remember them). I should probably throw them out at some point

[dampfpanzerwagon]

Very early on.

My Wife suffers from migraines and the smell of thinners and enamel paints was a no-no from very early on.

I first painted a miniature with Liquitex tube paints when I was back in school over 35 years ago.

Tony

[Vanvlak]

Very early on.

My Wife suffers from migraines and the smell of thinners and enamel paints was a no-no from very early on.

I first painted a miniature with Liquitex tube paints when I was back in school over 35 years ago.

Tony

Ha! I suffer from migraines, but switched to acrylics before it really set in, when I moved from enamels and kits to acrylics and wargame models - although I am getting back to kits, I'll still stick to acrylics now.

[fred]

My painting story is very like Mick's. Enamals back in the 80s, a long time out of the hobby, and back in 2005 ish when acrylics were what was readily available.

The only think I kind of miss from enamals was creating washes with lots of thinner. These seemed to be a better heavier wash than acrylic ones, which often turn into more of a stain. But that might just be rose tinted hindsight.

[has.been]

Built up a large collection of Humbrol while still on school pocket money, 2 shillings bought a series one Airfix kit & one pot of humbrol.
Many years latter a friend introduced me to 'tube' acrylics, brushes lasted longer &
my bedroom/paint area didn't stink of thinners.
I got (from the same friend) a collection of Tamiya jar acrylics as (after buying them)he found he couldn't stand the smell!
I then moved on to GW, but now use poundland tubes.

[WimVdB]

Does anybody still straighten their bush by popping it in their mouth? I can't kick the habit. That and cleaning the brush in whatever liquid is handy. Could be water, tea or wine.

Hey, I do that too! Doing it for I don't know how many years.
But I never dumped my brush in coffee or some other beverage. At least not when I still wanted to drink it....

[vodkafan]

I then moved on to GW, but now use poundland tubes.

At first I thought you were joking but then I realised you would never joke about paint ...