Foundry colours

[Dr. The Viking]

Hi!

I'm currently looking into "a quicker way to paint better" and I'm thinking that the foundry 3-part thing (with a shadow, medium and highlight for each colour) might be worth something or will at least save me from sitting and dabbing in different paint pots all the time.

Uhm.. Has anyone got any experience with using these paints as is?

[Svennn]

I occasionally use the triads as is but not often. Some of the sets work brilliantly together, others not so good IMO. I tend to use them all as individual colours tbh but thats just me. There are a lot of really good painters who only use them so they definately work.

[matakishi]

I'm not a really good painter but I use them 'as is' and have done since they were first released. Everything of mine online is painted with them (just about).

[Ray Rivers]

There are a lot of really good painters who only use them so they definately work.

That wouldn't be me... 

However, I use them a lot.   

And they can be tricky to use, but that, I have found through experience, normally comes down to not watering the paints down sufficiently... especially for the lights and the shades.  The first thing I normally do when I open a new pot is fill it up with water. 

A big plus here is that if you got a lot of them, you can make new triads on the fly.  I do this a quite a bit actually.   Browns work especially well here.

Overall though... if you want to paint lots of minis, I highly recommend them.

[Tellus]

The Foundry Paints are my backbone. If you're looking for a quicker way to paint I would recommend them. I not so convinced of some of their newer sets-tried out one or two of the WWII and napoleonics. they lacked too much contrast but may be it has something to do with the black primer I use. But overall there are lots of good paints and helpful colours, for instance the black and the white palletes are very helpful.

[Chairface]

I would like to try the foundry colours someday, but they just aren't readily available on this side of the pond. The reaper master series come in Triads as well and I quite like them.

[Centaur_Seducer]

Not mixing colours and directly from the pot?! Horrible, just horrible!

On a serious note, a friend of mine has almost gone exclusive on foundry triad and the output is both great and quick. He isn't really a good painter either, so in this case this method has increased his paining skull.s

[vikotnik]

I would not try them. I have two of the triads and the colours are not that bright and they suck, imho. However, this might be a great characteristic for painting uniforms for example.

Plus, they do not even have dropper bottles and this really sucks as well.
Try Reaper Master Series paints! They come in BRIGHT triads, and have dropper bottles, how good is that?

[Svennn]

I detest dropper bottles so thats a plus point to Foundry for me.

Painting in general has improved right across the hobby because of triads. A lot of painters struggle with colour choice and Foundry have addressed this in one simple stroke.

Kevin Dallimores book is worth a read for anybody of any ability.

[Dr. The Viking]

Interesting to hear all your views!

I'm mainly thinking about foundry because of the triads. I detest trying to handle a wet palette when doing unit after unit for a game. I would much prefer to have ready mixed stuff in bottles (drop or lid, I don't give a flying føøg).

I do have three foundry paints already but not a triad.. the quality of the paint seems quite plastic like the the late octagon bottles of GW, which are a nightmare if you want to glaze or washe.

Sounds like I'll be trying both the Reaper (who handles this stuff in the EU anyway?) and the Foundry ones.

[vikotnik]

Have a look here:

http://www.miniature-heroes.co.uk/browse/reaper-miniatures/master-series-paints/page-1.html

[Dewbakuk]

I like the Foundry paints. They do usualy need watering down though and some of the Triads are a bit extreme in my opinion. The white shades and 'naturals' are superb, I'm a big fan of the 'moss' in particular.

[Heldrak]

I have some extensive experience with the Foundry paint system. Like Michi, most of my work that has been seen here on the forum has been painted with them. I like them quite well (some colors better than others) but I am contemplating moving over to the RMS (Reaper Master Series). Here are some thoughts:

1. To get the best results, it is advisable to mix intermediate colors on some of them.

2. Like all paints, you get better control with them if you thin them, but this does mean that you will need to use more coats.

3. The Foundry paint system has a slightly satiny/reflective finish. This doesn't prove to be a problem if you use the Foundry paints exclusively, but it may look odd if you also use Vallejo or another paint line with a true matte finish.

4. Kevin Dallimore's painting book is good, but all of the truly vital information in it is given out in the 8-page pamphlet that Foundry gives away free with the purchase of a large paint set, or used to sell for 2.00 GBP or $3.00 USD. The book wastes a lot of pages on examples using only single colors or two-stage painting.

5. The flip top lids on the paint bottles become brittle and break in short order. the little lip breaks off first, then the hinge snaps. I keep a bottle opener handy to pry off broken lids, and now even the lids themselves are crumbling away and I've been transferring the Foundry paints to dropper bottles as this happens.

6. The metallics in the in the Foundry line are a bit gummy. They're servicable, but I get better results using GW.

In the long run, the Foundry paint system is good, but other triad-based systems (P3, RMS, etc.) work equally well, or you could put together your own triads using Vallejo or another paint line just as easily.

[Helen]

I'm currently using Vallejo and some GW paint.s I threw out my Coat d Arms as it was leaving a shine which is not what I'm after, but aflat matt finished. So I mix my colour, use water an experiment. My commissions are usually historical that have a khaki finish or pretty close, however, I'm always interested in trying out new paints. I do like the triads on a few of the paint sets available. RMS has always been of an interest too.

Thanks for the topic.

Helen

[Orctrader]

I use some foundry, but then I use some of lots of paints.  I don't use any paint straight from the bottle.  I thin my paints a lot and intermix - even triads.  I arrange all of my paints in groups of base/midtone/highlight.

Many painters use Foundry "as is" with wonderful results.  Kevin's book that Svenn mentions...I wouldn't be without it.