Have you ever started painting a wargame army and lost interest, either because it took forever
to finish, or your painting medium did not give you satisfactory results? The purpose of this series of articles is to explore various painting mediums, techniques and color combinations that will make your painting far more pleasurable and faster.
The first consideration, when painting, is to decide on what type of paint you want to use. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but the bottom line is what you find works best for you. There are two distinct types of paint: oil-based and water-based paints.
Oil-based Paints
Oil-based paints differ from water-based paints in one significant way, turpentine is used to thin them. No matter which oil-based paint you use, be certain to use the best artist's turpentine that you can find. Good quality turpentine will enhance your final results, and extend the life of the brush.
The advantages of oil-based paints are numerous. First, they have a relatively long drying time, which will aid greatly in shading and highlighting the figures. Second, oil-based paints have richer, deeper tones than do water-based paints. This is especially effective for achieving the "wornout" look for your army. Third, oil-based paints are excellent if you have to correct part of the paint job. Because it can be thinned with turpentine, oil-based paint can be removed with a wash.
There are also some disadvantages to oil- based paint. One, the shelf life of oil-based paints is limited. This is especially true if air gets into the container. Two, you have to be very careful when you mix oilbased paints. Improper mixing of paints will give a glossy finish to the figures. This means taking more time when you paint.
Water-based Paints
Water-based paints differ from oil-based paints for our purposes in that water is used as a thinner, not turpentine. The first advantage of water- based paints is their excellent reputation for shelf life. This is especially true of tube acrylics. The second advantage is that the quick drying time of water- based paints means that you can move rapidly from figure to figure. And finally, water-based paints are brighter and more "alive" than oil-based paints.
The disadvantages of water-based paints is the difficulty in correcting a mistake once the paint has dried. This is especially true of acrylics which form a skin around the figure. Which paint works well? This depends on what effect you are trying to achieve. If you like really bright colors, use water-based paints. Richer colors can be achieved by using oil-based paints. Ultimately, you will find that a combination of types will give you the effect you need.
Metallic Paints
The brightest silver on the market is Testor's. It is ideal for highly polished armour or chrome finishes. Humbrol makes a silver that is less bright, but more ideal for wargaming purposes. When mixed with black, you can shade it to make dull steel.
For your bronze, gold or brass use Humbrol's brass. It is an excellent base coat for these colors and mixes well with brown or yellow for shading and highlighting. As with all Humbrol paints, be careful when you stir the paint, or you will find more paint on the lip of the tin than in the tin itself. Unlike many oil-based paints, the Humbrol metallics have an excellent shelf life and will last for several years.
Another good metallic line is made by Floquil. The variety is good, and you may find the bottles easier to work with than the tins.
I have not found a water-based metallic that I like. For some reason, they do not spread well on a figure and some even give a pasty covering on a figure.
BROWNS AND BLACKS FOR HORSES
The painting of horses will be covered in a future article, but the paint that you should use for horses differs from the standard colors for figures of men and scenery. Horses have a slight sheen to them. To achieve this effect, try using tube oils. Grumbacher makes a complete line of tube oils, but the colors needed for horses are white, black, brown madder and burnt sienna.
FLESH COLORS
Every line of paint designed for military miniatures has a flesh color. They vary greatly in both quality and hue. If you are looking for a paint that has great color and is good value for your money, try Winsor & Newton Flesh Tint. You buy one tube and it lasts forever. It also blends very well with other oil-based paints.
For those of you who wish to take a more conservative approach, water-based Polly S with a little red brown added or Floquil (oil-based) performs very well. All these "flesh" colors are for caucasians! Of the other races practicing war, Orientals pose the greatest problem for the painter. I suggest two courses of action. One is to purchase or borrow some color photographs of Orientals. Photos will provide you with a first-hand painting guide.
The second step is to mix yellow, medium brown and white to get the proper color. American Indians can be portrayed by using red, medium brown and just a bit of white. Negroes are somewhat more difficult to paint. American Blacks can usually be done by combining any mixture of black and brown, while Native Africans look great mixing some dark blue with black and highlighting with white.
EARTH COLORS
These are the colors that include various light browns, buffs and dark, which are especially common among armies of the ancient and modern periods. Humbrol makes a number of colors that are conveniently labeled with the proper colors for the oil-based side and Heritage makes a similar line in water-based colors. But if you are looking for the most complete line of earth tones available, try the Polly S line. They have an incredible number of colors in all tones and shades.
UNIFORM COLORS
These include the blues, yellows, reds, etc., that comprise the bulk of uniform and facing colors of the periods between the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century. Since these colors are the ones that usually stand out on a wargaming table, you should find the most vibrant colors available. I would suggest using Floquil exclusively. They make very bright uniform colors that also can be shaded with ease.
COMPARING PAINTS
Now that we have established a basic overview of paints and some loose guidelines concerning what paints work best in what situations, let's do some comparative shopping. I do not expect everyone to agree with my comments, nor should they consider them necessarily the final-word in painting. But after painting about 10,000 wargame figures, I think that I can make some general statements that may be helpful. They aresummarized in the chart.
As I said earlier, you may find that certain types of paint work well for you, while others do not. Do not be afraid to experiment.
In future articles, I will give tips on how to use your paints in the most effective way to produce the results you want.
| TYPE | BASE | COST PER OZ. | SHELF LIFE | VARIETY | MIXABILITY | AVAILABILITY | OTHER COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylics | Plastic thinned with water | Very low (best) | Excellent | Good | Tricky | Excellent | Vivid colors, very good for shading and highlighting; difficult to use in large quantities; very short dry time. |
| Tube Oils | Oil | Low | Excellent (best) | Exceilent | Very Good (best) | Excellent | Some colors dry glossy or with translucent finish. Ver long dry time |
| Testor's | Oil | Moderate | Fair | Limited in matt finish | Good | Very good | Metallics are very bright. |
| Humbrol | Oil | High | Fair | Good | Fair | Very good | Excellent metallics. Package design causes much loss to drying paint |
| Heritage | Water | Moderate | Average | Good | Good (only w/own brand | Fair | Applies in one coat. |
| Polly S | Water acrylic | Moderate to high | Very good | Excellent (best) | Fair | Very good | Colors are very bright; quick preparation time. |
| Imrie-Risley | Oil | Moderate | Poor | Good | Difficult | Fair | Colors designed for military miniatures. |
| Floquil | Oil | Moderate | Good | Good | Very good | very good | Very rich colors. |
Painting Series
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