While I was busy with my massive AWI historical painting project, I took breaks and did some side projects to keep myself from getting burnt out on painting huge armies.
One mini. I always wanted to paint was a 40mm halfling model that's been around for quite a while.
Andrea Miniatures "Olfo Fastfeet" depicts a simple halfling adventurer somewhere out in the wilderness or in a deep dungeon.
I decided on a 40mm model because I wanted to see how far you could puch the Citdael Contrasts and Army Painter Speedpaints. I've seen some sentiments on TMP that say that Contrasts and speedpaints cause haste and rush and because attention spans demand instant gratification as opposed to the slog of using traditional model paints.
I could not disagree more. The Contrasts and Speedpaints don't "speed you up" or "make you rush". That is precisely the oppposite of their intention. Rather, they allow you to get base coats down and complete much faster than using acrylic paints. It's not about "rushing", it's about getting through a phase of the painting that doesn't really matter how fast or how slow you go.
The steps of a miniature that really matter are the things you do AFTER the base coats are applied. Base coats without any further treatment will result in dull, lifeless, contrastless, dreary miniatures that look like painting pottery.
What I want to demonstrate here is that this is the result you can with putting layers of washes and dry brushes over a miniature completely base coated in Contrasts/Speedpaints.
Yes, the Contrasts are marketed as a "one coat system", and yes they CAN be used that way for large armies. But I discovered that their greatest power comes in utilizing them as like a "colored canvas" which you can then apply your detailing and effects to bring a miniature alive.
You may still disagree with me, but I think you'll acknowledge that these are pretty good results from products that supposedly "rush the painting process."
ponders getting some of his 28mm fantasy figures off the shelves and onto the tabletop.
