"Do you ever use cheap craft paint for your miniatures?" Topic

I'm talking about the little plastic bottles that sell under a $1.50 USD here in the USA at places like WalMart and Michaels.

(a) Yes, exclusively.
(b) Sometimes.
(c) Never. I use only genuine hobby/art paint (e.g. Vallejo).

Sometimes. I tend to use sutable colors for bases, dry brushing and things like that. Also white and black for mixing.

All the time, sometimes a cheap paint works fine.

Yes, regularly.

b) Sometimes. Definitely for basing as that'd be a waste of "good" paint. I mostly use GW/Vallejo/Coat d'Arms but there are two or three craft colours I'll use for figs. Having said that craft paints are harder to get round my way now, the only stockist I'm aware of is a good 30 miles away.

Definitely. Craft paints are a great part of the overall set I use.

All the time. I do have soem Vallejo flesh and a couple other colors, but 90% plus of what I use on all my figures and terrain is cheap craft paints.

I'm happy with the results I get.

And some 15mm (Kong not painted):

Yes. When they first came out in the '80s, they were in subdued colors, rather than vivid blue blues or even neon pinks that other paint lines came in. There were WWII and Modern military colors on the market then, but these tend to be browns and greens. If you were painting ancients or medievals, you needed reds and blues as well, and the craft paints provided a much larger selection that you didn't have to mix yourself.
Grelber

B

a-b : quite a lot, but not exclusively, about 1/3rd of the coverage : so more than "sometimes"

Never. Apart from any other consideration, when painting historical miniatures the hassle to get the right shade, especially on large numbers of miniatures is far greater than the difference in price.

A

I do have some leftover GHQ paint as well, but I will not be buying any more.

Only the terrain.

B. Sometimes. Depends.

I use them all the time-mainly Delta Ceramcoat, but others as well. I also use Vallejo, etc, but the craft paints end up being used on every figure. In the case of larger objects like buildings or dinosaurs the craft paints are used almost exclusively.

Basing, terrain, etc: all the time.

Figures, sometimes – usually mixed with better-quality paints to shade or highlight.

Although they do work fine, I find you generally – not always – get better coverage and a more pleasing surface finish with better quality paints.

It's not a huge difference, but I find it noticeable.

B. Not suitable for every use, but the same can be said for "pro" hobby paints. In particular, craft paints are fine for basic black, white, and primary colors. Wouldn't care to paint large resin terrain kits in expensive Valejo/GW/P3 colors either – no advantage to be gained.

I have a couple of friends who do and the results they get are very uneven. I can't see the point (the savings are not that great) other than convenience.

On the other hand, my art shop sells Humbrol enamels as well as the oils and watercolours I customarily buy from them – so it's only acrylics I buy from the wargames trade anyway. Oh – and Humbrol Matt spray varnish which is one of the best* but which quite a few traders don't stock for some reason.

Phil

*one of the few Humbrol products still worthy of the brand.

Yes all the time, sometimes they are better than their hobby paint equivelent.

Everyday

All the time. Some colors work better than others.

All the time.

(b) Sometimes.

More for Terrain than for miniatures.

Sometimes, mostly terrain. I never can get good coverage from them and after 3 attempts I give up.

All the time for bases and terrain, and every now and then for miniatures.

A

No.

Sometimes. Mainly for ACW. I found a "Pecan" color that looks like a great butternut to my eye, and incredibly the only sky blue color I have found to date that meets my "eye" test for Union trousers is a cheap craft paint. Sometimes it takes two coats to get full coverage, but it works in the end. Your mileage may vary.

Craft paints or artist acrylics exclusively these days and the former are a recent addition. Some work better than others but they suit my purpose and my wallet.

All the time and almost exclusively.

Eric

yes All the time.

link

Quantity has a quality of it's own.

A – All the time. "The right shade" just does not exist on a battlefield. "Close enough" is the order of the day.

I use them all the time. Some of the colours are much better than the "hobby" paint equivalent. For example, Delta Ceramcoat's trail tan is a better paint than the same colour from either GW or Vallejo. I've had plenty of bottles of the craft paint that are not and are almost unusable on figures because they are crappy, often the browns, but then they can be used on terrain and are cheap enough to experiment with.

All the time, esp black craft paint. I use whatever paint brand meets my needs for color. Obviously when making washes the craft paints are too chalky so you have to use something better like Vallejo.

a, works fine. Occasionally something else but not often.

I use tubes of artist acrylic to make washes.

I use them a lot, but not exclusively.

A. Cheaper, more in the bottle, tends to last much longer in the bottle, and works just fine for my tastes and needs. I suppose if I were a more gifted painter interested in minis as artistic expression (or for painting competitions), I'd go with the "better" paints. But since I just want to "get 'em on the table," craft paints are just fine and produce quite pleasing results to my eye.

80%

c.
Never.
Only on LARGE terrain pieces.

YES. It is perfect for washes – as some of the pigmentation is less robust than figure painting paints.

Tony
dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com

(A) All the time!

David G.
gamerarchitect.blogspot.com

Yep, regularly.

Yes I use Delta Ceramcoate almost exclusively; don't like fussy dropper bottles, life's too short.
brigadierdundas.blogspot.com

Yes, about 95% of the time. I have a few odd colors, but you can make any color from a palette of red, blue, and yellow. Throw in black and white and that's all you really need (personally I have way more colors than that). I get a kick out of the "can't get accurate shades for historical uniforms" argument. Anyone who has ever owned and worn a uniform for any length of time, especially in the field, knows that there is no such thing.

Yes, all the time. I don't have access to Vallejo or other hobby paints but there is a Walmart in town. I did pick up some nice Reaper flesh triads recently as well as some Foundry that were on sale.

Never have, and never will. I trust what I already know and I'm very happy with all my results so why change? I'm not that poor or cheap that I can't afford to buy whatever suits me.

I tried to use craft paints but for my style they just never worked as well as higher end model/gaming paints for painting mini's. I do use them for basing and terrain thoug.

Yes I use them a lot between A and B. I only use vallejo or GW when I need a specific color that I can't find a good equivalent for.