"painting help for figures" Topic

So I will be able to shop in a big town which will hopefully some stores with gaming paint.

What colors work best for the following, any brands will be helpful since i dont know what i will be able to find.

Colors:
caucasian skin -
African skin and hair -
Denim -
brown leather -
the best metallic silver –

Suggestions for zombie skin tones?

Thanks for any help

In order:

Peach
Dark Brown
Medium Blue
Medium Brown
Silver
Zombies Lt. Green

what brand?

It depends on where you are able to go. I use a variety of brands. One of the best skin tones I've found for caucasian skin is Delta Ceramcoat medium flesh.

African skin depends on where in Africa, but a good brown skin tone is Chocolate Brown from Vallejo. Hair I usually do black highlighted with Charadon Granite from GW, or whatever the new version is called.

Denim I use Grayed blue from Cel Vinyl as the base coat for faded denim. I've never painted anything non-faded but I supposed any dark blue would work for that.

Brown leather I'd start with Cel Vinyl's Raw Umber and highlight it with the vallejo chocolate brown mentioned above.

GW's silver is pretty good. Most of their metallic paints are. I don't know what it is called these days but it used to be Mithril Silver, why you would move away from that name baring trademark issues is beyond me.

Hope that helps.

alot of useful information. i dont have a local gaming store with gaming, paint. Going to a big town tomorrow and already have a few places scooped out. So hoping for whatever input depending on what brands are there at the stores.

If I had to does anyone have any recommendations from the craft paint lines for colors that are close? Had the minis for awhile but havent had the colors i need to start. Really want to get started when i get home next tuesday

I use the creamcoat medium flesh as well.

For inexpensive craft paint I recommend delta ceramcoat and Americana brands. I do not recommend folk art. I still use some of the delta and Americana paints.
I second GW Mithril silver. I have used Vallejo, Foundry, craft brands and liquitex silvers all with pretty good results but then I bought some GW pots on clearance, Mithril being one of them, and I'm really happy with that color!
Maybe try burnt umber and raw umber for African flesh tones.

Are you in the Unted States?
If so, Reaper makes several triads of skin colors. You paint on the shadow color, then dry brush the basic color on, then do a light dry brush with the highlight over that. I doubt that you'd find it outside a gaming store, though.
Hobby Lobby has started to carry a limited line of Vallejo paints (at least my local store has). They have several skin tones, though I think the Caucasian colors are a bit too yellow, and use Beige Red #804, instead.
I'm getting old and crochety and don't much like anybody's silver.
Gelber

Caucasian Skin

Shadow: Ceramcoat Golden Brown
Midtone: Sherwin-Williams Chivalry Copper
Highlight: Ceramcoat AC Flesh

African Skin
Shadow: DecoArt Graphite
Midtone: DecoArt Asphaltum
Highlight: DecoArt Mississippi Mud

Or

Shadow: DecoArt Graphite
Midtone: DecoArt Asphaltum
Highlight: DecoArt Russett

Asian Skin
Shadow: Sherwin Williams Tassel
Midtone: Sherwin Williams Bakelite Gold
Highlight: Sherwin Williams Viva Gold

I'm with Grelber on the silver and metals. Been using Golden artists acrylics -- the grain of the pigment isn't fine enough. Bought some fancy mini paints (Reaper, P3, etc.) and will try those. Trying to stay with acrylics.

But so far, the best gold, silver and brass I've ever tried are Testor's enamel in those little square glass bottles. Thin with turpentine, though.

craft paint is ok, but Vallejo is a little more expensive, they will last quite some time and will cover a lot better.

GW, reaper,there are lots of brands out there.
Buy some good bushes, as important as the paints themselves
vallejo is my favourite 17ml per bottle

The GW metals are some of the best colors in their line and with the new range of "dry" versions they do have a bit more shades to it. The Testor's color I used to use, I forget which one, is exactly the same as Boltgun. Except for the fact one is easier to use, clean up, etc. Again that is just personal option.

For zombie I used a sort of green/yellow/cream color. The P3 title is bone or skull something, GW used to be Kommando Khaki. Put it on, use a brown wash (again, it used to be Devlan Mud) then dry brush that shade back on. Looks really nice!

Good luck!

If you can find Reaper Master series, they have an excellent bunch of skintone 'triads' (shade, base and highlight as a set).

Colors range from peaches-and-cream pale to straight-out-of-Africa purplish black.

It would be useful to know where in the world you're based, but if you're in the UK I'd recommend Foundry paints several triads for African skin alone! an if in the US I'd go for Reaper I've liked the triads I've tried. But I would limit myself to one brand as they all have their strong points even the evil GW empire!

I'm with lardie and lion, I use the reaper triads and they are remarkably good as far as skin colour and tone is concerned.

If you can bare it go for enamels with your metallics, failing that then Citadel/GW is the go for most.

regards
dave

I should have said I wouldn't limit myself to one brand…

I really only use Reaper Master Series paints for fleshtones. I use Vallejo for almost everything else.

Get to a Hobby Lobby if you're in the U.S. They have you covered on a lot of Vallejo now and Ceramcoat.

I would recommend ordering the Army Painter Mega Paint Set from an online store; that has a good foundation of good quality paints and you get a nice selection of good quality brushes, to boot. And they're dropper bottles, of which I have become a recent convert.

Necro-ing a zombie thread, but here's a PDF with photos of the skin triads:

PDF link

Reaper is reviving its Learn to Paint Kits with Bones figures, but see if the Intermediate Skin Tones still has one of these skin triads.

Zombie skin recipes are all over the place -- in a good way, since zombies can be in different states of decomposition, etc. If you're starting simple, the simplest recipe is to start with darkish gray and highlight with fleshtone!

link

I found this very useful…

link

I agree with Judge Doug's Armypainter megaset recommendation with one exception: the yellow is very poor coverage wise. But the rest are good and the metallics are very acceptable (the Sterling Silver is nice and bright) and the three ink tones are excellent.

A good substitute for the yellow – and any other individual colours (and available very widely at model shops) are the Revel acrylics. They are excellent and – if you have to have pots with lids (as opposed to dropper bottles which I also prefer) they are clever ones with a built-in mixing area in the lid.

John T