viper5121 | 17 Mar 2015 9:41 p.m. PST |
I have heard arguments both directions on which is better, craft store paints or miniature paints. So I figure the best way to find out how good craft store paints are, is to ask TMP members to post their miniatures painted with craft store paints, so that we can see how good of a job those paints do. Please include the brand of craft store paint you used in the pictures you post. Thank you. |
Pictors Studio | 17 Mar 2015 10:00 p.m. PST |
Some craft store paints are good, some aren't so good. It doesn't even work by brand. For example Trail Tan by Ceramcoat is a pretty awesome colour. It covers well, it is the perfect colour and so forth. It is better than the GW or Vallejo equivalent and is about 1/5 of the cost or less. The ceramcoat black isn't very good though. Some of the apple barrel greens are very good. They have one that is the exact same colour as Vallejo's Russian Green. It coats about the same but is much cheaper. You have to play around with a lot of them. Fortunately they are usually only about $1. USD The problem with your test is that it doesn't really work that way. The crappier paint can end up looking every bit as good as the better paint, it just takes more work to get it to look that way. If I use a craft store brand red to go over black it is going to take about 10 coats to do it. With a GW base coat or a Cel Vinyl colour I can do it in one. The model will look the same at the end, but it will take much longer with that. Similarly if I'm doing GW's tan colour, at least the one from 8 years or so ago, it would take me forever to get the same coverage as the ceramcoat trail tan. The figure would still end up looking the same, just take longer. Unfortunately there is no one answer here. All the brands have their strengths and weaknesses. The most consistent one is Cel Vinyl but you can't get all the colours you might need from them. |
viper5121 | 17 Mar 2015 10:05 p.m. PST |
So Cel Vinyl is just as good as P3 paints? |
ordinarybass | 18 Mar 2015 2:57 a.m. PST |
I've tried all the brands and in general I find that Delta Ceramcoat is the closest in pigment and application to miniature-brand paints. I'll be honest in that it isn't as nice as the smattering of miniature brand paints I've got, but it's more than enough for me. I'm mostly a base colors (maybe a drybrush on metal and hair/fur) and dip kind of guy. It works very well for me. I don't recall exactly which brand, but nearly all the figures in my brush-dip tutorial were painted with craft paints. link There might be a non-craft paint color or two in there, but you get the idea. Virtually anything on that blog that is painted by the same author is craft paint and minwax dip. On the higher end of things, my buddy is a superb painter (doesn't dip) and he swears by Americana craft paints. though he's never tried Delta. mdarrow.blogspot.com |
Bob in Edmonton | 18 Mar 2015 5:23 a.m. PST |
link 54mm with mix of delta and Americana paints. |
Chris Palmer | 18 Mar 2015 5:52 a.m. PST |
I use a mix of diffeent brands of craft paints. Check out my blog for lots of individual examples of figures painted with craft paints, along with step by step how-to's and the names of the paint used: allbonesabout.blogspot.com Here's a few of the recent ones:
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Dervel | 18 Mar 2015 6:45 a.m. PST |
I mix and match…. However, Ceramcoat is typically the only craft paint I bother with since it has the best coverage generally… and typically you can get it for $1 USD or less… I have found coverage and quality very with pigmentation as mentioned above. Generally speaking I have no complaints with Ceramcoat. You may find that you want Reaper or Vallejo for metallic paints because the cheaper stuff is not as well pigmented. I have been using a lot of Vallejo for my WWII stuff because I am too lay to mix to get the right colors with the craft paints. The Vallejo are actually a bigger pain to work with sometimes because you have to shake them really really well. Be careful when selecting craft paints. Some of the craft paints have "semi-opaque" and it is easy to grab the same color in semi-opaque… which has it's uses… But obviously does not cover very well :P These were craft paint with some Reaper metallic:
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Doctor X | 18 Mar 2015 8:55 a.m. PST |
I've been using Ceramcoat for over 20 years now. Previous 20+ years I only used hobby paints. My personal experience is that Ceramcoat works the same as the hobby paints at a third or less of thr cost. The other exceptions are metallics and a few odd or very unique colors that I don't feel like mixing up every time I need them. I agree with previous posters that Ceramcoat is the best of the hobby paints for figures. I don't dip all that often but when I do I seal the figure first to minimize color distortion so the varnish is acting with the dip, not the paint itself. Not sure that helps you. |
Sgt Slag | 18 Mar 2015 9:02 a.m. PST |
I am an army painter, reaching the GEtGW (Good Enough to Game With -- at arm's length) quality, never really striving for anyting beyond that point. Not sure what quality level you are aiming to achieve, so posting pictures of my mediocre painting seems pointless for your goal of seeing the differences the paints can achieve -- my mini's would look the same, mediocre quality, regardless of paints used. If you have not experimented with The Dip yet, get some test figures to experiment with; plastic Army Men figures are a great tool to test The Dip with: not fantastic quality of sculpting, but it really demonstrates what the urethane-stain is capable of… As an additional test, try applying simple block painting to an Army Man figure, then apply the urethane-stain, to really show what it is capable of doing. As a final test, apply it to a carefully painted (to a higher quality level) figure. Compare the three types of paint jobs, after each has been Dip'ed, to see what it can, and cannot, do for your painting. As mentioned, try sealing your paint with a clear coat of acrylic, first, to smooth out the microscopic roughness of the paints, as this will allow The Dip to only alter the brightness of the recesses, without overly darkening the whole of the painted surfaces. Cheers! |
ordinarybass | 18 Mar 2015 9:14 a.m. PST |
One other addition. Though as stated above, I generally prefer Delta, I've found that Folk Art "Metalic Aluminum" is a fair substitute for Boltgun Metal when drybrushed over black. I like it better than the silver color (too shiny) or the gunmetal color (to subdued) One other candidate for dip testing is heroclix figs. Old ones are usually available at your FLGS for 25 cents each. Their simple paintjobs are excellent at showing what the dip can do. |
snodipous | 18 Mar 2015 10:32 a.m. PST |
I use about 50/50 craft paints and Vallejo eyedroppers. I don't use a dip, but I get a lot of mileage out of GW Agrax Earthshade (brown) and Nuln Oil (black) washes. I'm not a fan of much GW, but their washes are the best I've ever used. The following are all a mix of Vallejo and various craft paints:
Note that the mostly subdued colours are a deliberate stylistic choice, not a reflection on the paints themselves. |
Rebelyell2006 | 18 Mar 2015 2:34 p.m. PST |
I don't have any photos, but Golden brand paints work pretty well for ACW minis. Otherwise I use craft store paints for painting bases, and stick with hobby brands for the miniatures. |
LORDGHEE | 19 Mar 2015 2:06 a.m. PST |
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Pauls Bods | 19 Mar 2015 4:20 a.m. PST |
Mainly craft paints (Marabu or Hobbyline) with a couple of pots of "specialist" paints, mainly the metallic colours as the Hobby paints (available here) donīt have the same fine coverage. This lot are painted 90% with craft paints.
paulsbods.blogspot.de |
javelin98 | 19 Mar 2015 10:17 a.m. PST |
Snodipus! Did you actually paint argyle socks on that one detective?? That is brilliant, sir-or-ma'am! Hats off to you! |