"Your opinion of craft acrylic vs more expensive brands?" Topic

I'm going to have to rebuild my line of hobby paints soon, so I'm interested in knowing going the cheaper craft paint route will save $$ or cause more frstration than the savings.

I for one have never purchased the "authorized" paint ranges. I have always used craft store paints, and have had fine results.

Some craft paints are better than others. I find delta cermacoat to be the best

The problem I have with craft paints is that after diluting them to a brushable mix, the coverage isn't very good

I use craft paints for basing and for scenery, work very well and much cheaper

Good luck

John

I don't claim any particular expertise in painting but the answer to your question may be influenced by HOW you paint your miniatures. I usually dry brush and have been very happy with Americana, Delta Ceramcoat and Folk Art acrylic hobby paints. I'm not a fan of "store name" brands like Nicole's at AC Moore. The ones I've tried have been thin and lacking in coverage.

I use mainly Delta and Folkart. I have never felt the need to dilute them, unless I am doing a wash.

I agree with jwebster. I have found Delta Carmacoat to be the best. Have not been happy with walmarts or AC moore's or Michaels brand craftpaints. I do though only use them for basing and scenery. For miniatures I am mainly Vallejo but have starting to use some Reaper paints.

I think this was the subject of the very first thread on TMP. :-)

I also think you need to ask yourself how you paint. If your painting style is fairly uncomplicated, then craft paints work fine (depending on brand). For wet blending, then look to the better hobby paints. For glazing (applying thin coats to build up highlighting) then Reaper works great. Craft paint all the way for scenery and buildings.

Honestly, I have Reaper, P3, Vallejo, and a host of craft paints. Best tool for the job at hand. Craft paints get the most work.

BTW make sure the craft paint *color* you buy is "opaque". Sometimes its on the bottle, sometimes you must look online. Otherwise, that color from that manufacturer will wind up in the trash.

I use craft paints, Delta Ceramcoat and Americana, are the best. Also Vallejo and Liquitex. Really all are pretty equal except for the Liquitex, which is an artist acyrylic.
Mostly I use Vallejo for specific colors that do not come in craft paints.

I use a mix of craft paints – Delta, Folk Art, etc. and hobby paints – Testors, Vellejo, some old Floquil, Lifecolor, and Tamiya.

Gives me a greater range of colors without having to mix.

I also had some problems with solvent based metallics when varnishing figures so went to the craft and water based.

haven't seen a need to buy any of the 'elite' brands.

I do have some Humbrols that I will break out one of these days – I used them in the pact and was pleased at the time.

I use a lot of craft paints and find them satisfactory. For historical miniatures however I tend to be lazy. If I can buy a preblended historical color I will do so.

Used nothing but craft paints since 1975, love them and feel the "hobby paints" are all marketing. In fact, I know one very popular brand some years back was purchased from cermacoat in bulk and the bottles simply relabeled --- and that's an absolute fact. Buy mid green at wall Mart for 65 cents a bottle, same paint labeled dragon green for four dollars!! I will never stop being amazed at the power of marketing.
Same go's for miniatures.
"a fool and his money shall soon be parted"

Regards
Russ Dunaway

If I use craft paint on figures (mostly because I need a particular shade of color ;-), I'll add a little matte or gloss varnish to it to make it 'stay' after it dries. The more expensive stuff tends to grip better & be a more 'solid' coverage…

Use craft paints mostly. I do avoid the Joanne "economy" paint, it doesn't cover well. For metallic colors I use hobby paint but have bought some rustoleum metallics at Menard's that work well.

Most of the craft paints in the UK are low on pigment and have excessive amounts of filler compared to Vallejo, which is my main 'hobby' paint.

They do vary a lot though and many are purposely transparent but very few cover all that well and some have a semi-gloss finish. Having said that some recent Vallejo have had a glossy finish and poorer coverage than earlier purchases of the same colour.

I use loads of craft paints but almost exclusively for terrain and basing, for models I find them too poor quality.

I use mostly craft paints, but I will buy some Vallejo for some specific uniform colors I need.

I haven't found any advantage in the more expensive paints. I suspect in many a case the only difference is marketing.

As most others have stated, I use craft paints almost exclusively. I paint very simply, no highlights or washes, so they work for me.

See my blog for examples: link

I've found that some of the yellows and reds don't have good initial coverage. But I wait until the first coat dries and then go back over it with a second coat which seems to do the trick.

Jim

I have used craft paints for ten years. I've learned how to use them and get great, tabletop+ results from them.

My terrain painting is all craft paint. For figures, it's mostly Liquitex acrylics with craft paint metallics and leatherwork.

As I have progressed in the hobby, I use fewer craft paints. I am airbrushing more, and its just easier, and I think the hobby brands, while expensive, are a better value. Still, try both and use what works for you – I use everything still.

Depends how good a painter you are.
If you're a wargame's average painter, then use craft paint.
If you're Golden Demon finalist, then go for the good stuff.
Same with brushes.

I use craft paint on all my scenics and terrain.
I only paint 54 mm plastic figures and for that, I use GW's old Warhammer/LOTR paints, which I have a stock of.

The GW paint is far superior to any craft paint. The colors are vibrant and the paint leaves a plastic like sheen on the figures. Which is why I use them.

What are 'craft acrylics'?

Same as GildasFasit,

Cheap UK craft paint is rubbish for miniatures.

I pretty much use Vallejo. Every year I need to buy perhaps four or five new bottles which is hardy going to break the bank. I find them superb for mixing and painting thin coats with great coverage.

I have seen figures painted with visible brush marks remaining and have wondered if these have been painted with artists acrylic which typically have more body and less pigment that say Vallejo.

@Timmo uk

Really? I thought artist acrylic would have more pigment, not less?

With few exceptions I use craft paint for everything including airbrushing. I always thin with distilled water, flow improver and Matt medium I keep premixed in a bottle. Flesh tones I use Vallejo. People always compliment My work and I've done commissions for friends.

Vallejo do a limited range of larger bottled paints (60ml) called "Arte Deco".
link
…a good way of obtaining larger amounts of the basic colours economically.

I use both. I build a lot of terrain and use craft paints for this. I also use craft paints for some basing of figures.

But proper paints (GW, Reaper, Foundry, Vallejo, etc) are much better for figure painting, at least in my hands. The amount of pigmentation and coverage is so much better that with craft paints.

I've found that some of the yellows and reds don't have good initial coverage. But I wait until the first coat dries and then go back over it with a second coat which seems to do the trick.

Try GW or Vallejo for your red. You'll be surprised at their coverage. Yellow is always a problem. It covers well under a white primer, but will need more coats over anything else.

Vallejo do a limited range of larger bottled paints (60ml) called "Arte Deco".

Wow, and they have them for 50% off here in Canada. Has anyone had any experience with them?

My paint drawer looks like a nightmare out of a Lovecraft story. But, as I said earlier on another board I have transitioned nearly 100% to water based acrylics for price, $.50 USD per 2oz. for craft acrylics vs $1.50 USD and up for less than 1oz. of modeling enamels. They are also easier to clean, easier to mix custom colors, and you are less likely to get contact dermatitis from using them and needing to clean your hand with harsh chemicals. I still use some small quantities of specialty paints for specific and limited applications.

My brand comes from Wally World (Wal-Mart for you urban troubadours), $.50 USD per 2oz. Apple Barrel is the brand name. Limited selection of pre-packaged colors, unlimited range of custom mixes. Find the color mix you like, get some cheap plastic bottles and mix a goodly quantity.

Craft paints are perfectly good for miniatures. Following the same principles as miniature paints: make sure you thin them a bit and use thin coats.

I've used craft paints of many brands on terrain as well as expensive resin buildings from like Tabletop World. Craft paints work FABULOUSLY on them. Over a primer they work as well as any miniature paint I've used.

Craft paints work great for drybrushing over things like rocks and stonework on buildiings and castles, etc.

Here's a Tabletop World building, windmill and several other resin buildings I did in 2016. This was done with 100% craft paints from Walmart and Michaels craft store.

More photos:

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Don't let any "advanced painter" tell you that craft paints will glop up and ruin a model. That's an absolute myth! They're saying that because they've probably never tried to use them on a model. You can glop up and ruin a model's detail with expensive model paints as much as you can with cheap, craft paints. Just depends on how you use them.

Terrain, basing, and drybrushing. Get yourself a good range of browns, at least. If you have dungeon terrain, get some grays.

I have enough frustration with miniatures that I don't use craft paint for them. Hobby paints have a higher pigmentation density than craft paints, so you can do advanced tabletop techniques like glazing, blending, etc. Many also have flow improver, so you don't have to prep your paints with mediums before painting. Also, you use so little that the additional paint in craft paint is unnecessary.

Army Painter's washes are their Inks in the eye droppers. Very good for quicker painting.

The first figures I ever painted were done using Sherwin Williams pint cans of primary colors over 60 years ago. Since then I've used very thing I could think of. Today I use the craft store paints and enjoy what I get from them. I will say that you do need to learn how to use them. The best paint is the artist oils, there is so mush more that can be done with them. But when painting a couple of hundred figures it just takes too long.

use some craft paints, problem is lack of military colors (i deal in ww2/modern vehicles /equipment /aircraft
has anyone done a comparsion of paint/mix guide for above?