Twenty days ago I posted my introduction for this experiment here: link
Over just four paint sessions since that time, I completed the final 39th figure yesterday. (I've since found another 10 figs that I can whip out with similar good results and low effort.)
My basic take is that Contrast paints are great for minis that are to be primarily one color. Anything complicated like straps and complex uniforms are probably a bridge too far if speed is your goal.
I primed with the Grayseer primer, used the brush-on Grayseer for touch ups and only three Contrast colors: Aethermatic Blue, Templar Black and Basilicanum Gray. I used a few other paints for the minimal detail work like eyes, a few highlights here and there and the bases.
You can see all 29 entries here (I grouped identical figures or collectively packaged figures into one entry): link
And to get a sense of the quality range I achieved – here are the two I'm least satisfied with:
and
followed by some of the better ones:
and
and
with all the entries being somewhere in between.
The actual painting of the figures themselves was probably less then three hours, but with cleaning, basing and drying it took quite a bit longer.
As for applying the paint itself – I didn't dip, nor did I do much brush stroking like painting, but rather I dabbed it on and spread the puddle around a bit. Stroking it makes the resulting color too thin and heavy application gives you very dark results. I had to move quickly with it as going over any part that had started to dry doubled up the pigment darkening it even further.
Like any tool, Contrast paints serve a role and it just takes figuring out what works best.
I should note that I don't think it's correct that any primer will do. Where I had to touch up parts that were not primed perfectly, I got really odd results when I put Contrast over it. I called those out where they occurred. Changes in surface tension can give you a corresponding change to the finished model – things I hadn't noticed until they had dried.
Also, a second coat (of at least the colors I used) will darken things up a lot – so be careful.
Enough blather – check them out and tell me what you think.