Are Citadel Contrast paints/ Army Painter Speedpaints worth it?

I'm in the midst of doing a re haul/repaint of my lizardmen and am currently looking at Contrast/Speedpaints as a way to expedite my efforts. Has anyone here used them? Any recommendations, critiques or commentary regarding their efficacy?

 

@Lord-Marcus is an expert at using Contrast paints, don't know if anyone has used Speedpaints here.

 

I am doing my whole lizardman project using speedpaints. Totally worth it, check my blog here on site. They work better than contrasts and are cheaper. Reactivation can be tricky, but is easily avoidable.

 

Contrast works fine, but you have to understand it.

There are two to 3 pigment consistencies. You will get 2-3 different results based on that.

the new glacier paint is a good example. it's designed to go over white and pre-highlights, to make it look like the object you are painting is ice.

It consequently has a lower pigmentation and you are not going to get good coverage over it.

Same thing with athermatic blue, which is more of a glaze.

Then you have the heavier pigmentations, like cygor brown.

finally, with some of the newer paints, they are really high coverage and pigmentation, but they are mostly opaque and that tends to make them come out with their own look.

Lets start with a saurus warrior.

What color scheme do you want to use? I can provide suggestions and use examples. - replies may be limited due to the holiday in the short term -.

 

The thing is, my planned color scheme has my saurus being much darker in color than the skinks, so I think painting them via layering is what I'm going to do there. The main part of my army I was thinking of using Contrast or Speedpaints for would be my skinks, being as between the 6th and 5th edition minis, I think there's between 70-80 skinks in my collection, at minimum. I was going to go for mid to lighter greens on the skinks.

 

That will be perfectly fine, then.

Start with a tan basecoat. I use Rust-Oleum camo khaki primer.

Then choose a shade. Striking Scorpion will be a tad more on the yellow side.

 

How well do they work with the rest of the Army Painter range?

 

I have no idea. For standart paints, my choice is vallejo, but it should be fine for undercoat and reactivation is the same with all acrylics as it is caused by moisture, not specific brand formula.

 

In what context? Mixing, glazing?

 

color comparison, mixing.

 

In speaking about contrast with gw paints.

1. Don't mix. They are different mediums, and should be used differently. You could apply them over a lighter color, like flesh tearers contrast over a brick-red color. I don't see why you would.

Color comparisons, I'd Google a swatch chart for contrast and compare with the effects you get from regular paint.

 

I found a few videos that seem helpful. Going to post them for the benefit of others.