Paint Brands for Miniature Painting

Acrylic paints are the most common type of paint used in miniature painting. Other paints not only work for miniatures, but are better at some things when it comes to miniature painting. That said, this article will focus on acrylic paints.

Acrylic paint is a coloured pigment suspended in a liquid polymer medium. This make acrylic paint more resistant to constant handling than some other types of paint yet it does not stain things the way a dye would. Wet acrylic paint can be both thinned and cleaned using nothing but water. Dry acrylic paint may be scraped off or cleaned using a degreaser. Acrylic paint dries faster than many other types of paint. There are additives one can purchase to extend the drying time, but this article is not about additives.

The brand most people in the hobby are familiar with is Games Workshop. The paint is available practically anywhere one can buy a Games Workshop model. They are good paints, but expensive. They are easy to work with, come in a wide variety of colours, and dry more quickly than some other brands. It is a solid choice for a primary paint line and for some it is their only option if they do not want to buy all their paint online. The two areas where Games Workshop paints excel compared to other brands is their metallic paint and washes. You can make washes using inks, medium, and water, but this is a much easier solution.

Craft paint is probably the other paint that is easiest to get in the USA. Apple Barrel is the craft paint I have the most experience with. There are many brands out there, but the ones I have used are all fairly similar. Craft paints normally have a lower pigment density than the paints formulated for the miniature painting hobby. They can and do work for miniature painting. They do require extra coaxing however. It takes more passes than other brands of paint to get a smooth transition as the pigment spreads out a lot so can be a little chalky.

These terminators were painted with an Apple Barrel paint as the mid tone for the blues. I have since updated the scheme to use Games Workshop paints as it makes painting the models easier, but if your only option is craft paint then it is possible with extra time and effort.

Coat d'Arms is produced by the same manufacturers as the old Citadel (Games Workshop) paints. They still use the white flip top lid with the old pot. The paint is very similar to the newer Games Workshop lines that came after the contract ended, but does not dry as quickly. This is a great option if you are wanting an out of print paint or ink that Games Workshop no longer carries. For most people Coat d'Arms is an online purchase only, although I hear there are some locations that carry their paint locally. Some of the colours are great, and others not so good. I think a lot of the talk about how reds and yellows are hard to paint are holdovers from when this company was manufacturing the Games Workshop line. Their yellows in particular are extremely streaky and oily. Then again, that can work for you. An old leather formula I used was to streak the yellow over black then wash the area in chestnut ink. I think their inks are a great product.

Rumour is that the same manufacturers of Coat d'Arms also makes Privateer Press' P3 paint line. I do not know if that is true or not, but I have heard it from a few different sources. The pots appear to be made by the same company at least, but the formulas are quite different. P3 consists of a liquid pigment mixed with a liquid medium where most other acrylic paints use a dry pigment suspended in a liquid medium. This means P3 paint is less likely to separate and is easier to mix together when it does. P3 has a longer drying time than most other hobby paints. The most influential individual on how miniatures are painted in the USA (Mike McVey. He was basically the lead on how both Games Workshop and Privateer Press painted their studio models and has written books on the subject) helped develop this line of paints with two brush blending in mind. I love the P3 line. If you are wanting to experiment with two brush blending then it is the easiest line to start with aside from metalic paints which tend to work well no matter the brand. The line is great for blending of any sort really and is slowly becoming my main brand. The paints are also moderately priced for the amount you get. I know some people do not care for their metallic paint. It does go on a little thin, but once you get a few coats built up it is some of the best looking metallic paint out there.

My experience with Vallejo is rather limited. Most of my time spent is with the Game Colour line. I am not the biggest fan of Game Colour. It chalks up more easily than other brands in my experience. The paint is highly resistant to wear after drying however. I hear that Model Colour is a better line of paint for the hobbyist, but is slightly less resistance to wear and tear. I have yet to try Model Colour as Vallejo is not a brand readily available in my area. Both lines are sometimes referred to as a dry paint. They also have a Model Air line. These are paints intended for use with an airbrush straight out of the bottle. The metallics in particular are interesting even if painting with a brush as they tend to use a smaller metallic flake than other metallic paints.

Reaper makes an interesting line of paints. I have more experience with their Master Series Paint HD line than their regular MSP line. I love the MSP HD line. The price is low and there is a lot of pigment in the paints. The MSP line tends to have more additives than other paint lines. The MSP series is exceptional for layering paint and is practically tailor made for doing so. There are some products they carry such as brown liner which are good products that are hard to find an equivalent in other brands. One interesting note is a lot of the MSP line comes in triads. This means you have three colours that are known to work together for shading, mid tones, and highlights. I have heard that the triads are great for those that are colourblind and want to paint their own models. There are colourblind model painters that do exceptional work using the triads. Nobody would know they were colourblind just by looking at their models.

While not an acrylic paint line, Secret Weapon Miniatures makes a line of washes with a lot of versatility. If you want to use a lot of different washes but do not care to make your own then Secret Weapon washes are a great option. Even colours you never thought of using such as Baby Poop have a lot of utility. Secret Weapon Miniatures made me rethink what colours make for workable washes. Secret Weapon washes have stronger pigment than Games Workshop washes and can be thinned if needed.

There are a lot of brands out there aimed at traditional artists. Most of these are much thicker than the paints sold specifically for miniature painting. Many miniature painters work with acrylics thinned almost to the consistency of watercolours. You will need thinning mediums to get most artist's acrylic to a point where it does not clog details on miniatures and not separate entirely. There are a variety of thinners and mediums out there to use. I know Liquitex makes quite a few and you can get a lot for cheap. Golden makes a line of fluid acrylics. You will likely want to still thin it down depending on paint technique being used. I do not recommend artist acrylics for new miniature painters unless that is your only option. It is possible to use artist acrylics, but they tend to require extra prep work where the brands formulated for miniature painting does some of the work for you. Additionally, many acrylic paints are non-toxic. I do not advise it, but if you spend much time in the hobby you may obsrver someone licking their brushes. Artist Acrylics may contain toxic materials for use as a pigment. Between that and the possibility of using other types of paint at some point it is probably not the best idea to add brush licking to your muscle memory while painting.

I think that covers the easiest brands to obtain in the USA. I can not speak on access to paint lines in other countries. I did not cover Andrea Colour as I have no experience with it. I hear good things about the line. They also have some really interesting sets that I keep wanting to try but have yet to do so. For instance, the NMM and Black sets both intrigue me.