Acrylic Paint Question (Long)
Mike
a dead horse with this, but I need some opinions.
I have used enamels throughout my 15 years of miniature figure and model
painting. I am pretty well versed in the medium, and have always enjoyed
the finish and ease of use of enamels, along with their durability. I
both brushed and airbrushed these paints. I mostly used Testors and
Floquil paints, and liked using both.
HOWEVER:
My wife and I have recently purchased a condo that is completely carpeted
and has no basement. Which, as implied by my wife, means: "I don't want
the smell and stuff associated with enamels in our home and I don't want
anything dripped and/or spilled on the carpet that won't come out. I will
kill you if these things occur." She's been really great about dealing
with my hobbies in general, even going to the unheard of lengths of not
caring about my excessive purchases of models an figs throughout the
years. (As an aside, the condo has a TON of closet space. It's going to
take forever to fill them all with unbuilt models!) So I think I can
honor her request and respect her wishes on this one.
I have a Testors spray booth for airbrushing, but you can't escape the
smell of thinner in the air. Cleaning my airbrush requires a lot of
thinner blown through it. (Ch' CHING!) About the only thing I can use
the enamels for is brush painting.
SO,
I'm looking into replacing my enamels with acrylics. That way I figure I
can still use the stupidly expensive spray booth, avoid the unpleasant
smell, and clean all this up with water, which is free! I've read up on
the many surface tension ideas (dishwashing detergent, rubbing alcohol,
etc.) to help with washing, and also checked out other issues with the
paint medium. I am also going to start painting vinyl figures. My
question is:
What opinions do you all have on what paint line/manufacturer is best?
I am looking for a line that has finely ground pigment with excellent
coverage and durability. I want to both brush and airbrush these paints.
I do not want to mix every color I want to paint, as I use the miniatures
for wargaming and they need touch-up from time to time and saving a
acrylic mix is probably impossible. I want a line that has military flats
or at least dries to a flat finish. Price isn't really too much of a
consideration, I will have to get them sporadically but I do eventually
want to completely replace my current collection of enamels. (About 80
different jars.)
I have some Liquitex acrylics I purchased at an art and supply store, but
I really don't want to mix every color I use, and they're really thick.
I looked at the (I believe) Floquil Polly-S acrylics, which have a large
line of colors. I was thinking of these, since I really liked the Floquil
enamels. I've also read about Freak-Flex, Horizon, Model Master, Games
Workshop, Ral Partha, etc…
I'm trying to purchase the best I can, so learning the new medium will be
less frustrating and more enjoyable.
I am looking for a general consensus on what acrylic lines you've used,
how you like them, what made you stay with them, and your overall
impression of them.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any advice you could give would
be greatly appreciated.
--Mike
Andy O'Neill
writes
>I'm looking into replacing my enamels with acrylics. That way I figure I
>can still use the stupidly expensive spray booth, avoid the unpleasant
>smell, and clean all this up with water, which is free! I've read up on
>the many surface tension ideas (dishwashing detergent, rubbing alcohol,
>etc.)
Windscreen wash - the blue stuff you whack in cars.
Isopropyl alcohol and detergent, cheap, in huge bottles.
>to help with washing, and also checked out other issues with the
>paint medium. I am also going to start painting vinyl figures. My
>question is:
>
>
>What opinions do you all have on what paint line/manufacturer is best?
Well, I've wittered previously.
Liquitex, Vallejo/Andrea you can't go wrong with.
Miniature paints do some nice stuff, and are generally good.
I use Inscribe a fair bit for large areas as they're cheap art store
acrylics which come in large squeezy bottles.
For military stuff, Colour party paints are very good for paint brush
application. One of their main attractions (to me) is the kind of
translucent quality, and 'gooey' sort of texture.
The windscreen wash is also good with paint brushes, BTW.
It removes build up of acrylic, well a bit, and the reduction on surface
tension is good for stains and washes.
Buy Winsor Newton ink - Chestnut and Peat.
This can be used by itself or mixed with some acrylic paint, or acrylic
ink for shading and brown-lining.
WN black ain't so good, as it's a different formulation.
Acrylic varnish isn't so good, and the Matte particularly has a tendency
towards milking. Winsor Newton acrylic matte is the best matte of this
sort.
Good luck, and search on dejanews if you maybe want some more words of
(doubtful) O'Neill wisdom.
Andy O'Neill
www.l-25.demon.co.uk/index.htm
Liverpool Wargames Association
www.l-25.demon.co.uk/LWA.htm