Getting into 40k painting, trying to save a buck and heard that using contrast medium with normal acrylics essentially works the same as contrast paints, although im kinda stuck. I do zenithal highlights on my models but when i apply the "contrast" paints, it goes on really thick. Obviously I figure that I need to thin the paint down more, but thats where I get stuck. Do I add more contrast medium or do I add water to the mix?
#Contrast medium to make contrast paints
short yacht
Or to that point, I know contrast is recommended once you do zenithal highlights however I also hear you can just thin out normal acrylics with water/thinner and get similar results?
wise hearth
I would say try both and you'll see the difference for yourself. Thin a contrast paint with water and it loses its "contrast" effect compared to just adding water to a normal acrylic paint.
The "contrast effect" (whatever we should call this) pushes pigments more homogeneously in the paint that water does.
A paint with a lot of water is a wash, and that's what I'd use as a reference to see what results you can expect.
So pragmatic summary: stick to (mostly) contrast medium if you want to learn that. It's probably the easy way forward.
You can use a wash (normal or contrast paint thinned with water) to reinforce shadows after if you find them lacking, but I doubt you'll want to at first. At first, focus on getting color only where you want it, and over a full area of the mini, not leaving any "unpainted" parts.
That would be my advice.
Also, as always for all of us: paint more, think less 😄 😄
I wish you fun with your painting
short yacht
True that, sometimes just gotta experiment, practice is the best teacher. Thanks!
woeful badge
I don't paint with a lot of contrast, but the thing that makes them (and washes) pool different than a normal thinned with water paint is a surfactant (surface tension breaker).
You can buy a big bottle of this from an art store, sold as acrylic flow-aid. It's often sold concentrated, so you get to dilute it before even adding to the paint. As for the ratio to add to the paint, that's for you to experiment with to get what you want.