I paint exclusively with Liquitex and have picked up a few pointers and criticizm along the way: 1. If you don't like Satin (I HATE shine of the satin), then I strongly suggest "Ultra Matte Medium" from Liquitex. It's an additive you mix in that does such a good job removing the shine, it's good enough for things like dry skin or clothes. Absolutely phenomenal. It's like you're painting a flat layer it's so good. 2. I found the paint tends to dry somewhat quickly for me, however they also sell "Slow-Dri Medium" and "Slow-Dri Fluid Additive." The difference is what degree it thins out the paint (fluid additive pretty much dissolves the paint in to a liquid, which is useful in some cases). This allows for spectacular thin applications, but isn't perfect. 3. When using Liquitex, I noticed if you don't thin it with water enough and brush over the same bumps/ridges, you risk causing "cake clumping" of paint. A slighly damp brush can usually fix this. This is where I'd suggest adding a little Slow-Dri to any mix. Just be careful. 4. Liquitex does fade in to a color change (sometimes). As a rule of thumb, I usually paint with more contrasting colors than I would had I painted on canvas, but use a low-setting on a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. If you want a true representation of the final color, wait 24 hours. This has its ups and downs: Ups in that over many days you'll achieve a subtle color change which with many layers, will give it spectacular realism. Downs? It takes many days to do, distorts real color expectations, and is somewhat impractical for multiples of the same figures. Me personally, I paint one figure, then sell it as a stand alone piece of art online. So I'm willing to put in the extra effort, and actually enjoy the challenge of getting unique color combinations. It takes practice. I tend to use a "brigher" color than I normally would with the expectation that it'll dull out over a day to what I want. 5. When painting, I suggest buying the cheapest, biggest "experimental" figures you can find, spray on a thin layer of matte primer as a base. Add a base color over that of Liquitex, then completely paint over that. Finally with the big figures, test out color combinations using different colors to see how it looks. This is also a great way to try out additives, like ultra gloss additives, mixing colors, and other things to experiment. If your "experimental" figure doesn't look like a rainbow of random colors and messy effects by the time you're done, then you're not doing it right. 6. Try applying the paint somewhat wet. You can add it dry (not talking about the dry brushing technique, just regular dry painting on), but be careful of "pulling" the paint off a still wet undercoat, creating a weird spot of bright colors, then revelaing undercoat. If I see this, I paint it again with a base color, completely dry with a hair dryer, then slowly add more color fades underneath it. Takes practice. 7. The biggest issue is fine details like eyes, which can be smaller than a millimeter on some figures! For this, I suggest a very tiny brush (20/0), or these "Colour Shaper Royal Sovereign" rubber brushes that allow for extreme control of paint application (but unfortunately usually only one solid color application, and not blending). So applying freckles is easiest with something like this. Best of all, you can use an exacto knife to cut apart an old one, making even smaller tips for finer details. Thanks for explaining the pigment contents and other details like the opascity square. Good stuff.
weird question, i have airbrushed minatures, will the acrylic paints (if I match pigments) come out the same colour/shine/tone? Do they match well? I use napthol crimson through an airbrush, wanting to kow which acrylic I have to buy. soft/heavy/gouche etc...
About time mini painters learn this. If they learned to mix paints with RBY/CMYK white and burnt sienna would make every natural color they would need and save money. Hell if they want matte paint tell them to use liquitex acrylic gouache the pigment build in those paints are awesome too. Great Video.
I've slowly learned to embrace the satin finish as I get to paint on larger scale and busts, places like hair and skin when satin just bring more life to your piece!
Thank you for this video. I'm looking at beginning my journey into miniature collecting/painting, so it's nice to know the paints I already have and use will work here as well. A lot of answers online for if you can use regular acrylic paint for minis seemed to assume craft paints, so seeing Liquitex at work was very helpful to me. I appreciate it!
Re lightfastness "Since most of these are based on hundreds of years, other than fluorescents, it's not something we have to worry about." I mostly paint with art supplies these days (mostly in oils) and I'm starting to get pretty familiar with nitty gritty of pigments and I'm gonna warn you about one specific common pigment that you really do need to worry about PR83 Alizarin crimson. It's lightfastness just sucks. There has been some pretty interesting testing on it. The short version is basically that if it sees daylight for an hour per day for just a year, it's going to noticeably fade. The pigment is especially fugitive when it's used thinly in tints and washes, which tbh, is exactly what we're most concerned with in the miniature painting world. Admittedly, this is probably less of an issue if you just keep your miniatures in a dark box when you're not using them. However, this pigment is a real problem if you're ever going to put them on a display shelf that gets exposed to *any* daylight. Unfortunately, it's a wildly popular pigment in the art supply world. It's a pretty traditional choice to use as a primary red and older painters teach newer painters that it should be used so the art supply companies supply it. Just don't use this one. These days, there's better alternatives that are meant to cover this specific problem. Look for pigments named 'Permanent Crimson', 'Permanent Alizarin', 'Alizarin Crimson Hue', or some other variation on those naming themes. Also, I'm going to drop a quick note here. When an art supply is talking about 'centuries', it means in museum conditions. That means *no* sunlight exposure. A century of museum conditions is *roughly* equivalent to about 3 months of outdoor sunlight exposure (sunlight varies by location, season, etc). What it means in practical terms inside your house is *highly* variable by the amount of sun the particular room gets and what lights you're using and etc and etc.
I've been moving more and more to artist grade paints. I just like the consistency in color. I know that from one batch of Liquitex or Golden is going to be IDENTICAL to any other batch and that goes a long way, in my book.
I agree fully, ever since I've been painting with single pigment paints Ala Khimera, I only ever go to blends when feeling lazy like with Bone Colours. The satin finish is the only thing that really bugs me and if I had the resources, I'd make my own brand of paint that was Heavy body, Single Pigment, Matte, and Slow Dry. The problem is I've dreamt about this so much that I can even picture the name, tube design, and cap. But alas, I'm not big enough for that kinda thing yet..:P
@@PaintmanJourneying I mix in a bit of matte medium and that seems to cut it down a bit. Obviously, everyone has different preference for finish, but that's what works for me. Also, I'd buy that paint! 😊
I don’t know about slow dry, but Golden just kind of recently (within this year, I think) came out with some paints called “SoFlat Matte” that are incredibly matte and dry without any texture. They are incredible
I love liquitex its just a great brand the way the paint flows, mix and color vibrancy to me is noticeably better than most and cost wise I think is a winner. A tube of liquitex will go a long way for mini paining. I started simply because that was what I had from a college art class, but it seems youtube would have been a better education for color theory and paint characteristics. It is nice to see someone else who likes them because I was not sure if I was going the right route. I will be experimenting with some of their mediums and other types which also is really nice to know from hard body, to inks are all chemically the same polymers as well as pigments so it makes for a wide variety of options that will all have the same characteristics. I just w they also had some good primers (I have not tried their rattle can stuff) as I use mainly 1/72 historical minis and they can be a tricky thing to get right being a softer plastic. but I think liquitex does make for a good skin once applied.
This is an incredibly helpful video. Thank you for explaining why you used certain colors and painted using certain techniques. It's exactly what I was looking for!
Thanks so much for this video - I just bought heavy bodied single pigment acrylics for almost all the exact reasons you point out, but was so nervous as I’m really not an expert on paint. Seeing you go over it all was SUPER helpful, and I feel way better about my purchase now. All the best!
The one added advantage I've discovered since this video is that when you learn to mix your own colours it also takes up far less desk space 😸 You might not have the pretty walls of paint like everyone else but eavything will be in a very quick arms reach :D
also if you feel comfortable blending, you don't even need as many colors. artist paints are versatile (i can paint other stuff with them too), consistent pigment qualtiy and not as overpriced. you can even share them in old model paint pots or fotofilm tubes. i don't get people buying miniature colors other than they have been drinking the industries coolade.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with real paints. Color theory and paint mixing could count as their own hobby so your insights are invaluable. That and it irks me to no end that companies hide paint info to prop up their proprietization of art. Go ahead and make named paints and sell the ease of paint by number, but don't hide critical information because it threatens your hold on a market.
Ever since I started using Liquitex for my videos it's become scary just how second nature colour mixing can be. Bone and Khaki used to be these secret recipes that if a company ever stopped selling them they'd be impossible to reproduce. Then I mixed some Umbers into white...and I have bone and Khaki. The only thing I really miss though is the matte of the other brands I use, ya I can do it after with a varnish, but there's something about painting in matte that just feels different which is what I loved about Scale Artist colours, I just wish they had more single pigments in the lineup.
Thanks very much! I've actaully started using the Liquitex for all my videos now since then. Because I think the colours will just be more relatable to people as single pigment.
@@PaintmanJourneying Will do! Maybe a video on mixing/painting different TMM metallics? Example: I'm going to try and combine some of these tips on painting black with the tips you gave in the Dwarf metallic vid to put together metallic black armour pieces.
That point about the satin finish is actually a big one. I really do not like to glaze over matte or ultra matte finishes, these feel to me like they literally drink the water from my brush and take pigments more often than not as corse lumps in unintended spots. I varnish between steps with a cheap satin varnish and I always enjoy painting over that more than over the matte surface
Mix your own thinner with flow improver and drying retarder: In one litre or quart of distilled water, mix ~ 7 drops (to taste) each of rinse aid (used with dishwashers) and vegetable glycerin/glycerol (it's used for making soap, on "smoke" machines, and for other uses, you can buy it at any chemist's in litre/quart bottles, or you can get a much smaller bottles).
Have been in the hobby since 1971; have painted with Artist oils, acrylics, craft paint acrylic and most lines of hobby paint: there is no issue with durability with craft paint (especially) or Artist acrylics or oils - especially if sealed/varnished correctly.
I have bought and tried to many paints. I wish there were more useful guides like this. I too weary of shaking tiny bottles of paint. I also find that I prefer a more satin finish, and I noticed an increased durability to the finish on a mini I had painted with heavy bodied acrylics. I think I'm switching to just the heavy acrylics for the future. Now...what to do with all my OTHER paints lol. Edit, also I subscribed👍👍
Thank you for this video. Have you tried not thinning and painting at tube consistency? There's enough pigment that you can really work the paint and it doesn't flow into unwanted areas. I like to use a flat brush (maybe a bright) and can either skim surfaces or work the bristles to fill crevices.
I did in another video actually, one about basecoats. I tested basecoats at different consistencies. Right from the tube was one of them. Unfortunately I live in a pretty dry climate so spreadability becomes a bit of an issue when I'm not using some medium or slow dry because it dries as I try to spread it around. But that does make it really good for drybrushing and one swipe layering right from the tube...except my Burnt Umber, it's really sticky if I don't thin it for some reason.
This video was way too good for the amount of views it has. I've been searching for a video like this for a long time. Also, have you tried the liquitex soft body paints? I can't decide which I want.
I don't quite have the budget to have tried them myself, but I feel like they'd be a little more familiar to miniature painters since pretty much every single dedicated miniatures line is a soft body or fluid acrylic. I think the biggest difference between them and the heavy body is you'd be able to use them right from the bottle without needing to thin them much or at all but will require shaking, and are also a lot bigger than most miniatures paint pots so they'd take up a lot of room on the desk, but I mean that does mean you have way more paint right ;)
@@PaintmanJourneying cool thanks for the quick reply. I'm gonna get the softbody kit and see from there. I skimmed through some of your other videos and I think it's criminal your not at 10k subs yet (I see its only been 8 months but thats why Im not saying 100k). Happy Thanksgiving
I think that'll be a good start and really if you get used to mixing I only use about 18 colours total for most my projects now a days so can be cheaper overall than a full 48-60 pot set. And thanks for your support! Guess it's just hard for me to get myself out there past all the main stays of miniature painting already out there, but I'll keep working at it :D
Nicely done! I get around the satin finish by mixing some matte medium into my paint, which keeps me from getting the 'matte haze' that can happen with an all over spray finish. Edit for clarity.
I actually do have the Liquitex Matte Varnish, and even that isn't Matte enough for me, but I can't find a bottle of their Ultra Matte Varnish to try x_x I did hit it with a spray from an old can of Testors DullCote after the Video was done which I'll be posting to my instagram, it's a much better finish.
I have been looking for pp who are using artist paints for models or mini, ty for your video. Would you recommend heavy or soft for base coat ( not spray), im also using oil for parts.
Soft body for basecoats if you have access to both as you don't want to thin to much and lose all that opacity. A properly applied soft body basecoat, even without thining, should tighten around the details and not lose any details.
I'd love to see you do a video on jo Sonja paints. I feel like these paints are one of the best kept secrets in the hobby, but you can run into some pitfalls using them. But it seems like more people are trying to move away from the hobby paints (see what James wappel is doing on twitch with oil paints for example) which I don't think you need to get good results, and I think a lot of people are coming to this realization too.
So from what I can tell by just limited research online is that they're kind of a heavy matte acrylic in the same vein as Acrylic Gouache's. I've not used Jo Sonja, but I do have some Turner Acrylic Gouache and I'm wondering if they might be the same kind of idea. Really pigment dense and super matte. In which case I would be able to do something with the Turner Acrylic Gouache. I would be up for trying the Jo Sonja too if I can ever get a hold of them. I have heard good things. Browsing their colour list, they use quite a lot of blends which would be more familiar to miniature painters.
@@PaintmanJourneying I've been using them for about a year now, but I'm not a very good painter and it took me a while to figure out the best way to use them (after contacting them about the issues I've been having they offered some advice, mainly you need to use either there glaze medium or magic mix product (which is the glaze medium plus an extender) to make the paint more robust to coming off during layering and to thin the paint down. I think I might try to contact them again and see if I can convince them to send you some (and the mediums) to try. I think they would be well positioned to benefit from the trend of people trying to use more artists ranges of paints
That does sound a bit like Turner then, very very very heavy pigment load, which can make transparent layering difficult but basecoats trivial. Though I've only just recently armed myself with an Ultra Matte Medium, I wonder how well they might layer if I add some of that to them. hmmm the plot thickens :D
@@PaintmanJourneying My contact at Jo Sonja said they got a hold of you and are sending you some paint! Let me know if have any questions on it and I'll see if I can help
Indeed he has, he's already answered a bunch of question and I had a look over their website as well, so now I already have all sorts of plans of what I'd like to test and try to show them off :D
Hello, great video. I have been looking into getting artist acrylic paints for miniatures, out of curiosity for liquitex heavy body do you use a medium or water to thin the paint before use?
I generally use a Matte Medium to thin, but also make it more matte as Liquitex are Satin in finish. Some of them are pretty thick so I always do some thinning with Liquitex. However for a quick bit of colour somewhere water works just fine too, there's plenty of binder in the liquitex for that.
@@PaintmanJourneying Thanks for your reply, it was very helpful. I will probably get a Liquitex basics set with satin medium as I do like the extra durability for tabletop models
@@dingoeater5576 There is a difference between the ones I'm using here and the Basics line. In the Basics line they're a student grade which means they have a little less pigment density than the Heavy bodies, and dry a little more matte, but are also a bit thinner so don't take as much medium to thin. So while I'm confident they'll work just fine, jut be aware they are different from the ones I was using here :D
I’m using heavy body paints and I’m finding it very difficult to have them at the right consistency. They are either too thick and show brush marks or are very dusty or they are too thin and just seem to form drops and disperse over the model. Any tips?
Sure! So when I thin my heavy bodies, I usually use a Acrylic Thinner or a medium. But if you only have water and a wet pallet, I actually find putting the paints out on the pallet, then closing it for 10+ minutes allows them to sap just the right amount of water into them that they need to be more of a fluid acrylic. The forming drops on your model however might be a totally different problem source as I think you'd have it with normal fluid acrylics too. The source for me when that happens tends to be my primer. If using sprays like GW primer, they've got a Satin sheen to them, and so when they're laid out smooth, water wants to bead up on it. One way to fix it is apply a matte varnish onto it after the primer layer's dried, or after it's dried, give them a quick spray from a bit further away, so to leave a fine little dust layer that prevents the water from beading. Or when it comes to grabbing your next can of primer, look for one that has a matte finish. I've used Krylon Matte before and it worked for me, and you can get those from walmarts and home depots :D
@@PaintmanJourneying Perfect thank you so much, I also suspected it was my primer and that fixed that side. I definitely think that got rid of most of the problems. Thank you so much!
There is a few differences, Basics is a Student Grade paint line. So a little less pigment in the binder, but is also a bit smoother and not as heavy body as the heavy bodies, as well being a little more matte than the heavy bodies. I've not has the opportunity to test them myself so these are from the accounts of other's who have told me about their trials with them. They also don't contain and lead based pigments so should be completely safe for miniatures use. The reduction in pigment shouldn't have any effect on layering or other techniques but might make basecoats on black need another layer for normally opaque pigments. My theory is they're about the same pigment ratio as Army painter at the very least and don't contain fillers like hobby paints, so really should work just fine, or at the very least be a great inexpensive option even if not the top of the line.
I wonder how much is actually GW's push vs RUclipsrs just knowing GW content gets clicks. I've got to the point where I don't trust paints without pigment codes on the paint labels, and they seems really glossy, like way more than satin. Green Stuff world just put out their version of Contrast called 'Dipping Inks' and I got one bottle to try out, 60ml bottles for $6US, if it wasn't for how much weight they add to shipping I'd have got them all, even if they're only half as great, they're half the cost for 4x as much.
@@PaintmanJourneying In the case of the single pigment contrasts the wording was almost across the board the same. Either they were given lines to use or its what it says in the GW marketing nonsense and they all decided to parrot it.
I paint exclusively with Liquitex and have picked up a few pointers and criticizm along the way:
1. If you don't like Satin (I HATE shine of the satin), then I strongly suggest "Ultra Matte Medium" from Liquitex. It's an additive you mix in that does such a good job removing the shine, it's good enough for things like dry skin or clothes. Absolutely phenomenal. It's like you're painting a flat layer it's so good.
2. I found the paint tends to dry somewhat quickly for me, however they also sell "Slow-Dri Medium" and "Slow-Dri Fluid Additive." The difference is what degree it thins out the paint (fluid additive pretty much dissolves the paint in to a liquid, which is useful in some cases). This allows for spectacular thin applications, but isn't perfect.
3. When using Liquitex, I noticed if you don't thin it with water enough and brush over the same bumps/ridges, you risk causing "cake clumping" of paint. A slighly damp brush can usually fix this. This is where I'd suggest adding a little Slow-Dri to any mix. Just be careful.
4. Liquitex does fade in to a color change (sometimes). As a rule of thumb, I usually paint with more contrasting colors than I would had I painted on canvas, but use a low-setting on a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. If you want a true representation of the final color, wait 24 hours. This has its ups and downs: Ups in that over many days you'll achieve a subtle color change which with many layers, will give it spectacular realism. Downs? It takes many days to do, distorts real color expectations, and is somewhat impractical for multiples of the same figures.
Me personally, I paint one figure, then sell it as a stand alone piece of art online. So I'm willing to put in the extra effort, and actually enjoy the challenge of getting unique color combinations. It takes practice. I tend to use a "brigher" color than I normally would with the expectation that it'll dull out over a day to what I want.
5. When painting, I suggest buying the cheapest, biggest "experimental" figures you can find, spray on a thin layer of matte primer as a base. Add a base color over that of Liquitex, then completely paint over that. Finally with the big figures, test out color combinations using different colors to see how it looks. This is also a great way to try out additives, like ultra gloss additives, mixing colors, and other things to experiment. If your "experimental" figure doesn't look like a rainbow of random colors and messy effects by the time you're done, then you're not doing it right.
6. Try applying the paint somewhat wet. You can add it dry (not talking about the dry brushing technique, just regular dry painting on), but be careful of "pulling" the paint off a still wet undercoat, creating a weird spot of bright colors, then revelaing undercoat. If I see this, I paint it again with a base color, completely dry with a hair dryer, then slowly add more color fades underneath it. Takes practice.
7. The biggest issue is fine details like eyes, which can be smaller than a millimeter on some figures! For this, I suggest a very tiny brush (20/0), or these "Colour Shaper Royal Sovereign" rubber brushes that allow for extreme control of paint application (but unfortunately usually only one solid color application, and not blending). So applying freckles is easiest with something like this. Best of all, you can use an exacto knife to cut apart an old one, making even smaller tips for finer details.
Thanks for explaining the pigment contents and other details like the opascity square. Good stuff.
Should I get ultra Matte gel or fluid?
Thanks for all the additional tips! I appreciate you taking the time to share what you have learned.
Thank thank you thank you. I have bought Liquitex Pro Inks and several mediums - all to be delivered. Your tips are invaluable.
weird question, i have airbrushed minatures, will the acrylic paints (if I match pigments) come out the same colour/shine/tone? Do they match well? I use napthol crimson through an airbrush, wanting to kow which acrylic I have to buy. soft/heavy/gouche etc...
About time mini painters learn this. If they learned to mix paints with RBY/CMYK white and burnt sienna would make every natural color they would need and save money. Hell if they want matte paint tell them to use liquitex acrylic gouache the pigment build in those paints are awesome too. Great Video.
I've slowly learned to embrace the satin finish as I get to paint on larger scale and busts, places like hair and skin when satin just bring more life to your piece!
You can add flow aid and matte medium to those heavy body paints to get something that more approximates most purpose made mini paints.
Which are both things I quite often add to fluid Acrylics too, but with the heavy bodies I at least get to skip the shaking step :D
Im just glad theres still painters that use paints other than Citadel, speed paints, etc.
Thank you for this video. I'm looking at beginning my journey into miniature collecting/painting, so it's nice to know the paints I already have and use will work here as well. A lot of answers online for if you can use regular acrylic paint for minis seemed to assume craft paints, so seeing Liquitex at work was very helpful to me. I appreciate it!
Re lightfastness "Since most of these are based on hundreds of years, other than fluorescents, it's not something we have to worry about."
I mostly paint with art supplies these days (mostly in oils) and I'm starting to get pretty familiar with nitty gritty of pigments and I'm gonna warn you about one specific common pigment that you really do need to worry about
PR83 Alizarin crimson. It's lightfastness just sucks. There has been some pretty interesting testing on it. The short version is basically that if it sees daylight for an hour per day for just a year, it's going to noticeably fade. The pigment is especially fugitive when it's used thinly in tints and washes, which tbh, is exactly what we're most concerned with in the miniature painting world. Admittedly, this is probably less of an issue if you just keep your miniatures in a dark box when you're not using them. However, this pigment is a real problem if you're ever going to put them on a display shelf that gets exposed to *any* daylight.
Unfortunately, it's a wildly popular pigment in the art supply world. It's a pretty traditional choice to use as a primary red and older painters teach newer painters that it should be used so the art supply companies supply it. Just don't use this one. These days, there's better alternatives that are meant to cover this specific problem. Look for pigments named 'Permanent Crimson', 'Permanent Alizarin', 'Alizarin Crimson Hue', or some other variation on those naming themes.
Also, I'm going to drop a quick note here. When an art supply is talking about 'centuries', it means in museum conditions. That means *no* sunlight exposure. A century of museum conditions is *roughly* equivalent to about 3 months of outdoor sunlight exposure (sunlight varies by location, season, etc). What it means in practical terms inside your house is *highly* variable by the amount of sun the particular room gets and what lights you're using and etc and etc.
thank you now I do not have unrealistic expectations, but also can take precautions.
I've been moving more and more to artist grade paints. I just like the consistency in color. I know that from one batch of Liquitex or Golden is going to be IDENTICAL to any other batch and that goes a long way, in my book.
I agree fully, ever since I've been painting with single pigment paints Ala Khimera, I only ever go to blends when feeling lazy like with Bone Colours. The satin finish is the only thing that really bugs me and if I had the resources, I'd make my own brand of paint that was Heavy body, Single Pigment, Matte, and Slow Dry. The problem is I've dreamt about this so much that I can even picture the name, tube design, and cap. But alas, I'm not big enough for that kinda thing yet..:P
@@PaintmanJourneying I mix in a bit of matte medium and that seems to cut it down a bit. Obviously, everyone has different preference for finish, but that's what works for me.
Also, I'd buy that paint! 😊
@@PaintmanJourneying Sounds like a perfect Kickstarter idea :)
I don’t know about slow dry, but Golden just kind of recently (within this year, I think) came out with some paints called “SoFlat Matte” that are incredibly matte and dry without any texture. They are incredible
I love liquitex its just a great brand the way the paint flows, mix and color vibrancy to me is noticeably better than most and cost wise I think is a winner. A tube of liquitex will go a long way for mini paining. I started simply because that was what I had from a college art class, but it seems youtube would have been a better education for color theory and paint characteristics. It is nice to see someone else who likes them because I was not sure if I was going the right route. I will be experimenting with some of their mediums and other types which also is really nice to know from hard body, to inks are all chemically the same polymers as well as pigments so it makes for a wide variety of options that will all have the same characteristics. I just w they also had some good primers (I have not tried their rattle can stuff) as I use mainly 1/72 historical minis and they can be a tricky thing to get right being a softer plastic. but I think liquitex does make for a good skin once applied.
This is an incredibly helpful video. Thank you for explaining why you used certain colors and painted using certain techniques. It's exactly what I was looking for!
This is the exact information I was looking for! Thank you!
I thin my Liquitex Acrylics In Clead Plastic Jars with
Distilled Water
And a Glass Marble.
I sometimes mix them with Acrylic Craft Paint
Like Folk art
Thanks so much for this video - I just bought heavy bodied single pigment acrylics for almost all the exact reasons you point out, but was so nervous as I’m really not an expert on paint. Seeing you go over it all was SUPER helpful, and I feel way better about my purchase now. All the best!
The one added advantage I've discovered since this video is that when you learn to mix your own colours it also takes up far less desk space 😸 You might not have the pretty walls of paint like everyone else but eavything will be in a very quick arms reach :D
also if you feel comfortable blending, you don't even need as many colors. artist paints are versatile (i can paint other stuff with them too), consistent pigment qualtiy and not as overpriced. you can even share them in old model paint pots or fotofilm tubes. i don't get people buying miniature colors other than they have been drinking the industries coolade.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with real paints. Color theory and paint mixing could count as their own hobby so your insights are invaluable. That and it irks me to no end that companies hide paint info to prop up their proprietization of art. Go ahead and make named paints and sell the ease of paint by number, but don't hide critical information because it threatens your hold on a market.
Ever since I started using Liquitex for my videos it's become scary just how second nature colour mixing can be. Bone and Khaki used to be these secret recipes that if a company ever stopped selling them they'd be impossible to reproduce. Then I mixed some Umbers into white...and I have bone and Khaki.
The only thing I really miss though is the matte of the other brands I use, ya I can do it after with a varnish, but there's something about painting in matte that just feels different which is what I loved about Scale Artist colours, I just wish they had more single pigments in the lineup.
Awesome video. Thanks for going through this!
Thanks very much! I've actaully started using the Liquitex for all my videos now since then. Because I think the colours will just be more relatable to people as single pigment.
Been binging your channel. Thanks for the great content and tips!
Thanks for Watching! If you ever have any ideas for something you want to see don't be shy to let me know.
@@PaintmanJourneying Will do! Maybe a video on mixing/painting different TMM metallics? Example: I'm going to try and combine some of these tips on painting black with the tips you gave in the Dwarf metallic vid to put together metallic black armour pieces.
That point about the satin finish is actually a big one. I really do not like to glaze over matte or ultra matte finishes, these feel to me like they literally drink the water from my brush and take pigments more often than not as corse lumps in unintended spots. I varnish between steps with a cheap satin varnish and I always enjoy painting over that more than over the matte surface
Mix your own thinner with flow improver and drying retarder: In one litre or quart of distilled water, mix ~ 7 drops (to taste) each of rinse aid (used with dishwashers) and vegetable glycerin/glycerol (it's used for making soap, on "smoke" machines, and for other uses, you can buy it at any chemist's in litre/quart bottles, or you can get a much smaller bottles).
Have been in the hobby since 1971; have painted with Artist oils, acrylics, craft paint acrylic and most lines of hobby paint: there is no issue with durability with craft paint (especially) or Artist acrylics or oils - especially if sealed/varnished correctly.
I have bought and tried to many paints. I wish there were more useful guides like this.
I too weary of shaking tiny bottles of paint. I also find that I prefer a more satin finish, and I noticed an increased durability to the finish on a mini I had painted with heavy bodied acrylics.
I think I'm switching to just the heavy acrylics for the future.
Now...what to do with all my OTHER paints lol.
Edit, also I subscribed👍👍
Other paints are still useful for quick airbrush colours when ya need one :D The one thing fluid has of heavy body..they can be doled out in drips XD
Thank you for this video. Have you tried not thinning and painting at tube consistency? There's enough pigment that you can really work the paint and it doesn't flow into unwanted areas. I like to use a flat brush (maybe a bright) and can either skim surfaces or work the bristles to fill crevices.
I did in another video actually, one about basecoats. I tested basecoats at different consistencies. Right from the tube was one of them. Unfortunately I live in a pretty dry climate so spreadability becomes a bit of an issue when I'm not using some medium or slow dry because it dries as I try to spread it around. But that does make it really good for drybrushing and one swipe layering right from the tube...except my Burnt Umber, it's really sticky if I don't thin it for some reason.
Oh man, you deserve more subs.
Getting close to 1000 which is at least a milestone :D
This video was way too good for the amount of views it has. I've been searching for a video like this for a long time.
Also, have you tried the liquitex soft body paints? I can't decide which I want.
I don't quite have the budget to have tried them myself, but I feel like they'd be a little more familiar to miniature painters since pretty much every single dedicated miniatures line is a soft body or fluid acrylic.
I think the biggest difference between them and the heavy body is you'd be able to use them right from the bottle without needing to thin them much or at all but will require shaking, and are also a lot bigger than most miniatures paint pots so they'd take up a lot of room on the desk, but I mean that does mean you have way more paint right ;)
@@PaintmanJourneying cool thanks for the quick reply. I'm gonna get the softbody kit and see from there.
I skimmed through some of your other videos and I think it's criminal your not at 10k subs yet (I see its only been 8 months but thats why Im not saying 100k).
Happy Thanksgiving
I think that'll be a good start and really if you get used to mixing I only use about 18 colours total for most my projects now a days so can be cheaper overall than a full 48-60 pot set.
And thanks for your support! Guess it's just hard for me to get myself out there past all the main stays of miniature painting already out there, but I'll keep working at it :D
Nicely done! I get around the satin finish by mixing some matte medium into my paint, which keeps me from getting the 'matte haze' that can happen with an all over spray finish.
Edit for clarity.
I actually do have the Liquitex Matte Varnish, and even that isn't Matte enough for me, but I can't find a bottle of their Ultra Matte Varnish to try x_x I did hit it with a spray from an old can of Testors DullCote after the Video was done which I'll be posting to my instagram, it's a much better finish.
I have been looking for pp who are using artist paints for models or mini, ty for your video. Would you recommend heavy or soft for base coat ( not spray), im also using oil for parts.
Soft body for basecoats if you have access to both as you don't want to thin to much and lose all that opacity. A properly applied soft body basecoat, even without thining, should tighten around the details and not lose any details.
I'd love to see you do a video on jo Sonja paints. I feel like these paints are one of the best kept secrets in the hobby, but you can run into some pitfalls using them. But it seems like more people are trying to move away from the hobby paints (see what James wappel is doing on twitch with oil paints for example) which I don't think you need to get good results, and I think a lot of people are coming to this realization too.
So from what I can tell by just limited research online is that they're kind of a heavy matte acrylic in the same vein as Acrylic Gouache's.
I've not used Jo Sonja, but I do have some Turner Acrylic Gouache and I'm wondering if they might be the same kind of idea. Really pigment dense and super matte. In which case I would be able to do something with the Turner Acrylic Gouache.
I would be up for trying the Jo Sonja too if I can ever get a hold of them. I have heard good things. Browsing their colour list, they use quite a lot of blends which would be more familiar to miniature painters.
@@PaintmanJourneying I've been using them for about a year now, but I'm not a very good painter and it took me a while to figure out the best way to use them (after contacting them about the issues I've been having they offered some advice, mainly you need to use either there glaze medium or magic mix product (which is the glaze medium plus an extender) to make the paint more robust to coming off during layering and to thin the paint down. I think I might try to contact them again and see if I can convince them to send you some (and the mediums) to try. I think they would be well positioned to benefit from the trend of people trying to use more artists ranges of paints
That does sound a bit like Turner then, very very very heavy pigment load, which can make transparent layering difficult but basecoats trivial.
Though I've only just recently armed myself with an Ultra Matte Medium, I wonder how well they might layer if I add some of that to them. hmmm the plot thickens :D
@@PaintmanJourneying My contact at Jo Sonja said they got a hold of you and are sending you some paint! Let me know if have any questions on it and I'll see if I can help
Indeed he has, he's already answered a bunch of question and I had a look over their website as well, so now I already have all sorts of plans of what I'd like to test and try to show them off :D
Hello, great video. I have been looking into getting artist acrylic paints for miniatures, out of curiosity for liquitex heavy body do you use a medium or water to thin the paint before use?
I generally use a Matte Medium to thin, but also make it more matte as Liquitex are Satin in finish.
Some of them are pretty thick so I always do some thinning with Liquitex.
However for a quick bit of colour somewhere water works just fine too, there's plenty of binder in the liquitex for that.
@@PaintmanJourneying Thanks for your reply, it was very helpful. I will probably get a Liquitex basics set with satin medium as I do like the extra durability for tabletop models
@@dingoeater5576 There is a difference between the ones I'm using here and the Basics line. In the Basics line they're a student grade which means they have a little less pigment density than the Heavy bodies, and dry a little more matte, but are also a bit thinner so don't take as much medium to thin. So while I'm confident they'll work just fine, jut be aware they are different from the ones I was using here :D
Commenting for the sake of the Algorithm.
I’m using heavy body paints and I’m finding it very difficult to have them at the right consistency. They are either too thick and show brush marks or are very dusty or they are too thin and just seem to form drops and disperse over the model. Any tips?
Sure! So when I thin my heavy bodies, I usually use a Acrylic Thinner or a medium. But if you only have water and a wet pallet, I actually find putting the paints out on the pallet, then closing it for 10+ minutes allows them to sap just the right amount of water into them that they need to be more of a fluid acrylic.
The forming drops on your model however might be a totally different problem source as I think you'd have it with normal fluid acrylics too. The source for me when that happens tends to be my primer. If using sprays like GW primer, they've got a Satin sheen to them, and so when they're laid out smooth, water wants to bead up on it. One way to fix it is apply a matte varnish onto it after the primer layer's dried, or after it's dried, give them a quick spray from a bit further away, so to leave a fine little dust layer that prevents the water from beading. Or when it comes to grabbing your next can of primer, look for one that has a matte finish. I've used Krylon Matte before and it worked for me, and you can get those from walmarts and home depots :D
@@PaintmanJourneying Perfect thank you so much, I also suspected it was my primer and that fixed that side. I definitely think that got rid of most of the problems. Thank you so much!
is the same for the Basics line?
There is a few differences, Basics is a Student Grade paint line. So a little less pigment in the binder, but is also a bit smoother and not as heavy body as the heavy bodies, as well being a little more matte than the heavy bodies.
I've not has the opportunity to test them myself so these are from the accounts of other's who have told me about their trials with them.
They also don't contain and lead based pigments so should be completely safe for miniatures use. The reduction in pigment shouldn't have any effect on layering or other techniques but might make basecoats on black need another layer for normally opaque pigments.
My theory is they're about the same pigment ratio as Army painter at the very least and don't contain fillers like hobby paints, so really should work just fine, or at the very least be a great inexpensive option even if not the top of the line.
Awesome channel AND you're a Canuck 🥳
try scale 75 artist range.
Aleady have em all, they're what go me to try more heavy bodies :3
so glad i found you! subscribed whenyou have 999 subscribers so does that mean im 1000th?? :P thanks for the videos looking forward to many more
Wait what? I've been so busy on the next video I haven't been keeping track! *checks* oh wow! I think you probably are then! 🎉
Citadels recent marketing push via youtubers in relation to their new "single pigment" contrast paint is gross.
I wonder how much is actually GW's push vs RUclipsrs just knowing GW content gets clicks. I've got to the point where I don't trust paints without pigment codes on the paint labels, and they seems really glossy, like way more than satin. Green Stuff world just put out their version of Contrast called 'Dipping Inks' and I got one bottle to try out, 60ml bottles for $6US, if it wasn't for how much weight they add to shipping I'd have got them all, even if they're only half as great, they're half the cost for 4x as much.
@@PaintmanJourneying In the case of the single pigment contrasts the wording was almost across the board the same. Either they were given lines to use or its what it says in the GW marketing nonsense and they all decided to parrot it.
In other words, Artist acrylics are for adults! 😂