Wednesday 18 December 2019

Filthy, Filthy Contrast

So what's all this Contrast Paint I've been hearing about?

Start Collecting! Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k
He's holding a snowball.
This makes the hundreds of snow bases all worthwhile.

So Contrast Paints are the new flavour of the month (that month being July, but I've never been quick off the mark) and they can apparently transform grey plastic into tabletop armies with a mere flick of the brush. Let's find out!

Plaguebearers - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

Even before I bought my first pot, I knew they weren't going to match up with my existing colour schemes. So that meant only one thing - start a new army!

(say ... you don't think that was GW's plan all along...)

Plaguebearers - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

Daemonic allies could come in useful for my heretic forces, even if I don't go full-blown daemon, so I grabbed some Start Collecting! boxes and set to work.

Plaguebearers - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

The first expenditure is the base coat - apparently you have to use a special kind of primer for these (which doesn't half stink when applying it) - and it has to cover everything, since you can't rely on the next stage to cover up any gaps. Having done so, I reckon some basic white primer would do the job, and for less expense.

Plaguebearers - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

Once that's done, though, it's easy enough to slap the Contrast on (I reckon Plaguebearers are the easiest of Easy Mode for Contrast). And because the layer was so thin, I could also go over areas with washes to change the colour (Carroburg Crimson over Plaguebearer Flesh makes a great 'rotting intestines' look).

Plaguebearers - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k
These three are the Plague Drone 'jockeys'.
I preferred the flies without riders.

I used Wraithbone as a the primer, since that is the 'warmer' of the two whites.
  • Flesh: Plaguebearer Flesh contrast, Nurgling Green drybrush
  • Horns and buboes: Nazdreg Yellow contrast
  • Swords and banner: Screaming Bell base, Typhus Corrosion wash, Nihilakh oxide
  • Intestines: Plaguebearer Flesh contrast, Carroburg Crimson wash

Poxbringer - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

For the Nurglings, I split the three bases, since you can so easily get six from them. Same basic colours as the Plaguebearers, but I played around adding washes of Seraphim Sepia and Militarum Green Contrast for some variety.

Nurglings - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

The only slight stumble was the Plague Drones. These are considerably bigger than the other models, with large smooth surfaces, basically like armour, and it's not the strong point for Contrast. 

  • Wings: Snakebite Leather
  • Carapace: Gor-Grunta Fur
  • Flesh: Plaguebearer Flesh
  • Claws: Militarum Green

There was some pooling with the paint, and I had to hand them as crazy angles while they dried. Luckily with Nurgle, you can get away with most things.

Plague Drones - Nurgle Daemons painted with Citadel Contrast for Warhammer 40k

So that's a whole batch of Nurgle daemons finished. they were absurdly quick to paint, and I'm happy with the finished effect.

The reason they've waited from July until now to get posted on the blog is that, unlike my other models, these guys need to be varnished to get properly finished (I'm reliably informed that Contrast is so thin, compared to acrylic, that it will quickly rub off to the touch).

So not only did I have to get varnish (I've sworn off the stuff for years - although the Testors Ardcoat seems pretty good), I then had to wait for an suitable day to spray outside, and wait for a gap in my painting/priming queue - so that's a mark against Contrast paints. I much prefer a model to be done as soon as I've slapped on the base.

Still, it's a beginning. And there's more adventures with Contrast to come!

10 comments:

  1. Those are very effective! I might have to do some Christmas shopping, give contrast a try.

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    1. I'd check what the online chatter is about various paints - some are better than others. I certainly recommend all four of the above Contrasts to have in your toolbox - I use them all the time here and there.

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  2. I'm impressed! And I have 30 unpainted Plaguebearers and 6 bases of Nurglings (I hadn't thought of splitting them up onto multiple bases - I'll look at doing that for the unassembled ones)...

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    1. The advantage of breaking them up is not just economy, but each base looks unique too.
      Think about Contrast for the Plaguebearers. You could have the lot done in a couple of evenings.

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  3. These look great, what Contrast was made for, Daemons. I’m looking forward to doing some like you, I’ll look forward to the relative speed. As for spray varnish, Army Painter Matt Spray Varnish has never ‘fogged’ like the GW Purity Seal did.

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    1. Thanks, I'll look into that.
      It was Purity Seal that turned me off varnish for a long time. I decided I'd rather repair chipped paint than fog up a whole batch in one go.

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    2. I got the fog problem once and once only, a few years back. I think gw changed the formula recently, I never have the same problem now, although I do tend to use other, cheaper brands these days!

      As long as your outside temperature is above zero and you apply a single very sparing coat, you should be fine. I'm never sure how much difference it really makes, though - anything scratchy enough to get through the varnish will chip the paint under anyway!

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  4. They're all looking great! Very late question: is it just because of the picture or did you use some technique to make the plaguebearer flesh look way more yellow on the flies than on the plaguebearers?

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    1. Thanks! I must have forgotten to record it, but looking again, I may have give the flies a wash of Agrax afterwards.

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    2. Thanks mate, I'll try that!

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