Games Workshop paint sets

I was just wondering which GW paints I would need in particulair to start a Lizardmen Army. I looked at the article of how to paint a Saurus Warrior and it had a sidebar which "showed" the paints used. Under closer examination it did not contain all the paints which the guide on the exact same page specified!
I was just wondering since GW is being very underhanded if there were any other paints which I could possibly buy for a bit cheaper. I looked at the Reaper and Vallejo paints, and those are both a bit pricey IMO.

I was just wondering if there were any paints out there of a higher quality and maybe a bit cheaper than GW as with items like their glue, I'm pretty sure is exactly the same as dollar store glue, but not so sure about paints.

 

I've found vallejo paints to be cheaper, whenever I've looked, and not only that, Vallejo bottles have a larger volume than Citadel tubs. I can't comment on paint quality, because I don't really know any better, but I've never had any problems with either (except Devlan mud smells awful, even when dry for weeks).

 

Yeah vallejo tends to be a bit cheaper, plus greater volume, and a much smarter bottle design which means they don't dry out and you don't waste as much. I have only tried their inks so far (which are good) but in future I will definitely be buying them instead of GW paints.

Also GW paint guides specifically try to get you to buy as many paints as possible. I looked at one and there was pretty much $100 worth of paint, wow! Who is going to drop that much money on about 100mL of water based paint?? You essentially only need 1-2 shades of a colour, from there you can mix them with each other, or black or white, or yellow or whatever to get the in between highlights, rather than buying 5 different types of blue for example.

 

GW foundation paints are good in that you generally only need one coat of paint for it to be nice an opaque.

I use Reaper instead of Vallejo, their bottles have an agitator inside them making it easier to shake. They also use dropper bottles and for whatever reason I prefer their droppers to Vallejo, just feels better in my hand. Worthless opinion #18.

GW washes are also great.

So I'd recommend getting a couple triads of Reaper color along with gryphon sepia and badab black washes from gw.

 

Sounds like Vallejo is the way to go. I painted a sample figure at a local convention, and it came out pretty good, but I would still consider myself a beginner. So with that in mind, which specific paint should I purchase to paint my army? Or is there a particulair set of paints I should order?

 

What colour scheme would you like for your army? At least consider something besides the GW scheme, or modify theirs a bit. Nothing wrong with using it if you want to, but most people get bored of the GW scheme after a while since it is seen pretty much everywhere.

 

as stated above, i recommend GWs foundation paints and washes, but i am using Vallejo more and more for the "normal" paints. i am sure several other lines such as reaper are also nice.

as for what paints to buy, the colors indicated on the box are not even remotely close to what is used to actually paint them. instead, you should ask (here and/or in your store) what colors to use if you want a specific look. i for one hate when people automatically goes for the colors on the box, because they are so damn boring. try to go for something a bit more personal.

A really lovely theme is a dark green skin, with black or blue scales and a nice golden yellow on the bellies/crests. its a bit old school, but it is lovely. or why not more daring? purple skin with orange bellies/crests?

if you make up an example colorscheme, we can easily help you with what colors you may need. the basic idea though is:
a good brown for wood/leather
a metal (gold?) color for metal parts
a skin color
possibly a color for the scales
possibly a color for the bellies/crests
a contrasting color for shields
DONE!

contrast colors are great to use
red/green, blue/orange, purple/yellow. these are all great options. do not feel limited by what is printed on the box. check around here on the forum and steal the coolest one! (mine ofc )

best of luck!

 

I was actually planning to paint them in the same sort of color scheme as the Karnosaur model, I thought it looked pretty nice. I also figured that that scheme would look nice with a desert style base. I would paint the shield I guess the same color as the back scales, but not sure about that.

What Vallejo paint colors (and GW washes, if they are better) should I buy to acheive something like that?

P.S. my local Gaming store is mostly a magic the gathering Community and the only way for me to get figures and whatnot is to order them through the store (they get a 35% discount, and they pass a 20% discount on to me) but they do have D&D games so there is a small interest in miniatures for use with that game, but my LGS is not really a great source for Warhammer, where as the internet is in my case.

 

That means he can pass a discount onto your paints as well. If you order GW colors, they come in boxes of six, not single pots. I imagine the same would hold true for other paint companies.

 

Yes he could, but he already carries a lot of Vallejo and Reaper paints so by chance do you know which paints I would need from Reaper and/or Vallejo to paint a color scheme like the one which the Carnosaur model is painted in? (red scales with tan/flesh colored underparts and crest)

 

I'll use GW paint names as tha is what I am familiar with, there are plenty of conversion tables between different brands of paint though so you can go for whatever brand you want.

I'm not sure if GW has released a painting guide for the carnosaur, maybe in a WD somewhere but not online, so I am mostly guessing and you will end up with something close. For the scales:
Scab red, blood red, chaos black, sunburst yellow (to mix with blood red and get orange highlights) plus a red ink. Yes ink not wash.
Keep in mind each scale on the carnosaur has several layers of highlights individually painted, getting the same effect will take a very steady hand and a LOT of work.

For the skin, the upper highlights look like white and bleached bone. Probably scorched brown and a mid brown between scorched and bleached bone would work. In addition, devlan mud is your friend.

 

I actually don't plan on buying a Carnosaur, I just wanted to use it's color scheme (red scales and tan underparts) so would it require the same ammount of individual highlighting on each scale as the carnosaur would?

 

Yeah it would if you wanted them to look as good, but GW obviously paints to a very high standard that most of us don't reach. However, if you use washes/inks carefully, you could probably get away with base coat and 1-2 highlights. Honestly, it takes a lot longer but I have found picking out the scales individually works better than drybrushing.

 

i would go for a basecoat of scorched brown on the scales, and then mix in more and more scab red, followed by scab red with a hint of bleached bone. after that id go over it with badab black to accentuate teh detail. i do not think you should highlight towards bloodred/yellow, because that is not how the pics look. it is more towards the pink spectrum than the orange spectrum.

for the skin, i guess a basecoat of bleached bone with a devlan mud wash will create a similar effect with little work.

the names of the colors here are all GW colors. if you want to use another range, you can use this chart to "translate" the names.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart

Also you will need a metal and a "wood/leather" color. Also, i think you could experiment with an extra color on the crests of the skinks. maybe a bright green? maybe something else. i am not sure, but there is only one good way to find out

glad you chose to go for a more unique scheme than the standard blue. looking forward to pics when you are done.

a final tip: try out the colors on one model (and maybe post it here for feedback). if it doesnt look good you can always change your mind. yes, you already bought the paints, but new ones arent THAT expensive, and its not like you will never ever use them. all of the above mentioned paints are something you can incorporate no matter what colors you go for in the end.

GL
/T

 

Actually The Karnosaur colo scheme is a scheme I was only plannng to use on my Saurus. I am considering making each skink a unique color, but to tie them together I would give them the same crest (probably red or green) and then their bases would also tie them together and make them look cohesive.

 

haha, better buy basically all paints then

i have something sort of similar going with my skinks. you can check the link in my signature if you wish.

 

thought i would ask this here.

Is there any uk web sites that sell either reaper paints/model colour/vallejo

 

www.maelstromgames.co.uk
www.waylandgames.co.uk

Maelstrom does free shipping and customer moneyback, but Wayland's prices are usually a bit cheaper. Both are good.

 

thanks Strewart will check them out