• The forum software have been upgraded to the latest version.

    If you notice anything that looks off, or does not work, please let us know.

    For more information, click here.

Undercoating question

mikeDUDS
Skink

mikeDUDS

New Member
Messages
13
Likes Received
0
Trophy Points
0
Hey all getting ready to finally sit down and paint all my stuff but i have a quick question. When painting lizard men do you all undercoat in black, white, or grey primer. I was thinking white because of my color scheme but I've seen online tutorials that that use black. Color scheme as follows. Any help would be awesome cuz I want my models to look pristine!!!!

~Mike~

Planned Paint Scheme
Skinks
Dark Angels Undercoat
Scorpion Green
highlight scorpion green+skull white

Saurus
Undercoat
Bubonic Brown
Bleached Bone Layer
bleached bone+skull white highlight

Inspirations
skink
http://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/18636.jpg

saurus
http://mongabay.com/images/botswana/nile_monitor.gif
 
I used to use White undercoat and I think you can probably get better results with it in the long run, but I have recently started using Black undercoat as this is better if you wan't to paint your army at anywhere near a decent rate.

So I would say (others would probably disagree)

White = Better quality overall but takes along time.

Black=Better quality in less time and is the speedier option.

So it's really a matter of personal preference and whether you'r painting an army or a Golden Demon entry.

Hope this helps, Bez

P.S. Nice Lizzies!!! Thought about basing my army on something like that but decided not to as most of them were already painted!

P.P.S. Are those Prehensile Tailed Lizards?, thought I remembered seeing one a bit like that. (I mean the Skink based ones of course, the Saurus inspiration is a Monitor isn't it?
 
OH! it is a MONITOR. Just read the URL!!! Must remember to do things like that more often. :oops:
 
BezZeMad said:
P.P.S. Are those Prehensile Tailed Lizards?, thought I remembered seeing one a bit like that. (I mean the Skink based ones of course, the Saurus inspiration is a Monitor isn't it?
Click to expand...

The lizard i plan to base my skinks off is called the sand lizard. Its in a family classified as true lizards and you were right in thinking the other is a monitor. thanks for the input mate!
 
oh but what makes black undercoat faster if they are both spray?
 
Black undercoat hides mistakes (hard to reach bits you didn't paint properly look like shadow from a distance) allowing for sloppier, faster work.
 
plus with white you usually need more coats of paint
 
"White = Better quality overall but takes along time.

Black=Better quality in less time and is the speedier option."

Not true,

the only differeance is

white=Brighter colours
Black= Darker colours,

quality depends on your skill and how decent the spray is not the colour


on the actual colour schemes you want,
i would say black spray for skinks as DA green looks better over black,
and white for the saurus as the colours stated work better with white
 
If you want a darker overall color use a black primer, also always use black under metallics. For lighter colors like yellows or if you want to lighten a dark color use a white primer. Dark Angels is actually one of thte best for seeing this effect, for a fleshy shadow look use a black primer for a power armor look use white.

Now to throw you all for a loop grey, a medium shade of grey will show pigments basically at the color they were ment to be. The grey that GW models are by default is actually about the correct shade. Reds always look better on greys.
 
wow thanks for input all. Now i just need to buy some primer XD
 
I would us white spray as you are using a lot of bright colours.
 
I used to use white for some things, but now I always use black, even for skeletons which are essentially all bone. Black in the deep crevices looks much better than white, and chances are you will want some black in there anyway for shadowing and highlighting so might as well put it in with the spray. Also, your schemes all focus around highlighting from a dark colour to a lighter colour. I have had some incredibly bright upper highlights with a black undercoat, the basecoat has more of an effect than the undercoat. Your base coat is starting with dark colours, so why would you put white under that then dark green or brown on top?

If your colour isn't as bright as you imagined then just put a couple more coats on. From your inspiration lizard pictures, it looks like they are fairly neutral and would suit a darker undercoat anyway.

Paint quality has nothing to do with the colour of the undercoat... Sure a black one allows you to be sloppy, but it doesn't neccesarily mean you will be sloppy. You can still paint really neatly and end up with a really well painted model.
 
I have yet to get to my lizardmen (bought Skull Pass to interest my friends & have been practicing on that), but:

one thing I've experimented with using a white undercoat then a black wash on the model. Its an extra step but leaves the model light, & still fills up the crevices with dark. anyone else try this?
 
Yes. That's the best way to go. The only problem is it adds an extra step, and if you don't thin out your paints a lot, you can really lose some of the models finer details.
 
giant stegadon said:
I have yet to get to my lizardmen (bought Skull Pass to interest my friends & have been practicing on that), but:

one thing I've experimented with using a white undercoat then a black wash on the model. Its an extra step but leaves the model light, & still fills up the crevices with dark. anyone else try this?
Click to expand...

cool I never would have thought of this. I think i'll have to try it!
 
I'm using a white spray as undercoat. It's easy to paint on the next layer and you dont have to paint as many layers as if you have a black undercoat (of course this depends on which colours you paint with). Works fine for me though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top