Paint for miniatures paint for dioramas
Paints for miniatures and dioramas is very much a matter of personal preferences as each brand and/or type of paint has its own characteristics.
The difference between setting and drying.
General:
Acrylic paint are now days the number one choice for miniature painters. It is kinder to your brushes, it is nontoxic and it cleans up nicely. In fact, acrylics have for these very reasons become so popular that manufacturers now try to overcome their various perceived shortcomings by producing an array of meduims, dillutants and other products to make acrylics behave almost like any type of paint.
I would definitely say that acrylics is the recommended type of paint for any beginner.
Characteristics
Water based acrylic paint is composed of minute particles of plastic acrylic resin suspended in water (acrylic polymer emulsion) and pigment. As the water evaporates the resin particles fuse together forming a strong durable paint. The mentioned resin is a substance very much like white glue, or Elmers glue, as it is often called in the US, and this substance can be used in combination with acrylic paints.
Components of Acrylic Paint
Acrylic Resin
A polymer from which acrylic emulsions are made. High quality acrylic resin is a necessary component of high quality acrylic polymer emulsion.
Binder
Acrylic polymer emulsion (made from acrylic resins). It is the binder that gives the paint its handling and durability characteristics. The mentioned binder is a substance very much like white glue, or Elmers glue as it is called in the US, and this substance can be used in combination with acrylic paints.
Pigment
Dry, powdery materials that do not dissolve, but remain suspended when mixed with acrylic polymer emulsion. They are organic, inorganic, natural and synthetic. They have little or no affinity for the surface to which they are applied. A binder is necessary to adhere pigments to a painting surface and coalesce into a paint film.
Characteristics of Acrylic Paints
Water soluble colors while wet.
Permanent, water insoluble, flexible colors when dry. Built up surfaces will remain free of cracks and chips. Less flexible in cold weather. Softer in warm weather.
Air-dry by evaporation. Thin paint films: 10- 20 minutes. Thick paint films: 1 hour - 3 days.
Surface of a dry acrylic painting can be cleaned by gently washing with soap and water.
Keep brushes wet. Clean up brushes, hands and palette with soap and water.
Little odor, no fumes, nonflammable. Uses non-toxic thinners and mediums.
Do not mix with turpentine or oils. Mix only with other acrylic emulsion paints or mediums.
Clean up Acrylic Paints
From hands: Wet or dried acrylic paint cleans up with soap and water.
From brushes: Clean wet brushes with soap & water. Clean dried acrylic brushes with acetone, denatured alcohol or equivalent product. These cleaning solutions are toxic. Care should be taken during use.
From clothing: While paint is wet, clean with water and/or window cleaner. Dried acrylic paint is permanent on fabric.
From painting surface: While paint is wet, wipe with damp rag, clean with water. When paint is dry, simply paint over surface with desired colors and motif.
Solvents
...water fore cleaning and diluting paint. Some purists clam you should use distilled water because of the chemicals in tap water. I have never noticed that it would make any difference. It is generally a good idea to add a drop of dish washing soap into the water to make it 'wetter', i.e. reduce the surface tension.
During the last few years commercial solvents have appeared on the market, often produced by the same company. These product are really very similar to window cleaning liquid, which you also could try to use.
When acrylics sets it is water insoluble but acetone, acetone, denatured alcohol or equivalent product will dissolve the resin bond. Acetone can also, if used carefully in small diluted quantities, be used to make lumped up old paint pots fluid again.
If you spill on hands etc. you don't need any solvents, just use soap and water. If you get paint on your clothes you will still, as with all paints, have a problem getting the pigment out.
Retardants:
Since acrylics normally dries faster than other paints (and sets as it dries) it is difficult to use blending techniques with acrylics. There are however retardants you can use to slow this process. The retardant is a medium which delays the evaporation and/or capillary action of the water in the paint, thus making it set slower.
Benefits
The most obvious benefit of acrylics is its availability, you can find it every where, in a impressive number of brands and colors. They are also many brands aiming specifically towards miniature painting and therefore produce conveniently sized and shaped pots . Acrylics are also highly developed, meaning manufacturers compete in improving the formula.
Acrylics most often also provide the best matte finish of all paint types and this is a highly attractive feature.
Drawbacks
Acrylics colors are for some silly reason very often marketed under silly names like 'Vomit Brown' and 'Dragon Black' instead of the more traditional names like 'yellow ochre' or 'lamp black'. I suppose this comes form the close ties that miniature painting has to the world of fantasy but it makes it a bit tricky some times to find what you are looking for.
Brands
Which brand you pick is very much a matter of taste and habit. The comments about the below brand names are
Vallejo is in my opinion the miniature and models painters first choice. No one else produces a wider array of paints of this high a quality. They also come in extremely handy drop bottles which are easy to shake and will let you squeeze out just as much paint you want to onto your palette. Unlike some other brands all their mattes also dry true matte.
They have three different lines targeting the modeling and miniature market. The basic line has many natural looking shades. The second range is the Vallejo Game Color which is targeting the wargaming hobbyist. It is a range of more vivid colors (with he same stupid names) and it has a formula using a more durable resin. this means the miniatures painted with this paint takes manhandling better.
You can probably only get better metallics the ones Vallejo produce if you learn how to make them yourself.
Vallejo also has a very good array of auxiliary products like pumice for texturing paint, retardant, cleaner, liquid masks and more.
Games Workshop - Citadel Paints
Probably one of the more well know and easiest to find brands in the miniature painting business. Not in general terms the best brand so do not fall into the trap of buying these because they have good displays and many references With a minimum of effort you will find other brands which probably are better and also cheaper.
For some reason they have chosen a formula which, although marketed as matte, leaves a slightly satin finish. This is however sometimes useful and I use several of their browns to paint leather. Their Chaos Black is a must have and Citadel is the only company that I know of who have come up with a true bright red formula (Blood Red) which covers well. Their acrylic Mithril Silver is also top notch.
The paint is murderous to your brushes however so use an acrylic paint solvent when you clean them. GW-Citadel have also had a tradition of notoriously bad paint pots which breaks easily or are bstrds to open once you get a bit of dried paint in the lid. Shun their flesh colors if you actually plan to paint human flesh tones. The chosen very infantile and totally non-descriptive names for their colors which is also a sort of annoying. What is Scaly Green? And Vomit Brown?
Humbrol
Reaper is making a nice, if not quite as extensive as Vallejo's, array of acrylics. I use their '8038 Ivory' and '8039 White Leather' *A LOT* as a non white color to make other colors lighter. Reaper Pro Paint pots comes with a cool little feature: there is a small pewter skull in each pot which helps mixing the color when you shake it.
IWM (formerly Ral Partha)
Iron Wind Metals' formula for acrylics is very good, even though they tend to thicken in the pot a bit faster than others. They have a very high pigmentation which means the paint covers very well. In my opinion you cannot get better browns the those produced by IWM. There were also very early in coming up with excellent formulas for acrylic metallics, I especially like their bronze and copper.
General:
Characteristics
Solvent
Benefits
Drawbacks
Brands
Games Workshop
Reaper
General:
Characteristics
Solvent
Benefits
Drawbacks
Brands
Solvent: spirit or enamel thinner
Brands: Humbrol
General:
Characteristics
Solvent
...water fore cleaning and diluting paint. Some purists clam you should use destilled water because of the chemicals in tap water. I have never noticed that it would make any difference other than that
Benefits
Drawbacks
Brands
General:
Characteristics
Solvent
...water fore cleaning and diluting paint. Some purists clam you should use distilled water because of the chemicals in tap water. I have never noticed that it would make any difference other than that
Benefits
Drawbacks
applied dry, properties vanish with binding medium
Brands
Sable
Synthetic
long pointed
short pointed
broad flat
narrow flat
Rubber tips
Tooth picks
Spatulas
Airbrushes