Who can benefit from the new Citadel Colour Contrast paints that are coming out this week?
In reality, all hobbyists can. However, I can't help but notice all of the "Holy Wars" that I and many others have been seeing on countless posts and groups all throughout social media and the interwebz. There are many (including myself) who are excited about the release of these paints. Then there are many who are throwing 'shade' (see what I did there?). People arguing and saying that these paints will ruin painting, business for commission painters, etc. Is that really true? Let's discuss what groups of people these paints will actually benefit and how the release of these paints can actually benefit the hobby community as a whole.
First of all, someone needs to tell some of you 'shade throwers' to cut the crap. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, you need to remember that at the end of the day it is all personal preference. If you don't like the paints, then don't use them. No one is forcing you. At the same time, remember that we are all here for the same reason, to paint toys and have a good time.
Now let's get to the fun stuff.
The contrast paints are a great idea no matter which way you look at it. These paints are guaranteed to help the hobby community grow and gets us in some 'new blood'. I also feel that they will help events such as tournaments grow. Here is a list of types of people who will benefit from these paints the most:
1. Children: Looking for an easy way to get your kiddos painting with quick, easy, and good results? Then look no further. These paints are highly pigmented which will still allow you to teach them how to thin down the paints and smooth out the consistency. There is also a good variety of colors with 26 paints which is more than enough to keep them busy for a while.
2. New Hobbyists: There are many people who love to tabletop game and want to learn how to paint, but do not know where to start. They are also mostly intimidated by the intermediate to advanced paint jobs that they see and say "oh no, I can't do that". These paints might not give the most advanced results, but you can sure get a good tabletop quality going in a few minutes, plus 20-30 minutes of drying time. The good results will keep people excited and motivated to hobby more. With that said, these new hobbyists will want to learn more techniques and learn about more products. Therefore, that should address some comments that I saw about contrast paints taking away from painting classes. Contrast paints were designed for the most part to cover basic painting technique.
3. Tournament/ Aspiring Tournament Players: There are people who love playing tournaments or want to play tournaments, but usually run into two problems:
A. No time to paint the army- which is usually a requirement in order to play.
B. No money to commission an army because of the fact that they have no time to paint- again to meet the painted army requirement.
When I went to pre order the paints and the two new primers from my local Games Workshop- Hill Country Plaza, it cost me about $310USD after tax. The average paint job for an army commission is considerably higher (for a good paint job, that is).
The contrast paints are meant to help a hobbyist quickly get an army and/or model on the table for game play. The definition of a table top paint job, is to have a model that looks good from about 2-3 feet away. Contrast paints can definitely get the job done and more, if that is what you are looking for.
Rest assured fellow commission painters; there are more minis out there than anyone can possibly have enough time to paint. There are still people out there who cannot stand painting and just want to play. If you are a good commission painter, you will still eat and people will still want your work. Not to mention there are also some people who get excited about the paints and then the novelty might wear off because that is part of their personality.
The good thing is, that this can give tournament events potential to grow, not only for Warhammer, but other games as well.
4. People who want to hobby but do not have time: Life always gets in the way. We call that peskiness "adulting". There are many who want to to be able to take just 30 minutes here and there to do some painting just for fun, but don't bother because they do not feel that they will get much done. Contrast paints will be great for funzies painting. Within 30 minutes, one can paint a 28mm model with good results.
One of the things that I saw a lot of arguments about, was that professionals and those who are advanced in the hobby craft, would have no use for these. Well, are you sure? Because there are Golden Demon Winners who tried and liked these paints:
Not to mention, take a look at two of our favorite Golden Demon winners who have achieved amazing results using contrast paints:
Ben Komets, managed to paint this Dust the Game Cthulu head that was sculpted by Joaquin Palacios in 3 hours! Be sure to check out Ben Komets on Patreon to learn from his amazing talents: www.patreon.com/ben_komets
Andy Wardle, tested out the Contrast paints using an airbrush. These are the results that he achieved. Look how vibrant that color is! These paints seriously sell themselves. Be sure to follow Andy Wardle Artwork on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andywardleartwork
Still on the fence?
Join us on Twitch this Saturday as we celebrate the release of the contrast paints and paint 3 skirmish sized groups of models (1 Warhammer Underworlds, 2 Blood Bowl Teams) primed in 3 different ways (zenithal, Grey Seer, and Wraith Bone). Check out the event from the Metalhead Minis Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/320298365551627/
On the livestream, we will discuss the products, tips and tricks, and you can feel free to ask any questions.
You can also pick these paints up at your local Games Workshop and paint along!
Hope to see you on Saturday and hope that you enjoyed this article.
Stay crispy in milk and keep on painting!
--Lyn