<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTo do this I took a handful of Cthulhu card game tiles, and made a black primer with a white overhead light, using an airbrush. The idea is that there is a little bit of black \u201cunderneath\u201d, but that the overall color is white to make it easier for the inks and washes to do their thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also note that I've tried to balance the white level a bit in the photos, but haven't had much success, so overall the colors look a bit lighter than they do on hand.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>TESTING SPEEDPAINTS BY ARMY PAINTER<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nArmy Painter's alternative to GW's Contrast paints, with a similar approach, paint in a single layer and get highlights and shadows without doing anything else.\u00a0I thought highly of them before trying them, but have been a bit disappointed.\u00a0Some colors are very intense and fluid (too much, as we will see later) and others are dense, opaque, ugly... And there is the issue of reactivation.\u00a0I have the basic box of ten colors, and we see them in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Blood Red SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBlood Red \u2013 Good color, covers evenly and leaves a resounding \u201cred\u201d, not pinkish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Crusader Skin SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCrusader Skin \u2013 A thick, slightly fluid color.\u00a0The finish is uneven, adequate and dark in the deep areas but barely covers the exposed areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Zealot Yellow SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nLeaves orange tones, which may not be what you are looking for when applying yellow.\u00a0Very fluid, and therefore difficult to control without staining adjoining areas.\u00a0Good coverage, nice color.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Pallid Bone SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nA little yellowish\/ochreous where it accumulates, but the dirty bone effect is adequate.\u00a0If you're looking for a more whitish bone, look at other options.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Highlord Blue SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nVery thick color, but the finish is very good, with a nice dark blue in the shadows and a slightly lighter blue in the highlights.\u00a0Still the overall color is dark.\u00a0Good coverage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Ork Skin SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nGood coverage, beautiful, intense color. Leaves good light and shadow effect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Gravelord Gray SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nA bit thick to apply, but gives a nice \u201cpaint black\u201d effect with just one coat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Fire Giant Orange SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nPoor coverage over dark areas, where the black color of the primer shows through, but covers well over white and leaves a nice orange.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Hardened Leather SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\u00a0Leaves a nice leather color and covers evenly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Hive Dweller Purple SpeedPaint<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIt is the color that made me give up painting the critters and start doing this experiment.\u00a0Very dense, very thick, like spreading the mini with jam.\u00a0And the color is so dark that in your hand it looks like you've done a very light dry brush of dark purple on black.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe problem with SpeedPaint is reactivation . If you apply another paint, or a thinner, or water\u2026 on top of a layer of SpeedPaint paint, you run the risk that the already dry paint will reactivate, and become fluid again, mixing and moving as if it had just been applied.\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\nOn this miniature I applied Zealot Yellow to the buboes on the back. Over twelve hours later, I used Vallejo Aero Black to cover it up, and went back to Vallejo Aero White. To my surprise, the yellow comes out above the black and white layer, to claim its territory. And as you can see, when I originally applied it, it bled quite a bit out of its zone. And after two layers of color on top, there it is. And by the way, piece mold line in the middle to round the image U_U<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reactivation is prevented by varnishing, for example.\u00a0Which is very inconvenient if you are painting a mini and you need to \"lock\" the color layer to continue working the area (or illuminate what has already been painted). On the other hand, if you're into improvisation and cool fading of colors, paints that don't sit and remix like crazy can be wonderful for glazes and fades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>VALLEJO INKS<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nVallejo inks are a contemporary classic. Although it seems to me that today, they are going to be replaced by the new range of \u00abgame\u00bb paint, so it will be difficult to find them in the near future. I bought them in a box of 8 colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are inks, not all-in-one painting solutions like SpeedPaint, Dipping (which we will see later) and Contrast.\u00a0In general, with Vallejo inks the finish is matte, except for a couple of cases where I indicate otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Red 72086<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nGood coverage overall, but a bit \u201clightens\u201d in the most exposed areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Violet 72087<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe finish is dark and intense, not like the photo that has been very light.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Green Black 72090<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nGood coverage, a nice, dark color.\u00a0It shades beautifully and works as an all-in-one solution (similar to contrast) if you're looking for something like that.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Blue 72088<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nQuite pale in exposed areas, but very dark in areas where it deposits and accumulates.\u00a0Somewhat glossy finish, unlike other Vallejo inks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Skin Wash 72093<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nFor a \"skin\" color, it leaves a very orange tone.\u00a0Somewhat shiny finish where it is deposited.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Yellow 72085<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nGREAT, intense color, great coverage, the yellow tone is vibrant and pretty (no washed out yellow).\u00a0The best of Vallejo inks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Black 72094<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCovers evenly in a single coat with the required shade of black, not greyish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Green 72089<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nA nice 'grass' shade of green, it does lighten a bit in some very exposed areas but covers pretty well overall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>AK Interactive Inks<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nI purchased these inks to complement the third generation AK paints. For some unknown reason, they don't have yellow ink (or I haven't been able to find it). AK's page is obtuse and its search engine absurd, so I had to go through the entire range of paintings until I realized that I couldn't find it. Adding more drop-down branches to the search engine, for example, discriminating within the third generation paints the inks, metallics, etc... would be very good, instead of having to review the 500 paints that are within the range \"acrylic third generation\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In general, the finish of AK inks is glossy, so you have to take this into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Sepia Ink AK11219<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe ink is very thick and the finish is pitch black rather than sepia, and it is hard to see a slight dark brown on the black.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Turquoise Ink AK1220<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBeautiful vibrant deep turquoise color, covers perfectly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Skin Ink AK11221<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe finish is dark pinkish, a far cry from the \u201cflesh\u201d color indicated by the name.\u00a0Little coverage capacity, thinning in exposed areas.\u00a0The glossy finish makes it even more inadvisable as a \"flesh ink\", it looks unreal on the \"skin\".<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Carbon Ink AK11233<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe result is dark gray rather than black, and with a glossy finish, between graphite and anthracite.\u00a0At least with the name they have nailed it, it looks like charcoal (and that's good).<\/span>Purple Ink AK1224<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nVibrant and intense color, covers well on white but turns to bluish gray on dark areas.\u00a0The finish is almost matte, unlike other AK inks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Dark Green Ink AK1226<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nVERY dark green color, it is very thick but covers well and lightens very little in exposed areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Penetrating Red Ink AK11227<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nRed with poor coverage, on white it lightens a little and on black it reveals a dark gray.\u00a0Where it is deposited well, it leaves a correct red, not pinkish.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Night Blue Ink AK11228<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nVery dark blue that covers perfectly, in the exposed areas it turns a slightly lighter but equally intense blue.\u00a0If the glossy finish is acceptable, it's a good blue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n