Author Topic: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?  (Read 3296 times)

Konrath

  • Corporal
  • *
  • Posts: 74
How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« on: 25 December 2016, 13:49:35 »
I'm just curious how people pick their paints, specially Vallejo as they don't come in sets. The pdf swatch is not accurate and most people dont have colour calibrated screens, and the printed swatches are worse (at least in my store). Do you look at the colour in the bottle? I wish the racks had actually painted swatches on display. I've bought a couple of greys that didnt turn out the greys I Was looking for.

I would also love a BT swatch guide for popular schemes, like what whats Kurita Red or Steiner Blue in various brands. I know people have their own preferences but a general guide would be helpful.

Mech42ace

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1295
    • DeviantArt
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #1 on: 25 December 2016, 14:00:48 »
I choose my paints by trial and error. I'll pick a shade or two that look good in the bottle and try them out on a peice of plasticard. If they look like the color I'm looking for, I'll use them, if not, I'll set them back on the paint shelf at home, taking mental notes as to how dark or light the paint appears.

I've also noticed with Vallejo paints that they typically dry one or two shades lighter than what it looks like in the bottle, so this can be used when picking paints up at the hobby shop.
At Comstar we listen. It's that simple.

cavingjan

  • Spelunca Custos
  • BattleTech Volunteer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4470
    • warrenborn
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #2 on: 26 December 2016, 08:09:53 »
Your paint colors also depend upon when color is underneath. Or at least the game color series is that way as they are fairly thin.

Heavyguard

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 306
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #3 on: 13 January 2017, 10:34:39 »
Vallejo does have sets but not the way P3 does for example with a base and highlight etc.
Swatches in stores tend to fade fairly quickly under the lights or via sunlight.
For the color in the bottle be sure to shake it up fairly well before you buy it, several will look different if they've settled out and havent been shaken well.
Once I buy them after I get them home I make sure to shake them up well then I put a sample of the paint on its lid for easy reference.

greasyspoon

  • Corporal
  • *
  • Posts: 79
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #4 on: 13 January 2017, 16:31:32 »
I do the color dot on the top of my bottles as well.  That is really help full.  As for buying them I have built up a stock pile and I have learned the colors quite well. The Swatch on the display is a good idea to go off of.  My store cares the Panzer and model colors so they dry pretty much spot on.

If you get starting out by a few you think you will like and add from there.   You will buy some you do not like but after 2-3 buys you will get to find the colors you like.  but the Dot on the top of the bottle is very handy.

Cazaril

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 968
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #5 on: 08 February 2017, 10:50:29 »
If you want a way to know what paint colors might work well together you might try a conversion chart.

Reaper has what they call Triads. Usually these are a base color plus a shadow color and highlight color, that all work together. Using their triads, you could then find a conversion chart like <this one>, and then convert them to Vallejo colors.

The biggest problem with this is that Reaper has added a bunch of colors, and discontinued others. So you may find a color you will think works well, but then not be able to convert it.

Your paint colors also depend upon when color is underneath. Or at least the game color series is that way as they are fairly thin.

No, this is pretty much across the board with paints. If you prime in black, your lighter colors will be muted (yellows and reds will seem darker and not give that "pop"), meanwhile priming with white will cause a missed spot to jump out at you and may require an extra coat or two to get your dark colors as dark as you want. Priming in other colors can create a mixture of the two problems depending.

Caz

pensiveswetness

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1039
  • Delete this account, please?
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #6 on: 08 February 2017, 11:11:14 »
It's quite easy, actually. When you're a young nerd with lots of cash, Tamya-brand rocks.... when you're in your 40's with wife & minions... you buy from Michele's in bulk acrylics.

No that probably wasn't the answer you were looking for *waves hand across your eyes* but it's what I paint with (my box of mess consists of a mixture of Tamya & acrylics)...

Xiwo Xerase

  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 463
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #7 on: 08 February 2017, 17:07:33 »
Since I'm a novice painter, I tend to go with "What looks close enough to what I want to accomplish?"  I'm only painting to a tabletop standard and painting is supposed to be fun (or, at least, more relaxing than my day job), so why stress about it?

I prefer Reaper paints for mostly irrational reasons.  One benefit of this though is I can use Reaper's Power Palette tool to find approximate paints to use.  It is not necessarily going to be 100% accurate but it's a starting point.

Another thing I do is compare colors on painted miniatures at CamoSpecs against the swatches in Vallejo's catalog and Reaper's master swatch PDF to find an approximation.  I assume the color balances are all more-or-less the same and any wackiness in my monitor will apply equally to them.  (I also assume I calibrated my monitor correctly.)

I also try to look at the bottle of paint in the store to make sure this is really the color I'm looking for.  If I'm shopping with my wife, I'll ask for her opinion as well.

Sometimes this still doesn't work out quite right.  (I don't think Reaper's True Blue is a good alternative for Steiner blue.  I think I'll have to get VMC Andrea Blue for that after all.)


If you're looking for paint equivalences and have an Android device, take a look at the Paintrack app.  You can use its color tools functionality to find equivalences for a particular paint across several paint lines.  I haven't compared it against online paint equivalency guides but I assume it's comparable or better.  I still wouldn't make a decision based solely on it though.

cavingjan

  • Spelunca Custos
  • BattleTech Volunteer
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4470
    • warrenborn
Re: How do you choose your Paints (Vallejo)?
« Reply #8 on: 18 February 2017, 18:39:23 »