Hello hope everyone doing good im currently trying to switch from enamels to acrylic,s want to get views on these two which would be better Andrea or vellejo?
Never heard of Andrea. So I can’t make any comments on that brand.
My paints of choice are all acrylics: Tamiya, Vallejo (Model and Air) and Mission Models acrylics.
Haven’t had issues with any of them.
If you going to use a brush instead of an airbrush, make sure you get yourself a good wet palette.
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For brush painting,my go to is Vallejo Model Color and their Panzer Aces line.
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I prefer Vallejo out of those two choices
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I use Tamiya acrylics exclusively. Well stocked at LHS. I prefer to stick to and learn one brands idiosyncracies. For brushing I use their 20A thinner. Get you a small plastic palette and thin as you brush.
Andrea is the other Spanish brand of water-based acrylic paints. It’s popular with figure painters.
It’s worth pointing out that not all acrylic paints are water-based. Of the brands mentioned in the replies, Tamiya acrylics (the X/XF line) are alcohol-based. I wouldn’t recommend using them on a wet palette. I hand-brush them, but I use Tamiya’s proprietary acrylic thinner to thin them. I learned that through trial and error, and I get my best results with Tamiya’s acrylics, using their thinner.
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I use both Andrea and Vallejo Model Color. I find them to be of equal quality. I also use some other water-based acrylics, including Lifecolor, and the craft store brands Folk Art, Americana, and Apple Barrel. I have some other water-soluable acrylics, like some bottles of Reaper colors-they were giving them out at the Chicago World Expo back in 2017. They’re pretty much like Andrea and Vallejo, too.
I’ll second fxsti03-42’s suggestion about using a wet palette with your water-soluable acrylic paints. A wet palette will keep them thinned to a good consistency, you can use it to mix colors, and you can save a batch of paints from one session to the next. I have RedGrass Games original small palette, and it is very useful.
We also mentioned Tamiya’s acrylic paints, the X/XF line of paints (X is gloss, XF is flat). I brush them by hand, and I use Tamiya’s acrylic thinner for this. I use either of two methods. I have a ceramic palette with wells in it, and I will mix a couple drops of the thinner with a bit of the paint, stirring till it’s consistent. Or I use a small jar of the thinner, dip my brush in it, and pick up the paint from the inside of the paint jar lid or from the jar itself. When I apply it to the piece, the paint thins and levels itself.
That’s the real key-thinning the paint well, and building up a couple of layers. Too much paint and you get too thick of a coat, and obscure fine surface details.
You don’t have to abandon enamels, necessarily. I still use my Testor enamels in the little square bottles, and my dwindling stash of Model Master enamels. The enamels I thin with mineral spirits, in similar fashion to painting with Tamiya’s acrylics.
This is just my experience; I hope that helps you.
Best regards,
Brad
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