Hi everyone! I build about 99.9% model airplanes but I really want to expand my interest in the hobby. I recently purchased a couple of 54mm metal figures from Andrea and I thought I’d try using their recommended paints. However, no hobby shop within 80 miles of me carries the Andrea line of paints. I checked out the Squadron web site but it looks like I can only order pre-selected goups of paints (eg German WW2 colors, etc). Does anyone know of other sites where I could go to just purchase the paints I need? Are there other paints that might be better suited? I read where others use Grumbauscher (sp?) and other such paints. I don’t even know if Andrea Colors are acrylic or oil based. Help!
My other question is: Should I first prime the figures before painting them? My assumption would be “yes” but what type of primer should I use? I’ve never really done this before. Do I use an oil-based primer if I’ll be using acrylics (and vice versa)? What color primer should I use?
http://www.greatmodels.com/ does carry Andrea paints of all kinds of shades and colours and they are acrylic based. Acrylics is not necesarily the best way to go - all depends on the individual so if you desire, try the different paint types and pick the one you are most successful with (or even a combination of types - some use oils just for flesh tones). I myself exclusively use just acrylics of various brands. Yes, it is best to use some sort of primer first and sprayed on, either airbrush or from a can. A light grey or white is best for that.
I use only Vallejo colors that are the same as Andreas only with a different brand name.
I always use Humbrol’s flat gray nr.1 as a primer.
To shade and highlight your model you have to lay several coats of color in varying tones, you can neither blend them like oils nor drybrsh them like enamels.
After practising a bit I piked these colors because they have a wonderful flat finish and they are water based so I don’t have to inhale toxic vapours from paints and solvents.
If you have a look at my site Braveheart is the last figure I’ve done with enamels and the Highland Regiment soldier is the last one I’ve made with acrylics. To me they are of the same quality (in painting).
Always prime metal figures. It’s a good rule of thumb to prime with acrylic if painting with oils and to prime with a solvent based primer if painting with acrylics.
The techniques for figure painting with oils/enamels and acrylics are completely different. You have to decide which medium you want to paint with then learn the techniques. There are many sources of information for figure painting.
The advantage of acrylics is that they dry very fast. The disadvantage of acrylics is, well, they dry very fast. Because of this, you can’t blend acrylics like oils, but oils take forever to dry. The essence of figure painting is to get varying levels of highlights and shadows to bring out the details of the figure. I am still working on my acrylics technique.
I use both oils and acrylics to paint figures. i always prime my figure first. Using artist oil paints is a little chalenging if you haven’t used them before. They do take a long time to dry but you can add a drying medium which helps them dry much faster. I use artist acrylics to paint my figuers to. Most manufacturors make a medium that extends the acrylic drying time- gives you more time to blend the colors. Even so, try experimenting with acrylics first as they are easier to use. excuse the bad spelling.
