Getting
Started
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Preparation
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Basic Techniques
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Advanced Techniques
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| Welcome to the Future! It
used to be that when you wanted to paint a model, you
had to decide if you were going to undercoat is with
Chaos
Black or Skull White (usually). The general consensus
was that if you wanted to paint your model with dark
colours, you needed to undercoat it Chaos Black. If you
wanted to
paint
your model in bright colors, you needed to undercoat
with Skull White. No more! With the release
of
the line of Citadel Foundation Paints, you can paint
over either black or white regardless of your basecoat
colour. |
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To prove the point, the picture to the right shows
two Space Marine shoulder pads. One has been undercoated
Chaos Black,
while the other one has been undercoated with Skull
White. Both were then basecoated with the new
Mechrite Red Citadel Foundation Paint. It's hard
to tell the difference. Click the pictures to see
which shoulder pad matches which undercoat. Did
you guess correctly? As you can see, from just
one coat of Foundation Paint, both the black and
the white are covered equally well. |
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Click
To Find Out What The Undercoat Colour
Is. |
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The Secret Is in the Pigment. Another great
thing about the Foundation Paints is that they cover
in just
one
layer.
In the
past,
it
was a challenge to get good coverage when using a lighter
colour over a darker one — to get an even, consistent
look, you had to paint several thin layers over the
darker colour. In contrast, the new Foundation Paints
have so much pigment that even with just one layer,
they cover over anything while maintaining their colour.
That makes Foundation Paints ideal for basecoats.
Go with the Flow. Adding a little bit of water to
your paint has always been a good idea, as it keeps
paint
from
getting
clumpy
and helps the paint go on smoothly. This fact is especially
true for Foundation Paints because of their high level
of
pigment. However, you don't want to go crazy with the
watering-down — you want to use just a little
bit to allow your paint to go on nice and smooth. |
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| Paint as
it appears right out of the pot. |
Add a little
water with a dropper or brush. |
Here's
your target— just the right amount
of water. |
If you
add too much water, you'll get this result. |
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Adding water to paint is not an exact science, though.
It takes a bit of practice through trial and error.
One way
of adding water is to use an eye
dropper or a hobby syringe (both of which you can find
at most hobby/model train stores).
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| Too
Much Water |
Just
Right |
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| Too
Much Paint |
Just
Right |
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These tools allow
you to be really precise in how much water you add, and
you
can add the same amount
of water
every
time.
Another way of adding water is to just dip the brush
you are using into your water pot and then mix that
water
into your paint on the palette. Be careful not to add
too much water, though as this will make your paints
not cover as well. Just the right amount of water will
make it flow off your brush easily. When
you
are ready to start your basecoat, paint the entire
surface in one sitting. This approach gives a nice,
consistent
layer that is more likely to dry evenly. Be careful
not to use too much paint — models that have
too much paint on them lose much of their detail. Watering
down
either your Citadel Foundation Paints or your Citadel
Colours will help prevent that, along with not loading
your brush with too much paint. Getting
the Hang of It. These tips on basecoating
with Citadel Foundation Paints will get you started,
but they can't replace the practical experience you'll
gain while painting. Just keep them in mind as you
begin to use the Citadel Foundation Paints, and
know that after a few models, you'll have mastered
them.
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| - Article by Nathan
Bishop |
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