$150 for paints, is this normal?

[Carlin]

I am shopping for paint online and after watching Hot Lead videos and other YouTube videos I wrote down all the colors needed for Skin Tones and Hair for various characters and I added some other colors that I think I might need. I ended up with a $150 bill for paints only. Is this normal or am I buying a little too much for a start?

Is there a "must have" list of colors for a starter?

I chose Reaper Master Series.

 

[TrystanGST]

Sounds like WAY too many paints to start with.

Black, white, a few browns, a nice red, green, blue. Maybe a grey or two.

 

[Fuzzbuket]

i think the problem may be that you are having too many paints, like trystanGST said!

as for paints a suggestion would be to have:
GW: base colours, and a wash or two
vallego: white, black and that really nice lemon yellow they do! (the bottles ar
humbrol acrylics: humbrol acrylics are meant for model planes but they do sooo many cool shades of green!

DONT use revel, craft paints, oils or watercolours!


i hope this helps

-fuzz


p.s. with a few paints and a pallet+ water you can make ANY colour you want!

 

[ColtheReaver]

Like TyrstanGST said just grab a few basic colours and work from there. As a beginner you should be able to mix up any colours you'll need from the basic pots. Vallejo or GW paints are not too badly priced to start with. What are you actually planning on painting?

 

[freakinacage]

get the vallejo air metallics. best i have ever used by quite a margin
gw have nice washes and the foundation sets is nice
p3 - morrow white, thamar black, jack bone or menoth white
tamiya clear smoke and red
those are the ones i could not do without

 

[funnymouth]

i would start with only the basic colors you need for the model you are working on at the moment. add one or two at a time down the line. a complete paint collection can be quite expensive, but isn't usually necessary for most projects.

 

[supervike]

I bought the entire Reaper Master Series, so what do I know?

A bit extravagant, but I like not having to mix paints constantly. (and thus forgetting my ratios)

 

[PegaZus]

I bought the entire Reaper Master Series, so what do I know?

A bit extravagant, but I like not having to mix paints constantly. (and thus forgetting my ratios)

My thoughts too. Helps to jot down a single number/name rather than remember what I was trying to do six months ago. So the Reaper series awaits my attention on the desk.

And if you can afford the luxury without any regret, I'd do it. Otherwise, pare down to the others' opinions. It's not like having 50+ bottles of paint will make anyone any better a painter than with 15 or so.

 

[supervike]

My thoughts too. Helps to jot down a single number/name rather than remember what I was trying to do six months ago. So the Reaper series awaits my attention on the desk.

And if you can afford the luxury without any regret, I'd do it. Otherwise, pare down to the others' opinions. It's not like having 50+ bottles of paint will make anyone any better a painter than with 15 or so.

Jot down? ACK! Why didn't I think of that.

I agree the number of paints does not make a painter better, but I will argue that it makes them (or at least me) more prolific. (maybe it's the guilt of not using them that spurs me on!!) LOL

 

[Ordo Septenarius]

I use Reaper Master Series — the triads are extremely helpful since I am a little to lazy to jot things down when I am painting.

I'd like to know how many paints the OP ordered; there are a few folks on eBay (coincidentally all have shipping addresses near the Reaper Headquarters) and they will ship for free. I generally pay about $2 a bottle for my paints. Many people sell full sets — some with 150+ colors — for under $200.

To answer your question: $150 for paints can be normal, but it's all contingent on the exact number you got. If you only got 20 colors, then that's abnormal. But then again, maybe shipping is $50 and you live in Lapland.

Further details would be helpful.

 

[Einion]

How many individual colours was this Carlin? Painters at all levels from beginner to genuine pros do have huge collections of paint, often spanning more than one range, but generally it's best to start out with the fewest colours that'll successfully handle a wide range of subjects - this is about seven colours minimum, up to around 15-20, depending on individual preference. Believe it when people say that more colours won't make you paint any better, in fact it can actually have the reverse effect.

After gaining experience with a smaller set you can then think about adding stuff for specific uses; at that point you're in a better position to judge what you really need and it helps avoid the "Oh look, shiny..." thing that happens when we look at colour charts.

Not including metallics you could get a 'starter paint' set of paints that costs around 30 bucks, which you could then paint with for life, excluding a handful of additional colours for special effects.

Einion

 

[Carlin]

I would get around 60 paint bottles of Reaper Master Series for that $150.

The problem is that most tutorials and paint teaching videos actually use specific colors for things like Flesh Tone and Hair Colors, I'd get stuck if I don't have the exact same set of color bottles!

 

[Ordo Septenarius]

If that's an American Dollar total, and even if it doesn't include shipping, those are indeed fairly good prices for Reaper Master Series.

 

[TrystanGST]

How many individual colours was this Carlin? Painters at all levels from beginner to genuine pros do have huge collections of paint, often spanning more than one range, but generally it's best to start out with the fewest colours that'll successfully handle a wide range of subjects - this is about seven colours minimum, up to around 15-20, depending on individual preference. Believe it when people say that more colours won't make you paint any better, in fact it can actually have the reverse effect.

After gaining experience with a smaller set you can then think about adding stuff for specific uses; at that point you're in a better position to judge what you really need and it helps avoid the "Oh look, shiny..." thing that happens when we look at colour charts.

Not including metallics you could get a 'starter paint' set of paints that costs around 30 bucks, which you could then paint with for life, excluding a handful of additional colours for special effects.

Einion

I think this is dead on. You'd be amazed how much you can do with a handful of paints. It forces you to get creative in your painting. If you have 500 paints sitting around, you'll just reach for snot green or slightly darker green or whatever, and won't bother to try new colors or shades. There are times when that odd shade is useful, but I think it's really helpful to start with a smaller pool of colors to work with.

 

[Einion]

The problem is that most tutorials and paint teaching videos actually use specific colors for things like Flesh Tone and Hair Colors, I'd get stuck if I don't have the exact same set of color bottles!

Fair enough, I forgot you were starting completely from scratch. If you're following guides that use specific colours then you might have no choice.

For the future be aware you could paint the same things with less than ten paints and end up with about the same results, although it would require lots of mixing.

Einion

 

[freakinacage]

The problem is that most tutorials and paint teaching videos actually use specific colors for things like Flesh Tone and Hair Colors, I'd get stuck if I don't have the exact same set of color bottles!

tbh that's only good if you want that exact colour. are you colour blind? i know i struggle a lot with the finer points of colour theory (and some of the bigger ones - i once painted a werewolf green!) the techniques are the important part on the whole. like nmm, for example, you can use a variety of colours to get a goot effect, as long as the light placement is right

 

[Beamo]

I would get around 60 paint bottles of Reaper Master Series for that $150.

The problem is that most tutorials and paint teaching videos actually use specific colors for things like Flesh Tone and Hair Colors, I'd get stuck if I don't have the exact same set of color bottles!

Here, play with this a bit and you'll get the hang of it. http://colors.silicon-dragons.com/

Helpful if you want to keep in a certain paint range, or if you want to see what colors are similar to it from other ranges.

 

[Einion]

Here, play with this a bit and you'll get the hang of it. http://colors.silicon-dragons.com/

That can't be relied upon unfortunately, as mentioned in some past threads.

Einion

 

[Carlin]

Thank you all for your kind input I wouldn't be able to make a lot of these steps without you guys.

I've noticed some paint "wash" are sold and a lot of painters use these washes. According to Hot Lead videos isn't a wash just a thin paint? which means if I want a blue wash I just make blue paint and add more water and i get a blue wash? or is there something extra these Paint Wash bottles offer?

 

[Einion]

In essence yes, a wash is just diluted paint (sometimes heavily diluted).

In the old days, before any of the custom products came on the scene painters made their own: using just water or water + medium of some kind (including Future, the classic ingredient in Magic Wash) as well as a few custom mixtures that included one or two more ingredients like flow improver or dishwashing liquid and retarder to give more working time.

Einion