undercoats?

[ironhorse]

Which undercoat do you use? I have been using black for years but seeing things that have been done with white undercoat is making me change my opinion.

 

[Mungo Zen]

I use white, as I prefer the brightness offered by the white undercoat. I also don\'t use black as a base for alot of colours anyway, prefering an actual colour then just black.

Alot of people like black because if they miss a spot it doesn\'t look as harsh. I say, if you miss a spot, go back and paint it again!!!

I have in the past used grey on occasion for tanks to mute the tones a bit as well....

 

[Cerridwyn1st]

Primer polygamist

I usually use white primer, but I admit I vary depending on the subject. I have been using black prime on my Sisters of Battle. Not only is this the choice of my mentor, Dragonsreach, but it seams fit the dark, somber mood of the pieces.

For greenskins - dragons, lizardmen, orcs and the like - I use gray primer. Green on white looks cartoony, and green on black is too dull. Gray seems to be just right.

But you guys are talking about priming, not underpainting. Underpainting is a technique where you use a different color on top of your primer, under the paint, to create an effect. It\'s usually use for lighting.

I haven\'t done this myself, but I have taken black primed minis and drybrushed them with white. Why? Makes it easy to pick out details, and you have a really good idea how your shades and highlights should flow.

 

[gohkm]

I do the reverse to Cerridwyn1st. Undercoat with white, then take a slightly diluted black (or brown) ink and wash it over the mini.

It brings out the contours and makes things easier to pick out.

 

[Hi-lite-r]

3 for me..

I use black pretty much as the quicker paint job primer, white for those award winning 50 hour paint jobs (yeah still on hour 10 of my first rackham model Oi.), and for plastics ( i this weird problem with painting plastics, they just don\'t like me) i use Gw matt varnish as a clear primer. Works pretty good IMO.

 

[dave3555]

I mainly use black undercoat. I do use white for some minis though.... It depends on the mood and style I want to go for on a mini.

Dave

 

[Valander]

I used to use black, grey or white, depending on the model. However, I\'m finding that as I develop my preferred techniques, I haven\'t primed black in a long time. For me, white just makes the color transitions a bit easier to acheive. (Especially with the \"tweening\" technique I\'ve been playing with... As soon as this quarter\'s over, I\'ll definitely post an article on it.)

 

[Dragonsreach]

The whole thing about undercoat is that you have to find the one that suits you and your style of painting.
For a lot of years I always primed with white GW primer and never had a problem. But I changed to Black to do a specific project and preferred the results.

Since then I have primed the majority of my figures with Black. I find it a very forgiving medium and very easy to work with now.
But It is down to personal choice I know that Cerridwyn1st varies the colour and type of primer to suit the colour scheme she wants to use.
Each of us will find personal preferrence to their own style. Me I\'m going to be trying Elouchards underpainting technique on a Choas Beastman character. And of course that needs Black primer.


Hey it\'s what ever brings a smile to your face! (or you mini\'s)

 

[Sakura]

I use white primer, because it\'s the only one I can get here.
Former I used a black undercoat as I painted my Elder army, because I used more dark colours for them. But the lighter colours wouldn\'t cover enought and I had to do more layers, so I swiched to white.

 

[U4-Welcome]

I use white, because I find it easier to paint dark colors on white than light colors on black. I can\'t imagine painting a clear face on black primer (though plenty of people seem to manage just fine), even with a few preparatory coats of white.
Just now, I\'m on a mini with a rather darkish theme. Primed white, then spent a few hours basecoating most of it black . And darklining. Maybe I\'m just stupid lol.

 

[warhammerholic]

i started painting one year ago and i think my painting skills are raising fast.
the seller in \"my\" gw-shop advised me to prime with black spray when i started painting. i think it´s a good idea to save from blacklining.
i also like the darker color-schema more for the gw figures then the light and colorful schemas.
... but thats only the opinion of a beginner in this great, time-consuming, addictive and relaxing hobby.

 

[Gypsy]

Black primer is for all us lazybones out there.

White is for high elf players and painting snobs.

 

[supervike]

a little of all...

I like to keep it fresh..

Black Undercoats are interesting, I tend to prefer white, but I have been experimenting with others (brown, gray)

Usually though, I brush it on.