A new kind of paint could offer an alternative to Games Workshop’s pricey Contrast line
Games Workshop surprised the world of miniature painting in 2019 with the introduction of Citadel Contrast Paints. The new and unusual formulation caused a bit of controversy at the time, but the line has grown to be incredibly popular among amateur and professional painters alike. Now The Army Painter is getting in on the action with its own version, called Speedpaint. The first retail samples are just now making it into the hands of YouTubers, and the results are very exciting.
Contrast Paint is a proprietary formulation, so only Games Workshop knows for sure what’s inside each pot. But the concept is interesting. While traditional acrylic paints have a very thick formulation with lots of viscosity, Contrast Paints are much thinner. That feature allows you to build up opacity on 3D models a bit like using watercolor on paper. But Contrast Paints also tend to stay where you put them, sort of like the opposite of a wash. That makes painting some highly detailed miniatures a lot easier. Applied heavily, it also forms its own highlights and shadows — especially when used with a highly shaded black-and-white undercoat (also known as a zenithal undercoat). The long and the short of it is that with clever brush application, it can save you time and improve your results.
Through an airbrush, however, techniques really open up with Contrast Paint, which behaves more like an artist-grade ink than a paint. I’ve taken to using multiple shades of similar colors to blend together highlights and shadows on my basecoat, giving me a much more interesting surface to add detail to. Contrast Paints are a powerful tool in my toolbox now, and I wouldn’t want to go forward without them.
The Army Painter’s Speedpaints, on the other hand, are
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