Contrast paints in the UK, and the contrast paint chart that shows what each one does

Entry prices, checked

How to choose

1. Prime light and prime evenly. Contrast paint reads whatever is under it. A white or light grey primer gives the bright result shown on the pot; a dark or patchy undercoat gives a muddy one, and no amount of technique recovers it.
2. Read the chart, not the cap. The colour on the pot is the pigment, not the result. A contrast paint chart shows each colour over light and dark undercoats, which is the only honest preview of what you will get.
3. Apply generously, then control the pooling. These paints need a full brush load and a moment to settle into the recesses. Too little and it dries streaky; too much and it pools in flat areas, which is what a second pass with a damp brush is for.
4. Use them where they earn their keep. Cloth, fur, wood and leather come out beautifully in one coat. Large flat armour panels are where contrast paints struggle and where conventional layering still wins.

What contrast paint actually is

A contrast paint is a heavily pigmented, low-viscosity paint in a medium designed to flow off raised surfaces and gather in recesses. That single property does the work of a base coat and a shade at once: the raised areas end up light because the paint runs thin over them, and the crevices end up dark because it collects there. The result is a model that reads as shaded from one coat, which is why the technique took over the tabletop end of the hobby so quickly. It is also why the paint behaves unlike anything else on the shelf and why the first attempt often surprises people.

Why the undercoat decides the result

Because contrast paint is translucent, the undercoat is not hidden, it is part of the finish. Over white the colour is bright and saturated; over light grey it is slightly muted and often more natural; over a dark undercoat it barely registers. This is the single most common reason a contrast paint disappoints, and it is entirely predictable once you understand the mechanism. Painters who use these paints seriously prime deliberately, sometimes with a zenithal spray so that the light and shade are already established before any colour goes on.

Where contrast paints stop being the fast option

On textured surfaces they are unbeatable for speed. On large smooth areas they show every brush mark and every place the paint dried at a different rate, and fixing that takes longer than painting the panel conventionally would have. Most experienced painters use them as one tool among several: contrast for the fiddly organic parts, ordinary layer paint for the armour, and the time saved on the first spent on the second.

Common questions

Do contrast paints need a primer?

Yes, and the primer colour is part of the result. A light primer gives the bright finish shown on the chart; a dark one will swallow the colour almost entirely.

Can contrast paint be thinned?

It can, with the maker's own medium rather than water. Water breaks the flow properties that make the paint work and tends to produce a streaky, patchy coat.

Are contrast paints good for beginners?

Very. They produce a shaded, tabletop-ready model faster than any conventional method and forgive an unsteady hand, provided the model is primed light and the paint is applied generously.

By type

• Compare Model paint on printed prices