Contrast Paint? Make Your Own Custom Washes Instead! 

After almost 30 years in the hobby, I might very well have a bigger selection of paints than anyone else, and it probably didn't cost me much more than 100 bucks. I did use Citadel paints back in the 90's, when I first got into the hobby and didn't know any better, but have long since given them up for cheaper and better alternatives. Just like you, I like mixing my own paints, either from thickening inks, or by thinning down professional soft body acrylics. With all the attention these new Citadel contrast paints have been given, my old frustration with the GW price point have returned. The way they take advantage of hobbyists in general, and beginners in particular, is appalling. I have even been thinking about making a video similar to yours, explaining how easy they are to make. The main point I would wish to get across though is not how easy it is to make contrast paints or washes specifically, but rather how silly it is buying large selections of paint of any kind. In theory, you only need three good primary colors (plus black and white), and you can mix whatever you want from them. When working with real pigments though, it's hard to find ones with perfect mixing properties, so I normally use 6 primaries in practice. But once you've learnt how to mix paint properly, that is truly all you need. No color in the world will require you to mix more than two of those primaries to get the right hue, and then you break it with black and white to find your desired shade, tone or tint. This is how traditional painters have done it for centuries. They find the handful of pigments that best suit their taste, and then mix whatever else they need. And if you ever doubt the validity of this approach, remember that pretty much every single color image you have ever seen in print media (including GW box art, magazines and posters) have all been made using only cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks. Together with the white of the paper it's printed on, those 4 inks can recreate every colour you see. So save yourself a lot of money. Buy a small selection of professional acrylics that are high in pigment, and complement them with some acrylic media and a couple of mixing agents. I would say that the most enjoyable part of any painting session is to sit down and premix the colors you plan on using for your figures. Just store the finished paints and washes in plastic dropper bottles (which you can buy in bulk from Amazon) and they will keep forever. You even get to name them yourself, which is a surprising amount of fun :-)

"There's no substitute for experience" 👏👏👏

Goobertown is like.... the Bob Ross of mini war game painting. Also, fun fact: That Liquitex brand of products you've used so often was one of, if not THE first company to take the recent invention of acrylic paints and market them specifically to artists. They've been doing it since at least the 1950s.

"Goobertown Hobbies just isn't the place for rants." I love that. That's why I keep watching your videos. :)

Came to hear the voice of an angel, stayed for the content!

Goobertown Hobbies isn't the place for rants, but Midwinter Minis is, haha. Awesome video matey, I knew you'd nail the Contrast blend, you chemical genius.

I tried this last night, being able to mix any color I want in 15 seconds was amazing. 9 drops medium, 12 drops ink, 2 drops flow, and 2 drops water. Worked perfectly.

Happy Goobertown Tuesday! Have a great day everyone :-)

Lord in heaven. So glad I found this, was about to go spend a small fortune on the contrast paints tomorrow, but I'm way more interested in tinkering. Great video! Thanks man!

I think this is the third time I’ve watched this video since getting involved in miniature painting several months ago. Watching it today, I think I understand the issue I recently had with an Army Painter Speed Paint, I’m not applying it thick enough for the desired effect. For the record, I have been using mostly Craftsmart paint on my miniatures and gotten some pretty solid results, it can definitely be done if you thin your paints. Thanks for the video!

Oh I LIKE this. It looks like my afternoon is booked.

I'm go glad I found this video! I'm still quite new to the hobby and expensive paints is one of the reasons I haven't gotten into it as much as I'd like. Knowing there are other options and I CAN experiment with paints really reawakened my excitement!

Hey Brent, your videos, painting philosophy and general outlook are everything that is great about the hobby!

I enjoyed this video a lot! I'm looking at ways to get my six year old son (almost 7!) into miniature painting, and found that contrast paints looked like a really good way. Seeing that we can experiment with making our own paint is really cool! Thanks for showing us how to do this!

I just had a pretty bad day at work and came back to this video to check up on the receipt. And I have to say, you really calmed me down. Your videos are genuinely nice and easing. A quality thats underrated I guess. So thanks for making this. You substantially improved my mood today.

Some years later, I finally bought a bunch of liquitex inks and some medium, and I'm ready to try these techniques. They look fun!

Thanks Brent! I’ve always struggled with DIY washes (30+ years ). You’ve broken them down into there component ingredients and made the DIY ink process simple and easy to understand. Thanks buddy.

You're like the offspring of Bob Ross and Mr Rodgers of the miniature world. Seriously thank you for sharing this and thank you for sharing the way you do.

"I'm also someone who spends most of my time in a good mood". That totally shows! Thanks for the DIY tips, and for your ever-present focus on relaxing and having fun with creating and exploring. :) It is easy to make that a stressful experience.

Your videos are fantastic! I'm impressed by your mindset regarding experimenting and not being afraid to fail. That's a rare trait and appreciate you helping perfectionists, like myself, not to see a screwup as a reflection of who we are as people.

I like how this is laced out like a scientific essay. Intro:say what you are gonna talk about Main part: make your point Conclusion: summarize your point into something that is easy to remember

Another great video, Brent. Your content has a certain 'Bob Ross' quality that is quite pleasant.

I cannot commend you enough for this video. You did and said so many proactive and positive things, this is exactly the kind of spirit I aspire to take into all of my projects and folks like you set a shining example to communities, especially competitive communities. If you are the type of hobbyist who like to get behind the scenes, under the layers, make/mix your own materials, this approach is for you. If you are the type of hobbyist who enjoys more using the fastest/tightest products/tools, that is perfectly fine too. The Miniac also made an excellent alt-video to the overwhelmingly positive response of contrast paints in which he actually had a friend who was brand new to the hobby paint with them in addition to himself who had been painting for years, then compared the two perspectives.

love your videos, im rusty from not having painted in over a year ( someone in the hobby that I knew gave me ptsd. SA and more...) but I'm ready to take my hobby back, thank you for being a big inspiration for me and many others

Thank you for doing this video. I found out about Les's wash recipe a few years ago and I have a handful of FW inks. I really like learning how paints work and now I have another tool in my toolbox. One thing I like to experiment with is mix just a few drops of the inks to see what color I get and then dabbing some on a model to see if it looks like what I want. I can then easily wash it off with water.

GW: "Can we just drone strike this guy?!"

As someone who is new and getting into painting minis for the first time, I appreciate the knowledge that you've shared! citadel paints are expensive and I love looking for budget solutions so i can spend more money on terrain or more minis lol. Thank you for sharing!!

Thank you so much. I just recently started this hobby. I’ve been on the fence about miniature painting for quite some time but your message really inspired me to keep trying and focus more on honing my paint skills rather than cranking out a finished but rushed model.

I have painted 40+ models to completion using contrast paints this year so far. They are expensive but, for me, my gray wall of shame has really started to shrink. I do have these inks and plan to use your recipe to make some homemade contrast paints.

Your cat channel has way too much hobby content. There isn’t enough cat videos on the internet

I was wondering how to mix paints from pigment for about a week now. This video is a superb first step and came out at a pretty convenient time. Your videos are wonderful. The effort you put into them always shines through.

Thank man! I took your advice and mixed my own washes. Created the depth I need for my space marines.

I was going to pick up some contrast paints to try out this weekend. What timing on this video! Love your point of view and thank you for making this. New subscriber here!

Hi Goobertown, i just wanted to say i stumbled across your channel randomly on this video and was expecting there to be a bunch of negativity like the rest of the internet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your positivity and open and honest discussion. Even though you have a problem with the gw paints, (my exact same problem) you very respectfully stated it and didnt fly off the handle. I want to commend you for your bravery and role modelling in this video. I have now set myself the task of going back through and watching all your vids and i think im not gonna be disappointed. You seem to have a similar attitude to the hobby as i do and am stoked to see an experimental hobbyist who thinks outside the box and brings positivity and reason to this community in a much needed dose. I may have a new favourite youtube channel. Haha

I think over the past two years ive watched this video 10 times love all your videos . Always lots of good info like to watch them as my day winding down.

Another great video! I remember painting a bunch of ww2 Russian infantry using washes over white years ago! The whole vibe of your channel is excellent! Keep up the great job & please be safe during these crazy times

There is an upside of the high priced contrast paints - it encourages me to look up videos like this and become really educated about my new craft and hobby. My mom has been an artist for years so it is great to have a way to connect but in my own area of interest. Thanks a bunch for the in depth info on paints and how they work so I can mix my own. I just was at the art store last week picking up clay for her and had to take a look around the ink section and wondered if I should get matte or gloss medium, now I know a lot more than that, thanks!

Didn't know the channel but I'm already in love! Awesome video! You've got yourself a brand new subscriber! 😊 By the way, you've got such a cute cat! ❤

I love watching your videos to relax, and I'm even learning something!

I'm so happy I discovered this channel. It's super helpful for a beginner like me. Thanks for the helpful content!

I think the recent price hikes are difficult to justify. The price of contrast is crazy high especially after watching this video. I'll be doing my own experimenting soon with paints. Just to learn more in general. Great video, thanks!

This is my first video of yours. You are the modeller’s Bob Ross. Subscribed for more laid-back good vibes 😊

whoa! those colors really pop! thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience

I have had great success with contrast paints on my models that I needed to get done quickly for a tournament. I have loved GtH and the information that I have learned. I look forward to gaining more experience with hobbying and being able to be in a position where I'm not trying to rush to get something done for my next game. I enjoy the craft/art side of the hobby. Thank you for having a platform free and educational channel that supports the hobby.

I find that the more heavily pigmented Contrast paints are really something special, they do a great one coat job. If they are leading to less grey plastic, then they are working. Totally with you on the pricing, but GW is always overpriced. Looking forward to the competition offering cheaper alternative. Looking at you Army Painter....

I make my own washes for terrain. Pre-mixed washes from almost any company are just too expensive for it. I use the Liquitex Carbon Black and Burnt Umber inks (for black and brown washes) along with a 50/50 ish mix of liquitex matt medium and water. Then a bit of fabric effects for the flow. Black Magic Craft's youtube channel gave me the encouragement to mix it myself. Took some trial and error to get the mix how I like it.

Man, you have got to be one of the most thought-provoking and freeing hobbyists making content on youtube. Your style reminds me a little bit of Bob Ross. I've been in a bit of a painting rut. I've been focused on results and it's honestly been stressing me out, but you've reminded me to breathe and enjoy myself again. Thank you.

I love your approach to the subject and overall positive attitude that you are maintaining. Keep it up and thank you.

Fantastic video! it was very helpful

I think the price of contrast paints and the recent price hike on older models will all add up to discouraging new players.

Thanks Brent I appreciate what your doing! Keep up the wonderful work!

Following I mean as a compliment: Did some party uppers tonight and later on started watching your videos - there's nothing that brings me down so gently and easy, sending up to hard day's sleep. Thank you so much for that. Also, I'm new to the hobby and find your content very helpful and needed. Keep up good work :)

I actually began painting miniatures with 50 cent wal-mart craft paint. At that time I wasn't sure if mini-painting was going to be a hobby I would get into, so I didn't want to drop a ton of cash on good paints and then regret the purchase if I didn't like doing it. Let's just say that I ended up really loving the craft and did upgrade to nice paints, but the craft paint was serviceable. It has a wide range of colors, including some AWESOME colored metallics, and do a decent job at painting. They are INSANELY difficult to thin, however, because their pigmentation is a little on the lower end of the quality scale. So while it isn't the ideal way to paint minis, it is a good way to do it on a budget.

Great video! Thought you where going to take a shot in that opening segment.

"I`m not done experimenting and I´m not done learning. I`ve only just begun" is a wonderful finish. It`s a cool slogan for your channel and the hobby in general

Just subbed. I havnt really started the hobby yet. I plan on walking into it over the winter with my boys. You gave some good food for thought. I like the idea of trying to mix my own instead of buying. I'll still buy a few starter type sets for us but you have given some good ideas. Thanks and keep up the content

I swear my fellow Brent, you are the Bob Ross of mini painting

They're also bumping the price of their minis. Again. Thanks for the video! Good to see there's an easy custom solution to contrast paints!

"This hobby is amazing, and I want more people to discover it." Great video. I like your posi attitude and sense of painting adventure. Tabletop wargaming and modeling is a hobby for life. Thanks for sharing.

This video was incredibly helpful. Using your base ratio, and then playing with various cheap primers (the experimentation you talked about) , I found a very cost and time effective way to get my Salamanders finally painted. Thank you

Could you do a video on dirt/grime washes? Also mud stains/splatters/lumps, oil stains, burns and rust?

I did a similar experiment for Contrast paint and arrived at the same conclusion, they are a thicker wash. Similar to their Shades , you can make your own, you just need to adjust the ratios of your Acrylic Ink : Matt Medium : FlowAid add in some PaintExtender / Retarder. I believe some of the Contrast paint have little to no FlowAid as they seems to just stick to the mini when i painted them( Ultramarine blue / Dark Angels green/ FleshTearer Red )

Thank you for another great video. I've been making my own washes/basing materials/effect paints for maybe more than a year now and I have to say its a whole lot of fun to just experiment and try out new things. To me its a major thing for my hobby personaly and sometimes I enjoy it more than actually painting models or playing Warhammer.

Great video, thanks for taking the time to share your experimentation and thoughts

I tried out the contrast paints and while not for me (I much prefer a dark a gritty paintjob over a black undercoat) they do what they are meant too do, but I agree their pricing is just insane.

I seriously think you need to do some mini painting videos in a style ala bob ross. You're videos are all zen like, man XD

Another lovely video. You do a good job with these tutorials. I have very limited hobby time these days, but when things quiet down I’ll return to this video and do some experimenting with paint options. I’ll second/third/fourth the comments I read that were glad you stayed positive when discussing this topic; we have enough things that can make us angry in the world today that we don’t need to find extras in our hobbies!

Really appreciate your thoughtful insight. Just getting into the hobby, I find myself leaning heavily into your channel. Thank you.

Great video dude! My only question is that the focus seemed to be on ink based versions of the wash. I was really keen to see the thinned paint versions against the other two to see how they held up. Did I miss this?!

I actually went out and bought a couple of the Liquitex inks after seeing your video, and will be testing them against some comparable GW contrast paints and washes. I've always painted using washes to tint metallic paints, so I'm curious to see how they all look over Leadbelcher and Mithril Silver.

Thank you for creating this video and sharing your contrast experience.

Just happened to find this video after getting back into painting. I do adore the contrast paints and use them a lot. After catching your video, I decided to pick up some Liquitex to try making my own. Happy new year!

I figure you can probably just add flow improver to regular paints and get to the same thing as contrast if you don't want to start all the way from scratch. Also, preach about the GW prices being too high. I am a huge voice in all my hobby/friend groups of NOT buying citadel paints, because they are always overpriced to a ridiculous degree. Not only that, but often times there are better alternatives out there. People just need to not be afraid to experiment with other paint lines and techniques and find out for themselves.

Honestly, some of the darker colours are fantastic, (flesh tearer for example) by most of the lighter ones are beyond rubbish, especially for the cost per pot. I'd give the range 7/10 at best

Thanks for this video, I first watched it when it originally came out and you sent me down the rabbit hole of paint chemistry. It's been very handy knowing how to tune the properties of my paints!

Your honesty is very refreshing and much appreciated!

I bought some GW Contrast paints and I was also a bit shocked at the price. Then I thought that the traditional GW method of painting is a base, shade, highlight, and finally an edge highlight. So one bottle of Contrast is suppose to replace 4 bottles of paint for the traditional GW method. One bottle of Contrast costs $7.80 whereas to buy 4 bottles of GW paint costs $21.45. So if you look at it from that perspective, you are saving money. I can see there use and how they really help speed the painting process along. Especially if you were getting ready for a tournament and had a limited amount of time. For speed painting, I still prefer the block paint the colors and dip the whole miniature. You can make a whole bunch of dip with some artist ink, Future Floor Polish, and a little flow aid.

The half dozen contrast paint i picked up varied in results. The darker colors seemed okay , but the lighter colors seemed to just be a water down wash. I tried using different base colors and varnished with satin gloss and matt and they just didn't deliver what i have seen from GW promos. At this price point these paints are just disappointing.

I love how chill and informative these videos are. You're the Bob Ross of the hobby. 🎨 😊

Hi Brent, just popped in to say THANK YOU!!!!! for this video. Just came back to 40K after a hiatus between late 7th and now 9th and had something of a shock whilst out looking for paint seeing how GW has split their range into Air, Base,Contrast, Layer and Technical from the top of my head. Then you come along and show how to make paints and such which best of all turns my colours out actually like how I want them to and best of all, I don't have to go out for a new jar every box or so. (Which perhaps might be a unintended side effect but you're helping me reduce waste and for me that's a big bonus) Once again thank you and keep up the awesome!

You should make your own version of contrast paint and sell them for half the price of gw Call them Goobertrast Paints

I am not going to try Gw contrast paints. The cost is too high and I own so much much paint and washes already, plus the price is just too high.

Luv your video. I use different primers, White, light gray, medium gray, light tan and medium tan. You gave me a great idea, I have a box full of shields that I will never use with some basic textures molded on them. I plan on building me a board, base coating shields in each of the base coats, mount them and apply all my washes, inks and contrasts and home made washes and contrasts. I know citadel posted a picture of bases using their primers and contrast paint but when you repurposed your old models you inspired me so I am in the process of making mine. Again thanks for the great video's..

thank you so much for the point of view you're showing here. Maybe experimentation and experience are the most important things in this kind of things. really appreciate!!

I got into painting models when I was very young. 12 or so. I dropped out for many years because I couldn't afford the ridiculous prices for models from GW. At the time, they were the main source for this hobby for me. Fast forward till now. I have much more disposable income and got back into the hobby. I still avoid buying GW models because they are even more outrageously priced than before. I tend to paint a lot of board game miniature heavy games to supply myself with models without breaking the bank. GW's doubling or tripling of their prices, along with refusing to provide sales of any kind (go in a GW during the holidays and see if anything is on sale..) is a really big deterrent into the hobby for new people. GW makes amazing models but are horrible at everything else business wise.

I just stumbled across this video as I was about to stock up on paints. Very inspirational so now my funds are going to go on some mixing agents and acrylics and give this a go! Thanks for the content, really enjoy these cathartic videos.

What a great video!!! The most intriguing part of this though was thinking about actually finding pigment and making paint from scratch. Never even crossed my mind to try! Videos like this really make picking the right paint less intimating. Thanks for the soothing video!

Man, I really get relaxed with your videos. I'm kind of new to minis and didn't expect to found a channel with this uplifting vibe. Thanks for the videos!

Love you, attitude man! "so we'll leave it there" Love it!! Great video, thanks for sharing the techniques.

Thank you so much for sharing these skills and concepts! How refreshing to see someone who truly loves what he does and wants to share it with others! You have a new subscriber!

You're legit the Bob Ross of mini painting and I love your channel so much for that

This is my first time watching one of your videos and it completely changed my view of paints. Completely. I never considered experimenting with them in this fashion. “The scales have fallen off my eyes” as they say. I’ve subscribed and will look at your channel closely from now on. Thanks for taking the time to present such a thoughtful video. Your presentation style is soothing and makes me want to keep watching. Very well done’!

I love your videos, your channel kept me a good company during the lockdown.

It's good watching this video again. Every time I find myself tempted to buy a Citadel shade or contrast paint, I rewatch these videos and remember why I haven't bought them. I can make my own.

This video is an amazing gift to all of us miniature aficionados! I bought a couple pots of the new contrast paints and really have enjoyed the results I’ve gotten with them. That being said, I’m super excited to try this method of making my own, much cheaper, and in more shades than GW offers! Thanks so much for this!

Thank you. I’ve been painting figs since the 80s and every time I asked someone about contrast paints they described them like they were magical. But their description sounded just like a wash. But they would swear up and down that they weren’t. Your in depth explanation is exactly the information I wanted.

I'm new to the hobby, so videos like these help a lot! I am also on a budget. These tips and tricks help immensly! Thank you!

Honestly, so much of this was things I needed to hear. Thank you! It really takes the pressure off. I'm very excited to get back to learning painting ❤

Great video! I usually skim videos because they're too long, but your videos are probably the only ones I watch all the way through. I love that you did the dirty work and found a recipe for making a wash. Living in Japan, I don't have access to washes (except for $10 bottles of Citadel washes at only one store), so being able to make my own will be great. I'm new to the hobby and gotta make due with the little resources I have. Time to do some translation/research for these necessary ingredients.

top tier work on both the hobby and the content delivery. subbed!