SW:L Hobby Weekend: Dan Does Clone Wars
Saturday Progress: Attack of the Contrast Paints
My motivation was sapped early in the day as I looked at the effect the contrast paints had created and I wasn’t happy with it. The droids just seemed to be a tea stained mess. Maybe they’d pass the 3ft test (mayyyybe) but definitely not the 1ft test. It was only my desire to get them off my painting table that kept me going. However as I tried touching up a few parts I realised that contrasts paints make really good glazes. Applying another coat thinly over the first heavy coat really blended the effect together.
My theory is that whilst contrast paints find the recesses really well, they are hard to control on surfaces. That leads to a patchy effect that looks weird because you end up with lighter bits where highlights would never be and vice versa. The glaze layer really helped this. Not perfect but perhaps worth it for the speed it allows (I’m trying to convince myself….).
So forget one thick coat – I think it’s one thick coat (controlled as best as possible) plus one thin coat.
I think I’d still have preferred to paint them another way but I might have rescued the army to be useable.
More teeth gritting to do to finish the B1 units and then hopefully the characters will be welcome reward!
Second layer of the same contrast combo. This time really thin looking to blend out the patchy bits. Black Templar for the weapons, with a drybrush of a silver/black mix. Rangefinders used Apothecary White contrast paint. Also a dodgy effect so my plan to use it on the Clones is under review! 
Base rims Burnt Umber from Vallejo and Luke’s APS Martian basing mix as the first stage of the base. I’m going for a Geonosis effect. It’s a bit too red at the moment but I’ll add some brown pigment later.
Oh, I think they’re well above usable.
I’ve noticed the same thing with Contrasts, they can be used as glazes. Which is great because otherwise fixing Contrast blotches you inevitably get from time to time would be a nightmare completely defeating the point of the paints.