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Reply To: Contrast Primers

March 14, 2021 at 1:08 pm #1622425

blinky465

17028xp

I use Halfords matt black (the one that says to use a grey primer on a sticker on the lid) and zenith with white.

I made the mistake one time of using Halfords black automotive primer – it was a disaster! It’s designed to resist “orange peel” effect, so tends to clump and “smooth out” super-fine details. The matt black (non-primer) paint shrinks into the details really really nicely.

I use matt black, white zenith, then slap on the contrast paint – it works really well, keeping the shadowed areas in a nice dark shadow, and helping identify the high spots (which I then follow up with an edge highlight or a layer of “one-shade-brighter” to really make them pop). For me, the trick is to have the confidence to leave some areas of your minis almost black, while bringing the edges up to almost white for the highest highlights.