Are Contrast paints worth buying for a beginner?
Yes, for the uneven parts of a model: skin, cloth, leather and fur, and infantry armour one segment at a time. No for big flat panels such as tanks, where Contrast dries blotchy. Start with two or three pots over a light spray.
Where Contrast saves time and where it does not
Games Workshop designs Contrast paints to shade the recesses, tint the surface and pull away from raised areas in a single coat. That suits an uneven surface.
| Part of the model | Contrast? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Skin, flesh, tentacles | Yes | Games Workshop's own Kruleboyz guide paints the skin with two coats of Contrast and one highlight. |
| Leather, cloth, wood, fur | Yes | The same guide does the leathers and spear haft in Contrast. Folds and grain do the shading for you. |
| Armour on infantry | Yes, one segment at a time | The Howling Griffons guide does red and yellow Space Marine armour in Contrast, taking care that the paint does not pool. |
| Tanks, Knights, Dreadnought panels | Avoid, or thin it | Games Workshop says to avoid Contrast on expansive flat panels. If you must, thin it, as one of its painters did on a Dreadnought. |
| Anything over a dark undercoat | No | Contrast needs a white or light basecoat to show its colour. |
Habits from Games Workshop's own Contrast guides
- Let coat one dry completely before coat two. The Kruleboyz guide says so for the skin.
- Keep it off the wrong areas. Contrast shows spills, so neat work pays off.
- Work in small sections. The Griffons guide does one armour segment at a time, so all the paint goes on before it dries.
On a flat panel that has already gone blotchy, hobbyists fix it with a sponge, thin coats of a Layer paint, or a drybrush on top. Treat that as a rescue.
How many pots to buy
Pick the two or three colours that cover the largest uneven areas of your army, and add a light spray from the primer page. More can wait.
For a sense of cost, one Games Workshop guide used Snakebite Leather and Cygor Brown for the leathers, Wyldwood for the spear haft and Blood Angels Red on the shield. Those four pots come to £15.24 here.
Contrast or Base and Shade?
Both routes reach Battle Ready, Games Workshop's standard of coloured main areas and a simple finish on the base. Contrast is quicker, because one coat does the colour and the shadow. Base plus Shade gives you more control over each step and works on flat panels. You can use both on one army, with Contrast on the skin and cloth and Base paints on the armour. The paint types page sets out what each does.
Common questions
Are contrast paints good in Warhammer?
Yes, on skin, cloth, leather and fur, where one coat does the colour and the shading. Games Workshop calls them a way to get a model Battle Ready quickly. They are a poor fit for large flat panels, and they need a white or light undercoat.
How many coats of Contrast paint do I need?
Games Workshop's method is one coat of Contrast per colour over a light undercoat. Its Kruleboyz guide gives the skin two coats, with the first fully dry before the second. One of its painters reports that the yellow Contrast paints cover in a single coat over White Scar.
Which Contrast paints should I buy first?
Pick by the biggest uneven areas of your army: skin, leather or cloth. Games Workshop's guides use Snakebite Leather and Cygor Brown for leather, Wyldwood for wood, Blood Angels Red and Iyanden Yellow for armour. Buy two or three and see how you like them.
Can I use Contrast paints on a tank or vehicle?
Games Workshop says to avoid Contrast on expansive flat panels such as tanks. If you try it, thin it and paint thin coats. Base paints with a Shade on top are the safer route for vehicles, Knights and other big flat surfaces.
Contrast guidance: Warhammer Community, 24 June 2022 (paint types), 28 June 2022 (Just What Is Battle Ready?), 26 August 2022 (Shade and Contrast Paints Aren't Just for Shading and Contrasting), 2 July 2021 (How to Paint Howling Griffons) and 9 September 2021 (Kruleboyz and Contrast). Flat-panel warning: Warhammer Community, 18 February 2025 (Contrast tips for beginners). Prices and stock: this shop, read live.