Priming our Figures...

[Dad4]

Hello,

Just a quick question about priming. What is the best color to prime your figures? I use Tamiya fine grey primer on all my projects, but lately I've seen a bunch of figure painters using black. Any particular brand? Process? Do I still prime first with Tamiya and then go over the figure with a black undercoat? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Brian

 

[Wings5797]

Hi Brian,
This is a good question that does not have a particular answer.
I know that a lot of the top artists on this site use black, mostly under acrylics, and get amazing results.
Matt white used to be my choice of primer but these days with such finely detailed castings I was getting tiny white points where the brush could not get to.
I now avoid this by using grey auto primer from Halfords that does the job for me but I will be giving the black a try in the future.
So in summary; if you are happy and getting the results that you want stick with it.
Sorry this doesn't give you a way forward but in reality you need to try these variants to see which one works for you.
Good luck
Keith

 

[DEL]

Nothing fancy for me.
Halfords (also available from other manufacturers ) Auto Matt Black Primer then same in Grey applied from above in a 'halo' pass.
Gives a sense of where your highlights should go and by using the black any undercuts you miss are less noticeable.
As Keith says worth trying a few options to find what works best for you.
Cheers
Derek

 

[Babelfish]

As said above there is no "right" answer. I've even come across painters who say they don't prime at all and they still get great results, though the 'received wisdom' seems to be that priming is important if for no other reason than to give the top coats something to key onto and deliver a better finish.

Depending on the figure, my mood and the phase of the moon, I vary between either Halfords grey primer on its own, or a combination of Games Workshop 'Chaos Black' with Games Workshop 'Skull White' then misted on from above to pick out highlights. Del makes a valid point about black hiding any missed undercuts.

- Steve

 

[kagemusha]

As above...black followed by a mist coat of white 'zenithal' style......for resin.......for metal I prime with Tamiya fine grey primer before the black & white.....
I only wait an hour for the black to dry before applying the white....this allows the two colours to bleed into each other....
This gives you a gradation from black thru grey to off white...ideal for oils & acrylics....good 'tooth' for either.....but suits my technique with oils very well....

It really is a case of "suck it and see"

Regards

Ron

 

[Wings5797]

I must try this white over black it sounds like a cracking way to show 'all' highlights.
Thanks Guys.
Keith

 

[garyhiggins]

Speaking as a dinosaur, RRRRROOOOAAAAARHHHHH! I just use Humbrol Matt Grey Enamel, usually three coats brushed on thinly. It works for me, but then I,m very old fashioned, even for an oil painter.
Best wishes, Gary.

 

[smudger1960]

Whether it's resin or metal I use the same primer for both which is Halfords grey car primer,it covers well and provides a good base for painting.

 

[Eludia]

I usually use Halfords grey primer but as I'm out of that for now I'm using Vallejo grey or white primer (depending on which one my hand strays to first). I don't really like the Vallejo to be honest but I paid for it so I'll use it till its finished then its back to good old Halfords.

I don't really think about what colour I use to prime as my main aim is to have a uniform surface that covers the different materials on the model (metal, resin, filler etc.) and to highlight areas that still need filling or sanding (though admittedly these can be more difficult to spot if I use white). I think of the primer as the end of construction rather than the start of painting so colour doesn't really matter, I'll sort that out with my base coat.

Cheers,
Billy

 

[zane666]

I too use a grey auto primer and recently have just pick up a hint from PF: I work with 75mm figures so now I give a spray of black from the bottom of the figure and a spray of white from the top of the figure, good for creating highlights and shadows.

regards Zane

 

[Helm]

Primer from Halfords black, white or grey depending on the figure and top coat colours
Steve

 

[Pepperpot]

I am using Games Workshop primer, white mist on black, or the Vallejo Airbrush primer.

 

[Bailey]

I used to use black for just about everything. The main benefit from my point of view was that any sections that didn't get paint would not stand out. And if my colors on two adjacent sections don't quite meet, there's just a black border between them which often looks fine. With white or grey any gaps in the paint will be very visible.

That being said, I've recently switched over to white. It takes more layers, thicker paint to get light colors to show up over black. Meanwhile light colors show up well over white and dark colors are still easy to achieve.

Grey is sort of a middle ground, but you don't get the benefits of black (grey gaps will still stand out) so I'd say white and grey are more or less interchangeable.

Having used both black and white I'd say there's no right or wrong choice. Each has some pros and cons. Just pick what you find easiest to use and works best with your style of painting. Of course if your project is primarily light colors or primarily dark colors it may be easiest to go with a light or dark primer.