Mix and match for me. The skin and some materials like the boots on Contrast are just beautiful. But mostly yeah, SpeedPaint's consistency makes it a bit better for most stuff.
Agree mate. Mix and match. On that particular Ork model the skin was WAY nicer in contrast IMO but the pants colour grey was better in Speed Paint. If you aren't hell bent on speed painting then I've found two coats of contrast works well for flatter areas. Smooth finish and some shading to boot.
@@huwtindall7096 Exactly this. I do something similar myself where I'll use the contrast paint to blend in deeper shadows etc (akin to Pete's second test) or outright put a second coat to increase the coverage or tone. Both products are great though, doing the same thing just in different ways. All about how you use it which you'll like better for what job :B
Agree. There are some contrast paints I love and others I won't use. Some colors I use Tamiya, some GW, some Vallejo. Each line has winners and losers.
Definitely left. The right one has too many dark spots spread out all over, while the left one atleast seems to have consistency in keeping the darker areas dark, and the highlighted areas light.
Overall, I prefer left with the exception of the ork skin. The right models skin has much more visual interest in colour and shade. The left looks too washed out and artificial by comparison. However, the blues, browns and oranges look so much smoother on the left model. The right has more ‘contrast’ but the coverage on the shoulder pad for instance looks inconsistent and blotchy. Edit: The agrax shade was an interesting test and I think it greatly improved the look of the left models skin. However, I still think I prefer right for its variety of tones. The blues and brown on the left remain the out and out winner however. Overall I’m not hugely surprised with the reveal (I recognised the rights blotchy finish on the blue from contrast paints) but I’m very impressed with Army Painter’s brown (those boots look amazing in the final model rotation). Very interesting comparison, Pete!
It depends on how long you’ve let the paint dry. But in many instances I use the reactivation as a tool more than a deterrent. Blending is so much easier and cleaner. You can get some really interesting results
Left colors look nicer. Specially the blue and the leather are way better on the left, but the skin tone is probably nicer on the right miniature, and the black/grey clothes are less flat. Both look great for a quick paint job. EDIT I see contrast are on the right, that explains why the blue was so dark and bloaty compared to the left, and confirms basilicanum grey is way nicer than speedpaint's gravelord grey, like it was shown in some other videos. What I'm surprised about is dark wood being more consistent than wylwood, one of the best contrast colors. It's warmer, it will probly make a better dark leather, but worst wood color.
Before the reveal: Left has the better blue and brown. Right has the better green/yellow combination. But i could have told you that blue contrast can be quite problamatic. Its probably a case of use the best paints from both options^^
Until the Agrax Earthshade was applied I could not tell the difference. Both work well and seem to do an excellent job of covering the models. But I have to admit the price is a factor for me. Thanks for sharing this as it helps to see the paints compared together.
I've seen a few reviews for speed paints, but I have to say - I really like your side by side painting guide. It really helps to see how each paint goes on and dries at different stages.
I think instead of thinking of the speed paint as a replacement for contrast it would be better to see it as another tool in our toolbelt for model painting, they both have their pros and cons
I’m glad that these are so closely comparable, I’ve grown to really enjoy using contrast paints for certain things but they are a real hole in my wallet. I’m excited to try out some of these speedpaints for myself.
I prefer the right one, as I find the left one to be "monochromatic". To me it seems the right one had applied subtle glaces, creating more "complex" colours.
Personally I'd pick up Speed Paint if they have a colour that Contrast hasn't and vice versa. Nice comparison test, the best I've seen so far, thanks 🙂
With the Speed Paints having a medium that is included in the large set (or, I would assume, could be purchased individually) you may get a different outcome on how grainy the thinned product applies using that instead of water. May be worth revisiting when we can get our hands on the medium. Thanks for the review and information.
Great job Pete. I actually leaned towards right. It does seem they are fairly close in comparison, which may mean picking out specific paints in each line to build out a collection. If you do another, I would like to see one with zenthithel and also “prime texture finish” as in chalky, matte, gloss.
Think you've nailed it really. Its another range of the same things where elements of each range out perform the other in different areas and application. I imagine someone going to come up with some crazy use for them yet!
Preferred left. Right just looked to dark in the recesses. I get these were both used as intended but we know contrast can give incredible results if used as glazes
I like right more, the recess seemed darker and it would only take a quick highlight to make it really shine. I feel like the left would need more washes to reach the level of contrast I'd want.
@@jeskorettkowski2464 oh yeah, I've actually watched a few reviews (including goobertowns) and overall I think I'll get speed paints when they are out. I've got some big boardgames to do that I think they work great on. My initial comment was just on the side by side diff without knowing which was which
Thanks for this Pete. Really informative. I really like army painter so I'll almost certainly pick up the full range of these. Better than gws pots and their prices anyway. I'm mostly curious about the white. Holy white seems to give a grey recess whereas apocathery white is more a blue grey. Both have their uses I think.
I prefer the green of the one on the right but everything else is really blochy so if I had to pick one it would be one on the left because it actually looks smooth.
Not using the paints on a metallic surface feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. I guess it's not what you're "supposed" to do, but it looks cool, and the metallic surface is right there.
This has been very helpful. I have been trying to decide whether it is worth getting the speed paints when I own most of the contrast. But I want my speed paints to be speedy. So it sounds like speed paints might be an investment. I was always frustrated at to how many times you might need to paint contrast to get a good covering. Thanks for the video, love it.
Thank you for making this video, these comparisons are really interesting and helpful for understanding how (and if) speedpaints work and their place in one's painting toolbox.
I could easily pick out which was which from the get-go before the reveal. I feel like contrasts have a lot more saturation and tonal variation when applied than speedpaints. It's definitely a look that's not for everyone but if you're looking for that glazing effect contrasts are hard to beat. At the same time if you're looking for consistent shading (e.g. you're painting flat armor panels) you'll probably want to go for speedpaints... and you can't argue with the price difference in that case.
Great video I would love to see the full range you're just very thorough. I'm really interested in their bone color versus skeleton a horde and And what they have for comparison with plague Bear flesh.
I find contrast paints useful only in certain scenarios. For example, pre-shading fabric before drybrushing it works nicely. But big panels are a no go for contrast paint. It would end up looking bad.
However, they do airbrush very well and can thus be used on big flat surfaces, but more as a filter than as an all-in-one wash. But then again, Speedpaint is capable of the very same thing. I find that there are certain Contrast paints that are more universally usable than others. I do love Snakebite Leather, Basilicanum Grey, Fleshtearers Red and Black Templar, but care very little for most others. Really looking forward to the more fluid consistency of Speedpaint.
@@dekai7992 Skeleton horde is awesome for a basecoat on uniforms. The shade of Cadian uniform or even Soviet cold war uniform is very easy to achieve with it.
What I find about these two different sets of paints is that I often times find that they compliment each other. Not so much head to head but one set to compliment the other. Contrast is great for glazing like you pointed out, speed paints out of the pot are nice and rich but due to reactivation can be brought down fairly easily as pointed out with the agrax earthshade. Great video! subbed
In light of the discovery that speedpaint can be reactivated within 24+ hours I wonder if that's why the speedpaint ork became so desaturated vs the contrast. The water in the earthshade really might have reactivated and almost seaped into the reactivated speedpaint.
I feel like your right on target with this one, I wonder if adding varnish to the speed pain and then leaving it to dry for the 24hrs would provide a more protective ( reactive free) finish.
@@gregmccormack5709 since commenting this, Dana Howl here on UA-cam found out that not only is speed paint medium good for general thinning but also prevents the bleedthrough caused by painting over speed paints. Possibly using speedpaint medium with ink or making a wash by cutting in thinner medium or just straight up thinner could minimize the need for midpoint varnishing.
Great video Pete thanks for making this. These days I find I'm using contrast more for shading or diluted down to a heavy wash so I don't see that that tool going away anytime soon. But these new paints seem to address a lot of issues I've had with the darker colors in the contrast line leaving spotty or inconstant results when used by themselves. These new paints might make it easier to skip the touchup phase and go directly into highlighting. And that Agrax addition was very welcome as to me showed how contrast needs another step to really pop compared to speed paint looking a bit better before the wash was applied.
right has a more "splotchy" look to the different colours, this works in a way for the skin as it makes it seem a little more "natural" in its shading, but for everything else it makes it seem as though it has just been poorly painted with some areas of simply not painted properly the colour is als less strong in places on the right, making parts (particularly the yellow parts) much less clear and seem blurred or again, "splotchy", i cant think of a better word for it overall i would say the left is a better cover, especially as contrasts/speedpaints are not supposed to be the only step but a starting off point, the right looks like i would need to fix a lot of work done, while the left gives me a very clean base coat to work from and build up on
A consistent technique for splotchy skin would not be to use contrast, though. Far better would be to blot on various colors before the "glazing" effect of contrast/speedpaint. Use multiple colors, purples, oranges, etc, and just apply them in patches using stipling or sponges. It's a relatively low skill and fast technique that will greatly influence these translucent paints. Skins prefer to be multiple colors anyway, not a splotchy coverage of one color.
great video, I would like to see a total range comparison. So many of the Contrast colors have very different properties (that leviodon blue is a blochty one etc).
Other reviewers pointed out that speedpaints have better consistency across the range while the GW products vary in consistency per paint, was that your experience too? also it looks to me like the wash stained over the speedpaint more, maybe they don't play too well with washes due to their medium
Great video mate. Personally I liked both Orks, maybe the Contrast one a little more after the Agrax Wash, but I usually only use the Contrast Paints for details and as "glazes" .... but now I know to paint my horde of Sylvaneth Dryads, Kurnoths and Treemen I'll rather use a Speed Paint Brown as a starting point.... again thank you for your review 😀
I prefer right since it show more contrast, specially in the skin tone. I rebottled all my contrast paints in dropper bottles and I mostly use them for airbrushing. Not really sure if adding the army paint speed paint will give me anything new then I already have. Its always good to have more options on the market though. Thanks for the video!
I think I prefer the right in this case. The one on the left looks slightly smoother which lends it to picking out the details with some further painting, while the one on the right provides more immediate contrast
I'm not convinced the agrax earthshade helped with a clean comparison but I guess it added another dimension. For me the preference is different for different colours based on your mini. However, I think I'll be able to live with the slight differences. So for me the price is the biggest factor AND the bottles will sweeten the deal. I'll definitely be trying a few and maybe even a set of speedpaints.
I appreciate the unbiased approach and have to agree, each paint has their strengths. In your application it looks like speedpaint did much better with the yellows on the skull, but the contrast handled the end wash better especially on the hide. I imagine it takes a lot of trial and error to really find out where each brand truly shines.
My first thought was the one on the left however I do feel it was very close comparison. This was a fantastic and fair comparison. Id say overall speedpaint seems the better product, however contrast has some better points for certain techniques.
I've already decided to pick up the full range for Speed Paint as well the price and bundle just speaks for itself compared to Contrast which has no bundles and you have to buy everything individually. I was surprised however how quickly I could tell which one was which when the video began and as well the coverage between the two. I was pleasantly surprised how an overall wash changed the look of Speed Paint to something that looks closely to what other higher end painters achieve-which is alright in my books. Overall I believe Speed Paint did what it was designed to do and is a very strong contender against Contrast.
I would have been interested in seeing Agrax Earthshade put up against the equivalent Army Painter wash (strong tone I think?), instead of Agrax on both, but otherwise, great video. If my local stores start carrying Army Painter, I'll definitely be picking some Speed Paints up myself. For now, I'll stick to Vallejo & the occasional GW paint.
I’m on the fence. I love contrast paints “pretty much” but you have to practice a bit. E.g. Blood angels red seems to me to be very pigment heavy so you have to use the prime/dry brush technique. I’m keen on using both tbh. I’d like to see comparisons with wraithbone/guilliman and speed paint equivalent on skin (did a load of warlord SPQR gauls so fast) As a very lazy painter the former was a revelation for me. Thanks Pete good video.
I know this is an old video, not to mention that the new 2.0 speedpaints came out... But I've always been told to use the right tool for the job you're doing. And if that means to mix and match your brands, then so be it. Because I'll be honest, some areas of both look better than others. BTW: great video and review!
You've obtained this interesting "Borderlands'esq" result in the post wash step. For that effect alone I'm actually quite intrigued. I have the entire Contrast line and have been trying to help people get into the painting hobby with them. But this is tempting for a guy that already has too many paints.
I think I'm sticking with contrast paints, availability of army painter paints in the UK seems patchy at best, plus I already have the colours I need and I'd rather have the consistancy and colour match that I have right now. I can appreciate the army painter paints though, however the saving in the UK is sitting at just under £1 if my local hobby store manages to stock them, whereas Contrast always seems to be on the shelf when I need it
Great video! Unfortunately, I think I'm familiar enough with the Speed Paint to recognize one of its colors. So I might be biased. Left has better blue, black, and yellow. Right has better green. I could make do with either brown or gray. After the brown wash, the left is so desaturated that I might overlook the blotchiness of the right, and would prefer the right.
Depends on the color - The Left blue, black and brown look great, but I'm really not a fan of the green skin tone - it's turned into almost a neon lime green. It feels like the right model is splotching a lot more on even textures.
I love painting with transparencies, I have the full Contrast range and gave preordered the full Speed Paint set as well. I am also using Green Stuff World Intensity Inks, I would be curious to see a little comparison with those as well (they don't work quite the same way, but are close enough to be useful in transparancy-based painting I feel)
I preferred the one on the right in this case. I liked the orc skin of the contrast one a lot more. Before you added the coating of agrax earthshade the models were pretty similar. But after applying the shade, the one on the left look so much lighter.
Thanks for the conparision! Which it sounds like each does what it says it does! A very good thing.... Also could you do a range review for each so people know how each color fairs and any hard to use aspects?
Left, ArmyPainter speed paints all the way, got the starter set, amazing results. Really should not thin them with water though as they use a special medium sold on it's own, you can use that to thin them a bit better.
Speed paints just leave so much of a smoother finish. The leather and pants of the contrast orc are so patchy and washed out that they just look terrible compared to the evenly dried and finished Speedpaints. Definitely excited to add these to my toolbox
Even without he customary dead animal bits, a great review. I never have used either of these products, I find them too dear for what they achieve. Instead I use inks, mixed with acrylics and surfactants as needed (ie a drop of washing up liquid).
Hey Pete, liked the video. I have a quick question for you. I have an idea for making a Slaaneshi Idoneth Cult and I was wondering if you knew any good third party sites as I don't feel many of the Slaaneshi infantry models work for the theme I have in my head.
Very nice review. Like the format you used here. Personally, I don't see myself buying a set of either. Rather, I'd get the specific shades I needed, and use those for the specific project. I think as far as shading goes, the shadows apply pretty well, but there's no hint of a highlight-that's going to require a more traditional technique. This type of paint screams for zenithal highlights to take advantage of the paint transparency. To my eye the Citadel paints are brighter, but look messier than the Army Painter Speed Paints.
It's a good head-to-head comparison. I preferred the brighter color of the Speed Paint orc *before* you put the wash on it. That had an effect that looked like dust to me. As for which line would I purchase I would say neither. I'm never going to speed everything I own. If I were to use these I would buy the colors I want to use for a specific army and that's it. The cost differences and dropper bottles do make a big difference for me. I have never had the paint in a dropper bottle dry out on me. The games workshop bottles are another matter entirely.
Left and my guess is that the left are the army painter ones. I've used a lot of the GW colours and those thick treacle like streaks can only be Contrast paint un-thinned. - edit, so yes I was right, though I have to say post agrax shading the contrast looks far better. I tend to use contrast in tandem with standard paints often as a base colour that I work up, but it's interesting to see how good it can look with just a simple wash on the top.
Right! Though the whole reason I am interested in these paints is that I very much color blind and am looking for a paint that will push that contrast strongly without depending on me to find the right mix of color nuance.
I was surprised, the initial look at army painter speed paints is quite nice and smooth compared to that of contrast, but inspection on the zoom in shows that some of the colours, mainly black (on the butt) gives a weird grainy look. I was also really shocked when applying agrax earthshade almost gave a bleaching affect to the colour. If I was to buy a full range of paints I would probably choose speed paint, provided it doesn't do that bleach thing. on the other hand as I only use like 1 or 2 colours of 1 coat acrylics I'll probably stick to contrast. I also think the bottles are good but I have some stand for my pots to avoid spillage and contrast I feel would be more suited to pots as it's easier to control the amount on your brush, scraping off what paint is unnecessary onto the side of the pot whereas the bottle you can choose how much you want on your brush seems like it's harder to know if you will use all of the paint you just put on the palette.
After seeing other comparisment videos, I could point out which one was which. But I am more interested in the behaviour of the Speedpaints through an airbrush, which is where the dropper bottles excell greatly to other pots (like Revell or Games Workshop ones). So if you could make a full tryout on how they behave through an airbrush (if possible at different ratios) I would appreciate it.
Hey Pete, awesome video! Could you release a high-res still of the unlabeled Ork comparison? Just so I can show others? That would be a handy tool to show off the “intended purpose” differences
I prefer the left's yellow, brown, and blue, but the right's green, grey, and orange. I guess it's the fact that the right is on natural stuff maybe? The later reveal it's contrast on the right and speedpaint on the left kinda makes sense with my prior use of contrast, it works real good for certain things and less good for others
I much prefer the right one. Edit - My preference is mostly based on the skintone which I prefer on the contrast paint model you made, but that seems to be a result of the coat being a bit thinner and showing the yellow through - which is a negative result for the intended use of the paint I think?
I got in to painting again with contrasts. I hadn't painted for years and the prospect of painting 100's of Night goblins with spears and shields was daunting, but seemed a lot more possible/easy with contrasts. Great "gateway drug" from GW! :-P
I like the Speed Paint more if there is a single layer, but multi-layered I like Contrast Paint far more. Thanks for the comparison, so I can use that knowledge in the future =)
I can tell the of the two orcs, the one on the right was the contrast paint orc. because I was just comparing macragge blue to Ultramarines blue this weekend. I think I mostly prefer the contrast colors on this orc for their darker, crungier complexion. but I really liked the bright hues of the left orc.
As you and many others I came to the conclusion to mix and use certain paints from both worlds and for different things, I was missing two things from this video: a) how well do the speed paints mix if you want to go for other colors b) how well do speed paints mix with contrast colors Maybe an idea for another video?
Heya Pete, thank you for looking into these paints, I would be very interested in seeing the full range tested, supposedly there's a more opaque colour matched with a more transparant one?
I understand where people come preferring droppers but I've used mostly citadel paints for the last two years getting back into the hobby and haven't really had any issues. I think like alot of things at gw people like to rag on it. 3:28 it's so hard to tell which is which they both seem to do so well and a similar job. I'd say speed paints on the right based of the orange. That ranges orange seems to cover better from what I've seen
At first I liked some parts from left and others from right, but after the Agrax shade, left was the clear winner for me, and I will definitely get these. They just seem to be more consistent across the range meanwhile Contrats paints have some that are really good and others that are utter garbage.
The contrast appeared richer at every step which I prefer, however it may be a case of using both, contrast for folds and such and speed for the flatter surfaces.
Mix and match for me. The skin and some materials like the boots on Contrast are just beautiful. But mostly yeah, SpeedPaint's consistency makes it a bit better for most stuff.
i was going to say the same thing the darker colors from speed paint got my vote but i still like the contrast for lighter tones
Agree mate. Mix and match. On that particular Ork model the skin was WAY nicer in contrast IMO but the pants colour grey was better in Speed Paint. If you aren't hell bent on speed painting then I've found two coats of contrast works well for flatter areas. Smooth finish and some shading to boot.
@@huwtindall7096 Exactly this. I do something similar myself where I'll use the contrast paint to blend in deeper shadows etc (akin to Pete's second test) or outright put a second coat to increase the coverage or tone. Both products are great though, doing the same thing just in different ways. All about how you use it which you'll like better for what job :B
I prefer the left side and I think the left side is Speedpaint.
Agree. There are some contrast paints I love and others I won't use. Some colors I use Tamiya, some GW, some Vallejo. Each line has winners and losers.
i prefer left, its seems the paint didnt pool as much in the recess, leaving a easier looking highlight imo
Definitely left. The right one has too many dark spots spread out all over, while the left one atleast seems to have consistency in keeping the darker areas dark, and the highlighted areas light.
Overall, I prefer left with the exception of the ork skin. The right models skin has much more visual interest in colour and shade. The left looks too washed out and artificial by comparison. However, the blues, browns and oranges look so much smoother on the left model. The right has more ‘contrast’ but the coverage on the shoulder pad for instance looks inconsistent and blotchy.
Edit: The agrax shade was an interesting test and I think it greatly improved the look of the left models skin. However, I still think I prefer right for its variety of tones. The blues and brown on the left remain the out and out winner however. Overall I’m not hugely surprised with the reveal (I recognised the rights blotchy finish on the blue from contrast paints) but I’m very impressed with Army Painter’s brown (those boots look amazing in the final model rotation). Very interesting comparison, Pete!
I think that speedpaint reactivates easily and thus the two layered colors approach would have needed a layer of vanish
@@Insane_Kane I have not had any problems with reactivation, you have to brush pretty hard to make them reactivate.
It depends on how long you’ve let the paint dry. But in many instances I use the reactivation as a tool more than a deterrent. Blending is so much easier and cleaner. You can get some really interesting results
the blue looks very blotchy for sure
Left colors look nicer. Specially the blue and the leather are way better on the left, but the skin tone is probably nicer on the right miniature, and the black/grey clothes are less flat. Both look great for a quick paint job.
EDIT I see contrast are on the right, that explains why the blue was so dark and bloaty compared to the left, and confirms basilicanum grey is way nicer than speedpaint's gravelord grey, like it was shown in some other videos. What I'm surprised about is dark wood being more consistent than wylwood, one of the best contrast colors. It's warmer, it will probly make a better dark leather, but worst wood color.
The contrast ultramarines blue is awful, undoubtedly one of the worst in the entire range.
I wonder how the lighter Speed Paint gray and brown colors would have compared.
Before the reveal: Left has the better blue and brown. Right has the better green/yellow combination. But i could have told you that blue contrast can be quite problamatic. Its probably a case of use the best paints from both options^^
Until the Agrax Earthshade was applied I could not tell the difference. Both work well and seem to do an excellent job of covering the models. But I have to admit the price is a factor for me. Thanks for sharing this as it helps to see the paints compared together.
I've seen a few reviews for speed paints, but I have to say - I really like your side by side painting guide. It really helps to see how each paint goes on and dries at different stages.
I think instead of thinking of the speed paint as a replacement for contrast it would be better to see it as another tool in our toolbelt for model painting, they both have their pros and cons
I’m glad that these are so closely comparable, I’ve grown to really enjoy using contrast paints for certain things but they are a real hole in my wallet. I’m excited to try out some of these speedpaints for myself.
I prefer the right one, as I find the left one to be "monochromatic".
To me it seems the right one had applied subtle glaces, creating more "complex" colours.
Same, I think I’ll stick with citadel Contrast paints, I was about to order the speed paint mega set, but I think I’ll just stick with contrast.
Personally I'd pick up Speed Paint if they have a colour that Contrast hasn't and vice versa.
Nice comparison test, the best I've seen so far, thanks 🙂
With the Speed Paints having a medium that is included in the large set (or, I would assume, could be purchased individually) you may get a different outcome on how grainy the thinned product applies using that instead of water. May be worth revisiting when we can get our hands on the medium.
Thanks for the review and information.
As they look pretty similar to each other, I would prefer the one, that costs the less money. :D
Great job Pete. I actually leaned towards right. It does seem they are fairly close in comparison, which may mean picking out specific paints in each line to build out a collection. If you do another, I would like to see one with zenthithel and also “prime texture finish” as in chalky, matte, gloss.
Think you've nailed it really. Its another range of the same things where elements of each range out perform the other in different areas and application. I imagine someone going to come up with some crazy use for them yet!
Preferred left. Right just looked to dark in the recesses. I get these were both used as intended but we know contrast can give incredible results if used as glazes
I like right more, the recess seemed darker and it would only take a quick highlight to make it really shine. I feel like the left would need more washes to reach the level of contrast I'd want.
Just use two coats, gobbertown has made a video were he shows that
@@jeskorettkowski2464 oh yeah, I've actually watched a few reviews (including goobertowns) and overall I think I'll get speed paints when they are out. I've got some big boardgames to do that I think they work great on.
My initial comment was just on the side by side diff without knowing which was which
Thanks for this Pete. Really informative.
I really like army painter so I'll almost certainly pick up the full range of these. Better than gws pots and their prices anyway.
I'm mostly curious about the white. Holy white seems to give a grey recess whereas apocathery white is more a blue grey. Both have their uses I think.
EXACTLY the information I needed. Thank you and yes I would love to see more comparisons.
I prefer the green of the one on the right but everything else is really blochy so if I had to pick one it would be one on the left because it actually looks smooth.
Not using the paints on a metallic surface feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
I guess it's not what you're "supposed" to do, but it looks cool, and the metallic surface is right there.
The speedpaints are incredible, on metal paint.
I prefer the left one, consistency over the surface seems to be better
This has been very helpful. I have been trying to decide whether it is worth getting the speed paints when I own most of the contrast. But I want my speed paints to be speedy. So it sounds like speed paints might be an investment. I was always frustrated at to how many times you might need to paint contrast to get a good covering. Thanks for the video, love it.
i'd love to see you do this again and using the speedpaint medium instead of water to thin.
Thank you for making this video, these comparisons are really interesting and helpful for understanding how (and if) speedpaints work and their place in one's painting toolbox.
I could easily pick out which was which from the get-go before the reveal. I feel like contrasts have a lot more saturation and tonal variation when applied than speedpaints. It's definitely a look that's not for everyone but if you're looking for that glazing effect contrasts are hard to beat. At the same time if you're looking for consistent shading (e.g. you're painting flat armor panels) you'll probably want to go for speedpaints... and you can't argue with the price difference in that case.
One of the best comparison videos I’ve seen on the product so far👍🏼 Thanks for the info
Great video I would love to see the full range you're just very thorough. I'm really interested in their bone color versus skeleton a horde and And what they have for comparison with plague Bear flesh.
Great video as always Pete - really good comparison of the two ranges. Thanks!
I find contrast paints useful only in certain scenarios. For example, pre-shading fabric before drybrushing it works nicely. But big panels are a no go for contrast paint. It would end up looking bad.
However, they do airbrush very well and can thus be used on big flat surfaces, but more as a filter than as an all-in-one wash. But then again, Speedpaint is capable of the very same thing. I find that there are certain Contrast paints that are more universally usable than others. I do love Snakebite Leather, Basilicanum Grey, Fleshtearers Red and Black Templar, but care very little for most others. Really looking forward to the more fluid consistency of Speedpaint.
@@dekai7992 Skeleton horde is awesome for a basecoat on uniforms. The shade of Cadian uniform or even Soviet cold war uniform is very easy to achieve with it.
What I find about these two different sets of paints is that I often times find that they compliment each other. Not so much head to head but one set to compliment the other. Contrast is great for glazing like you pointed out, speed paints out of the pot are nice and rich but due to reactivation can be brought down fairly easily as pointed out with the agrax earthshade. Great video! subbed
In light of the discovery that speedpaint can be reactivated within 24+ hours I wonder if that's why the speedpaint ork became so desaturated vs the contrast. The water in the earthshade really might have reactivated and almost seaped into the reactivated speedpaint.
Yeah, I think he reactivated and literally brushed away the speedpaint when he added the wash.
@@vincentmuyo It seems like if we want to apply a healthy shade over speedpaints, dropping a quick varnish layer in between is the way to go
I feel like your right on target with this one, I wonder if adding varnish to the speed pain and then leaving it to dry for the 24hrs would provide a more protective ( reactive free) finish.
@@gregmccormack5709 since commenting this, Dana Howl here on UA-cam found out that not only is speed paint medium good for general thinning but also prevents the bleedthrough caused by painting over speed paints. Possibly using speedpaint medium with ink or making a wash by cutting in thinner medium or just straight up thinner could minimize the need for midpoint varnishing.
Great video Pete thanks for making this. These days I find I'm using contrast more for shading or diluted down to a heavy wash so I don't see that that tool going away anytime soon. But these new paints seem to address a lot of issues I've had with the darker colors in the contrast line leaving spotty or inconstant results when used by themselves. These new paints might make it easier to skip the touchup phase and go directly into highlighting. And that Agrax addition was very welcome as to me showed how contrast needs another step to really pop compared to speed paint looking a bit better before the wash was applied.
right has a more "splotchy" look to the different colours, this works in a way for the skin as it makes it seem a little more "natural" in its shading, but for everything else it makes it seem as though it has just been poorly painted with some areas of simply not painted properly
the colour is als less strong in places on the right, making parts (particularly the yellow parts) much less clear and seem blurred or again, "splotchy", i cant think of a better word for it
overall i would say the left is a better cover, especially as contrasts/speedpaints are not supposed to be the only step but a starting off point, the right looks like i would need to fix a lot of work done, while the left gives me a very clean base coat to work from and build up on
A consistent technique for splotchy skin would not be to use contrast, though. Far better would be to blot on various colors before the "glazing" effect of contrast/speedpaint. Use multiple colors, purples, oranges, etc, and just apply them in patches using stipling or sponges. It's a relatively low skill and fast technique that will greatly influence these translucent paints. Skins prefer to be multiple colors anyway, not a splotchy coverage of one color.
A very clear and concise review. I use contrast but think I will try these speed paints now too. Thanks for sharing!!
Considering speed paints are almost half the price of contrast that's the clear winner for me, and many other with a limited budget I imagine.
great video, I would like to see a total range comparison. So many of the Contrast colors have very different properties (that leviodon blue is a blochty one etc).
Other reviewers pointed out that speedpaints have better consistency across the range while the GW products vary in consistency per paint, was that your experience too?
also it looks to me like the wash stained over the speedpaint more, maybe they don't play too well with washes due to their medium
Great video mate. Personally I liked both Orks, maybe the Contrast one a little more after the Agrax Wash, but I usually only use the Contrast Paints for details and as "glazes" .... but now I know to paint my horde of Sylvaneth Dryads, Kurnoths and Treemen I'll rather use a Speed Paint Brown as a starting point.... again thank you for your review 😀
I prefer right since it show more contrast, specially in the skin tone. I rebottled all my contrast paints in dropper bottles and I mostly use them for airbrushing. Not really sure if adding the army paint speed paint will give me anything new then I already have. Its always good to have more options on the market though. Thanks for the video!
I want these damn things to come out already. I've been waiting for so long for cheap 'contrasts'
I think I prefer the right in this case. The one on the left looks slightly smoother which lends it to picking out the details with some further painting, while the one on the right provides more immediate contrast
So glad you have that section after 9 mins, because "using as intended" really isn't where it's at.
I'm not convinced the agrax earthshade helped with a clean comparison but I guess it added another dimension. For me the preference is different for different colours based on your mini. However, I think I'll be able to live with the slight differences. So for me the price is the biggest factor AND the bottles will sweeten the deal. I'll definitely be trying a few and maybe even a set of speedpaints.
I appreciate the unbiased approach and have to agree, each paint has their strengths. In your application it looks like speedpaint did much better with the yellows on the skull, but the contrast handled the end wash better especially on the hide.
I imagine it takes a lot of trial and error to really find out where each brand truly shines.
My first thought was the one on the left however I do feel it was very close comparison.
This was a fantastic and fair comparison.
Id say overall speedpaint seems the better product, however contrast has some better points for certain techniques.
I've already decided to pick up the full range for Speed Paint as well the price and bundle just speaks for itself compared to Contrast which has no bundles and you have to buy everything individually.
I was surprised however how quickly I could tell which one was which when the video began and as well the coverage between the two. I was pleasantly surprised how an overall wash changed the look of Speed Paint to something that looks closely to what other higher end painters achieve-which is alright in my books.
Overall I believe Speed Paint did what it was designed to do and is a very strong contender against Contrast.
I would have been interested in seeing Agrax Earthshade put up against the equivalent Army Painter wash (strong tone I think?), instead of Agrax on both, but otherwise, great video.
If my local stores start carrying Army Painter, I'll definitely be picking some Speed Paints up myself. For now, I'll stick to Vallejo & the occasional GW paint.
I’m on the fence. I love contrast paints “pretty much” but you have to practice a bit. E.g. Blood angels red seems to me to be very pigment heavy so you have to use the prime/dry brush technique. I’m keen on using both tbh. I’d like to see comparisons with wraithbone/guilliman and speed paint equivalent on skin (did a load of warlord SPQR gauls so fast) As a very lazy painter the former was a revelation for me. Thanks Pete good video.
I like the right one best, the blend on skin looks good for a one coat product
Thanks for the comparison! I stopped, and would prefer the left orc, because of less pooling.
Thank you for including freedom units
I know this is an old video, not to mention that the new 2.0 speedpaints came out... But I've always been told to use the right tool for the job you're doing. And if that means to mix and match your brands, then so be it. Because I'll be honest, some areas of both look better than others.
BTW: great video and review!
I see no need to exchange my contrast paints, thanks for the video!
You've obtained this interesting "Borderlands'esq" result in the post wash step. For that effect alone I'm actually quite intrigued. I have the entire Contrast line and have been trying to help people get into the painting hobby with them. But this is tempting for a guy that already has too many paints.
I think I'm sticking with contrast paints, availability of army painter paints in the UK seems patchy at best, plus I already have the colours I need and I'd rather have the consistancy and colour match that I have right now. I can appreciate the army painter paints though, however the saving in the UK is sitting at just under £1 if my local hobby store manages to stock them, whereas Contrast always seems to be on the shelf when I need it
Great video!
Unfortunately, I think I'm familiar enough with the Speed Paint to recognize one of its colors. So I might be biased.
Left has better blue, black, and yellow.
Right has better green.
I could make do with either brown or gray.
After the brown wash, the left is so desaturated that I might overlook the blotchiness of the right, and would prefer the right.
Depends on the color - The Left blue, black and brown look great, but I'm really not a fan of the green skin tone - it's turned into almost a neon lime green. It feels like the right model is splotching a lot more on even textures.
Right, it looks more shaded and detailed. 😊 I’ll be interested to see which I chose!
I love painting with transparencies, I have the full Contrast range and gave preordered the full Speed Paint set as well. I am also using Green Stuff World Intensity Inks, I would be curious to see a little comparison with those as well (they don't work quite the same way, but are close enough to be useful in transparancy-based painting I feel)
I preferred the one on the right in this case. I liked the orc skin of the contrast one a lot more. Before you added the coating of agrax earthshade the models were pretty similar. But after applying the shade, the one on the left look so much lighter.
it almost had a bleached effect, it kinda shocked me
Thanks for the conparision! Which it sounds like each does what it says it does! A very good thing.... Also could you do a range review for each so people know how each color fairs and any hard to use aspects?
Left, ArmyPainter speed paints all the way, got the starter set, amazing results. Really should not thin them with water though as they use a special medium sold on it's own, you can use that to thin them a bit better.
Speed paints just leave so much of a smoother finish. The leather and pants of the contrast orc are so patchy and washed out that they just look terrible compared to the evenly dried and finished Speedpaints. Definitely excited to add these to my toolbox
Even without he customary dead animal bits, a great review. I never have used either of these products, I find them too dear for what they achieve. Instead I use inks, mixed with acrylics and surfactants as needed (ie a drop of washing up liquid).
Left! The finish is smoother and there seems to be less stains. Excited to learn which paints were used there haha
Hey Pete, liked the video. I have a quick question for you. I have an idea for making a Slaaneshi Idoneth Cult and I was wondering if you knew any good third party sites as I don't feel many of the Slaaneshi infantry models work for the theme I have in my head.
Of the two, I was leaning towards right, and the effect of the agrax really made that one pop. Both models had nicer areas than the other
Very nice review. Like the format you used here.
Personally, I don't see myself buying a set of either. Rather, I'd get the specific shades I needed, and use those for the specific project.
I think as far as shading goes, the shadows apply pretty well, but there's no hint of a highlight-that's going to require a more traditional technique. This type of paint screams for zenithal highlights to take advantage of the paint transparency.
To my eye the Citadel paints are brighter, but look messier than the Army Painter Speed Paints.
It's a good head-to-head comparison. I preferred the brighter color of the Speed Paint orc *before* you put the wash on it. That had an effect that looked like dust to me.
As for which line would I purchase I would say neither. I'm never going to speed everything I own. If I were to use these I would buy the colors I want to use for a specific army and that's it. The cost differences and dropper bottles do make a big difference for me. I have never had the paint in a dropper bottle dry out on me. The games workshop bottles are another matter entirely.
Left and my guess is that the left are the army painter ones. I've used a lot of the GW colours and those thick treacle like streaks can only be Contrast paint un-thinned. - edit, so yes I was right, though I have to say post agrax shading the contrast looks far better. I tend to use contrast in tandem with standard paints often as a base colour that I work up, but it's interesting to see how good it can look with just a simple wash on the top.
Right! Though the whole reason I am interested in these paints is that I very much color blind and am looking for a paint that will push that contrast strongly without depending on me to find the right mix of color nuance.
I was surprised, the initial look at army painter speed paints is quite nice and smooth compared to that of contrast, but inspection on the zoom in shows that some of the colours, mainly black (on the butt) gives a weird grainy look. I was also really shocked when applying agrax earthshade almost gave a bleaching affect to the colour. If I was to buy a full range of paints I would probably choose speed paint, provided it doesn't do that bleach thing. on the other hand as I only use like 1 or 2 colours of 1 coat acrylics I'll probably stick to contrast. I also think the bottles are good but I have some stand for my pots to avoid spillage and contrast I feel would be more suited to pots as it's easier to control the amount on your brush, scraping off what paint is unnecessary onto the side of the pot whereas the bottle you can choose how much you want on your brush seems like it's harder to know if you will use all of the paint you just put on the palette.
right for me, the actual darkness of the shadows tells me itll look great on the table top.
Hitting them both with Agrax was like night and day, it made the models looks so much better
After seeing other comparisment videos, I could point out which one was which.
But I am more interested in the behaviour of the Speedpaints through an airbrush, which is where the dropper bottles excell greatly to other pots (like Revell or Games Workshop ones).
So if you could make a full tryout on how they behave through an airbrush (if possible at different ratios) I would appreciate it.
Hey Pete, awesome video! Could you release a high-res still of the unlabeled Ork comparison? Just so I can show others? That would be a handy tool to show off the “intended purpose” differences
I preferred the model on the left as the colours looked a little better. I've never used contrast paints but will be using speed paints in the future.
I prefer the left one. There isn't much difference however. And another great video. Thanks very much.
When I didn't know which is which I prefered left one (speed paints) but after Agrax application, right one looks more vibrant
I prefer the left's yellow, brown, and blue, but the right's green, grey, and orange. I guess it's the fact that the right is on natural stuff maybe? The later reveal it's contrast on the right and speedpaint on the left kinda makes sense with my prior use of contrast, it works real good for certain things and less good for others
Considering you're not supposed to thin contrast paint with water, I have to wonder what adverse effects that had on the paint job.
Left
EDIT: Wow, genuinely surprised. I'm a big fan of Contrast, still will be, but this video has given me real food for thought!
I much prefer the right one.
Edit - My preference is mostly based on the skintone which I prefer on the contrast paint model you made, but that seems to be a result of the coat being a bit thinner and showing the yellow through - which is a negative result for the intended use of the paint I think?
A full range review would be awesome.
Do you recommend zenithal highlights with speed/contrast paints? Or it it not really a noticable different..
New to painting and simply put... both of these models are 10,000x better than anything I can do so... cheaper is better for my sake?
I preferred the one on the right because details popped more. But once you out a wash on them at the end of the video I preferred the other one.
Thanks for a balanced and articulate review!
Great video (as always!) but the elf archer in the beginning is from FFG's Runewars, not Mantic Games.
Hey Pete, when you were experimenting, did you notice if layers did not dry and Speedpaint was reactivating layers beneath?
I like the left because it looks less "yellow" all over. Like you have a proper separation of colors.
I got in to painting again with contrasts. I hadn't painted for years and the prospect of painting 100's of Night goblins with spears and shields was daunting, but seemed a lot more possible/easy with contrasts. Great "gateway drug" from GW! :-P
I like the Speed Paint more if there is a single layer, but multi-layered I like Contrast Paint far more. Thanks for the comparison, so I can use that knowledge in the future =)
I can tell the of the two orcs, the one on the right was the contrast paint orc.
because I was just comparing macragge blue to Ultramarines blue this weekend.
I think I mostly prefer the contrast colors on this orc for their darker, crungier complexion.
but I really liked the bright hues of the left orc.
lmao, that wasn't even Ultramarines blue, it was leviadon blue 🤣
As you and many others I came to the conclusion to mix and use certain paints from both worlds and for different things, I was missing two things from this video:
a) how well do the speed paints mix if you want to go for other colors
b) how well do speed paints mix with contrast colors
Maybe an idea for another video?
Heya Pete, thank you for looking into these paints, I would be very interested in seeing the full range tested, supposedly there's a more opaque colour matched with a more transparant one?
I understand where people come preferring droppers but I've used mostly citadel paints for the last two years getting back into the hobby and haven't really had any issues. I think like alot of things at gw people like to rag on it.
3:28 it's so hard to tell which is which they both seem to do so well and a similar job. I'd say speed paints on the right based of the orange. That ranges orange seems to cover better from what I've seen
At first I liked some parts from left and others from right, but after the Agrax shade, left was the clear winner for me, and I will definitely get these. They just seem to be more consistent across the range meanwhile Contrats paints have some that are really good and others that are utter garbage.
The contrast appeared richer at every step which I prefer, however it may be a case of using both, contrast for folds and such and speed for the flatter surfaces.