It is extremely hard to know exactly what colour you are getting out of a paint bottle from a specific paint range. The colours you see on the box, on the paint label and even the paint in the bottle is not the same as what it will look on the mini. A host of different factors influence how it looks (light, thickness of coat, opacity and what colour is underneath and the list goes on).
This is only worse with Contrast Paints from Citadel, Speedpaint from Army Painter and all the other “one coat” paints out there.
I have always wanted to make a tool where people (and myself) could more easily see exactly what colour the specific colour from a paint range will look like once it is applied. It would also be amazing if it was easy to compare to paints from other ranges. This is very much inspired by my articel about the Citadel Texture Paints. In essence, the Army Painter Speedpaint images on different primers.
This is one of those projects that I have wanted to do for such a long time, but have gotten scope creeped hard over time. I woke up this morning realizing that I might never get this to a stage where I like it, but that shipped is better than perfect. So instead of making an expensive app with this (which would be sweet), I am just going to put this out there for people to use. If I do not do it now, it might never get out there.
So this article will simply be images of the colours from the Army Painter Speedpaint range, applied to to the same 3D printed “paint sample” thing. The point is that you can compare the colours to each other and you can compare the same colour when applied to either a primer of beige, white or grey.
I hope it can be useful to you.
The images are sorted according to this overview of the full Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Range (which is the best sorting I have found):
Underneath the headline of each colour I have written the description Army Painter has for each paint in the chart above
Right now I only have the paints from the Mega Set 2.0, so I am missing a few colurs, the pastel and a lot of the metal colours.
Taking images of a colour and representing what it looks like on a screen is surprisingly difficult. I have tried my best to represent how the colors look like when I look at them underneath a painting lamp with the best daylight you can find.
But things might differ a bit. These are the factors at play when editing images like this:
- The light they are taken under
- The reflection of the specific paint
- The camera and the lens
- How accurately I could edit to represent the “real world”
- My screen while doing the editing
- Any distortion in compression and loading to the web
- The screen you are viewing it on
- The background behind the image (in this case white)
- Your eye
- Your primer versus mine
- Minor differences in paint (age, mixing etc.)
- The thickness of the paint coat
I tried my best, but it was hard when it came to the greys and blacks. When putting good light on and it really giving it high exposure, the primer underneath will show a lot more than if looking under less light or a bit more crappy light.
I have tried to simulate the light most people will see their models when they are on the table. That means less exposure and less light, as that is sadly how most gaming tables will be. If you want to see how the colour is under more light, you can try and download the image and adjust the exposure in a program.
The samples are printed with cheap leftover resin. They have been printed fast and sloppy straight on the plate, so you will see a lot of voxels lines and imperfections. But you can see the colours and the difference in the shade and I think that is what is important here.
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Army Painter sent me these paints for review. No money has changed hands and Army Painter does not get to approve this article before it is published.
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Grim Black
Black
Occultist Cloak
Blackish Blue Grey
Gravelord Grey
Grey
Holy White
Greyish White
Cloudburst Blue
Dark Blue
Runic Grey
Bluish Grey
Ashen Stone
Light Grey
Battleship Grey
Light Bluish Grey
Dusk Red
Pale Purplish Red
Satchel Brown
Dark Reddish Brown
Dark Wood
Deep Brown
Rudy Fur
Deep Reddish Brown
Hardened Leather
Light Brown
Noble Skin
Dark Brown
Goddess Glow
Light Purplish Red
Warrior Skin
Light Reddish Brown
Murder Scene
Black Purplish Red
Slaughter Red
Deep Red
Blood Red
Strong Red
Poppy Red
Brilliant Red
Bright Red
Reddish Orange
Maize Yellow
Vivid Yellow
Ancient Honey
Yellow
Zealot Yellow
Orange Yellow
Sand Golem
Strong Yellowish Brown
Nuclear Sunrise
Vivid Orange
Fire Giant Orange
Light Orange
Aged Hide
Pale Yellowish Pink
Peachy Flesh
Light Yellowish Pink
Crusader Skin
Pale Reddish Brown
Fire Drake
Brownish Orange
Bony Matter
Pale Brown
Pallid Bone
Pale Yellowish Brown
Burnt Moss
Blackish Green Grey
Gunner Camo
Dark Greyish Green
Absolution Green
Absolution Green
Orc Skin
Strong Green
Camo Cloak
Greyish Green
Shamrock Green
Vivid Green
Ghoul Green
Brilliant Green
Forest Sprite
Yellowish Green
Brownish Decay
Strong Yellowish Green
Desolate Brown
Olive
Algae Green
Light Olive Green
Ghillie Dew
Brilliant Yellowish Green
Charming Chartreuse
Greenish Yellow
Malignant Green
Light Greenish Yellow
Ochre Clay
Strong Greenish Yellow
Blackish Blue
Beowulf Blue
Dark Purplish Blue
Highlord Blue
Deep Blue
Plasmatic Bolt
Vivid Bluish Green
Raging Sea
Deep Greenish Blue
Caribbean Ocean
Brilliant Greenish Blue
Magic Blue
Vivid Blue
Light Blue
Royal Robes
Brilliant Blue
Periwinkle Purple
Purplish Blue
Purple Swarm
Vivid Purple
Hive Dweller Purple
Very Dark Purple
Moody Mauve
Strong Purple
Moonlake Coral
Strong Reddish Purple
Purple Alchemy
Strong Pink
Familiar Pink
Vivid Pink
Carmine Dragon
Brilliant Pinkish Red