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Notation Style

Notation Schemes
Paint Manufacturers
Painting Instructions Abbreviations

 

Notation Scheme:
   - a color name-paint type is only mentioned once per project description. If that color is used again, only the color name will appear. 
   - color entries in the painting details windows are made with two styles: 
 
1. Color-1 / Color-2 / Color-3  (a straight base/wash/drybrush style)  
 
where 
 
Color-1 is the base color. 
Color-2 is the wash (or stain) color. 
Color-3 is the highlight color
 
  Note: each color is immediately followed by ( name of paint manufacturer)(painting stage)

Example: <kirin yellow (PS)(b) / dragon black (R)(w) / kirin yellow (db)>  would read:

    "base with kirin yellow (Polly S); wash with dragon black (Reaper Pro Paints); dry brush with kirin yellow."
2. Color-1 -> Color-2 -> ... ->Color-n.  (any form or blending (wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry) or layering (see links page )  
 
where 
Color-1 and Color-n are the end points of the color range for that set (from darkest to lightest). All colors in-between are either  
 
a) combinations of the two colors or 
b) shades individually selected to fill in the range betwee the two end points.
.
 Example: 
 
a) <black (R) -> black + dk. grey (RP) -> dk grey -> dk grey + dk. ghost grey (PS) -> ghost grey -> medium grey (PS)
b)<black (R) -> nightmare (RP) -> dk. grey (RP) -> dk ghost grey (PS) -> medium grey (PS)>

 
Paint Manufacturers:

 (A) Americana - one of the craft paints, it comes in a large 2oz bottle. Some miniature painters dislike it for graininess and 
for difficulty in mixing, but I like it. I've gotten some very nice results if it is well mixed and used well diluted. When several layers are built up, I find that the graininess doesn't show nearly as much. And when the final protective coating is put on the figure, it looks very nice. Besides, it comes in a large selection of colors and costs about ½ what other paints (specifically for miniatures) cost. A deciding factor!
 (FA)  Folk Art - another of the craft paints. It comes in the same size bottles as the Americana, but has slightly fewer colors 
and is a little cheaper. It is also has a little more graininess, but can still be used if care is taken. Again, the deciding factor is cost, especially on practice figures (which most of mine are, right now).
 (C)  Citadel - the first of the paints that I use that is specifically formulated for small models & miniatures. It comes in a 12 ml 
bottle and is a good paint, not the best out there but not too bad either. There is a nice range of colors available and the price isn't too high. But those bottles! 'Easy open' isn't in the description, believe me! Snarl... I can seriously say that I've worn more Citadel paint than any paint by any other manufacturer out there! (and that isn't a joke).
 (R) Reaper Pro - a newer paint, it became available up here in Canada just this summer. A very nice paint, it comes in a 
3/4 oz (21 ml) easy-to-open bottle similar to the Ral Partha bottle. I have been told that it is the old Ral Partha paint in a new bottle, but I can't say for sure. It is a little gummier than Ral Partha's paint for some reason, but with good surface coverage and a large color range. It mixes easily with whatever dilutant used for layering, which makes life easier. The cost is about that of the old Ral Partha paints. I've only been able to get my hands on one color (black) so far, because the local miniatures shop is trying the line out to see how they sell. Since I got the last one, and they were only put on the shelf a few days before, I'm hoping that they will take the hint and bring the rest of the line in soon.
 (RP)  Ral Partha - this paint line has been discontinued. Which is a real pity, as it is a very useful paint. I've been travelling to 
shops that used to sell this line all summer, buying up any of their old stock that I can get my hands on (one of each color, at least.. ). Hopefully the rumours are right and the Reaper paint is a replacement for it.
 (PS)  Polly S or Polly Scale - the granddaddy of miniatures paints, it has a very fine pigment grind and covers surfaces very 
well. It comes in a wide range of plain colors and metallics in ½ oz (14 ml) glass bottles. Their Stainless Steel is one of the best and brightest silvers that I've come across so far. Apparently the Polly S line isn't available any more, but the Polly Scale still is. I like this brand best for any drybrushing that I have to do. It gives a smoother result than most of the others.
 (V) Vallejo - the newest paint (well, either it or Reaper Pro, I'm not too sure which came out first) on the market, it is the 
cadillac of paints. It comes in 17 ml, tall, thin bottles, and must be shaken very vigorously before use. The paint has a very fine pigment grind and it's surface coverage is the best of all the paints. The amount of colors available is staggering. There are at least 220 of them out there, plus the metallics (both water-based and alcohol-based)! It is best used for painting in layers, as it dries quickly and is prone to leave brush marks when applied too thickly. Other than that, the only other problem is the price. It is easily the most expensive of all the manufacturers lines ($4.75 CDN). The quaility is great, but I'm only using it (except for experimentation) on my better figures.

Painting Stages:

(b) - base coat (can be one or many layers, depending on paint consistency). I usually thin the paint 1:1 or more,  
depending on its thickness.
(db) 
(dw) 
(hl) 
(dl) 
(M) 
(w)
- drybrush 
- directed wash (applied only in the areas that need extra shading) 
- highlight color 
- darklining 
- a metallic paint 
- wash (diluted from 1:1 (water to paint) [heavy wash] to 3 or 4:1 [very light wash]).