A Matter of Opinion: Which Paints to Stock

So in my last article about the Pros and Cons of owning an entire paint range, I went and opened my big mouth. At the end of my entirely factual, and wholly opinionated findings, I stated the following:

"I don't care if the paint set is 6, 12, 72 or 144 paints, I would rather buy a core set of colors and then build out from there."

I was very quickly asked what I would consider a "core set of colors", and to give suggestions on what exact paints and from what ranges I would pull from.

Let's address the basic color palette first. We'll dive into colors I would want on hand, at all times, no matter the project. Some may seem like a no-brainer, and a few may seem like they aren't needed, but after all, this is my opinion, right?

Basic Color Palette: 31 Paints

Red
Green
Blue
Cyan
Magenta
Yellow
Purple
Orange
Pink
Warm Brown
Cool Brown
White-Blue
White-Yellow
Yellow-Green
Olive Drab Green
Deep Red
Black
White
Neutral Grey
Warm Grey
Cool Grey
Pale Flesh Tone
Warm Flesh Tone
Dark Flesh Tone
Neutral Grey Metallic
Bright Grey Metallic
Gold Metallic
Bronze/Beaten Metallic
Black Wash
Brown Wash
Flesh Wash

Yup, 31 paints. I guarantee you that in my paint collection I have a representation of every one of these. I also guarantee that the moment I run out of one of them, it gets replaced quickly. The primary reason for each of them is that they will serve as bases for more complicated applications. Some are difficult to mix consistently, like pink, and need to have a place as a base paint, and others work amazingly well as a mix for shadows or highlights. Those of you that are used to the print industry also will notice I've got both RGB and CMY represented. Having these 6 colors for a base is great for me, and actually serve as my primary palette of colors for any color scheme I concept. I'll play with those 6, then branch out from there.

Now I suppose you still want to know which paints and from which lines I would choose for them? Well, don't be surprised if I pull from at least three different brands for this.

Basic Color Palette: Brand Choices and Colors

Red - P3, Khador Red Base
Green - P3, Gnarls Green
Blue - P3, Cygnar Blue Base
Cyan - P3, Trollblood Base
Magenta - P3, Murderous Magenta
Yellow - P3, Cygnus Yellow
Purple - P3, Beaten Purple
Orange - P3, Khador Red Highlight
Pink - P3, Carnal Pink
Warm Brown - P3, Bloodtracker Brown
Cool Brown - P3, Bootstrap Leather
White-Blue - P3, Frostbite
White-Yellow - P3, Menoth White Highlight
Yellow-Green - P3, Wurm Green
Olive Drab Green - P3, Ordic Olive (Though Traitor Green works well too)
Deep Red - P3, Sanguine Base
Black - P3, Thamar Black
White - P3, Morrow White & GW, Ceramite White (All depends on the application)
Neutral Grey - P3, Ironhull Grey
Warm Grey - GW, Slaanesh Grey
Cool Grey - GW, Russ Grey
Pale Flesh Tone - P3, Ryn Flesh
Warm Flesh Tone - P3, Midlund Flesh
Dark Flesh Tone - P3, Iridian Flesh
Neutral Grey Metallic - GW, LeadBelcher OR P3, Pig Iron
Bright Grey Metallic - P3, Quick Silver
Gold Metallic - P3, Rhulic Gold
Bronze/Beaten Metallic - P3, Blighted Gold
Black Wash - Army Painter, Dark Tone Ink, OR GW, Nuln Oil
Brown Wash - Army Painter, Strong Tone Ink
Flesh Wash - GW, Reikland Fleshshade

See, 3 different brands. Now, this isn't to say that these are the only paints I stock. I own other P3 and GW paints, in opaque, wash and metallic varieties. Sometimes a paint color just fits what I need it to, so I buy it. The above, though, are my foundational paints that I do not begin a project without. Yes, it is primarily dominated by P3. They put out a good product, and I'll continue to buy until they don't. That's not to say I don't care for GW's line of paints. I think the new line is better than the previous, I just don't buy as many of them any more. You'll also notice I've begun to buy P3's metallics now, even after choosing not to in the past. They've fixed the issues I had with them, and I'm happy with how they perform now.

I hope this helps anyone who is unsure of what to keep stocked or what to start out with. And if it doesn't?

Well, it's all a Matter of Opinion anyway, isn't it?

- Tim