drybrush white onto grey seer base before contrast?

[sorokyl]

I'm going to be painting up the Nighthaunt underworlds warband this week.  Going to utilize contrast paints, and i have primed the models with greyseer rattle can.  
I will be doing layer highlighting after contrast, but I had the idea of doing a heavy drybrush of white (vallejo white) beforehand.  The idea is to add some highlight before contrast, so that i need less highlighting after, and I can preserve more color (as opposed to more highlighting with grey/white after which would mute the color some)   My concern is ... will this mess up the flow of the contrast paints? I would think the drybrushing would leave a super thin coat of paint that would not mess it up, but just wondering if anyone uses this method and how it works

[MitGas]

I'm not a big fan of drybrushing personally but unless you use old, totally unsuited and or/too thick and gloopy paint it will have no effect on the contrast colors outside of them being a tiny bit brighter where you drybrushed and having a bit of a textured/chalky look.

A good tip IMO might be to get some makeup brushes for your drybrushing. It's great for "sketching" in values (as in highlights) and gives less of a texture than traditional brushes. It's no airbrush but it's a much softer (and IMO better) effect for what I think you'd be going for.

See this video for an example: 

 

[Mirage8112]

My simple advice is: don’t do it.

My more complex advice is that extra highlighting or pre-shading is generally unnecessary when using contrast paint. The other issue is is that contrast needs a smooth basecoat to properly settle. If you complicate that basecoat by introducing an uneven surface of paint particles and tiny brush-hair grooves, the contrast paint will settle at different volumes creating a muddled finish.

I’ve used contrast a fair bit, in a few different ways; including over a flat basecoat and over a preshaded basecoat. I’ve found that the flat actually gives a better continuity of color. When you include a pre-shade underneath the self-darkening feature of the contrast actually darkens too quickly which mean you need to go back in and do extra highlighting in placed that would have self highlighted if you had just used a flat basecoat. 

Also, if your going to give yourself the extra task of highlighting a model painted with contrast paint, then don’t try to take shortcuts. Contrast can be “one and done” and look just fine at tabletop distance with some practice, and the only reason to add additional highlights and shades is to get that model to higher degree of finish. If you’re committed to putting extra work in: then you might as well put the work in.

Aside from that, you can get some truly fantastic results using contrast and additional layers. I’ve been very pleased with my own results combining the two methods. 


 

[Redking]

I sort of did this with Stormtroopers.  However, I was using Corax White, then drybrushed them Praxeti before the Apothecary.  When painting Clone Troopers, I switched to Tamiya Fine White Primer, then washed with Apothecary, and drybrushed Praxeti.  Both came out fine but the Clones were easier because of fewer steps.  In both instances, I used a makeup brush, which is so much better.  If you are going for white, then I would recommend giving a zenith also of pure white because the Apothecary is more grey.

Good luck.

[RuneBrush]

I've a feeling this may come a little late, but I'd certainly say that it's a good idea.  I painted up a load of Nighthaunt last year with thinned Talassar Blue over Grey Seer and applied a zenithal highlight of white which really helped to brighten them up (without it they were quite lack lustre).  I used an airbrush, but a rattle can or carefully applied drybrush would have a very similar effect.

Have a search for Dana Howl, she's done a load of YouTube videos where she underpaints using drybrushing in preparation for applying colours on top and the result is fantastic!