I’ll preface this by saying that I’m not writing an anti-GW post telling you to stop buying their products. They genuinely make some great paints, many of which claim a spot on my own shelf. Their Contrast paints in particular have become a permanent staple in my collection. The purpose of this will be to shed some light on the way Games Workshop tends to undervalue the more artistic side of the hobby, how that affects some of their customers, and how you can start making more informed purchases during your next supply run.
Hobby Lobby’s Antiquities Trouble
The president of the arts and crafts company purchased thousands of antiquities from Iraq for his family’s museum—but he could have met his goals without running afoul of the Department of Justice.
10 Jul 2017
Indiana Jones would be annoyed. He had to fight snakes, Nazis, and booby traps to get the biblical artifact he wanted. But as a complaint filed July 5 by the United States Department of Justice shows, now you can just order ancient treasures to be delivered to your office via FedEx. That’s what Steve Green, president of the arts and crafts company Hobby Lobby, did. Starting in 2010, he purchased over 5,500 tablets and seals made thousands of years ago in what is now Iraq, intending to display them in his Museum of the Bible, set to open next year in Washington, D.C.
These antiquities were probably stolen from archaeological sites in Iraq, which continue to be heavily looted thanks to the ongoing turmoil in the country. Green’s artifacts are being seized because they were imported with false customs declarations: ancient clay tablets from Iraq became modern “sample” tiles from Turkey. Even if the customs declarations had been correct, importing stolen Iraqi antiquities into the United States has been illegal at least since 2008.
But these laws have rarely been used. The Hobby Lobby case is one of the few times that the U.S. government has seized illicit antiquities from a collector, and one of the very few times that the government has begun an investigation into smuggled antiquities without an initiating complaint by the country of origin. The Hobby Lobby case is also one of a surprising number of recent investigations by the U.S. government into stolen and smuggled antiquities.
Why the new crackdown on collecting? The answer is terrorism. In 2015, the government began warning U.S. buyers that their purchases of shady antiquities from the Middle East might help support terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State, which often loot and sell antiquities from conquered territories.
It is extraordinarily difficult, however, for law enforcement to prove that the sale of any particular antiquity that ends up in the United States supported terrorism. Consequently, the government’s current strategy seems to be to make it difficult to sell any antiquities from Iraq or other countries that terrorists are looting, such as Syria, even if the known transactions have no obvious connection with terrorism. In one ongoing investigation, antiquities from Syria were seized from dealers who provided paperwork showing a legal history of export. Previously, authorities would probably have accepted these papers without question; now, dealers face the prospect of expensive investigations into transactions that were previously routine.
Archaeologists applaud such investigations, knowing that looted antiquities often appear on the legal market with false paperwork (especially in Israel, home of Green’s main dealers). But there will likely be a backlash from dealers and collectors, who have long disputed that many illicit antiquities make it to the U.S. market.
Maybe it’s time to think differently. Green wants the Museum of the Bible to tell a story about biblical history to its visitors. The ancient Iraqi tablets and seals he purchased could help tell this story, since they were created during Old Testament times. But every looted artifact on display in a museum means the loss of untold other aspects of the past, thanks to the inevitable destruction of archaeological information during snatch-and-grab illegal digging. And, although as an ancient art historian it pains me to admit it, these tablets and seals typically aren’t much to look at.
Instead of destroying the past to fill museum cases with objects for which most visitors won’t spare a glance, let’s change our ideas about what belongs in a museum. High-quality digital scans and 3-D printing technology mean that museums can share informative and inspiring objects from their respective collections without having to turn to a market of potentially looted antiquities. And Indy won’t even have to unfurl his whip.
Erin L. Thompson is a professor of art crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. She holds a Ph.D. in ancient art history and a J.D., both from Columbia University, and is the author of the book Possession: The Curious History of Private Collectors From Antiquity to the Present. Currently, she is curating an exhibit of artwork made by detainees at Guantánamo Bay. Follow her on Twitter @artcrimeprof.
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Don’t be Scared of Your Paint
Scott from Miniac once jokingly said something along the lines of “People who paint Space Marines are afraid of paint that doesn’t say Citadel on it” in one of his videos (I can’t recall which one). While it was only meant as a lighthearted jab, there’s definitely some truth behind that quote. I’ve personally known people with a similar mindset, and anytime I suggest a product by a different company they act as if I just asked them to shop on the black market. Games Workshop tends to steer new Warhammer players into a very specific paint-by-numbers style and method of painting. Apply your base coat, wash, layers, edge highlights, then rinse and repeat for every model in your entire army. Whether you’re following their YouTube videos or using the Citadel app, every single color choice and application method is made for you and doesn’t require any artistic know-how. Their paints are broken up into different types for every step in the aforementioned process, and they provide every color needed to fit their lore without having to mix anything together. They’re also happy to sell you everything else you might need, including their own brushes, craft knife, glue, and even a pot for your water. It’s definitely an effective way to get new people into the hobby who have never picked up a brush, but it tends to stifle creativity and lock people into a comfort zone that’s difficult for some to break out of.
Although many of us only paint for gaming purposes, painting miniatures is still art, and you’re free to paint your 3D canvases however you see fit with whatever tools you have. I’ve seen some painters so deep down the GW rabbit hole legitimately ask if Citadel paints can be mixed with other brands. The answer is yes, of course, because acrylic paint is acrylic paint. I’ve seen eBay listings for discontinued Citadel paints sell for insane prices because the buyer needs it to replicate a paint job that an old YouTube video taught them. I’m not trying to insult these people at all, but I think it just showcases how Games Workshop tends to treat the painting side of their hobby as more of a formulaic science rather than a creative form of art.
The way GW teaches how to paint their models is a very tried and true method. It’s a toned down version of their professional box art style known as ‘Eavy Metal, and the goal is to achieve high contrast through a lot of edge highlighting and recessed shading. However, this is only one method of many for bringing your models to life. They never showcase a lot of commonly used techniques like airbrushing, wet blending, and stippling. When it comes to choosing colors for shading and highlighting, rather than teaching you how to create your own mixture, they simply keep selling you new pots of paint until you have 14 shades of green you’ll hardly ever use. Knowing some basic color theory can go a long way in making you a better painter, and learning how to mix what you already have can help save a lot of money. YouTube is an incredible resource for learning all of this , and I’ll be listing some of my personal favorite channels at the bottom of the post.
Maybe you’re reading this and thinking “I don’t want to get all artsy fartsy with my models. I’d rather shut my brain off and relax while painting my Ultramarines in this very specific shade of blue”. That is perfectly fine! I’m not here to tell anybody how they should be enjoying their hobby. My only goal is to encourage people to take a peak outside of the Games Workshop bubble into the vast world of miniature painting to see if anything else suits their fancy. At the very least, you can still follow their painting style while trying out other brands of paint and saving some cash (that you can still give to GW for more Warhammer kits). Even if you’re still painting a very well-known color scheme for a particular army without much room for deviation, it could still be fun to try and explore different ways of painting those colors.
While there is no definitive best brand of paint, one thing that can’t be argued is that Citadel paint objectively has the worst value in the biz. A standard 12ml pot of paint costs $4.55 USD, and the prices only go up from there. Compare that to a 17ml bottle of paint from Army Painter or Vallejo that costs about $3.30. You’re getting more paint for less money, and you’re getting them in dropper bottles over the defective Citadel pots (more on that below). The simple truth is that Games Workshop products are expensive, and some are just obscenely overpriced. Below I’ll outline some of their biggest offenders with suitable alternatives, but I’ll also praise what they get right in the spirit of positivity.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good
- Contrast Paints . Ironically, the way they market these as a “1 thick coat” solution and use a Space Marine as the test subject is probably one of the worst ways to actually use these. However, they’ve become invaluable to me when it comes to painting small details and board game miniatures quickly. Used with a little thought and nuance, they can achieve great results.
- The Citadel Painting Handle . A lot of companies have started selling their own design for miniature holders these past few years, but the Citadel offering really shines for me. I prefer having a spring-tight grip on the model over using adhesives like many others do, and it’s one of their few accessories that has a reasonable price tag.
- Most of their paints are newbie-friendly . Citadel base and layer paints tend to have a satin finish to them as opposed to matte like you’d find in other ranges. Having that little bit of reflectivity can help hide some rough blends and make the model pop a little more if highlights are lacking. A lot of the base paints also have amazing coverage, making that initial application a little easier and cleaner.
- Typhus Corrosion . I’m making a bullet point for just this one paint because I love it that much. I’ve explored weathering paints and products from a variety of companies for years, and Typhus Corrosion from Citadel is still one of my favorites. It produces a grimey brown color with a gritty texture, and it acts as the perfect base when painting rust effects.
What may be surprising to some is that deliberately left their washes out of this list. Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade are probably the most well-known modern paints they produce, but I personally find Army Painter’s Dark and Strong tones better suited as acrylic washes. Citadel washes are technically “Shades”, meaning they tint the surface a bit more and can leave some nasty tide marks if not applied correctly. They’re not bad products by any means, and I still use them in certain applications, but I don’t think they’re as newbie-friendly as many seem to think.
The Bad
- The dollar to paint ratio . I already pointed it out above, but it bears repeating. Buying Citadel paint is getting you the least amount of paint for the most amount of money. As much as I love the Contrast line, the price tag still kills me and I shop for discounts whenever possible. If you’re looking to try a different brand that more or less behaves the same as Citadel, try out Vallejo, Army Painter, P3, and/or Pro Acryl. If you’re still new, maybe get some practice in before trying out Scale 75 or Kimera Kolors, as they tend to target the more advanced painter.
- The brushes . Please stop buying Citadel brushes. Despite the hefty prices for everything across the board, most of what Games Workshop sells is actually fairly decent. Their brushes, however, are not. No matter how well you treat and clean them, they will fray on you in no time at all. You can buy a pack of 32 synthetic brushes from Hobby Lobby for about $10, and I’ve had many of those last longer than the few Citadel ones I own. If you want to stick with hobby brands, at least give the Army Painter brushes a try. They’re a little bit cheaper and will serve you a lot longer. When you’ve mastered the art of brush care and really want to up your game, that’s when you invest in a sable hair brush like a Winsor and Newton Series 7.
- The paint pots . This is probably the most hated thing about Citadel paint, an opinion shared by even some of their most loyal fans. Every other hobby brand of paint aside from P3 and Coat d’Arms (which are basically retro Citadel paints anyway) will come in a dropper bottle. This is ideal for getting exact ratios when mixing colors, and for loading paint into an airbrush. Not only are pots more cumbersome to most painters, but the Citadel pots in particular are very poorly designed. Every time you open up a paint, a little bit of it will drip down the back and dry, which over time clogs the cap and causes a poor seal, leading to a shorter shelf life. The taller pots that are used for Shade and Contrast paints are even worse, since one careless movement on the desk will result in spilling your precious $7.80 purchase. Spilling a pot of Nuln Oil has become a meme at this point, and posting proof of it is pretty much a badge of honor amongst Warhammer players.
- The spray paints . This company loves selling you cans of primer in a variety of colors that are way too expensive. Most colors will run you around $17-20, and the metallic colors cost an absurd $30. When I started out, I used $3 cans of Rustoleum primer from Wal-Mart, and they worked just fine. Nowadays, I prime everything with an airbrush. Although I haven’t tried them, I hear Vallejo’s $10 cans of hobby primer are a nice option. What’s even more frustrating about GW selling specific colors is that their videos tell you to just base coat the model in the same color with a brush afterwards since they’re not quite a 1:1 match. For example, if you use the Mephiston Red spray paint but then have to correct some mistakes down the road, the brush version of Mephiston Red won’t quite match and stand out against the primer. If that’s the case, why are they even selling these colored spray paints to begin with?!
- The “Dry” paints . These aren’t necessarily bad, but in my opinion they’re just not needed. These are essentially clumpy variations of their paint that are meant solely for drybrushing. They work, but you can drybrush with any paint you want, so why spend the money on these when they only serve a single purpose? One honorable mention goes to Ryza Rust, which is a super bright rust orange that looks great when applied over Typhus Corrosion.
- The texture paints . This is another issue of value over quality. The pots of texture paint used for basing your army are generally pretty good, but one 24ml pot won’t get you very far for a 2000 point army. At $7.80 a piece that can start to add up. Vallejo offers a variety of texture pastes that come in 200ml jars that will only run you an extra $5 or so. I like to apply this before priming and then just paint it in the end, so even a single jar of any color can be used for nearly every project. The only Citadel texture I still really like is Valhallan Blizzard since I haven’t found a suitable replacement yet, but I try to use it very sparingly. Citadel Agrellan Earth is also very popular for creating crackle effects on the base, but in an effort to save money, you can find big jars of crackle paste from Golden or Liquitex at a craft store.
The Ugly
- The miscellaneous hobby tools . I’ve never used the Citadel Knife Cutter, but I can guarantee you that it isn’t worth $34 when an X-acto blade will do the exact same thing for a quarter of the price. The knife, sprue cutters, filing set, and hand drill are so horrendously overpriced that I genuinely feel bad when a GW store manager dupes a new painter into buying them. You can buy third party alternatives from Amazon or a craft store and get everything you need for the price of one Citadel-branded tool.
- The water cup . Amongst their catalogue of accessories is a $10 water pot. Yes, it’s just a pot to put your water in, and it says Citadel on it. Maybe they aren’t aware, but literally everybody owns a cup or coffee mug that they don’t use and will make for a perfectly fine water receptacle.
- The “palette” . Perhaps even worse than their water pot is the glorified pad of paper they call a palette and charge $10 for. Every time I watch it being used on their YouTube channel, I stare at the painter in hopes that they’ll blink twice to signal that they’re being held at gunpoint. While I encourage every painter to eventually switch to a wet palette, there are a million free things around your house that make for a better palette than their sheets of paper. Pieces of cardboard, empty blister packs, a plastic plate, a floor tile, etc. Seriously, just use anything that won’t absorb the paint.
- The pot holder . What would be the sensible thing to do when half the internet posts pictures of their spilt Nuln Oil while begging the company to switch to dropper bottles? Why, selling you a $9 rubber pot holder of course! This product is basically a giant middle finger to their customers and I seriously beg you not to buy it. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can find free files to print something of a similar design. Alternatively, you can buy some empty dropper bottles on Amazon for the price of a single Shade or Contrast paint, and transfer your pots to those.
You could probably taste the salt towards the end of that list, but I still stand by it. I also find it interesting that in several corners of the internet you’ll find a lot of (well-justified) complaining over the prices of Games Workshop model kits, but the paints and hobby supplies are often left out of the conversation. Most of the Citadel discourse revolves around the paint pots, but I think more people should be talking about price and value.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that Games Workshop has made the hobby of miniature painting so much more accessible to people who wouldn’t have otherwise tried it, and they should be praised for that. I just don’t like seeing hobbyists get trapped in that ecosystem with no exposure to what else is out there. Personally, I got to a point with painting where I wasn’t having fun following step-by-step tutorials anymore, but once I broke the chains and started getting comfortable with painting models on my own, it was extremely liberating and really transformed the hobby for me. Painting miniatures shouldn’t feel like a chore, and if it’s starting to feel that way for you, maybe take a look at what else is out there. Try some different paint brands, paint a new game or a display bust, or maybe create some terrain or a diorama from scratch. The internet is an endless resource for inspiration that I encourage everyone to fully embrace. Good luck, and thanks so much for reading.
As promised, here’s a list of my favorite YouTube channels that have really helped me grow over the years:
- Sorastro’s Painting: Where I got started. Insanely well-produced tutorials for a variety of miniatures.
- Miniac: A great all-purpose channel covering many topics in the hobby.
- Ninjon: Still fairly new, but what he’s done so far is awesome. Similar in flavor to Miniac.
- NextLevelPainting: God-tier airbrushing and color blends.
- Vince Venturella: A massive catalog of general painting tip videos known as “Hobby Cheating” and product reviews.
- Black Magic Craft: More focused on terrain building, but everything he makes is inspiring as hell.
- 52 Miniatures: Very insightful vlog-style videos. His later uploads have some really nice production value and camera work.
- MarcoFrisoniNJM: My biggest recommendation for anyone looking to get more artsy with their painting.
- Zatcaskagoon Miniatures: Learn how to paint in a realistic “grimdark” style that uses some very unusual methods.
- The MiniJunkie: Painting tutorials that show how to achieve a nice tabletop standard in a short amount of time.
- Goobertown Hobbies: Awesome feel-good channel that’s all about relaxing and having fun with your hobby time.
