I already mentioned that citadel contrast paints are quite interesting paints that can speed up the painting process of a miniature by a lot. So it is possible to simply use some decent acrylic paint to paint miniatures but you might have to thin the paint before applying it to the miniature to ensure that none of the details are getting obscured.

And the answer is a lot easier and simpler than you might think.Īs a whole, citadel paint is acrylic paint with a moderate amount of pigments that will ensure that the paint has enough coverage for painting miniatures.Īnd while citadel paints have been specially mixed for painting miniatures they are just acrylic paint. There is a lot of confusion out there about what kind of paint citadel paint actually is. Important to note is that if you are using contrast paints then your miniature needs to be primed with a white primer. If the paint is getting too thin or losing its color too much simply add more of the paint. If the paint won´t cover properly simply mix in some more mat medium. If the paint is too thin simply mix in some more flow improver. I usually start by mixing one part paint, one part flow improver, and one part mat medium. I found that the ratio varies depending on the type and color of the paint. Best Alternatives for Citadel Contrast Paints You can read more about that in my article about why miniatures should be primed before painting them right here. If you don´t know, by the way, you need to apply a primer to your miniatures before painting them to ensure that the paint adheres properly. I use this primer for almost all of my miniatures. I personally prefer the mat black primer from The Army Painter. They are also cheaper and are equally as good as spray primers from Warhammer.

You can also use the spray primers from either of these companies to prepare your miniatures for painting. Or Acrylic paints from The Army Painter right here on Amazon.

You can buy Acrylic paint from Vallejo right here on Amazon. But acrylic paints from The Army Painter are also very good and viable. The best alternatives for regular citadel paints are paints from Vallejo. You can pretty much use any acrylic paint but for best results, I would suggest buying acrylic paints that are meant for painting miniatures. As I already mentioned before, Citadel paints are simply acrylic paints with a decent amount of pigments in them to ensure good coverage.

Vallejo citadel paint chart