WELCOME TO THE FUTURE!

It used to be that when you wanted to paint a model, you had to decide if you were going to undercoat it with Chaos Black or Skull White (usually). The general consensus was that if you wanted to paint your model with dark colours, you needed to undercoat it Chaos Black. If you wanted to paint your model in bright colours, you needed to undercoat with Skull White. No more! With the release of the line of Citadel Foundation Paints, you can paint over either black or white regardless of your basecoat colour.

Click to find out what the undercoat colour is.

To prove the point, the picture to the right shows two Space Marine shoulder pads. One has been undercoated Chaos Black, while the other one has been undercoated with Skull White. Both were then basecoated with the new Mechrite Red Citadel Foundation Paint. It's hard to tell the difference. Click the pictures to see which shoulder pad matches which undercoat. Did you guess correctly? As you can see, from just one coat of Foundation Paint, both the black and the white are covered equally well.

THE SECRET IS IN THE PIGMENT

Another great thing about the Foundation Paints is that they cover in just one layer. In the past, it was a challenge to get good coverage when using a lighter colour over a darker one – to get an even, consistent look, you had to paint several thin layers over the darker colour. In contrast, the new Foundation Paints have so much pigment that even with just one layer, they cover over anything while maintaining their colour. That makes Foundation Paints ideal for basecoats.

GO WITH THE FLOW

Adding a little bit of water to your paint has always been a good idea, as it keeps paint from getting clumpy and helps the paint go on smoothly. This fact is especially true for Foundation Paints because of their high level of pigment. However, you don't want to go crazy with the watering-down – you want to use just a little bit to allow your paint to go on nice and smooth.

Click on the images below to see larger versions.

Paint as it appears right out of the pot.	Add a little water with a dropper or brush.	Here's your target – just the right amount of water.	If you add too much water, you'll get this result.

Too much water	Just right
Too much paint	Just right

Adding water to paint is not an exact science, though. It takes a bit of practice through trial and error. One way of adding water is to use an eye dropper or a hobby syringe (both of which you can find at most hobby/model train stores).

These tools allow you to be really precise in how much water you add, and you can add the same amount of water every time. Another way of adding water is to just dip the brush you are using into your water pot and then mix that water into your paint on the palette. Be careful not to add too much water, though as this will make your paints not cover as well. Just the right amount of water will make it flow off your brush easily. When you are ready to start your basecoat, paint the entire surface in one sitting. This approach gives a nice, consistent layer that is more likely to dry evenly. Be careful not to use too much paint – models that have too much paint on them lose much of their detail. Watering down either your Citadel Foundation Paints or your Citadel Colours will help prevent that, along with not loading your brush with too much paint.

GETTING THE HANG OF IT

These tips on basecoating with Citadel Foundation Paints will get you started, but they can't replace the practical experience you'll gain while painting. Just keep them in mind as you begin to use the Citadel Foundation Paints, and know that after a few models, you'll have mastered them.

Related Links:
What are Citadel Foundation paints? | What are Citadel Colour paints?
Getting Started

Online Store:
Citadel Foundation Paints | Citadel Colour Paints