Wanting to try some pigment on a build I'm working on. Never messed with it before. See a lot of brands, AK, Mig, Vallejo, etc. Is one brand much better than the others? Tried finding some general artists pigments at local art stores, Hobby Lobby and Michaels....none there.

Their all the same,whatever color suits you and whatever brand is available.

I use pastel chalk I bought at a local art store. Ground them with a mortar and pestle.

You don't need to spend a lot.

[quote]I use pastel chalk I bought at a local art store./quote]

From my own experience, pastel chalk blows away. If you do go this route, lay a clear coat down and apply pigment while it is still wet.

What I started with ,Pastels, way before all the pigments came along, yes do have too many pigments now,but yes they will go away quicker,but also easier to remove in case of an oops.
Have you tried using the pigment fixer on them Matt?
Everybody and their mother makes pigments now, look also at the train folks.




Jeff

[quote]


I fix them with Windex Either misted on, or, I apply them with a Windex dampened brush. Once dry, any spots that have come out a little heavy can be brushed off with a dry brush.

I have tried water and isopropyl alcohol. I am frugal. Never purchased any purpose made pigment fixer.




That is the problem. When I spray a final flat coat to seal them, they blow away.

I've never used water or isopropyl so I can't compare. But glass cleaner is a great fixative. When I wrote "Brushed off" I would have been better off saying "brushed off with some effort". To date I haven't accidentally removed the pastels I laid on.

I personally prefer the Pigments but as always the best product is just what you feel better with, for quality I have 6 different brands, Humbrol, Vallejo, LifeColors,Ammo,AK and MIG Productions, except MIG P. the others are more or less all Equal, I find MIG P. of a slightly lower quality, same shade are not well mixed and there are clumps of white powder (talcum ... ... chalk)in it but they are now out of production,or more precisely it now appears to be produced under the brand "Abteilung 502" which is now linked to AK, we hope to have improved the quality because it was the brand with more 'shade than all the others but also the most expensive.

To fix I have used various, specific and non-specific products, each has its "why", Gloss, Satin or Matt varnish, pigment fixer,Humbrol Decalfix (works like fixer but can be reactivated with a brush dampened in Water),resin, water and plaster, etc .. Everyone works in a somewhat different way.