We used to do similar in the pre internet days of the eighties, spray black, dry brush white and then use watercolour paints or ink over the top. The result is very close! Good for doing lots of horses.

Finally, someone does a multi-example video on this subject! My personal approach is flat black spray primer, flat grey spray primer zenithal, Vallejo white dry brush. That works well for me and leaves a less 'dusty' texture.

Really love the video. Thanks for the really interesting experiments. Can't wait to try some out

I really am enjoying how many youtube minipainters are taking their own shots at Slapchop just really makes me happy to see this love of the art going on and everyone trying to expand that art. From what I have learned it really does seem that once again Airbrushes are amazing and worthwhile investments for not much more than a couple boxes of space marines, especially if you are trying to speed up your painting. I know the time I have saved with my airbrush just base coating has paid back the investment. And I think you and Ninjon are really on the right track here with a little more time spent highlighting after the initial slapchop not only doesn't take a lot of time but also really brings the model up that extra notch to make it more. Also that being sparing with the contrast paint seems to be the trick for bringing out the values you spent time building with the undercoat.

This is more than a rehash of an already published technique, it's an exploration and comparison of alternatives. Great work!

Your Contrast & Speedpaint guide is a great resource for the miniatures community. Thank you for providing such a splendid service!

I've been painting a bunch of Don't Look Back models and using the standard slopchop method and I really like how shadowed and desaturated they look. Feels thematic for horror minis!

Finally! A video that not only talks about slap chop, but also acknowledges the historical techniques that the slapchop is built on. I really like the underpainting and transparent paint method because I am horrible at placing highlights with a more traditional (classical?) layer and glaze approach, and this method really automates the placement of the highlights. I also struggle with mixing up highlights colors because I get analysis paralysis with trying to figure out how much of a jump in value I want to get to and how many layers I want to do it in. I do worry about the slapchop eventually just becoming a crutch though and not encouraging people to further develop their skills.

Great video, Dana! For me, the problem with regular slap chop in its mass appeal form is the monochrome starting point. Contrast over greys and blacks is desaturated and muddy. With proper grisaille you clearly define your volumes and textures first, which is a much more intensive process than the drybrushing in slapchop I think the key to getting this method to really pop is going to be color, and using different colors for the first two steps. With an orc, I'd personally either go with a dark blue or dark red (depending on whether I wanted to skew cool or warm) followed by a zenithal of an off-white cream color and then do the white drybrush and contrast. I think that would end up giving you a lot more color interest in your shadows and midtones because you wouldn't be going over black and grey. And for folks without an airbrush, a color primer followed by a zenithal of wraithbone will do a really similar job. As soon as army painter release their pink primer this month I'm going to grab a can and try slapchop+ my imperial fists without an airbrush.

I actually really like how you standard/first attempt at slapchop looked, I love that darker dirtier look. To me muruading orcs, battle worn space Marines and alien monstrosities should be dark and dirty looking with washed out pale colors, war should be dirty. I can totally see scenarios where you'd want those brighter more vibrant colors too though, like you said it's all about what look you're going for. Awesome video, I'm just getting into this hobby and am super excited about it.

These compare/contrast videos are such a great resource!

I suffer from unwarranted overthinking and I more than often get stuck in HOW I am going to paint something rather than actually painting something. Awesome video. I will watch it several times. Thank you!

love seeing these comparisons, thanks for putting in the work and sharing

Dana out here doing the science we all need. Thanks Dana!

Happy birthday to your channel! Great job!

Woo so good to see you again. Thank you for all your hard work.

I’ve been out of the hobby for the last few years and your painting stuff is REALLY making me want to get back into painting ❤

Dana! The moment I saw the 'slap chop method' I thought back to your own videos, where you demonstrated and explained this technique with more nuance and in a way that was helpful to me, even though I only brush paint. The concept didn't change. Your contrast paint videos have been really helpful for making some purchase decisions. Love your work. Ty.

I was also rooting for the grey undercoat, so I was shocked to see how "poorly" it preformed in comparison. I think I'm going to try "Palechop", but with following Marco Frisoni's method of applying shade -not just to the deepest recesses but the undersides of the entire mini before drybrushing.

Great video and thank you so much for providing the resource to check colors. Keep up the great work Dana!

The color comparison chart website is very helpful. Thank you so much! Looks like you put a lot of time into it.

I've found that painting the skin white on otherwise normally-underpainted models really helped when using caucasian flesh-colored Contrast/Speed paints. YMMV on darker flesh tones. Otherwise, it really felt like the skin came out too shadowed and hard to read. It also helped it contrast more with clothing/armor/equipment/hair.

Thanks for taking the time showcasing slap chop. You rock! As an entry level miniature painter who still hasn't gotten around to getting an airbrush, this was super informative.

Yay Dana back ❤️🥰🐶

Thank you for comparing all these. Really helped me pick a method for the look I’m after

Great video, Dana! I cant wait to try out your palechop method.

Excited to watch this one!

An absolute banger of a video! Very well done, I liked a lot! I've been trying diferent techniques too for my Infinity the game minis, and the "slapchop" variants plus contrast helps a lot!

Fantastic comparison of variations on the method, Dana. thanks so much! I had tried doing the "Grey Chop" method on an Infinity model and found it a bit dark/flat when finished, and here you've identified Grey Chop as the least impressive variation, so after seeing your results with the "PaleChop" variation, I think that'll be what I try next. Thanks again!

Dana always coming with that perfect blend of get-to-the-point pragmatic guidance encapsulated in a healthy membrane of charisma and engaging editing that makes you go "oh no" when you notice the videos about to end.

Thanks for all the work you put into this!

I love your channel and I love your video. I saw your underpaiting video some years ago and change my way to see the hobby with the glazing

Dana, Thank you. This has help me so much!

Great review of the slapchop!!! This answered so many questions I had about possible combos/techniques. Cheers!

Happy Birthday to this channel!!!

Great review. Love the comparison of different styles. Congrats on becoming part of the Army Painter development team.

This is my favourite all time video about this topic; it's soooo well made, thank you SO much!

Very useful video for an old mini painter since 1979. Thanks.

A long time fan from up north, I point folks to your videos all the time. Videos like this are why I keep watching and why I tell folks to give you a look. Keep it up. BZ

This was brilliant...I had been wondering about this exact series of options (aside from the grey). Thanks for doing the test!

I'm all for painting all that grey plastic! More methods, more options! Thanks for the vid

My underpainting process (adapted from yours) is spray paint zenithal (using wraith bone instead of white), black oil wash to darken the shadows, then finish off with a white dry brush to pick out the edges.

This is spot on what I was wondering when I saw SlapChop. How does it compare to Dana’s undercoating? I have an airbrush but haven’t broken it out yet. This gives me the confidence that it is indeed worth mastering for undercoating. Well done Dana! These comparison-type videos are fantastic.

Thanks for this!

I love the no hype analysis. Good work

Great video, I am switching to your air chop method now except using spray cans. Really great video editing and pacing, 10/10!

Another great video! Saw something similar on another channel about using washes with slap chop and its a technique that will definitely be used more often.

I bought the Army Painter speed paint set after seeing your blog post on them(any product that will help me enjoy the hobby as a whole is ok in my book). Thank you for doing all the experiments and sharing with us because it only helps hopeless painters like myself.

Thank you so much for this videos. You just saved me so much time with experimenting in these styles. I will be trying white primer with the wash applied to recesses then a white dry brush.

Have to say that the website with the paint comparison is FANTASTIC! I use it constantly. Thank you :)

Happy Birthday channel. My how you've grown *tears up*

Well done using the sponsors product to share a practical example and a useful tool. Nice video

Hi Dana, congrats on being part of the army painter speedpaint team!

I have some classical training and I always appreciate your full explanations of things. I knew I'd learned "slap chop" years ago but I had completely forgotten the name: grissalle. Thank you for your great videos

What a great video and a great website! Thanks for putting the work into this! Liked and subscribed.

Yeah. You introduced me to that style. Thanks for that by the way. Top work missis.

I've been recently experimenting like this as well (but without an airbrush). Even still, it's really useful to see the examples side by side, especially since I have been using different models and different colours. I appreciate Dana taking the time to demonstrate a variety of techniques using similar models and similar colours. Maybe the biggest take away should be the common sense approach of: Try out different things, and then do whatever works best for you.

Thanks for the vid. I appreciate your informed and unhurried style.

I painted my Chaos Deamons in 2013 by priming them white and using GW glazes, a very quick way to paint them.

Great video. Will be using this as a reference for my new mini project. Thanks!

Scandalous! I have been using the "white prime, black wash, white drybrush, Contrast paints" method since last year. Since Slapchop came along and made it trendy to give these things catchy names I've been calling it the "Zingbo method". 🤣 And now you come along and rename it! If only I'd told more than about a dozen people about it I might be Internet famous by now!

The contrast swatch you've created is gonna be a go-to for me going forward. Killer work!!!

I primed a bunch white so I am going to try your white prime with dark highlights. Thanks for the video!

A good and thorough test and comparison. Very well done.

Love the examination of the variations in technique Really helpful. I wonder about using that to create variations across your army while still having a consistent overall look. Also love the little bit of art history context dropped in. I don't have an art education and love learning the origins or "real world art" instances of mini-painting techniques to broaden my sources for inspiration. Would like to see more of that but can understand why it would be a distraction from what this video was really about. Patreon bonus content maybe?

I was really worried that Pale Sand would not be in this video. Thank you for not letting me down!

Thank you for these tests, I had been wanting to test it out myself and also expected grey primer to work best. Now that I know it won't, that saves me some time and money.

I actually like the first one and slapchop plus ones the best. They give a unique stylised result which I think is really cool.

Wow, that contrast comparison site you've made is a brilliant resource

Always love your videos, and I visited the site as soon as you mentioned it, brilliant! I'll get a lot of use it of that

I have an enormous backlog of models to paint. I really think I need to knock out these models using this style. As always, thanks for all your hard work on your videos. They are so helpful, and motivating to paint. Happy Channel Birthday!

I've been waiting for you to address this, thanks

Wonderful video! Congratulations and thank you!

AIRCHOP FOR LIFE, BABY! Thanks for coining a new phrase becuase I’ve been using your meathod but for lack of a better word I’ve been using “slapchop” to discribe it

Great work, this is really useful, thank you for the experiments.

Thanks so much! Love you

Great video. Always enjoy your informative painting.

Thanks Dana, I don't have an airbrush, so this is very helpful! 😀

Thank you for another great video.

Thank you very much for all these tests and explanations ! This is just perfect ! :)

Very useful video; and very articulately presented. And, I really appreciated the comparison tests.

He doesn't actually claim to have invented it. He just gave it a catchy name.

I am just starting painting miniatures or any painting for that matter in over 25 years. I have purchased an airbrush kit, brushes, primers and paints with no skill and tones of ambition. :) I am so glad people like you make videos like this. I am not so scared to start painting again. I feel like life has beaten the artistic side out of me over the years but I am determined to be a good artiest again.

Great vid as always, thank you! I’ve been using something similar to airchop but using Vallejo gloss white for the zenithal, making sure it goes on with good coverage and is glossy. I use mainly AP speed paint and it loves the slippery surface the gloss white leaves. Also a few drops of contrast medium mixed in on the pallet helps speed paint set fully and never reactivate.

been using your "airchop" method for a couple years, and LOVE IT!!! Only difference is I use Vallejo Pale Sand instead of White when drybrushing, find it helps "iluminate" the colors.

Great video! Very interesting demo. These are definitely styles I've experimented with but it's great to see them side by side. Especially as we in the north move into winter time and my airbrush becomes unusable out in the cold, cold, digit-freezing garage.

Recently I started my zenithals with terracota>yellow>pale sand/white instead of black>gray>white when doing my glazing. It added a layer of realism to my final glazing.

Great reviews, I have not had great success with slap chop method I may try some different under costs and give it another shot. Thank you again for putting this video together

Dana continues to be an absolute hero of the people.

I haven't decided what color to paint my Kruleboyz clothes, and I really like how the purple looks. I may have to go with that!

Awesome, always love your content.

Slapchop is very close to what I did for a lot of my models before I got my airbrush. A grisaille under painted value sketch is super useful. I often like coming in with a quick highlight of bright white with a regular brush where it needs the brightest highlights either before or after the dry brush.

This was a fantastic video and just what I was looking for. Instant sub.

I discovered that by doing a very controlled layering, using careful application rather than drybrushing to gradually increase the brightness towards the most raised parts as well as using pastels or even bright colours like yellows and oranges or contrasting colours you can get some stunning results.

I'm using your style of underpainting (now officially called airchop 😉) for a few years now and i still love it for the absolute simlplification of volumes and battleready paintjobs.

I enjoy your videos, this was helpful!

You had me at purple on green.

I am painting the Dominion kruleboyz right now too! I was trying to go with a modified slapchop by undercoating with a color that I wanted my shadows to be tinted with, then dry brushing highlights with the color of my light source. Then slapchop as normal. So far the value difference between the colored undercoat and the dry brush hasn't been great enough to make it work as a one coat solution, but some layering to bring up the highlights really brings it home. Good tip in re-glazing with your original transparent paints to blend the highlights! Definitely gonna try that

Ninjon suggested using golden high flow titan buff instead of white and I found i loved it more than regular slap chop. Helped with the sort of chalkiness you get with slap chopping sometimes.

Awesome, making a Nurgle-Blessed Ork army and I think ill try like this since I need to have a good way to properly crank out models in the midst of uni. Papa's blessing upon thee!