Createx Illustration vs. Wicked Comparison

wickedartstudio

Mac-Valve Maestro!
I had a little time to to compare the new Illustration paint with Wicked Detail and plain Wicked paint today. Let me begin by saying these are only my opinions based on my own experiences on this particular day. I encourage anyone who is interested in trying the new line to do so and form your own opinion based on your painting habits.

I used Illustration Cerulean Blue, Wicked Detail Cerulean Blue and Wicked Blue for this comparison. In previous posts I've mentioned that I normally use a "home brew" reducer. For the purpose of this comparison I used the Illustration reducer with the Illustration paint and the Wicked reducer with the Wicked Detail and Wicked paint. I used the same Iwata HP-CS for all three paints and my air pressure ranged from about 5 to 25 psi. I tried each paint unreduced through that air pressure range and then reduced 1:1 at 25 psi. I was very impressed with the Illustration paints detail ability, unreduced straight out of the bottle. It was far better than the Wicked Detail and the Wicked concerning ultra fine detail. Reducing the Wicked Detail and the Wicked paint improved the ability to create very fine detail, but the Illustration paint won this comparison by far. At approximately 5 psi, the unreduced Illustration paint pulled a very fine line, although it was inconsistent and skipping somewhat. With some reduction, I believe minute detail could be executed at very low air pressure using this paint. At 10 psi the skipping diminished and the line consistency improved. 15 psi was even better and 25 psi was the sweet spot for my style and techniques. I still experienced some skipping at 25 psi, but it was very minimal.

Unreduced Wicked Detail Cerulean Blue was very inconsitent and spitting at 5 psi. Wicked Detail performed closer to the Illustration paint (with fine detail lines) at 10 psi, but it was still spitting and inconsistent. 15 psi was better, but there was still a lack of control feeling. 25 psi was again the sweet spot for me. Wicked Detail was controllable at 25 psi, but it was more consistent after reducing the paint. I was surprised at the stark difference in hue between the Illustration Cerulean Blue and the Wicked Detail Cerulean Blue as well. The Illustration color is a much darker tone. The Wicked Detail Cerulean Blue and the Wicked Blue are virtually identical in color.

Unreduced Wicked Blue would not spray a line at all at 5 psi. It just spit paint out occasionally. At 10 psi, the Wicked was slightly inconsistent, but it outperformed the Wicked Detail in my opinion. I was very impressed with the smooth consistent detail lines I was able to achieve at 15 psi. The lines were not as fine as the Illustration paint allowed me to spray though. I noticed no difference in sprayabilty when I moved to 25 psi. I was impressed with the Wicked, but I still felt the paint needed to be reduced.

Full saturation and covering ability puts another win in the Illustration paints column. The Illustration paint is more opaque in nature than the Wicked Detail or the Wicked. I was able to fully cover a darker orange color (with a white line going through it) faster and using far less color with the Illustration paint than I could with Wicked Detail or Wicked.

The Illustration paint can be reactivated easily with plain water if you desire to do so. Wicked Detail and Wicked were both reactivated with water as well; however, it was far more difficult to do so.

The Illustration paint, reduced 1:1 with the Illustration reducer, worked flawlessly. My control and confidence improved after reducing the color. Full intensity was easily reached with a few passes even after reduction. Wicked Detail and Wicked appeared to take on more transparent qualities after reducing them. Full saturation was easily achieved, it just required more passes to do so than with the Illustration paint. Reducing Wicked Detail and Wicked 1:1 improved control dramatically, but I was unable to match the very consistent super fine lines created with the Illustration paint.

I was stunned when I tested gradated fading. The Wicked Blue won this comparison hands down. I thought for sure the Illustration paint would get another win in this category based on the detail I achieved compared to the others. Not to mention that it's my understanding the pigments in Wicked Detail are supposed to be finer than those in the Wicked. All three produced nice gradated fades and blends, but the Illustration and Wicked Detail paint were more "grainy" (an inherent charactersitic of water based paints anyway) by comparison. This remained true even after adding transparent base to the mix. The Wicked Blue had a far less "grainy" appearance and even less after adding a few drops of transparent base to the cup.

Tip dry is inherent with water based paints as well and I'm afraid I pick the needle without thinking about it most of the time. Tip dry was present with all three paints, but I have no idea if one was better than the other. As I said before, these are only my opinions, but I hope it helps someone.

Trevor
 
Great review!! I just got done doing almost the exact same thing, just different colors and using my micron. I found for absolute consistent flow it's best to reduce the illustration colors (black in my test) in a micron, but 1:1 or even a little less works just fine. Also in my time with the wolf I never strained my paint once and the worked perfect.
As far as coverage (again out of a micron) I found it covers well. And tip dry is very very minimal, even with the white. The white does still create more tip dry, but no where near wicked.
Erasing is extremely easy especially on a hard surface!!! But on illustration board you will never tear the paper from having to erase to hard.


Josh
 
Also have to say, the illustration colors clean out of the brush as easy as urethanes. It may just be me, but it was quick and easy to me.


Josh
 
Very cool review of the illustration colors compared to the wicked colors. I think i will give them a try as soon as i can find a shop that sells them here in germany.
Oh and also good to hear from Josh that they clean out easily, i found that the Wicked colors are a pain to clean out since they dry up alot in the cups.
 
Very cool review of the illustration colors compared to the wicked colors. I think i will give them a try as soon as i can find a shop that sells them here in germany.
Oh and also good to hear from Josh that they clean out easily, i found that the Wicked colors are a pain to clean out since they dry up alot in the cups.

I always dip a Q-tip in airbrush lube and wipe it lightly it around the inside of my cup, and when it comes to clean up time, hey presto,cleans in a flash!
 
I always dip a Q-tip in airbrush lube and wipe it lightly it around the inside of my cup, and when it comes to clean up time, hey presto,cleans in a flash!

Great tip Squishy, im going to try this out :)
 
Great review!! I just got done doing almost the exact same thing, just different colors and using my micron. I found for absolute consistent flow it's best to reduce the illustration colors (black in my test) in a micron, but 1:1 or even a little less works just fine. Also in my time with the wolf I never strained my paint once and the worked perfect.
As far as coverage (again out of a micron) I found it covers well. And tip dry is very very minimal, even with the white. The white does still create more tip dry, but no where near wicked.
Erasing is extremely easy especially on a hard surface!!! But on illustration board you will never tear the paper from having to erase to hard.


Josh

I agree completely. Performance is very good straight from the bottle, but reducing the paint worked better for me as well.
 
i mgiht be a big harry nut sack but i did not have an eppifiany when i receieced my colors... same tip dry, same reduction....lol......
 
i mgiht be a big harry nut sack but i did not have an eppifiany when i receieced my colors... same tip dry, same reduction....lol......

Well... you win some and you lose some...lol. My comparison was based on a single color and limited in many areas, but I am still impressed with the better sprayabiltiy and control factors I've experienced while working on the rose. We all have different habits and methods and I never expected everyone to agree with my opinions.

I appreciate you sharing your opinion Ran! The more feedback we get, whether good or bad, will only help others make an informed decision when deciding if they want to plunk down the cash to try them.
 
Well... you win some and you lose some...lol. My comparison was based on a single color and limited in many areas, but I am still impressed with the better sprayabiltiy and control factors I've experienced while working on the rose. We all have different habits and methods and I never expected everyone to agree with my opinions.

I appreciate you sharing your opinion Ran! The more feedback we get, whether good or bad, will only help others make an informed decision when deciding if they want to plunk down the cash to try them.
lol, has nothing to do with your opinion wicked,, may have been my screw ups...i got the impression that i could put it in my airbrush and go like crazy but that didnt happen... white without thinning has enormous tip dry..... and i had to thin the rest of the colors... the only reason i got it is due to the erasability which is good but not awesome... you probably put a little more thought and care into than i did.. no disrespect to you and your opinion.... just my experience... guess i will have to focus a little harder,, anyway your rose is excellent and i meant no disrespect to your findings,,, im probably just pissed cause i thought it was a god send and it is not in my opinion..lol maybe a little more dedication will prove different, would have been nice if they would have included a pdf with the paint... cause all you get is the paint and no helpers...
 
lol, has nothing to do with your opinion wicked,, may have been my screw ups...i got the impression that i could put it in my airbrush and go like crazy but that didnt happen... white without thinning has enormous tip dry..... and i had to thin the rest of the colors... the only reason i got it is due to the erasability which is good but not awesome... you probably put a little more thought and care into than i did.. no disrespect to you and your opinion.... just my experience... guess i will have to focus a little harder,, anyway your rose is excellent and i meant no disrespect to your findings,,, im probably just pissed cause i thought it was a god send and it is not in my opinion..lol maybe a little more dedication will prove different, would have been nice if they would have included a pdf with the paint... cause all you get is the paint and no helpers...

If my last post reflected I was offended in some way, I apologize because I was in no way offended. And I did not take your comments as disrespectful in any way either. Like I said, we are all a little different and different materials will suit our own styles better than others. I gave up on any paint being a "god send" a long time ago...lol.

I have great respect for your work and value your opinions as well!
 
If my last post reflected I was offended in some way, I apologize because I was in no way offended. And I did not take your comments as disrespectful in any way either. Like I said, we are all a little different and different materials will suit our own styles better than others. I gave up on any paint being a "god send" a long time ago...lol.

I have great respect for your work and value your opinions as well!

lol, no prob bro.., no bad karma here... i like your work too.. and i just havent put my heart into it yet. it was a half ass attempt today , i posted a new pic on the gallery today of some eyes and a nose... like i have learned in the past if my herart is not into it, it just not going to turn it out welll.... no prob bro..... thanks for your input and the only way you could disrespect me is if you got my gonads out the pickle jar that my wife has them stored in , and smashed them, lol im an happy fool hearted fool ,, lol carry on, put out some good excrement and make us all happy...
 
lol, no prob bro.., no bad karma here... i like your work too.. and i just havent put my heart into it yet. it was a half ass attempt today , i posted a new pic on the gallery today of some eyes and a nose... like i have learned in the past if my herart is not into it, it just not going to turn it out welll.... no prob bro..... thanks for your input and the only way you could disrespect me is if you got my gonads out the pickle jar that my wife has them stored in , and smashed them, lol im an happy fool hearted fool ,, lol carry on, put out some good excrement and make us all happy...

Glad to know we're on the same page brother...
 
i hadn't read these posts yet. Just did a google search for createx illustration colors. We came up in third place haha! Awesome post by the way wicked - but i must say i'm glad to have Ran's opinion saying he doesn't notice a difference - i've heard mainly good things about these paints from you guys though - am keen to try them out, but i think i'll give etac a go first?
Cheers for the review mate, that will definitely help a curious few including myself:)
 
Do i have to use respirator or mask when im painting with wicked colors? Im not sure what Createx means by "mild amounts of solvent""
 
Do i have to use respirator or mask when im painting with wicked colors? Im not sure what Createx means by "mild amounts of solvent""

Wicked is water base but has solvents added to it to make it flow better. Nothing like urethanes though. You should always wear at least a dust mask but if you have good ventilation, like a cross breeze from a fan, and then another pulling it out of your area you should be ok. BUT it is good practice to wear one at all times.


Josh
 
Wicked is water base but has solvents added to it to make it flow better. Nothing like urethanes though. You should always wear at least a dust mask but if you have good ventilation, like a cross breeze from a fan, and then another pulling it out of your area you should be ok. BUT it is good practice to wear one at all times.


Josh

It is good practice, but how many people really do it? Or am I the only naughty one? Rebel has an unusual system LOL, he keeps the paint out of his lungs by filtering through ciggie smoke LOL!!!!
 
It is good practice, but how many people really do it? Or am I the only naughty one? Rebel has an unusual system LOL, he keeps the paint out of his lungs by filtering through ciggie smoke LOL!!!!

And I notice he washes it down with bourbon!! I might have to try these methods!! Haaa!
 
Back
Top