Hello All

I am a newbie to epic, and even newer to painting.

I have painted a few models and used very thined down paints as a wash to highlight the detail but this tends to dirty the entire model. This is a shame if the model is a lovely light blue or a ligh desert brown.

Obviously I am doing something wron and have read about people using ink for the wash. Is this normal ink one puts in a fountain pen or is it a special ink?

Any advice or links to advice on developing and applying washes would be much appreciated.

Thanks

i am no painting expert but as a novice I would stick to prebought washes before trying to make my own as it can be difficult with different mediums and surface tension etc etc to make the wash work.

Some washes can leave a model look dirty but also remember that you dont have to put the wash all over the model, you can selectively place the wash into crevaces etc.

Also if a wash is dirtying the model then i would try watering it down. I did this yesterday on a concrete pipe, i washed it and it became very dirty so i immediately put some clean water on my brush and diluted the wash and cleaned alot of the dirty effect off and left a nice light effect which is what i wanted.

Also there is nothing wrong with doing multiple light washes, on a model i jut painted i used about 5 layers of washes mixing a red wash with a brown wash and back to red to get the right effect i was seeking

good luck, i am sure alot of better painters will have more tips and advice

Some suggestions: When it comes to washes, you have a lot of options. Firstly, normal paint that's been thinned a lot: this gives you a lot of options, such as washing yellow with a darker yellow, etc, but I find that it can be a bit hit and miss. Then you have washes of the sort GW sell, that I find tend to work very well: their surface tension isn't too high (meaning, they spread well), and the colours are decent. Finally, you have inks of the sort that GW used to sell, and other outfits (P3, Reaper etc) now do. I *think* these are different to pen inks: i just tried blending up washes with some Waterman pen inks I use for writing (tried a brown, green, blue and black), and it just doesn't feel the same as "normal" painting inks. Whether that's a peculiarity of Waterman, me doing something wrong, I don't know but I will say that I've always found gaming inks easier to work with. Also, they tend to leave quite a glossy finish, which may or may not be what you want: i often use Chestnut Ink (from the old GW range, now long OOP but there are alternatives) to finish scarlet armour plates on my WFB Daemons, as it shades with nice browns and leaves a hard-looking glossy finish.
Hope this is of some use

When you're using washes start with a model very much lighter than your intended colour.

Citadel's washes are absolute godsends. I heartily recommend you invest in a set.

if money is tight, a pot of Devlan Mud is enough to get you out of a tight spot.... I'm no expert at all, but my steel legion troops were basecoated, washed, then after they were dry, washed again, then highlighted with the base colours, I'm quite chuffed with the results, the dark washes are great for hiding mistakes between components as they pool there and cover up any mistakes

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citadel's newer washes are like magic in a paint pot - it's almost like cheating, grab some of those and you're golden - I'd say washes are obligatory for painting tiny models, makes life so much easier

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Thanks for the replies people.

I guess Citadel washes are available from Games Workshop? Personally I find that store very expensive.
[edit: belay that - just looked up GW and yes, they do deal in Citadael washes ]

Anyway, is it better to apply the wash before or after detailing?

Thanks

Say you're painting up a base of space marines: you would want to paint and highlight (via drybrushing) the main uniform color, then apply the wash, then highlight again. After that's done, you would go back and hit the details like the backpack, bolter, shoulder pads, etc.

So, short answer, after. The details themselves might benefit from a wash too, and that could change the order of things.

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Two words ... GW Washes ...

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I love playing around with GW and Vallejo washes and inks. Since inks tend to be more coloured, I use GW washes as a medium adding tinges of for instance purple or green to Devlan Mud or Badab Black.

/Fredmans

If you're short of money, give a try to Vallejo washes, less expensive and 50% more wash in the pot.

Or you could do it if you're just smart - they're just as good, you get more in a bottle, they're less expensive ...

Just be careful to pick the washes in the black-capped dropper bottles; the old white capped washes are very nearly useless in comparison.

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First off what color do you want to paint? Lets take red for instance.

With red i would primer white. Then i would thin my red to about 1 part water to 2 parts red and just apply thinly but cover the mini. Then i would apply badab black wash from citadels line to cover the mini. After that dries and it takes a bit longer then paint to try say 4x longer. you also wana make sure its dry or it will mess up what your painting. Next you want to dry brush... trick is the brush needs to be dry < i know thats a crazy concept right, but i convince myself from time to time i can get away with a wet brush and i fail >. You dip the tip of the brush into the paint i used a flat about a quarter inch thick. then i brush back and forth on a napkin, when i know its ready for the mini i'll run it on my finger and if it brings out just my finger print i know its rdy for the mini. you want to do quick brush strokes back and forth. keep layering the paint on the brush and making sure it isn't thick. what your goal is, is to only put little bits of paint on at a time so it doesn't fill the detail. It really shouldnt take all that long per mini. after thats done fill in the detail, shoulder pads weapons boltgun metal colors and you should end up with something like this.


These blood angels are a bit rough because the camera takes such good pictures.


For these death guard my steps where.
Primer white.
Devlan mud wash.
Drybrush white.
Paint shoulders green.
Devlan mud wash shoulders.
Drybrush yellow on shoulders.
Paint weapon boltgun.
Mix a rust color apply to weapon.
Drybrush boltgun to leave recesses rusty.
Paint horns brown.
Done.

Hope this helps, sorry it's all jumbled.
Blind-

Vallejo washes are good, but I'd rate the GW washes a bit higher and they are more user-friendly for a beginner.
Some of the Vallejo wash colors need to be diluted with FFP or equivalent (Do NOT use water!) before use & they are typically less matte as compared to GW's washes.

Even though you pay more for the GW product, for 6mm stuff, you will get plenty of bang for your buck.

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All the responses and advice is greatly appreciated.

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