Let Uncle Mosch tell you all a true story about the magic bottle. Gather round, children....
Monday I was at an art store because I needed some new varnish. I was browsing a little and found a small, simple and seemingly very old bottle: \"Schmincke Acrylmalmittel\" (Acrylic painting medium by Schmincke). Hm. Let\'s see what you use this stuff for: \"For a smooth, homogeneous application. Dries clear into an flexible, resistant coat and increases paint adhesion. Ideal for layer painting.\"
Meh, let\'s try it. 6€ for 60ml, seems pretty expensive, but then again, my paint is even more expensive. So I bought this bottle and took it home.
Thank you so much, Mr. Schmincke. Let me just say one thing: He was not kidding when he compiled the list.
I mixed, very cautiously, a little with my paint. Still thick.... in the end, I mixed about 2 to 1 paint to medium to 1 part water.
My hand shakes permanently, so at the moment I can only do basecoats.... but I would have never expected something like that.
I applied the paint.... my god. The paint goes on so smooth that the surface seems to shine. It seriously looks like plastic. Whe I mixed 1 part paint to 1 part medium, I got a little silken effect that I hope to be able to remove with my matt varnish.
It does not only flow freely and form a great smooth layer, it also is extremely resistant. And when I say extremely, am talking about me scratching at it with a knife (my preffered method for testing varnish) and nothing really happening.
What Schmincke failed to say though is the fact that it slows drying time. And not only a little. I painted the basecoat for the Formor Fiend\'s skin on monday with VGC Caiman Green. Closed my palette (I use something like a small margarine tub as a palette) and today I thought I\'d use this same colour for a squig. You might have guessed it: The paint was still useable, one drop of water and we\'re done. Truly amazing. I can only imagine how long the paint will stay fresh if I actually wet my wet palette. On the miniature it dries in about five to ten minutes - I don\'t know how much a good retarder gives you, but 10 minutes seems plenty for wetblending to me. Haven\'t tried it yet though, hands are too shaky.
In conclusion: I love this stuff. How is it even possible for a watery medium to do all this? Yes, I am amazed to no end.
Monday I was at an art store because I needed some new varnish. I was browsing a little and found a small, simple and seemingly very old bottle: \"Schmincke Acrylmalmittel\" (Acrylic painting medium by Schmincke). Hm. Let\'s see what you use this stuff for: \"For a smooth, homogeneous application. Dries clear into an flexible, resistant coat and increases paint adhesion. Ideal for layer painting.\"
Meh, let\'s try it. 6€ for 60ml, seems pretty expensive, but then again, my paint is even more expensive. So I bought this bottle and took it home.
Thank you so much, Mr. Schmincke. Let me just say one thing: He was not kidding when he compiled the list.
I mixed, very cautiously, a little with my paint. Still thick.... in the end, I mixed about 2 to 1 paint to medium to 1 part water.
My hand shakes permanently, so at the moment I can only do basecoats.... but I would have never expected something like that.
I applied the paint.... my god. The paint goes on so smooth that the surface seems to shine. It seriously looks like plastic. Whe I mixed 1 part paint to 1 part medium, I got a little silken effect that I hope to be able to remove with my matt varnish.
It does not only flow freely and form a great smooth layer, it also is extremely resistant. And when I say extremely, am talking about me scratching at it with a knife (my preffered method for testing varnish) and nothing really happening.
What Schmincke failed to say though is the fact that it slows drying time. And not only a little. I painted the basecoat for the Formor Fiend\'s skin on monday with VGC Caiman Green. Closed my palette (I use something like a small margarine tub as a palette) and today I thought I\'d use this same colour for a squig. You might have guessed it: The paint was still useable, one drop of water and we\'re done. Truly amazing. I can only imagine how long the paint will stay fresh if I actually wet my wet palette. On the miniature it dries in about five to ten minutes - I don\'t know how much a good retarder gives you, but 10 minutes seems plenty for wetblending to me. Haven\'t tried it yet though, hands are too shaky.
In conclusion: I love this stuff. How is it even possible for a watery medium to do all this? Yes, I am amazed to no end.
. Is this the next step into ultra-smooth paint work?
