Desaturating VMC Violet

[dshavers]

I'm about to start painting a model with quite a bit of purple-violet and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a nice grey color in the VMC range to help knock back some of the saturation as all of the violets and purples in the VMC range are pretty bold in color. I tried to pick out a nice grey the other night be became a bit overwhelmed on the sheer amount of variations. Not sure if I should be looking for a cool, warm or neutral version.

 

[Einion]

In terms of pure neutralising ability neutral greys will probably give the most consistent results overall.

But you can simply mix white and black (which will naturally give a blueish grey) and try that - particularly when you're just knocking back a little bit this is likely to work fine. Plus with paint mixtures being irregular anyway it might work perfectly for specific violets, depending on the pigments they're made from.

The mixing complements to most violets are greens (!) so if you want to experiment that's something to try as well; you'll need to add in a touch of white to compensate for the darkening.

Einion

 

[dshavers]

Thanks Einion

I figured a neutral grey would be best. but I wasn't sure if any particular color temperature would give a more pleasing affect. Violet being a rather cool I should probably stick with a cooler grey as I don't want to add any "warmth"

 

[Dragonsreach]

VMC Neutral Grey, exactly what it says on the label.

 

[phael_minis]

I think english uniform is good too.