layers

[Ms Mini Magic]

Hi there, one of the problems I am having is that when I paint high lights and shadows, the layers underneath can lift up and form gummy, rough patches. Am I just being impatient and not waiting long enough between coats? I love details and this is killin' me!

 

[DarkStar]

That will tend to happen if you don't wait long enough for the paint to dry. There's no shame in working with a hair dryer close by to speed up the drying time. I've done it for years and know of many other painters who rely on the old hairdryer to help ease the wait between painting successive layers. Try to find a nice quiet hair dryer or even better one with a cool air setting as well and a couple of different settings for strength, sometimes you need just a little heat and air to dry those thin layers, sometimes if it's really humid you might need to turn it to high.

There's no harm to the paint, or the mini, as long as you're careful and use common sense. Using a heat system to dry out paint on miniatures or metal, plastic and resin goes back a long long way with no ill effects again, as long as you don't go overboard.

 

[yxalitis]

Actually, I deliberately use the wetness of the old layer to blend in with the new colour, I use this when blending one colour into another, for example, the base of a spike on my demon's back is red, but the spike itself is black, instead of having a hard transition, I apply the black paint near the old, not-yet-dry red paint, and blend dynamically.
i do this because the result is quite good, and because I am too lazy to mix up a hundred blends of colour the way the real pros do.

 

[Einion]

Am I just being impatient and not waiting long enough between coats?

It's possible. The way to be sure is do a small area, then wait a good bit longer for it to dry than you are currently (say twice as long at least) and then try painting over it. If you don't get lifting then you'll know it's because the previous paint hadn't 'set' yet.

Easy cure here, perfect for anyone impatient but really useful to everyone: use a hairdryer to speed-dry between coats where you need to.

If it still occurs when the paint is really thoroughly dry then it's something else - you're having problems due to the paint being underbound, because of overdiluting. If you become sure this is the cause then you either have to dilute less or add in some additional binder, in which case I'd recommend getting some matt acrylic medium and adding a little (just a dot should be sufficient).

You can also consider diluting with something like airbrush medium (a thinner mix of binder and water, so you're paying for the water to some degree) but they'll generally have some retarder as well which can help with blending/feathering. Blending mediums are also worth considering, but they might lead to a slightly glossier finish which you'd have to tackle after you're done.

Einion