Mixing colors vs... not, mixing?

[J2FcM]

Hmm, poorly titled thread.

Basically, something I have been trying is really limiting my palette of colors. On top of that.. I try to eliminate different color mixes by applying thinned layers of individual colors.

Hmm, to make this more clear, lets say I want my red to end up in an orange for highlights.

Now, instead of slowly adding more and more orange to my red (ie. mixing), I go directly to orange, and try to apply thin thin transparent layers, so the orange shows up most at the highlight point.

Are their any major pro\'s\\con\'s to each method?

So far, I think just applying separate colors takes out the mess up from having to remix colors, but I think mixing colors might offer smoother highlight transitions?

thoughts\\comments?

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Sometimes you can artistically reach the same destination thru different paths. Sometimes you will get the same end result with a different way of getting there and sometimes you will get a similar result with subtle differences. They are both valid. Try alot of different approaches and see what you come up with. You will almost always find in the future that the results you didnt use will come in handy somewhere else.

 

[funnymouth]

i use a combination of methods, depending on my mood, and how well the colors overlay.

 

[DaN]

I guess it just depends on your mixing method and the water you use...?

I\'ve tried both and shall continue to use both

 

[airhead]

Reaper\'s Master paints come in triads - shadow, mid-tone and hi-light paints. This eliminates the need to mix for contrast. I do find that some of the triads do not have enough contrast and I either start with a darker color from another triad or end up with a lighter color from a different triad.

 

[MPJ]

Big thing is to \'know your paints\'. By that I mean know the ones you use and how they look with others from your collection as highlights/shades. As others have mentioned you\'ll end up using both methods you\'ve brought up.

@ Airhead: I do the same thing with my RMPs. Of top note to come to mind, when doing bone I start with dark flesh then use the bone triads. I do find however that once dry they seem to have more contrast than I\'d have expected when seeing them wet.

 

[Trevor]

I\'ve been doing a bit of this. I do it as follows:

Black undercoat, wetbrush/layer on base colour, wash/glaze with ink, layer on base colour in a series of layers using the number of layers to get the colour change, no change in colour used. Take a lighter shade, this is very thin, carefully layer it on again using multiple layers to get the colour change. Finally a couple of layers of final highlights in a lighter colour, often this one is close to white, but the thin layers let the colour underneath shine through.

Done carefully enough it is indistinguishable from wet blending, and I find it easier to do.

 

[J2FcM]

So the wash of ink is your shade, and from there you progressivly layer up highlights?
You then just take lighter paints as well? No mixing?

 

[vincegamer]

Look at the \"Skin up with Klute\" class thread. The way he does flesh tones is like that. During a discussion it came out that you could just use a base coat and your lightest flesh in thin layers on top to achieve the same result.

 

[EricJ]

I pretty much layer everything, and almost NEVER mix paints, which just seems like a pain in the butt to me. I think you definately can achieve the results you want either way.

 

[demonherald]

the only pro\'s and cons I can think of is that layering can take a bit longer and require a bit more ptience but the end result is generally smoother...

Also occasionally a stronger contrast is needed so I use mixing..

two styles of painting that go together well and are useful to have in your painting skills kit..

 

[Tinweasel]

I guess I\'m not understanding the question. Are you asking two:
Do folks primarily use paint colors straight out of the pot in a successions of different colors to get an effect?

Or do folks mix colors separately (like on a palette) and paint those on to get an effect?


I guess the deciding factor for me would be the color I was aiming for an what paints I would need to get there.
Using these guys as an example, they\'re not pure GW Blood Red but are layered up to it (and then highlighted.) Straight Blood Red covers for crap and I didn\'t want to spend years painting basecoats, so I mixed up a combination of Scab Red and Scorched Brown - that\'s my basecoat. Scab Red is a little on the purple end by itself, IMO, and Scorched Brown would\'ve been too dark. From there I used straight Blood Red, thinned it down just a hair, and brushed it from the innermost parts to the edges - I was aiming for a \"magma\" effect. As for highlights, I think I ran through Fiery Orange, Sunburst Yellow, and then Yellow/White - again, aiming for a magma effect, my highlighting was selective.

This guy, on the other hand was straight painting of multiple thinned coats of Blood Red over a white primer base, with GW Fiery Orange and then GW Blazing Orange for highlights.

Personally, I think mixing of paints produces a more realistic, \"grittier\" feel as the transitions end up smoother. While a lot of paint companies have matched shading, highlight, and basecoat colors, you often can\'t get the color you want straight out of a bottle.

So far as layering goes, I always thin my paints. Most of my layering is 1:4 paint/thinner consistency if not thinner, so I\'d imagine you could get a good, subtle progression of colors if you thinned them down to the consistency of glazes over a very light undercoat (I often get quick, easy highlights this way, but not much else). I\'d guess most folks use is roughly a minimum of 3 steps (base, shade, and highlight). I generally use about 5-6 for most TT figures - basecolor, shading wash, transition back to pure basecolor, first highlight, 2nd highlight, and possibly an extreme highlight, but you could easily do any number of steps.


I\'d stand by experience, which to me states that the more gradiations of color you use regardless of consistency/translucency, the more realistic, smoother, and less abrupt a transition of color is going to be.