Need Help with Washes

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Ikaponthus

New member
Hi,

I have real trouble with washes. I can get semi-decent (read \"not totally crap\") results when washing stuff with deep grooves like beards and hair, but everything else just turns out a mess.

When I wash something it usually looks how I want it while the paint/ink is wet, but by the time it dries it just looks like a muddy mess. Almost nothing has been detailed, just the whole section has become a darker, muddy shade, ruining the base coat that I just spent hours trying to make as neat as possible.

Can someone please help me with my washes? What\'s going wrong here?

FYI, I have experimented with lots of different consistencies. Usually I try around 1:3 paint:water or 1:2 paint:ink. And the water I use has a little soap in it, as I\'ve read in various online tutorials.
 
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Ritual

New member
It seems to me that you apply too much at the same time. Make sure your wash is very thin and apply thin layers. Don\'t let your wash pool up. I normally apply around 5 layers when I do washes. It\'s better to be safe than sorry. HTH
 
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Ikaponthus

New member
Cool thanks for the tip, I\'ll try it in the morning when the light is better. :)

Also, when you are washing, do you wash most sections of the miniature or only some parts?

For example, would you put a wash over a clenched fist or would you just carefully paint the shadows in with a thin brush?
 
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Ritual

New member
That depends on what type of area it is and what effect I want on it. Sometimes I begin by painting a whole area in a dark colour for shading and then build up highlights from that, and sometimes I paint shadows in with a small brush and sometimes I use washes. That depends on the circumstances and which colours I want. You\'ll have to try it out for yourself and build up a personal preferrence for what method you like to use with different colours. I hope that made sense... :p

-Anders
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
Ikaponthus, welcome to the forums.:D

Washes are in themselves a very good tool for any painter to learn to use, but they do need a lot of practise.
But the most specific thing to know is that they have to be very dilute 1:12 (paint to water) ratio is not uncommon to hear being used.

The easiest way to use a wash is not over the whole area at first but as a shading tone drawn down into the deeper areas of what you are trying to paint.

For example: On a Spacemarines shoulder pad I would draw a wash down towards the rim from a point roughly 2/3 of the way up the shoulderpad. Once that had dried I\'d do a second wash following the first from the halfway point , and then again later from the 1/3 point. In this manner you are adding depth to the colour without drowning it.
Always remember that the brush will leave more pigment behind at the point where the brush leaves the figure. (Capillary action I\'ve been told it\'s called.)

Once you get the hang of using a Wash to shade then you can use it to tone colour transitions together.
 
Brother Tom

Brother Tom

Member
I tried a interesting technique with washes which came out quite nicely. Instead of using ink I watered down my normal acrylic paint alot and added some pva glue, (sorry dont keep track of ratios) this seemed to work out quite well and also did\'nt leave a horrible shininess which inks tend to leave. I only really like to use inks as a glaze unless I have to do something a bit quicker.
 
Brother Tom

Brother Tom

Member
I used watered down acrylic paint mixed with PVA for this one but I also went over it with metallics again to tidy it up, it is\'nt just a case of whacking on your washes.

chaos-lord.jpg
 
K

KatieG

New member
Yeah PVA glue = white glue. Basically it prevents the color from beading up because of the suface tension of water. Some people use other methods for this, like \"Magic Wash\" (a mix of water to future floor wax, an acrylic floor wax). You can also use paint additives that also break up the surface tension (the name is escaping me right now, brain freeze!) for a similiar effect. I am not real fond of inks myself because of the shinyness issue. These days I don\'t use washes much, just thinned paint to blackline or darkline, and/or to place the shadows exactly where I like. The only time I still use them liberally is on metallics...
--Katie G.
 
D

donga666

Guest
PVA-Poly,Vinyl,Acetate= White Glue, Wood Glue, Etc, Etc.......

I always add \'Acryl Matt Gel medium\' or \'Valejo Matt Medium\' to my Washes. Gel medium for large flat areas, it will not run or \'pool\'. And Valejo matt medium for more Nobbly areas to knock off the gloss. But always paint on several thin layers (as everyone else has said:D). And add water, NEVER neat!
 
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