Thinning Paints?

[Therapy]

Yet another n00b question from Therapy...

I\'ve been using Citadel paints for my new minis, and I\'ve run into a problem...how do I thin them? what proportions work best?

See, I\'ve been painting minis for years, but the minis I\'ve worked with were battletech, so all mecha or warships, where there was alot of texture, and really the only thing you had to do to make a mini look passable on the table was a bit of drybrushing. Now that I\'m trying to actually up my game a little, that technique doesn\'t work so well on miniatures that are mostly smooth, like my Harbinger of Menoth. Her clothes look fine, but I didn\'t thin the flesh for her face, and it has a slightly grainy texture to it. (Not terrible at all, and I plan to keep her just as she is as a measuring stick to use against work in the future) but I\'d like to be able to get the smooth, professional look that I\'ve seen on just about every mini on CMoN...

 

[Sauce Devil]

Get a copy of the Miniature Mentor video, it will explain everything.

Thin your paints 50/50 with water at minimum, 3 parts water to 1 part paint is better but it takes a little while to get used to working with such thin layers.

It\'s possible to use too thin a layer of paint (I use 50/50 when re-painting over an old varnished miniature) but thinner usually equals better; the downside is that you have to apply several layers instead of just one or two.

 

[sg2009]

just thin the paint with water

thinner the paints = smoother blends

 

[Einion]

Therapy, you thin your paints with enough water to get to the desired consistency - some paints are thinner than others and won\'t require as much water to get to the same working viscosity as others. It\'s important to realise you can\'t stick to formulas always, instead aim for the right thinness by eye.

Lots of previous threads on thinning with proportions, undercoats v. layering v. washes, advice, what to aim for, number of coats to expect to use with certain colours etc. etc.

Originally posted by Sauce Devil
Get a copy of the Miniature Mentor video, it will explain everything.

Not everything.

Einion

 

[redarmy27]

I agree with that. I bought the video, and while helpful, it left that important part out. I was a bit disappointed. Not to hijack this thread, but wasn\'t there another video that was just released but a gentlemen on here? I wonder if they show it in that one.

I strive to find that perfect ratio on my brush. I\'m obsessed with learning the art of glaze layers!

 

[Mourner]

one thing i found to work to get smoother blends is to add a drop of dish washing soap to the pot of water i use to thin my paints... this breaks up the surface tension ot the water, and prevents it from forming droplets and pooling unevenly.

i use one small drop of soap in about 0.3 liters of water.

 

[sg2009]

Originally posted by Mourner
one thing i found to work to get smoother blends is to add a drop of dish washing soap to the pot of water i use to thin my paints... this breaks up the surface tension ot the water, and prevents it from forming droplets and pooling unevenly.

i use one small drop of soap in about 0.3 liters of water.

hmmm im confused a lot of people have told me not to do this ???

 

[james sequeira]

No need for anything but pure water imo

 

[mattsterbenz]

Yep, just water here too.

1:1 paint to water usually, sometimes thinner.

-Matt

 

[Ritual]

Nothing bad will happen if you put dish washing liquid in your water (except making the paint shinier), but if you have paint pooling on your mini the problem, as I see it, is not whether or not it pools \"right\" but that it pools at all. Pooling paint means you put on too much paint. And if you put on the right amount of paint you don\'t really need the effect that dish washing liquid gives. That\'s my view on it, at least.

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by redarmy27
I strive to find that perfect ratio on my brush. I\'m obsessed with learning the art of glaze layers!

This will come with practice and experience. There\'s some personal preference here too, dependent on what you\'re aiming for as well - one person\'s perfect dilution would be too thin for another painter.

Originally posted by sg2009

Originally posted by Mourner
one thing i found to work to get smoother blends is to add a drop of dish washing soap to the pot of water i use to thin my paints... this breaks up the surface tension ot the water, and prevents it from forming droplets and pooling unevenly.

i use one small drop of soap in about 0.3 liters of water.

hmmm im confused a lot of people have told me not to do this ???

Adding a small amount of dishwashing liquid is fairly common. I\'ve done this with my thinning water for over ten years now.

It breaks the surface tension and acts like a very slight blending medium. For some things you don\'t want the water to do this so it\'s important to compare.

Einion