5 replies to this topic

[Kritari]

Heyas. Got the eyes question answered to my skill level I think, so on to my next hardest question, which is really a 3-parter.

Part one, Am I better off as a noob with washes, buying the premade wash, or making my own? If I need to make my own, how do I do it?

Last question, and the most important, because when I tried washing my figs before, they all wound up looking like flesh colored camoulfage,  how do I apply it?

[Fellblade]

I still have trouble getting washes to do what I want, but I will give you one valuable bit of advice: put a drop of dish soap in your inks. Water (and inks) has surface tension which causes it to bead up on surfaces, and it usually settles into the deeper parts of the model. As the ink dries, the pigment collects at the edges of this bead leaving lines along its edge leaving the figure looking like a glass out of your dishwasher covered in waterspots. The dishsoap breaks the surface tension and allows the ink to sit in the low points of the model rather than beading up across them which in turn lets the pigment settle into those deep places where you want it.

Normally I won't use GW inks without diluting them with a little water first as they tend to have a lot of pigment in them. I haven't tried inks from other companies but I hear "Kel's Magic Sauce" is very good. You can always take a little paint and thin it down in a lot of clean water to wash your figures too if that works better for you. If you have extra figures laying around you don't mind practicing on, just try several different things on different figures to get a feel for what techniques do what.

As for how to put it on, again it depends on the effect. Sometimes I'll just drench a whole figure in ink to stain the entire model. Other times I might just apply the ink the part of the model I want to shade then blend it in a little with some water and a clean brush. If you have a digital camera, you could always post some pics of what you've done and say what effect you were trying to get. That might help narrow down what to do to best help you get the desired result.

[Kritari]

My digital  camera is several years old, and is only 3.1 megapixels, with a bad version of a macro mode.  Tried taking a pic of the Gwenlaen fig bob did for me to shot to a friend and say "See, this is what a Pro can do, I didnt waste that cash!" but the camera couldnt take any even halfway decent pics.

As for what efffect I have gotten, I literally have turned my flesh colored figs into flesh colored camouflage. Just splotches of dark here and there from blotchy ink over stained skin tones.  Ruined about 4 figs that way. Ticked me off.

I would bring them in and show ya, but My lungs are really messed up at the moment. I had a cold, and that seems to have  really screwed up my lungs somehow (Again). Athsma for the loss.  I am coughing a lot, and dont want to go anywhere cause I dont want to freak people out.

[ghoulking]

In my opinion you're always better off making your own washes.

As for how...

Ink washes are vastly different from paint washes, and I'm not a big fan of ink washing except for certain painting techniques (Ron is one person who uses ink washes very well).  Inks are very thick, tend to leave a shiny residue, and glaze the surface colors.

When using inks for washes you're usually better off thinning them down.  1:1 water to ink usually works.  You can also use a Vallejo Glaze Medium (just a couple drops) to take some of the shine out and keep the inks from coloring the entire surface.

I prefer paint washes since I can customize the shade to the color being washed and even use the color itself in the wash.  When creating a paint wash I use 2:1 Water to paint, though it can be thinner or thicker depending on the requirements.  If you're getting a splotchy thick covering, you might want to thin the wash.

There are also additives that can help even out the consistency of your wash.  Vallejo Glaze Medium is really good, and Matte Medium from art stores helps as well.  I've heard of people using dish soap and future floorwax, but haven't been pleased with the results myself.  These additives are used to create a smoother wash, that will have softer edges, and pool cleanly in the low areas of your model, creating the shadow effect you're looking for.

When applying washes, it's just like painting, don't slather it on, don't get sloppy, paint the surface smoothly and evenly.  If you thin the wash enough you can even get away with just painting the shadows in, and not the entire surface.

[Kritari]

Ah, ok, that was part of what I did wrong then. I just kind of dipped the brush in the premade ink wash, and  did the whole fig like I was adding a new layer of brush-on primercoat or something.  So I should switch to a paint wash, with about a 2:1 water/paint mix, and just do the areas I am interested in then. Gotcha.   Would an eyedropper be good for measuring the washes? Seems like it would....

[Pyrian]

I usually "measure" washes by painting them onto newspaper and looking at how transparent the result is.