Thinning Your Paints
I always hear you should thin your paints before applying them to a model, but I find that I really don't need to. I tend to apply a small, thin amount at a time already, not globbing it on, so I guess that's probably it. Has anyone else found this while while painting?
Maybe, it's that I'm an inexperienced painter and don't realize I'm doing it wrong?
If you are an inexperienced painter and you have to paint wood I give you some advice for beginners
Use warm colors, not dark. For example, to paint the deck of a ship use a very light brown. Then once it is dry, apply a dark ink so that the ink penetrates the holes and everything is well defined. If you've never painted, this would be a good start.
If you need reference about brands and materials you can ask me.
Thanks! This is what my decks look like now. I guess I should also clarify: I'm new to painting miniatures, but I used to paint on canvas.
There are trademarks that sell special inks to give contrast.
For example, Citadel has a lot of good inks that could make your life easier.
Since I did this, I did buy a bottle of Nuln Oil.
What do you think about thinning paints?
Try this combination for the deck:
Layer: Ungor Flesh from citadel ( aply two or three fines a diluated layer better than one layer paste)
Ink: Agrax Earthshade (without shines)
Keep in mind that the combination I have told you is for an acceptable result, not for a work of art.
The way to apply the ink is once the paint is dry, use a thick brush, be generous when loading the brush with ink, you will always have time to remove excess ink and put them back in the bottle.
Let the ink go looking for the gaps, wherever you see a lot of accumulation you can remove the excess with a brush. But once the ink starts to dry, do not think of removing more ink because otherwise ink spots will appear and it is a very ugly optical effect.
When I see that the ink is well applied, I usually use a hair dryer to quickly dry the ink.
Originally Posted by jasonb
I always dilute the paintings, we are working on a very small scale, the details are very easy to miss due to the accumulation of thick paint. Therefore, I always dilute my paintings with water and alcohol.
For decks I also always thin and for sails. Some paints like the very light one such as yellow I tend to apply without thinning first and over a white or buff undercoat depending on the brightness that I am after. Washes I almost invariably thin as I find the proprietary brands contain too much pigment and can overdo the required effect.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Tried that Jason.
Can't get on with it at all. Used to use chestnut brown ink a lot but Citidel don't seem to do it any more. I must pop in to Workshop Head Office and see if they still have any there.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
I tried thinning my paints more, and the results are not great. Here's what it looks like when I do it the way I have been. These pictures from my phone really suck, and my painting certainly isn't great, but I don't think I'm losing much in the way of detail from paint thickness. I think I apply pretty thin coats already.
Jason, what have you applied to obscure that miniature?
It is a very common mistake to use the paint itself diluted in water to make shadow effects, but the only thing we are going to get is to dirty the miniature and all the neat work goes to hell. That same miniature if you apply a wash with Agrax Earthshade would have improved a lot.
Nuln Oil.
This was the first time I used it.
If you're looking at the pants, they're supposed to be a cream color, not white. I'm still not the happiest with the result, but it's not all from the Nuln Oil. The next one I did looked less dirty.
Last edited by jasonb; 08-15-2019 at 16:37.
Don't use Nuln Oil to contrast, use the one I've told you, Agrax Earthshade
A picture is worth a thousand words. A clear example of the use of Agrax Earthshade, (the picture is not mine, it's from the internet)
There are many more places where you can see but I have marked some, you can see that with this ink the contrast is softer.
That looks a lot better. I’ll definitely have to pick some up. Thanks for the advice.
For example, for me he made a mistake when applying the ink. It makes no sense that he let the ink dry in this area, it is an area of relief and should remain with the original color or at least clearer than it has left. The inks help us improve the image of our figures but they can also ruin them, be careful with that.
I got some of the Agrax Earthshade, and I'm definitely liking the results.
I will give that a try on your recommendations myself gentlemen.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
I also use Vallejo washes or Army painter shades. Vallejo sepia wash gives a good result like the Earthshade.
Thank you Eric, I will consider it for future purchases.
I was at Captain Kiwi's today, and he paints a very eclectic collection of models in all scales. I asked him what paints he used on skin tones and he agreed with Eric and swears by the Army Painter shades.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
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