Washes

[dewen]

I typically use washes when painting, especially when I am trying to get several Warlord models painted to a decent tabletop quality. I have had a couple problems.

 

1> Wash is applied and dries blotchy or uneven. The blotchy or uneven appearance is more apparent on the raised areas. I usually end up fixing this with a more time consuming layer approach. I will see if I can find pics for examples. I had this issue using Grey Blues Triad.

 

2>When the paint is diluted the colors seem to separate on my palette. IIRC this has only occurred with VMC.

 

The problems do not occur with all my paints - only a few paints/colors. I use Liquitex Flow Aid (clear stuff) diluted according to the bottle for my washes. MSP and VMC are the paints I use most often. Yes, I shake my paints. I have a motorized shaker.

 

Do I need another additive? Do I have a few bad paints?

[All-Terrain Monkey]

I'd suggest putting in some Brush on Sealer or Matte Medium if some colors are behaving the way you're saying. I usually see that kind of reaction if a paint is over-thinned; putting in a matte medium of some sort should give your wash enough extra binders (Anne or Joe will correct me on this if I'm wrong ) to avoid the "oily blotch" drying and separation.

 

Also, I'd consider using only a couple of drops of Flow Improver and try some good ol' plain water. My usual washes are a couple of drops of paint and a 4:1 ratio of water to Brush On Sealer with no flow improver.

[Vaitalla]

Vallejo will almost always separate when thinned to a wash consistancy; that's just the nature of the vinyl base. Adding in some acrylic matte medium should indeed help this.

 

Otherwise, as John said, it sounds like you may be thinning your Reaper Master Series a little too much for your washes. Drying on raised surfaces is a sign of the polymers which hold the paint together breaking down, which happens when too much fluid is added. Considering that you also use Vallejos, you have probably noticed that RMS require a lot less thinning than those do. I would simply take your washes a little stronger, adding some brush-on sealer or matte medium for additional transparency, and see how that works. And let me know if it doesn't...if you're still having problems, if you could give us an idea of how much water to paint you are using, that would help us troubleshoot!

 

Thanks and good luck with it, let us know if this has helped!

 

--Anne

[dewen]

...

Also, I'd consider using only a couple of drops of Flow Improver and try some good ol' plain water. My usual washes are a couple of drops of paint and a 4:1 ratio of water to Brush On Sealer with no flow improver.

I should have mentioned that I do thin with water after adding a drop or two of the flow improver.

[dewen]

Vallejo will almost always separate when thinned to a wash consistancy; that's just the nature of the vinyl base. Adding in some acrylic matte medium should indeed help this.

Good to know. thanks.

Otherwise, as John said, it sounds like you may be thinning your Reaper Master Series a little too much for your washes. Drying on raised surfaces is a sign of the polymers which hold the paint together breaking down, which happens when too much fluid is added. Considering that you also use Vallejos, you have probably noticed that RMS require a lot less thinning than those do. I would simply take your washes a little stronger, adding some brush-on sealer or matte medium for additional transparency, and see how that works. And let me know if it doesn't...if you're still having problems, if you could give us an idea of how much water to paint you are using, that would help us troubleshoot!

 

Thanks and good luck with it, let us know if this has helped!

 

--Anne

I have noticed the difference in the RMS and VMC when thinning.

 

I am going to see if I have notes to let you know how much water was used. I typically keep notes when painting.

 

For "brush-on sealer" I am assuming VGC Mat Varnish would work? Does the matte medium and the brush-on sealer cause the wash to act the same or are they slightly different?

 

Thanks for the tips.

[Vaitalla]

I'm not sure if the Vallejo Matte Varnish would work the same, though I assume so as it is a very similar product. I use the Reaper MSP Brush-On Sealer because in testing it was shown to work just like Matte Medium does. You could easily test the Vallejo. The ratio I use for washes: one drop paint, three to four drops Brush-On Sealer, and then three to four drops water (sometimes additional water or sealer if the paint is very thick or very opaque).

 

--Anne

[dewen]

I grabbed some MSP Brush-On Sealer at the Reaper booth at GenCon. I have been playing around with it in washes with MSPs. I still get some undesired behavior but it seems the right amount of water and sealer does the trick. Thanks for your help Anne.

[Rastl]

I use the Glaze Medium sold by the craft paints in hobby stores. I've used brush-on matte varnish (ditto on the craft thing) for making washes on terrain pieces.

 

Either way it makes your wash 'sticky' and lets you control it better. My standard ratios are:

 

1:1 glaze medium and water, then 3:1 of that resulting mix and paint/liner

Matte varnish varies based on how thin it is. I've used it pretty much straight from the bottle with paint and just a touch of water on models.