Ferox Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 So I just picked up bottles of Vallejo Game Inks in red, blue, and sepia. My google-fu has let me down a little on how they're supposed to be used. I was planning to use them sort of like RMS Clears -- mixing them into colours to get a stronger, more saturated tone; glazing surfaces to tint them slightly; that sort of thing. My impression is that RMS Clears will brighten a colour, while inks will deepen it. Can anyone give me some advice, or should I just dive right in? One specific question: Do I have to worry about these inks reactivating in water once they're dry, or will they stay put? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyberwolfe1 Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 So I just picked up bottles of Vallejo Game Inks in red, blue, and sepia. My google-fu has let me down a little on how they're supposed to be used. I was planning to use them sort of like RMS Clears -- mixing them into colours to get a stronger, more saturated tone; glazing surfaces to tint them slightly; that sort of thing. My impression is that RMS Clears will brighten a colour, while inks will deepen it. Can anyone give me some advice, or should I just dive right in? One specific question: Do I have to worry about these inks reactivating in water once they're dry, or will they stay put? Short answer yes. The long answer is the caveat. If you mix inks with matte medium, RMS brush on sealer, or PP mixing medium then they become permanent and even then you might have some color bleeding. Inks work better as glazes/washes than as mixes to existing paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heisler Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 A caveat to that as well. I have seem some wonderful stuff on these forums that involving mixing ink and paint together for stunning results. Its something I have been experimenting with and haven't quite managed to get the same result be the depth of color than can be achieved is intense. However, I using Liquitex inks which could be used alone and unlike a most of the inks put out there they won't reactivate once they have dried. I haven't worked with the Vallejo inks yet so I can't offer any advice there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lead Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Just to toss in some comments to the mix. The RMS Clears are not inks per se. Anne would have to explain the full mix contents, but IMHO they're more like concentrated pigments in a clear acrylic base. Inks are a combination of a dye or an ultra-finely ground pigment in a liquid binder. The nature of the binder defines whether the ink reactivates later. Traditionally, inks were originally shellac-based. Shellac is a natural binder (derived from an insect extrusion) which is very sensitive to redissolving in alcohol, lacquer, etc. The other main ink style is acrylic-based. A thin acrylic binder is used to suspend dyes or pigments. Because acrylic is a resin medium, it's much more resistant to dissolving by other chemicals, at least once its dried and set. The early gaming inks (GW) were shellac based. As a result they bled or redissolved when hit with varnishes (Dullcoat anyone?!?) or even various mixes of "gunk" painters use. Since these did react very badly, they spread the reputation with gamers that all inks reactivate. Honestly, most inks on the market today are the other style: acrylic-based. Most gaming inks are this type now. I don't have experience with those particular Vallejo inks, but I still use their "transparent" colors (basically inks) regularly and those are definitely acrylic inks. They will not reactivate under varnish, etc. The other determinant for how an ink acts is the pigment. Dyes are transparent. (Some are not even lightfast!) Pigments are opaque. The Liquitex inks Heisler mentioned are opaque pigments - they don't let light through to the underlying paint, so if you mix them with paints they bounce all the light back to the eye, so they "brighten" the paint. A dye lets light though to the underlying color, so it bounces back with a little extra tint of color from coming through the ink. At the same time they do stain or tone the color, hence the ability of inks to deepen the tones they're applied over. So, long story short - you're probably safe using the Vallejo inks without them redissolving. The only shellac-based inks I know of nowadays are artist inks. I use a few myself (W&N inks) but when I do I definitely add varnish or matte medium, as psyberwolfe suggested. Take care, Laszlo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferox Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 Thanks, folks. I've been using the Vallejo inks for a little while, and I'm having a lot of fun with them. They seem to fit somewhere between RMS clears and RMS liners in my arsenal. I've been mixing them with more matte medium than usual, but a lot of that is just an attempt to cut down on the shininess. While this thread's up: any suggestions on how to use inks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lead Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Thanks, folks. I've been using the Vallejo inks for a little while, and I'm having a lot of fun with them. They seem to fit somewhere between RMS clears and RMS liners in my arsenal. I've been mixing them with more matte medium than usual, but a lot of that is just an attempt to cut down on the shininess. While this thread's up: any suggestions on how to use inks? Well... There's a lot of ways. The traditional one is washing - thin the ink with water and the medium and cover a whole area of paint with it. The ink will darken the surface, making the shadows more distinct. This is handy to darken the area without adding more paint pigment. (The more opaque paint pigment you use, the more the risk of getting loose bits of pigment on the surface.) The other main use is glazing - thin the ink with water and medium until it's almost transparent. Just a hint of color. Then paint over an area of chalky paint blending or layering. The ink will smooth out the transition, fooling the eye into seeing the area as totally smooth. Lots of painters do this over and over to blend an area: blend, glaze, blend, glaze, etc. Then you've got other options - use them to shade translucent materials like gems or glass. The transparency of the inks lets the underlying paint show through a little bit. You can build up multiple layers of inks without completely obscuring the paint. As a result you build up a thickness of transparent color with a layer of paint at the bottom that reflects light. Like the gems in this blow-up of a painting by Dutch Renaissance artist Jan van Eyck: More here: Ghent Altarpiece closeup Inks can also be intermixed with acrylic paints. This is done for two reasons: thinning the paint without breaking down the binder as much as pure water. (The inks act like a colored "acrylic medium" here.) The inks also impart a brightness to the paint itself, because dyes are brighter than organic pigments. You can use them to glaze/color metal paints without getting the nasty metallic pigment build-up you get when blending or layering metallics. Hope this gives you some ideas! Later, Laszlo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferox Posted September 17, 2011 Author Share Posted September 17, 2011 Outstanding info, Laszlo. Thanks a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricksay Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Great information Laszlo -thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.