People with more exp with ink lend me your ears.

[Brumbor]

Ok I have been using GW inks for shading for some time now. I have run into a couple of problems. I hope that you experts here can help me out.

 

Problem #1

I will lay down some ink that I have thined. Let it dry for awhile and then I will paint my highlights and what but then the ink will reliquefi and blend into what I'm painting. Is there any way to set the ink so that it won't do that.

 

Problem #2

When I'm finished with my mini. and I go to dull coat and seal it. The ink will reliquefi again sometimes running down my mini. I have tried standing farther away from the mini when I seal but still the same problem occurs.

 

Am I not doing something correctly or do I need some sort of additive for the ink?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Ghost Rider]

it kinda sounds like you're not letting things dry long enough before trying to apply the next coat.

[Brumbor]

I had this happen to a mini that I had inked and sitting on a shelf for a week I went to seal it and bam.

[Frankthedm]

what are you thinning the ink with?

 

if its dish soap or some other watersoluable medium, then that is the problem.

[Lars Porsenna]

I personally don't use inks anymore for shading, for many of the same reasons (and because I just enjoy the effects I can get with acrylics more). It sounds like to me that GW doesn't have waterproof inks. Here's my suggestions:

 

Quick n' dirty: buy some Future floor finish. Really, you can use any acrylic, waterbased clearcoat, but Future is the best. Note this is not a WAX, but an acrylic clearcoat. Mix in a healthy amount with your ink washes (not with the inks themselves, as it may unbalance the solution composition and the pigments settle out). It will help with the way the washes flow, as well as provide a better, waterproof binder for the inks.

 

Best solution: pour the old inks down the drain and buy commercial artists WATERPROOF inks, such as from Windsor & Newton. I use only 2 inks anymore (GW flesh wash, to tint flesh tones, and W&N waterproof black india ink), and they work well if that's your technique.

 

Damon.

[Brumbor]

what are you thinning the ink with?

 

if its dish soap or some other watersoluable medium, then that is the problem.

Hmm I think that may be it.

What should you use to thin the ink with?

[Hells_Clown]

Also might want to try not using so much ink, possibly not thin it so much. Once you've got the shading you want, use the brush (after cleaning it) to mop up any excess ink that's lurking around in the cracks n creaveses.

 

Because ink has more liquid than paint it takes longer to dry. The more water you add, the longer it takes to dry.

[Death Angel]

I use GW inks on and off and I have never had that sort of a problem at all.

 

Since inks are so thin anyway I just use water for thinning them down. No need to use thinner, washing soap or extender.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Julie

[jenova]

Maybe gloss coating can help?

 

I have had trouble with inks when I've matt varnished the minis, but never if I had glossed it first

[Darkrelease]

use a formulated ink thinner for inks, Reaper makes one, I think GW makes one and Vallejo makes one. Each one is designed for their inks. The other thing I suggest is buying a little shelf heater, the tiny ones, and placing your figure in front of it for an hour after you ink it, it will help it dry quicker and keep the inks where you want them.

[Mengu]

I've quit using inks for everything but metallics (I still mix inks with metallics for shading). Vallejo GC Black is so high in pigment, it's incredible. I create a thin wash with that, and use it. I find I have better control over it. And for the rest of my shading, I just used thinned paints again. For thinning I use a extender/flowaid mix.

[ThePolo]

Lots of good suggestions here, and I've gotta chime in and say that I've never had this issue, and I use GW inks exclusivly... I'd say try using either straight distilled water for thinning the inks, or try using Reapers Ink extender/thinner (or whatever it's called) medium instead...

[Errex]

Never happened to me. I use some GW inks, but they are the old kind, the ones that came in hexagonal flip tops. I also use Pelikan inks (white, sepia and black), and have never experienced bleeding on them when sealing.

 

I use only water to thin them down, leave them to dry about 30-45 min under my painting lights, and seal with several slight mistings of gloss spray before applying matte sealer.

[Durak]

I as some of the other board members (heh) never had a problem with GW ink being that runny. As it has been mentioned over and over agian try water instead of thinners.

[Cerridwyn1st]

I have only used inks a few times, and I can't say I've ever had the problem of them re-liquifying when the sealer went on. I seal first with Krylon Satin and then apply Dull Coat.

 

The problem I had with ink was that it wouldn't flow evenly, and I'd end up with a streaky look to the raised areas of my mini. That bothered me a lot, so I stopped using inks. The smell is aweful, too, I really hated it.

 

I might like the real artists inks better, but I haven't used them yet.

 

Instead, I use Plaid Walnut Varnish and Plaid acrylic gloss varnish. For the walnut varnish, I'll thin it with a little water before I use it. For the gloss varnish, I add a drop or two of Vallejo paint in the color I want to wash with, maybe a little water, mix it up and go for it.

 

I've also used Liquitex Basics with a lot of water added. Thin it to the point it's like watercolor, and it works pretty well.