Rodnik Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 As I further my endeavors into the world of painting... I use Jen Haley's thinnin' mix to thin my paint. With greens and yellows, I have trouble with the paint being grainy (while still in the palette)...that is, apparently some of the pigment is "clumped". I seem to have this problem with any Vallejo paint that has a considerable amount of yellow in it. I shake my paints considerably before using. I have an agitator or two in all paint bottles. Do I need to add more flow release when I try to mix these? Or is there a another nuance that maybe I'm not aware of? Or do I just need to shake the paint bottle until my nose bleeds as opposed to stopping when I get a headache? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I had a similar problem with a black paint I used once and it was due to a couple things: 1) I had accidentally contaminated the paint with a bit of gel blending medium and did not realize it at first. 2) The clumping got worse after adding flow aid on top of extender. Try thinning a bit more using more water and less of the extender and flow aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinipainterUS Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 In most modern acrylics, the actual "pigment" is a liquid. What is clumping are the inert fillers that are used to give the paint opaqueness and body. There are differences in the fillers used for different colors, and some of these are more grainy than others. Whites, reds and yellows are notorious for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixminis Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 For me, the clumps mean too much thinning has occurred... sooo try not thinning as much and see if you get the consistency you are looking for MichaelG/IXMINIS http://www.tinywars.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodnik Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Thanks guys. I'm thinning these paints along the same lines as my others....it does seem to show up more when I'm thinning for layering purposes...around the 5 to 1 ratio.... I may try to thin these a little less and see what happens. Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Do you notice this happening with Vallejo Model Color or Game Color or both? Game color paints tend to be much thinner from the start and have a stong color. If you are getting the grains with Model Color, try Game Color. I love Game Color's reds and yellows, because you really need to keep the paints very thin for smooth layering. If you thin less to avoid the grain, but can't layer your paints well, you've just traded one problem for another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodnik Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 It's model color I'm having the problem with. I have a few game colors in yellow, but I don't have the "proper" one for what I was working on last time. I'll work with it some this weekend and see what I can do. It may just be a matter of me being more precise in my thinning with those particular paints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwyn1st Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Kevin, why not justs thin with water on the troublesome colors? Thierry Husser, who is a fantastic painter, only uses water to thin his colors, never any additives. His results are spectacular. You can find him as Arkaal on CMON. Look up his gallery and you will see some breathtaking miniature art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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