Washes in acrylic ?

JR

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Very nice indeed John , some inspiring photos
Thanks for joining in.
John.
 
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Dave S4

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Morning all
I've been considering moving to acrylic washes, I know , don't all shout at me ! :flushed:
Been trying to do washes on the Kitten using sprit base AK . It seems very bitty, I can see small flecks of pigment of course in this scale they look like lumps of pigment. ! Yes before you ask it was shaken !
I've watched on U Tube several videos of useing acrylic ,seems to be ok as long as you keep cleaning the over spill.

Steve Jones produces such impressive work on smaller scales, that's the type of finish I would like to acheive.
So anyone have any experience or ideas please .
John
A long time since you asked this, but I thought I'd reply.
I only ever use Tamiya Acrylic Smoke as a wash. Sometimes neat (mail armour & guns) and sometimes thinned (aircraft).
It's not grainy and if you decide you want more than one application, you can add coats once the last one dries.
It has a nice dirty black/brown shade that is universally applicable.
Cheers.
DS
 

JR

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Thanks Dave.
I've stayed away from Tamiya paints because I had read of the strong fumes. Dont know how true that is .
After a dabble with some Acrylic washes I've had to admit failure and have returned to oils .
That mention of being not grainly is something that I really wanted. Some of the oil washes I have made using tubes of oil still have that grainy look which I hate !
John
 
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Dave S4

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It's a challenging job. With aircraft in particular, a wash is something to be approached with care and I always think the process through before starting, as you really need to keep the wet edge all the way to the end.
For figures, it's really very good. But my results with aircraft are mixed; I've started using successive thin coats rather than risking everything with one application. It works well on the undercarriage and associated areas - that and the cockpit.
As for the smell: yes, it has a whiff but it isn't excessive.
Hope that helps.
DS
 
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Jakko

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Thanks Dave.
I've stayed away from Tamiya paints because I had read of the strong fumes. Dont know how true that is .
Use them for long enough and you don’t smell them at all :smiling3:

That’s to say: I’m told Tamiya paint smells, but after about 30 years of painting with them, I barely even smell it if I hold the bottle right under my nose …
 
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Smoke translucent acrylic was mentioned in an earlier post. It is really good for toning down the polished vacuum chromed parts in car and truck kits.
 

JR

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Guys , Paul , Dave, Jakko, and Noel, thank you for your views.

It's looking like I will use both the oils and acrylics, depending on what I am working on , and where.
It's always interesting to read what other modellers use or recommend.

John .
 
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Dave S4

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Washes stress me out a bit (although not as much as decals). So, good luck with your endeavours.
 
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JR

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Cheers Dave.
Once Jim told me to use either a piece of glass or a tile I have fewer problems. No more cups, and decals rolling up. I use a Pipet to put a few drops of water on the tile, then put the decal onto it.
John .
 
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Dave S4

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Okay, thanks. Worth a try for certain.
The whole business of getting the b@st@rds to lie flat and not silver around the edges really winds me up.
Am enjoying a break from all that, with the spring/summer figure season in full swing! Happy boy on home ground.
 
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JR

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Okay, thanks. Worth a try for certain.
The whole business of getting the b@st@rds to lie flat and not silver around the edges really winds me up.
Am enjoying a break from all that, with the spring/summer figure season in full swing! Happy boy on home ground.
Always have one of these at the ready.
hammer_PNG3886.png
 
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Dave S4

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Yeah... I've come close on occasions.
The language gets pretty colourful.
 
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Washes like most things take a bit of practice, experimentation and perseverence. It will always come good in the end. I have also tried diluted art shop inks as washes and tried water colours as well!
 

JR

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Noel .
Very true .
I heard that ink being used before, another avenue to try !
Thanks
John .
 

Jakko

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Games Workshop used to sell inks as part of their line of paints, and though I like(d) them, you have to be aware that an ink is rather different from a wash. Chiefly, the colour will be much stronger, and you’re mostly limited to a few main colours. You could mix them, but it doesn’t have the flexibility of colour of using thinned paint as a wash, where you can have pretty much any colour of wash you might need.
 
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JR

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Thanks Jakko.
I shall bare that in mind .
John .
 
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Tim Marlow

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There are lots of different types of wash and each is slightly different in application or make-up. Pin washes on tanks and panel line washes on planes are examples, and filter coats added to break up surfaces is another. Filter coats usually don’t need a gloss coat, but perform better over a pre-wetting of thinners, and the pin and panel liners working better over gloss coats...you pays yer money and takes yer choice.....

Inks are a little different, and are quite often used in the miniature figure painting discipline. They are usually used to give an easy “shading” effect when washed over the figure as they are not as opaque as paint. I find them great for giving body to painted hair and fur.....
They can be thinned and cleaned up with water as well.

For interest, some companies now make pre-made washes for this purpose, Vallejo and Citadel come to mind but I know there are others.
For part time figure dudes some companies, such as Wargames Foundry, actually sort their paint into triads for certain colours, making shade/basecoat/highlight technique easier for those that don’t want to learn colour mixing.....

There’s loads of technique out there, look at other modelling disciplines sometimes and see what you can steal

Cheers
Tim
 
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TIM FORSTER

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Figures, planes and vehicles aside, I have found Vallejo Model Wash very useful for the buildings on my diorama.

Mostly I painted using artist's tube acrylic paints (sprayed or brushed) onto plaster (the original Verlinden casting), resin (the doorway from Reality in Scale) or Das clay (applied over my scratch built foam board).

Obviously I was very keen to avoid any solvents that will attack the foam board - or the insulation board that I used for the base.

Third paint 6.jpg

As you can see from the image above, the effect isn't exactly subtle - but then I didn't want it to be: I wanted the details to leap out.

Having said that, you can see some pooling around the doorway which will be settled with pigments. At this point, the cobbles in the foreground have yet to be washed (so you are looking at simple contrasting colours) and the groundwork hasn't been added either...
 

JR

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The Tim's.
Thanks, all duly noted.
Nice use on the stucco around the door and those walls.

John .
 
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