Make and apply a wash

Howdy RoyalID and welcome to the forums and the hobby,

to simplify, A homemade wash is nothing but very thin paint, like thinned with 80% thinner. The trick is to use a different kind of paint than your base coat ie. acrylic wash over enamel base coat. ( there's many combinations ) That way the thinner in the wash will not affect or etch the base coat of paint.

I like to use artist's oil paint thinned with a good thinner like Turpenoid. This works over any base coat I've used.  Start with black mixed with burnt sienna...very little paint and a whole lot of thinner.

I've tried using pastel dust mixed in water with mixed results, but some guys swear by this technique and it's worth a try, you may like it better.

There's lotsa how-to's on you tube for washes and very informative info.  There's also a myriad of store bought washes you can buy, but I have never seen the need when you can make your own.

Application;  basically there's 2 ways.

"Sludge wash" = get a big brush and literally slop it all over the model, wait a bit ( the time depends on the kind of was used ) then wipe it off.

"pin wash "= use a tiny brush and dot it on a panel line so it will run into the line, then wipe off the excess.

Just to piggy back on what Jay Jay said, I use craft acrylic paints for my washes. I put a little bit in a baby food jar (I have a lot of those since my youngest just turned 1) and add water until it's pretty thin. I like it because it doesn't have too long of a drying time and if you mess up, it's easy to clean with more water. I would say if you were going to use this method to put it on over a glosscoat, otherwise you might end up with more of a stain effect instead of a wash.

I also use acrylic craft paints. They're about 2-3 bucks at any craft store. Not sure of my ratio...likely in the 1/10 (paint/water) range, plus a drop or two of dish soap. I use enamel paints exclusively, with clear lacquer gloss over top. The water based wash won't "eat" into the lacquer. If you put a wash over a flat finish, it will stain.

 After I have glossed, decaled and glossed again (to seal in the decals), then I'll apply the wash. Dip brush in wash bottle and swipe it across a wing...rub it in with my finger, I just keep going until it's almost dry, then move on to another section. For a typical 1/72 fighter, I'll "wash" the whole thing, before wiping away the excess with a soft, damp cloth. For larger models, I might only wash half, before cleaning it up and moving on. The longer a wash sits on the model, the harder it is to get it cleaned up!

I find that solvent type washes spread and run much better than acrylic washes, specially panel line washes. I do have to say that Flory Washes are just amazing. They are water and clay based and available only from the UK. The effect they produce is really outstanding.

The rule is that a wash is lightly colored thinner, not thinned paint. I use either artists oils or enamel paint and turpentine or thinner from Home Depot. As Jay said, make sure that you have a barrier coat otherwise if you used an enamel paint then use a solvent wash, your paint runs the possibility of getting lifted or cracked.

Try both the acrylic and solvent type washes and then decide which one works best for you.

 

Washes are a frequent topic in a couple of the forums in the Tools, Techniques and Reference Materials group of forums.  Threads on washes are frequently found in both the Techniques forum and the Painting and Airbrushing forum.  Do not overlook these forums just because they are far down on the list.

fermis

I also use acrylic craft paints. They're about 2-3 bucks at any craft store. Not sure of my ratio...likely in the 1/10 (paint/water) range, plus a drop or two of dish soap. I use enamel paints exclusively, with clear lacquer gloss over top. The water based wash won't "eat" into the lacquer. If you put a wash over a flat finish, it will stain.

 After I have glossed, decaled and glossed again (to seal in the decals), then I'll apply the wash. Dip brush in wash bottle and swipe it across a wing...rub it in with my finger, I just keep going until it's almost dry, then move on to another section. For a typical 1/72 fighter, I'll "wash" the whole thing, before wiping away the excess with a soft, damp cloth. For larger models, I might only wash half, before cleaning it up and moving on. The longer a wash sits on the model, the harder it is to get it cleaned up!

 

Yep, forgot to add the bit about a drop of soap.

Thanks to all for the great feedback. I plan on trying this on the 1/72 scale plane I am building now.

i think I speak for all of us in saying you're quite welcome Royal, that's what we're here for.