I'm still having trouble with Washes.

hello chris, my names chris. i use artists oils for my wash. i buy them from walmart and thin them with mineral spirits. for tanks, the only colors your gonna use is basically black, white(mostly for tinting), raw umber, and burnt sienna. i mix mine in a little white plastic palette with 6 little spoon sized containers molded into it (from walmart as well). oils will settle to the bottom quickly so you must constantly stir when you load your brush. if youve used enamels to paint your model with, let it cure for atleast 24 hours, then apply a coat of future or clear gloss as this will protect your finish from the mineral spirits and be easier to wipe the excess wash from your model. this method has worked well for me everytime. later.

you can also use isopropyl alcohol to thin acrylics but they will dry alot faster, I haven't tried it myself, but a friend of mine does it every time.

Chris,

I just got back into modeling aflter about a 15 year lay off. Read a number of threads about weathering techniques, including washes. I found that most of the tips really work but have settled on a favorite. I use artist oils thinned with lighter fluid. You will only need black, wite and umber or burnt sienna. First spray your base coat. Then spray a gloss coat. Made sure you give each coat enough time to dry. After the gloss coat is dry, mix up your oils thinned with lighter fluid. the fluid evaporates fast so you will probably keep having to add more fluid. After you coat your piece, give it a few minutes then wipe the washed area with a clea paper towel or q-tip dipped in clear fluid. I like the wash/ligter fluid mix the best because it really flows well and drys quick.

BTW when you are satisfied with your wash, spray a flat coat and you are pretty much done. Practice on some scrap pieces before you apply the technique to your work in progress. This method is pretty much idiot proof.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

Hi Chris,

I generally wash with artist's oils thinned with Humbrol brand enamel thinner, I find it just work better for me that way. I have used acrylics to good effect, but artist's tube acrylics, not hobby paint.

The problem you're getting is from using water as a medium. Used straight it has too much surface tension to flow properly. In theory the detergent should fix that, but it doesn't work for me either! I use 'Rubbing Alchohol' from the chemist (drugstore I guess ) as a medium for acrylic washes. Rubbing alchohol is 70% Isopropyl and gives the acrylic wash the same 'feel' as the oil washes I generally use.

Hang in there, you'll get it!

Thank ya'll,

I'm going to do some more experimenting, but I'm pretty sure that I'm giving up on using water to thin the mix. I have some lighter fluid and acrylic thinner sitting around. Thank you all for your input.

Chris

If you have a few bucks, give a water soluable oil paint a shot. Mix it with water and a little bit of vinegar and a bit of dish soap. It's slow drying and a relly finely ground pigment. It's basically the same as a regular oil paint, it just uses a modified linseed oil as a carrier instead of the regular stuff. I never had great luck with washes until I gave this stuff a try. Anyway, if you're in an art store one of these days and have 5 extra bucks, it might be worth grabbing a tube. They work great for dry brushing also.