Oil or Acrylic washes?

I find the use of oil washes much easier to apply and clean-up. I utilize a clear coat of acrylic varnish (usually satin) and after it cures apply the oil wash…most usually a pin wash. It flows well (if thinned properly) and clean-up  - of the wash where you didn’t want it to go - with a brush with a very light amount of mineral spirits does the trick. I have found that if I utilize an acrylic wash (Vallejo’s wash, for example) over a cured, acrylic coat of varnish then the wash seems to “bleed” out of the area I want it to go and subsequent clean-up is not as clean. What I have not experimented with is an acrylic wash over an enamel or lacquer-based clear coat. Maybe someone who has can chime-in. I have had such good luck with oil washes over acrylic that I haven’t had a need to experiment further.

-Len

Acrylic washes are best avoided in most cases, as they dry too quickly and are not easily cleaned up. The only time I like using them is for flesh tones, using them to change the look of the original base color.  For pin washes that are used for detailing work, oils are a much better medium to work with. They can be cleaned up for long afterwards, giving you a nice"fudge factor" in cases where you have to step away due to real life interruptions at your work bench.