Need help with tempera paint wash...

Hi all,

Does nobody use tempera paints for washes? 

I had some luck with using black paint as a traight wash, but when I tried to fill and area and wipe off the excess, the whole bunch lifted right off.

I'm hoping somebody has some tips.

Regards,

I use tempera paints for detail wash. It's very likely you're talking about my article which appeared in FSM a while back. Just add about 10% water, mix well, and you're good to go. Some folks add a few drops of dish detergent, but I haven't noticed any real advantage with it, personally. If it's lifting out completely when you wipe, it's possible that your wipe rag is a bit too moist, this is usually the cause. The next culprit is usually shallow panel lines. If the recessed lines are quite shallow, go very lightly with the wipe rag. You may have to follow up with a second and third tempera application to get it just right. I rarely have this problem with a Tamiya kit, since their recessed lines are usually deep and consistent.

Mike,

The aritcle I was thinking about featured a P-51 Mustang. Was that one yours? If I recall correctly, there has been another article with the same or a similar technique since then.

In any event, thanks for the tips.

One last quesiton: how long after applying the tempera wash do you wait before wiping off the excess?

Thanks, 

Yup, that was my article, with the blue-nosed Mustang. The article originally appeared in the Feb. 05 issue of FSM, and was picked up again for their recent special issue "How to Paint & Weather Scale Models".

You should wait until the tempera is completely dry before wiping off the excess. And of course, you should be applying it to a glossy or semi-glossy surface. You can always flat cote it after you're done.

Thanks, Mark, and sorry for mistyping your name above.

Warm regards,

Hi Mark and others, here's a quick update.

I mixed two drops of black with two drops of blue and one drop of white tempera paint. Then I mixed in enough water by adding a couple of drops at a time to get a good flow. The result is a subtle and pleasing contrast to the blue paint on my 1/72 Yak-38.

Thanks again,

So far, so good -- except that I'm wiping too much off. I'm actually having better luck using my mostened finger rather than a rag.

Regards,