Paint washes

[beachbum80]

Hello everybody, got a quick question. I've painted a model in acrylics and plan on washing with thinned enamels. I've read conflicting info on whether I can apply the wash directly to the paint or if I should apply a gloss coat beforehand. I just don't want to damage the acrylic basecoat. Thanks!

 

[Sigma-LS]

If you are already using acrylics, a homemade acrylic wash works just fine and is less of a hassle than enamel. You can even buy premixed ones from a lot of miniature lines.

I've never had problems with acrylic washes but even something small like decal setter can eat through acrylics if they aren't given proper time to cure. Here I didn't let the base coat and gloss coat cure and you can see the damage it did even with my best attempts to fix it.

So I guess my question is why enamel for the wash?

 

[beachbum80]

Only reason I mentioned enamel for the wash, is that everything I read said to do the wash with a different type of paint than what was used for the basecoat. If that's not the case, then using an acrylic wash would be easier since I can easily darken the colors I mixed up for the basecoat.

 

[dinomike]

OK, you got incomplete info there. You should have been told "Do the wash in a different type of paint that isn't based off a harsher solvent than what you basecoated with." Enamel thinners can potentially eat through acrylics. Lacquers have the potential to eat through both enamels and acrylics.

In order of strongest to weakest: Lacquer - Enamel - Acrylic.

You MIGHT be able to get away with using a wash based on a stronger solvent, but I wouldn't recommend taking the chance.

 

[Sigma-LS]

Yeah acrylic washes are easy as pie. Just take paint or ink + water + future or buy the premixed stuff. I always keep a ready bottle of Black, Red, Low strength Black (for white and light gray models), Yellow, Green and Flesh. Really need to get around to making one of Blue though.

In fact that model I posted was basecoated dark gray and just given a very heavy black wash.

 

[beachbum80]

Thank you guys so much for the advice! Given that my basecoat is a tan/ beige color, would some browns be a good choice for a wash color? Also I've heard of some people mixing in a dab of dish soap to the mix. Is this is a good idea?

 

[Sigma-LS]

Thank you guys so much for the advice! Given that my basecoat is a tan/ beige color, would some browns be a good choice for a wash color? Also I've heard of some people mixing in a dab of dish soap to the mix. Is this is a good idea?

Dish soap is a dispersant, if you use future then the future will already act as a dispersant and also add durability to your coat.

I find tan to be a hard customer for home mix washes. If it's a warm tan, I use Citadel Sepia wash. That's some good stuff. If it's a cool tan then I'll mix up a medium brown wash about the same shade as the old Citadel Devlan Mud.

This was the last tan guy I did for reference. Pic is a little old.

 

[beachbum80]

Thanks again for the advice. Do you always apply a gloss coat before washing? And Future will work for the gloss coat before washing? One last question, how long do you allow drying and curing in between the base coat, the gloss coat, and washing?

 

[Sigma-LS]

Wash directly on top of the base coat if you can. You want the wash to be able to grip a surface better so it doesn't pool. Microscopic surface imperfections help with that, especially if you airbrushed. Gloss coat after the paint for the decals to adhere better and protect the paint. If you need to wash after the decals for weathering then I suggest a flat coat over the decals and whole model for grip, then the whole wash and weathering stick, then another flat coat to seal it up.

Just consider clear coats like saving your work in a file. Gloss for paint layers and protection and decals, flat for a wash or final seal.

I usually will lay down a wash after less than an hour of the base paint being finished but I give the wash itself several hours to dry fully. Acrylic paint takes a few days to fully cure but as long as you aren't laying on the solvents, you can keep adding more paint layers to it with no problems. Big decals can pose a problem if you don't let things cure. Tiny ones, not so much.

 

[takevin]

See my 1/16 king tiger thread, several different colors of paint washes were used. I bought several spray bottles at the dollar store. If you have too much of a wash, just dry with a cloth or some cotton and patter the wet wash off.

 

[beachbum80]

Just want to be sure I've got this right, put a clear coat on the base coat before doing the wash?

 

[Sigma-LS]

It's more like you get a better wash off a satin or matte finish than a gloss finish. You can easily lay a wash on anything that is not super glossy even the plain basecoat.

Order is usually:

Primer>Basecoat>Detail Paint>Washes>Gloss Coat>Decals>Final Touchups>Final Clear Seal

Unless you want weathered decals in which case it goes

Primer>Basecoat>Detail Paint>Gloss Coat>Decals>Matte Coat>Washes>Weathering>Final Touchups>Final Seal


Really depends on a specific project and how clean you want it.

EDIT: And takevin's spray bottle solution is genius for larger models. Small stuff just needs a brush.

 

[takevin]

Thank you . You also use plastic syringes for small projects as well. Sny pharmacy has them for two bucks or so. Some will give them to you for free.

 

[beachbum80]

Thanks again for the help Sigma LS!!! What exactly is the difference between the gloss coat and the final clear seal? I bought a bottle of future, which step will that take care of? This is for my Alien Dogburster, will the future give it a wet, slimy look when finished?

 

[dinomike]

The final clear sealer coat can be either gloss a dull, depending on the final finish you want for the kit. Future would be good for a gloss.

 

[beachbum80]

Hey guys, I did my wash last night and it turned out incredible in my opinion! Thanks again for the help! Any tips to give claws/ nails a realistic look? Also, when I get finished, I'll post a pic and let you guys give an honest grade to a first timer. Lol