How to make Washes Les' Recipe

[boxbuyer2008]

where can I get to watch these washes in action??

[anarchopinko]

How would you change up the recipe if you were to use paint rather than ink to make the wash?

[Chayraz2]

So if I wanted to make a regal blue 1:1 mixtures, would I simply apply drops of the regal blue warhammer paint instead of the ink?

[tantillumomnia]

Thanks Les, it works like a dream :) But I want to share a mistake I made so others can learn from it. I couldn't find plastic bottles so I said "what the hell" and used a glass jar for storage. In a couple of days, the medium and the ink settled to the bottom and sticked to the glass. So, "don't use glass" I guess :) Once again thank you man. Keep up the good work.

[drakozero8]

is it possible to make a Metallic Blue wash like this if so pls give me the formula I got some muscle definition on this figure I want Blue metallic in between .

[billy2cold]

I just want to tell you I did everything you said to do and it turned out Great!!! I'm not a wargamer or whatever. I'm into 1/48 scale model aircraft. I use it for gear bays, struts and cockpits. I was trying everything I could find, then I saw you "how to paint" vids and you impressed me!! Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Bill

[mexcreep]

whats the white liquid???

[ZeroPointAlpha]

Tried this recipe out for myself. Sadly the local Hobby Lobby didn't carry any of the brand of ink you suggest except for in black, so I tried another acrylic brand (Liquitex) and it works just as good. I also tried India ink and it works as well!

[ShinyArchon]

Thank you for this vid, I went out and bought all the materials for the washes and made some, had to use Liquitex inks since thats what my local art store carried and it turned out great, the heavy body black wash is doing wonders for my night lords army, many thank yous for this vid, I'll be making my own washes from now on.

[myrobloxrexter7297]

Making washes are easy

Just mix paint and water

[devilatthedoor123]

i only used chaos black and regular water and its wored perfectly:)

[washaway]

great wash's but I recently got them from secret weapon miniatures and I'm having issues with them flowing. I add flow improver but it dilutes the ink down so much it doesn't look very good. I don't know how GW gets their's to have that magical milky consistency but if you have any tips on breaking the surface tension I'd appreciate it a lot!

[BluTrilobite]

Great tip, I'll have to try this out soon, always looking to improve my painting and effects!

Sad that 4 people did not find this video at all helpful, maybe they enjoy eating paste.

[TheRocketSilo]

so is the ink acrylic ?

[semieviljoe]

wooo hooo black and tan!

[AlfonsoTheTraitor]

Hello Les

I just wanted to say, Wow! I am learning so much from your Video's .Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your insight in the hobby with us . Your doing such a great job , I hope you keep up the great work . I will be spreading the word about your channel with my friends and fellow hobbyists up here in the Pacific North West .

Thanks again for the great work !

Alfonso "The Traitor "

[LobsterMustache]

Thanks Les, you and SM Consortium are the reason I still pickup a brush. I was wondering how you got into commission paint and how I could start. Thanks again for everything and keep pumpin out those vids.

[Nietzscheface]

Quite useful; thanks for this.

[germfritz]

Les great vid where did you get those plastic bottles that you are using?

[magunra3k]

looks like alot of time effort and expense for something you can just buy ready made

[awesomepaintjob]

@magunra3k Not really and it comes out to a little over $1 in cost for 1 oz. But like I say, " Some people just want to eat, but not necessarily cook the meal." You must eat out a lot eh? :)

[magunra3k]

@awesomepaintjob It may work out at that per bottle, but its only a money saver if you need many multiple bottles, 1 pot of wash could last a years unless your dunking whole armies.

[thugarl]

Amazed nobody has asked this yet.. How would I make a wash similar to Baal Red? I tried 60 drops of daler rowney crimson ink with the mix and it turned out pink.. Dropped it down to a little citadel bottle and added like 60 more drops of crimson and still have pink.. Added some black and got purple... Anyone have success with a red wash or is it just impossible due to the white medium?

[awesomepaintjob]

@thugarl I never liked Baal Red really. But I'd imagine using red or crimson ink and playing with it from there using a color mixing guide.

[thugarl]

@awesomepaintjob The problem I'm having is with the white medium, when you add red ink to white it turns pink, and the medium doesnt dissapear when dry the dried wash remains pink... I've allready gone up to 120 drops of ink, if i go anymore with the ink what am i removing to keep the proportions right? Will this affect the wash? Im guessing you where never successful with a red wash? i could care less if its like baal red, i just want a red wash..

[awesomepaintjob]

@thugarl Red was easy but to darken it you have to add certain amounts of brown and black. The red wash I made has been used in some of the videos. It's called Drying Blood Wash. I'll have the new recipes as well as the new DIRTY WASHES up on the new site or on the DAKKA DAKKA thread for this video.

[awesomepaintjob]

@thugarl If you are using Liquitex Matte Medium is should go clear when dry. If not this is the first time ever someone has told me otherwise. To darken red mix brown or purple or maybe even black. test mix colors using just the inks first then when you got what you want you can make a wash batch. Drying Blood wash is 20 drops Flame Red, 5 drops Sepia, 3 drops Black.

[awesomepaintjob]

@thugarl If you are using Liquitex Matte Medium is should go clear when dry. If not this is the first time ever someone has told me otherwise. To darken red mix brown or purple or maybe even black. test mix colors using just the inks first then when you got what you want you can make a wash batch. Drying Blood wash is 20 drops Flame Red, 5 drops Sepia, 3 drops Black. Red Black is 20 drops Flame Red, 5 drops Black.

[phalanx1234]

@thugarl Actually, I think a bit of brown in there may help balance the color out to the red you want. Try the Sepia first; if that doesn't work, go for a darker brown. Experiment.

Definitely stick with the crimson ink though, as it'll dilute no matter what you do and you may as well go with a dark shade.

[lamecoolskater]

@thugarl Try A Red with a really small minor amount of black or best yet grey.

Tell me if this works, im gonna watch the wash video now.

[awesomepaintjob]

@thugarl Is the final product dired, pink? Or are you looking at the freshly mixed wash in the bottle? The matte medium is white when wet and white + red = pink. Whatever color you mix before adding medium is what the wash will be when dry. In the bottle Dark Sepia looks like a light purple, but when dry it's the color it should be.

[assasin8991]

would the bottles you used be good to put custom paint in

[cld1472]

off hand do u know how many 1oz bottles this will wield? i just want to make sure how worth it doing it yourself actually is :)

[washaway]

more things need to be filled on foil great video you don't see very many advanced painting techniques on youtube. i consider myself a good painter but after a while all the 'how to prme' and 'what is a wash' videos don't offer any more information...

your page has been very inspiration i hope to get my own someday. though i've never been able to paint jets, motorcycles, or can afford art school. :P your channel is amazing thank you.

[TheDietmar66]

Just tried out the recipe and I am convinced it is the best mix I have ever used. Thanks to Les and his always helpful contributions to the mini painting community.

[jinjimo]

Thanx so much! big help :D love your videos btw!

[army310]

great vid i for ever want to learn how to do this.

thanks

[10000Monkeys]

Cool. Thanks for sharing. Few questions though: what does the Mat Medium do and why distilled water? Cheers.

[dconv]

Dude, your vids are top notch. I'm trying to get back into painting right now and just watching you paint and the techniques you use is EXTREMELY helpful. Let alone videos like this that tell you point blank tell you "this is how you do ....." THANKS!

Question: Is the the reason you use distilled water to avoid any impurities that tap water might have? Or is there another reason?

Again, Thanks!

[iHubble]

What Kind Of Matte Medium? There Are 4 Different Kinds. Videos Need To Be More Specific. Atleast Put What You Used In The Description.

[awesomepaintjob]

@iHubble sorry you are not happy with the FREE video. Maybe I should just take it down. Or... you could pay attention and at 2:20 I show the bottle of Matte Medium which is clearly LIQUITEX brand like all my additives are. But so far you are the only one to be confused about which matte medium it is :/ Click on the link for details on the recipe.

[BEDevil65]

@awesomepaintjob thanks for the free video ^_^ plz don't take it down

[superxtracrispy]

where did you get those bottles?

[awesomepaintjob]

@superxtracrispy Go to the forum link in the description for details.

[xSpartan122x]

Hi, I'm from Brazil and Liquitex doesn't bring stuff for us here, so I can't find the Flow Aid, so there could be some substitute for it? And also, the ink that you are using it's like the ones of pens? And also, there could be a substitute for those too? Thanks for the help man, really appreciate it. ^^

[xSpartan122x]

Hey man, how are you doing? See, I'm from Brazil, so Liquitex doesn't send stuff for us here. So I don't know where to find that Flow Aid, there's something that could substitute that? A friend of mine said that I could use a acrylic paint retarder, but I'm not sure... any suggestion? Also what kind of ink is that? It's like the ones that you use in pens? Also, there could be a substitute for that too? Thanks for the help man, I really appreciate it.

[tony91769]

@Nemesis1081

Any arts and crafts store or any swimming pool supply store (test kit bottles etc..) Hope this helps.

[xSpartan122x]

@tony91769 Actually... it would have a different name here in Brazil, it's not called of Flow Aid... but what this flow aid is exactly? It's like a paint retarder? Also... call me idiot, but where can I find distillate water, and could I use pen black ink for the color?

[yearofshorty]

@Nemesis1081

you can find them at any art supply store

[fejus303]

awesome! thank you SO much for this!

[tomtomgo51]

whats distilled water and where do u get it

[awesomepaintjob]

@tomtomgo51 Grocery Store

[MrNaaki1201]

@tomtomgo51 Its water with no minerals or impurities,

[aldi2500]

Hey Les, how many drops of ink do you use for your other colored washes, like red or green for example?

[odinswolf1969]

hey les can you use deionized water instead of the distilled water?

[awesomepaintjob]

@odinswolf1969 Yes. Might be better actually :)

[norsehawk]

@awesomepaintjob

I'm a heathen, I just use tap water. and it hasn't bitten me in the rear yet. Thank you again for your awesome video!

[odinswolf1969]

hey Les, do you have to use distilled water? would de-ionized water be good enough? (the stuff you top up car batteries) it seems a bit difficult to get hold of proper distilled water.. also the new website has lost the recipe, could you re post it please?

[Superminyme]

Hey Awesomepaintjob, great video! I've got a question. Can I use a reaper paint to make a wash using the same formula of matte medium/flow aid/distilled water, or is there a significant difference between simple reaper paint and this ink that you're using?

[awesomepaintjob]

@Superminyme the pigments in actual paint are too large. You will get a bad grainy effect. Thats why you can't simulate GW Badab Black by watering down black paint. The pigments in ink are 100x smaller.

[akoni63]

hello Les, Great tutorial. Instead of those inks you showed, can you use GW inks? Will they work the same? This looks like a GIANT money saver as GW washes run close to $4 bucks for 0.4oz. Am i right? Thanks again!

[dadkun]

Hi les, great recipe. one question, how can you store this? like temperatures and shelf life. cuz i want to have some handy if i run out of a color or need to make a new one.

[aldi2500]

Great tutorial. Only thing I'm wondering is if Liquitex do sell their stuff only in the US or if they also sell it in Europe (Germany to be specific)?

[noibn2]

@aldi2500: They sell Liquitex here in Sweden so my guess is you'll probably find it in Germany as well. Well sorted hobby/railway miniature stores should carry it.

[kurkkuz]

what would be a good wash... well (chaos??)black wash, i just got my WH40K Battle at the black reach ( Ultramarines and Orcs) i just want to paint a good ultramarine

[awesomepaintjob]

@kurkkuz you can use GW Badaab Black if you are following my tutorial. Or just make your own using this recipe so you can paint the whole AoBR Box.

[kurkkuz]

oh, ok thanks buddy

[Namelessman102]

can it be any black ink? by the way great vid

[awesomepaintjob]

@Namelessman102 You can but don't blame the recipe if you get undesired results. Some people have e-mailed me about problems because instead of using DR inks they used Liquitex. My recipe was formulated with the chemicals listed. If you deviate from the recipe you are on your own.

[Namelessman102]

k thanks im pobably going to buy all the ink and stuff on the websites your listed on your website so i dont screw up

[cartilige]

I'm struggling to get Liquitex Matt Medium and Liquitex Flow Aid. I don't know exactly what they do so can't find alternatives in my local art store, any ideas on what I could use? Also the bottles, can I use ones without droppers?

[awesomepaintjob]

@cartilige hmm no idea what alternative to use. You can use whatever bottle gets the job done for you. It's not set in stone :)

[cartilige]

What does the matt medium do, from that I should be able to figure out something else. Thanks

[awesomepaintjob]

@cartilige It's acrylic medium. Basically pant without pigment added.  People normally use it to thin paints without loosing body.

[cartilige]

Right, and I'm right in thinking that the Flow Aid just stops the wash drying out in the neck of the bottle and blocking things up? I think I see a shopping trip tomorrow and a mad paint on boxing day

[awesomepaintjob]

@cartilige Flow aid is added to paints for smoother flow over the model. It's a soapy solution designed to break surface tension.

[cartilige]

Thank you, I REALLY see a shopping trip. One last question, do I need the Flow Aid or can I manage without it?

[Malivictus]

I love the video man please keep up the good work..

[thisdaywakes]

Who else counted he drops?!?!?!?!?! hahahahahaa

[orkminis]

Hey man just wanna say that your videos ROCK but i cannot get on to your website to get your washes :(

[awesomepaintjob]

thanks! That's unfortunate that you are having troubles with the site. Its also on the dakkadakka tutorials forum and rogue market tutorials forum.

[orkminis]

hey les ... give me a link and i'll get your stuff for painting my minis .... dorks rule !!!

[awesomepaintjob]

store is through my site.. so if you can't get on there I don't know what to do lol.

[orkminis]

thanks les .... found it now

[phatmonk6195]

Thank you very much for making this. You basically paid for us to have this recipe because you could have sold it so I thank you!

[SpuseMaroon]

Great vid, I'd love to see a vid on the differant mixes of Liquitex flow-aid and retarder products if you have time?

[tjdoc143]

Les, thanks for the recipies. it took some time to find the ingredients, but i made 2 shades of an umber wash. thankfully, there is a dick blick store in Philly, i'll be going there next time. i bought 2 oz bottles, so the soft wash needed 40 drops and the heavy wash got 80. i know, nothing big, just double up. but thanks again, i'll be making more!

[tjdoc143]

i made 2 more washes today. i used the black and sepia inks in the video. they turned out great, however, i noticed the sepia wash was a "purpley-brown". is this normal?? seems to have turned out ok on a tester primed white. thanks again, Les.

[awesomepaintjob]

yeah when mixed the white from the medium makes it look purple lol.. I got scared the first time also but you now know that when dry it turns the right color :)

[blakbuzzrd]

Fantastically helpful and straightforward to follow -- like every video of yours I've seen. One trip to Dick Blick later, I'm making my own washes. Thanks, man!

[TheZingbaby]

Liquitex makes great Inks (also water-proof and acrylic) that are excellent and would be perfect for this mix. You rule Les...

[StefanH1234]

i counted the drops with you.. you got them right xD, im awesome

[TheSolitaire00]

Hi LB .

Iam thinking of making some washes can i use deionised water instead or does it have to be distilled water many thanks in advance

[Harbaugh87]

Les - you are THA MAN!! Great tutorial - too bad I couldn't give you 10 stars!

[Plisskin84]

Would these work in an airbrush? If not, what would you recommend? I just got one and have some terrain I need to darken.

All your videos are great by the way, keep up the good work

[awesomepaintjob]

I actually was airbrushing with them last night. Just put a couple drops of alcohol and spray.

[TheZingbaby]

Check out the Liquitex web site dude. The Liquitex Inks are very usable in an airbrush... though you will want to clean up using the Liquitex 'pen cleaner' which is made to wash up inks.

[Darthburn]

I dont suppose you would sell washes in bulk (bigger bottles)? I do commision work and it would be nice to just have a good supply around.

[awesomepaintjob]

The 1 oz bottles are already large. Double the size of a vallejo bottle. If you want some and don't want to make them just contact me with an order. I still have plenty in stock.

[Darthburn]

wow, impressive

[Kriegfreak]

Sick dude, thanks for the this. I always had the general idea but this will help perfect it!

[sushifan67]

Just made some black wash using your recipe! It works GREAT, thanks for all you do man! Much appriciated! :)

[Spreegem]

May I ask if there is any particular reason for using distilled water over deionized or even just some filtered water?

[awesomepaintjob]

no contaminants at all in distilled.

[tmkerr]

Thanks for sharing your recipe.

How does it compare to GW's washes? I find that I can literally flood a model, and it always dries with a smooth shade; no splotchy rings.

[IrishRanger117]

sweet guide dude, but where does the black widow spider venom go?

Still cant believe they shut your shop down. What kind of artist materials were meant to be eaten anyways? :)

[falknerblitz]

Thanks man, appreciate all the work you've put in for us.

[Bionic0range]

Really nice :)

Just a quick question though: is your soft body black wash really much different from other black washes you can get (like GW's, Vallejo, etc)?

I'm generally asking because I've got problems finding black acrylic ink in my area :P (and no, not in the states)

[awesomepaintjob]

it's different because it's cheaper in most cases. But if you can't find the ingredients in your area, I'm sure you can use name brand washes, but also be limited to what they offer.

[Bionic0range]

I realized there are Liquitex Inks as well. I could get these, or is there some big difference? (Sorry for my noob-questions Xp)

[solidsmurf]

Check for India ink. Sometimes they will label it as India ink, but just put in acrylic black ink. I can't guarantee this but check for it.

[kingofmenoth]

thats great man

[hollymuffines]

hay it would be cool if you could post those labels on the awesomepaintjob site for public use

(if you haven't already). keep up the fantastic work.

[18F4V]

Yea Les, with your logo on it! That way your getting the credit you deserve. I'll put 'em on every batch I make. Damn, I wish there were more good dudes like you Les, thanks.

[18F4V]

Wow, it sucks someone tried to screw you over. Your videos are awesome, this one is diffidently one of your best 5+. I'll be ordering the materials your recommending ASAP. Please keep up the great work with you tutorials, they're immensely helpful. Again, thanks Les. You rock!

I'd like to know who or what company dimed you out... paybacks a bit*#!

[WarGamingTerrain]

THAT IS AWESOME MAN take care bro hope you are a little cheered up after you got shut down. take care bro

[xArmedGamer]

someone seems to not like you xD, with the -1 to lots of the comments and the 1 star lol. Anyway, thanks for this vid, gonna help me alot.

[btmiller88]

Wow someone is hating on you, thats lame. Anyway ...BLACK AND TAN, WOOOHOOO! Great info thanks man.

[akira357]

Fucking amazing, now all we need is a Les' Marine Chapter dedicated in his name...lol

[Number1GamerAsh]

read this last night and well i thank you for it !

[ARodriguez258]

Awesome, man! Thanks for sharing! :D

[stumpythumper]

You *da man*

Thanks:)

[AutarchAndrew]

i gave you 5 stars for AWESOME paint job hey les what do you think of AIG pigments

[pmoon72]

Thanks for the KICK ASS info.

Will put to good use..

[Da40kOrks]

Would you recommend Payne's gray for mini's or just stick to black?

Also do you know how to replicate the GW Baal red color? I've been using it on my blood angels and don't want to change colors mid-army :)

Thanks!

[MagicalGoblin]

Ha! GW's washes aren't just evil magic after-all. This is a very interesting video, Les, thanks! Too bad about your store being shut down, man. I do think, however, that telling us for FREE was the more "noble" thing to do - Considering the circumstances. Be sure to put this video up on the forums! Dakka will love you (even more) for it - Unless you already have, that is... Cheers!

[sushifan67]

Mmmmmmm Black and Tan! I made my first wash last night and it works GREAT! Gonna go out and get a few other colors today and try those out as well! Thanks for the great info man! Remember, Karma is a funny thing, the person who turned you in will recieve theirs soon and for all the good you do this community, you'll be rewarded in kind as well! Peace and thanks! :)

[Natakue]

awsome dude...this rocks!

[Renzero89]

Awesome stuff Les..  How you came up with this recipe is beyond me! But thanks again for a very useful and helpful tutorial..

[ninjamaxi]

sick! 5 stars! u really take pride in yr work! love it!!!!

[HantsWarhammer]

Thanks for sharing what I guess was months of trial and error to get these right, now we don't have to. Cheers Les!

[flagoon]

thank you for this :)

[Keilore]

I will admit, seeing a all thats happened, I'm glad that this was an outcome. personally i was confused whenever I saw a dark sepia or soft body wash, saying to myself "I wonder what that really is..." it does kind of suck that you lost a product that you were selling, but your outcome was admirable and as one of the many poor wargamers out there, you have my tanks a thousandfold. both for the product info, and for the tutorials. keep on inspireing me and those like me!

[Kriegfreak]

Love it dude, 5/5

[snuffau]

Sorry to hear you got shutdown champ, good job on releasing your recipe though. The community thanks you!

[manilacrew]

Thank you les, :)

and yes, like she said.

very good tutorial. :)

Bless & Peace

[GirlPainting]

a verry good tutorial and verry usefull :)

[HafizHafiz]

dont look at me i gave it 5! :)

[linkinhearts666]

sick as always ;)

oh and nice ink at 1:54

[awesomepaintjob]

nice some funny guy gave it a 1 star lol.

[HafizHafiz]

great stuff! gotta look out for them items :)

[HafizHafiz]

great stuff!