Wargame Miniature Basics - Washes

Washes are some of the most useful tools we as painters have at our disposal. In this video I talk about what they are and what they do.

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[TreasonousBastard]

I've noticed that some paint companies refer to these as "inks" (GW formerly did so), whilst others (as in the modern GW line) are actually called washes. Having used some of each of these, including Reaper inks, I've noticed that "washes" (labelled as such) tend to be significantly thicker than "inks". Is this a general rule across product lines, or just something that varies from one company to another, and is more or less arbitrary in terms of the choice of label, in your experience?

[Whitewing89]

I'm working on painting my first mini (a leman russ) and my last attempt at washing did not turn out to well. I had lines show up as it dried. Also I don't think I watered down the paint enough. The heavy dry-brushing I did next helped but it still looks a bit rough. Do you have anything on dry-brushing? Or on mixing your own wash?

[redfox4242]

Great video! Thanks for uploading. One option with Army Painter Quickshade is to abandon the dip technique and use the "splash-on" technique (which is applying Quickshade with a brush). Use a cheap brush because it will be ruined. That is one way to get more control then the dipping way.

[Ambaraica]

By the way : this was supposed to be constructive criticism and I do hope you'll take it as such. I love what you do!

[Ambaraica]

For once this video is IMHO less informative than your previous videos. Could you explain as well how to mix washes and the overall nuts and bolts of the techniques you use with them?

In any case keep up the good work :-)

[Ydouneed2nomyname]

I dont use washes anymore, but its still a great way to paint. Actually i do use washes, but i use inks to weather models and certain effect, but not for pulling out crevices anymore. Nice talk on paints though!

[SuperMrMace]

Another great thing about using a gloss varnish before washing is that if you do get unwanted pooling on the surfaces you can wipe it off. Once if dries just saturate a q-tip with some rubbing alcohol and lightly rub the surface with the unwanted color. The excess wash should come right off, and the gloss sealant protects the paint you put down underneath.

[SuperMrMace]

Another good tip is to seal the model with gloss sealant before washing it. Gloss sealants are not acrylic, which means that acrylic based paints (and washes) don't stick well to it. What does this do for you? It means that when you apply the wash to the model the wash slips and slides, it recedes from the surfaces and slides down into the recesses. Lets say you want to apply a wash around a bolt on a tank. Just dot the brush on the top of the bolt and the wash slides all the way around it.

[SuperMrMace]

Excess wash is a serious problem when dipping. The most common way to remove it is to shake, or snap, it off (as in snap of the wrist). I saw a great video where the person superglued the bottom of the models base to a nail head, and then put the nail into the end of a power drill. After dipping the model he placed it so that it was hanging in space inside a box. He then powered up the drill and allowed the high speed spinning motion to pull the excess dip away from the model.

[SuperMrMace]

One important thing to consider with washes, and when dipping. That is that you should always hold the model upside down when doing it, and also allow it to dry upside down if possible. I just put a little sticky tack under the base and stick the model to the underside of the table where I paint. This allows the pigment to pool on the underside of most surfaces.