Diluting and mixing paint

[Fimbul]

As the topic suggest I´m having some issues with regards to diluting paint and mixing different paints together. I´m not old in this hobby, having only done it a couple of years, and I´ve really been focused more on speed painting to get my armies to a table-top level than to really learn how to paint and do it properly.

 

A friend of mine tipped me a while ago about diluting paints, but I never really gave it a shot until recently. I was surprised to see the results from just putting some water in the paint.

 

The problem itself is that I´m not really sure how to do this consistently. It goes the same for mixing different paints really, how do you transfer the paint from the can to... wherever and then mix in the water? I use a paper plate right now, and the end of an old brush to get it done, but a lot of guides kind of go "2 : 1 mix" etc, which is virtually impossible to get right and consistent unless I´m lucky. Also, on the plate, as I paint, the edges will start to dry up and leave a smaller and smaller area in the middle for me to collect the paint from.

 

This may be totally n00bish, but I could use some pointers as to how you mix paints, how you get good mixes consistently (some have chapters made from mixed paints, how the hell do you make them seem similar? :( ) and where do you mix the paint?

 

Thanks.

[Brother_Ovis]

For transporting paint from the jar to whatever you mix it in you can use a syringe or a pipette.

 

One tip about diluting paint I got from IA Model Masterclass - don't use water. You get much better results with dedicated acrylic paint thinners, perhaps with some surfactant added (like a detergent or a screen wash) - they decrease the surface tension of the liquid and make it flow more freely, without tidemarks when using it as a wash.

[Fimbul]

I did get some kind of pipette, but the paint just got stuck inside of it and appeared to be too thick for it. I´ll try and find a better one, bigger opening or something..

 

I have never heard that before. Paint thinners? I gotta try that :) Is the IA Masterclass book any good? Been considering getting it myself, the "How to paint" guide form GW was okay, but was too generic and although it has techniques, I feel it tries to cover too much in one book and ends up as a great starting guide, but not really the best book for learning how to paint.

[Brother_Ovis]

IA Masterclass is simply amazing, if you ask me. There's a lot of pretty advanced techniques explained in there, of a kind you won't find in the regular "How to paint" books - like weathering powders, oil paints, extensive battle damage etc.

[Fimbul]

Excellent, one x-mas present for myself decided then :D

 

Btw, do you (not just directed at parent post) use a palette or something similar to mix the paint?

[Brother_Ovis]

Actually I don't, though I keep telling myself I need one :lol: Generally I try not to use mixed paints because of the consistency problem - I know I couldn't get the same shade again, so I stick to the original ones. I do mix some colours only when painting little details, when it's not that important if the same detail on several minis is exactly the same shade.

 

Much more often I dilute paint and to that I use just a piece of anything flat and hard that I can get my hands on - but a palette would be much better of course, like I said, I just can't get myself to get one for some reason :)

 

I saw somewhere a cool way to use a palette - it was a simple plastic one covered tightly with tin foil. When it got caked with dried paint, you just strip the tin foil and put a new one on.

[Fimbul]

Think I'll buy myself one if I can find it, but using tin foil sounds like a good idea either way. Got my paper plate that I can cover with tinfoil.

 

And yes, I try to work with clean colours as much as possible, which is to say always - at least until now :)

[BrotherZaah]

I use acyrillic retarder medium, it stops the paint from drying out quickly (extends the drying time by up to 24 hours) but makes it very thick (the medium is almost like toothpaste) to counter this I use acrylic flow enhancer to 'water down' the paint to a milk consistency. The reason I use the flow improver over just water is that it acts like washing up liquid to remove the surface tension and doesnt dry up as quick on the pallette.

 

Both availiable from art shops, model shops or even WH Smiths or similar shops.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

BZ

[CarbonCopy]

First, do yourself a favor and purchase a small inexpensive welled mixing pallet.

 

Second, don't bother with pipets or syringes. They are impossible to use for any kind of paint mix measuring at the scale we use as you lose half the paint inside. They are also nearly impossible to clean completely. Just designate an old brush for transferring paint from pot to pallet.

 

There are many "additives" that are commonly used when thinning acrylic and Vinyl paint (GW's paint is technically a Vinyl paint, not acrylic -- but they are intermixable with acrylics).

 

Popular types of additives include retarders, flow-aid, acrylic medium and plain old water. Some have specific purposes, some are just a good idea under certain conditions.

 

The most basic additive used is plain old water. If you have "hard" water (mineral-rich, like calcium, iron and/or lime), use cheap distilled bottled water. That difference alone can cut basic surface tension by 2/3.

 

Retarders are good if you live in an arid environment and help the paint from curing too quickly. They don't prevent evaporation, they just "retard" (slow down) the chemical chain's ability to form by getting in the way. As a result, the paint's base resin (which is really what it is) bond is not nearly as strong. It can scrape and lift much more easily. It can also be much more prone to environmental conditions, which can cause cracking and flaking.

 

Extenders add more acrylic resin (medium) and other additives, like flow improvers and retarders.

 

Flow aid & improvers reduce surface tension, allowing the paint to flow more readily. I used to use flow-aids quite regularly, but not any longer.

 

Mediums are literally just acrylic resin usually combined with other compounds to affect the finish (gloss, satin, matte, flat, etc).

 

Windscreen washing fluid is a popular additive to use as a flow improver. Make sure you use something that DOES NOT have Ammonium in it -- which breaks down acrylic binders! I personally don't use it as a flow improver as I've seen it yellow paint over time. It's great for cleaning out an airbrush, though.

 

Liquid dish/wash-up soap is also popular, but I avoid it. If you add too much, and you can prevent further layers of very thin paint from sticking.

 

Another popular product to use in place of mediums and extenders is Future Acrylic Floor Polish (now called Pledge with Future Shine Floor Finish). It's glossy as heck, which can be improved if you add something like Tamiya's Flat Base. It is extremely fluid compared normal "mediums" and acts very well as a flow improver as a result.

 

Personally, I don't use retarders much. I have some from Golden that I use on really dry days during the summer. The water quality in Seattle is very good. As such, I tend to use water only most of the time. The one additive I tend to use if I need to extend the paint or add more transparency is Future pre-mixed in a 1:5 or 1:10 ratio with water.

 

Hope this helps.

[Fidman]

I would also agree that getting a welled palette (which is very cheap at any craft store) is vital to mixing. On a flat surface you tend to do more "spreading" than mixing. In regards to diluting I usually get by fine with tap water. I get around the consistency issue by using Vallejo paints which come in a handy eye-dropper type bottle. You can consistently and accurately put out the same about of paint every time. I do a special blend for my Dark Angels of 2:2:1 and the Marines I painted this week look the same at Marines I painted last year.

 

When it comes to diluting I just dip my brush in the water and let a drop or two come off into the paint, depending on how much I'm using. Your goal is to make the paint thin enough that it easily comes off the brush, but thick enough that it stays where you put it. That, ultimately, is something you'll only get with some practice.