Glazes and Washes

[Captain Hwarang]

So I got the 'eavy Metal Masterclass book from my LGW, and while at first skeptical, I've turned out to be very happy with the purchase. However, they often mention "washes of color x or color y," but never mention the water to paint ratio. At one point, they mention adding water to badab black to make a glaze, suggesting that glazes are thinner than washes, but still no ratio.

 

Now, I realize a lot of this is a "see what works" kind of deal, but there's gotta be somewhere finite to start. I've been making glazes with 4:1 or 9:2 water to paint, but I'm thinking this is more of a wash consistency.

 

Any thoughts?

 

-CH

[Dosjetka]

Hmm... Well, if you look at the new paint range from GW, they have both washes and glazes, so maybe buy a pot of each and compare? From what I know, glazes are very, very, very thin and you need quite a few layers to get good results. Washes are of the thickness we know and can be achieved quite easily (just dilute paint down to the same consistency with some painting medium).

 

In retrospect, I guess that wasn't very helpful since you seem to know everything I've just said, but at least I tried :lol:

 

Ludovic

[Iron-Daemon Forge]

For make glaze I been recommend useing the Medium instead of water when making glaze when I was down in Warhammer World for the ToS event.

 

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/...Id=prod1500290a

 

I use this when I am doing shaven hair on my Iron Warriors. I really recommend useing the medium.

 

Also Games Workshop has four new glaze release when the paints got updated earily this year

 

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/...otCatGameStyle=

 

IP

[Gurth]

Speaking generally, rather than referring to some of the poorly-named GW paints, a wash is a paint that has been thinned so it runs into and around detail rather than covering evenly. Washes are typically made by adding so much thinner to paint that the mix has the consistency of the thinner.

 

OTOH, a glaze is a translucent paint that does cover evenly. Probably the easiest way to make a glaze is to mix paint with varnish (of the same type — which technically means it's usually a clear paint rather than true varnish :lol:) so you keep the consistency of the paint but apply less pigment per brush stroke than with the pure paint.

[winterdyne]

Do not get confused by silly paint naming conventions (ie Baal Red 'Wash') etc.

 

A wash flows over the surface of a model, a glaze stays pretty much where you put it.

 

The primary difference is how you apply it - brush control. When glazing, you want little paint on your brush, and your application has to be smooth and even. For a wash, you have a bit more paint on your brush and your application starts heavier and then (for 'directed' washes) you pull the paint towards where you want it (usually a recess).

 

More viscous paint makes even application a little easier - there is less tendency for the paint to flow; so a suitable acrylic medium can help as opposed to water / flow improver.

 

For washes you quite often want a thin, very fluid paint, meaning there is low viscosity and the paint tends to 'run'. Flow improver helps here by breaking surface tension. You can make home made flow improver by adding a little washing up liquid to water (known as 'wet water' in some modelling circles).

 

'Pin washes' and 'oil washes' rely on capilliary action to work - this means you need a tight corner on the model to draw paint along (like a panel line), with no lumps or bumps to spread the flow (ie gloss the model first), and extremely high fluidity paint (oils or acrylic with a good amount of flow improver). The limited surface tension of the paint draws paint along the narrow channel a surprising way; you literally apply paint just with the point of the brush and it flows right into the channel (a 'pin' application).

 

The GW washes are basically a translucent paint with some flow improver. Very handy. The new glazes, I've not played with. With a bit of experience you'll know what kind of behaviour you want your paint to have to achieve a given effect, and you'll go off and be able to make it from ink / paint / whatever or know which off-the-shelf product to get.