Vallejo liquid gold

[Greyshift]

I've heard very good things about Vallejo's Liquid Gold range and am thinking about using old gold on my planned Luna Wolves and Knight. I've read quite a bit online and watched a few videos and I'm happy about the technical aspects of using alcohol based paint but I've still got some questions about how people go about shading, highlighting and protecting a liquid gold basecoat...

 

1) Do you need to mix the lighter colours (such as white gold) in to highlight with or does it not need it?

 

2) If I used a normal acrylic wash like Army Painter soft tone to shade it would that kill the gold effect?

 

3) If I was to matt varnish the entire model after using liquid gold should I go back over and pick out the gold parts in satin varnish to restore the 'sheen'?

 

4) I'm pretty sure I'm going to use it for the gold areas on my marines but would it look good on the large areas of armour trim on the knight too?

 

Thanks in advance guys

[Machinepriest]

I'm very interested in the answers for questions 3 as well.
Pretty sure the wash will dull down the gold a bit so I think a wash on these metallics should be confined to the recesses and not all over the metallic parts.

[Subtle Discord]

Vallejo Liquid Gold, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

 

But seriously, Liquid Gold (LG) is absolutely amazing. It doesn't completely replace acrylic Gold paint, but it does most of the heavy lifting. This stuff is almost like liquid chrome in a bottle; a smooth coat (2 layers plus a bit of touch up) will create a bright smooth gold. It does have a bit of a learning curve, since it's an alcohol product, but it's 100% worth the effort. I'll answer your questions, and then perhaps ramble some more...

 

1) Once it's dry it is very stable. You must not use water in any way while painting this product, but once it's dry you can paint water based paint over it. It comes in many tones of Gold; Gold, Old Gold, Red Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Silver, White Gold, and maybe one or two others I'm forgetting. So you can easily start with Old or Red Gold, pick out raised areas with Gold, and highlight with White Gold. Naturally you could mix any of them to taste. But this is also where I say that LG does not necessarily replace acrylic Gold paint; I prefer to use LG to make a nice base, wash to add depth/tarnish, and then highlight with acrylic paints. You have more blending control with acrylic, so I prefer it at that step. The general upshot is that either way will work, find the method that you like.

 

2) Any wash is going to dull the Gold some, but it depends on how much you use. The great thing about LG is that it creates a very clean bright base without having to do layer-after-layer to get it even. If you do a carefully placed light wash you can add some depth and shadow to the gold while it stays very bright and polished looking. Build it up and it will quickly take on a tarnished look but still have a nice Golden sheen.

 

3) Matt varnish will dull the sheen some, but again, the Gold is so smooth and bright that you might not find it to be a problem. A little satin or gloss can bring it back, but it's totally up to you if you think it needs it.

 

4) One of the great things about this product is how well it covers larger areas. Once you get the hang of using it (not that hard) you will never want to base-coat Gold with acrylic paints ever again. Like I said, it should take 2 coats with a little extra touch-up for the odd spot (it dries very thin) and it will be ready for the next step.

 

A few things you should keep in mind:

 

This is a metallic aluminum flake suspended in an alcohol based fluid; it will separate and settle very fast, and if you don't use it for awhile it will need to be mixed extremely well to get it ready. Keep swirling and mixing it while you use it.

 

It is very serious about not using any water while applying LG. Even trace moisture in a brush can cause the LG to oxidize and clump almost instantly. Dip your brush in 90%+ pure alcohol before starting to flush any moisture, and don't use a really good brush. It is somewhat harsh on natural bristle brushes. Read the bottle of rubbing alcohol your getting for thinner/cleaner; make sure it's 90%+ pure alcohol (95%+ is better) or the moisture could cause problems. It's not all the same, some is as much as 50% water. Not good.

 

LG evaporates very quickly, which is a mixed blessing. When you paint it on it will dry very quickly; this is good. It will also dry in the bottle, in your brush, and on the pallet very quickly: this is bad. I use a straw to 'lift out' several drops to a pallet so I can close the bottle. Remember to keep mixing it on the pallet as you use it, it starts settling almost instantly. I prefer to use drops of thinner taken from the bottle to keep it flowing nicely as I paint; the alcohol can work for this too, but I've found it can cause a cloudy residue. nothing a bit of touch up can't fix, but still annoying.

 

Finally, when you're painting with LG it takes a bit of a different technique to normal paint. It is very thin and will flow quickly; I tend to paint on a bit extra so it's almost a thin puddle, and then let it settle and dry. You can literally see the pigment particles shimmer and settle into a layer of colour as the fluid dries, it's amazing. Especially on larger areas, you'll want to flood the surface in a controlled manner, and let the puddle dry. Practice on a test piece first and you'll quickly see; it almost seems like it will ruin the finish, then it settles into a perfect surface.

 

Ok, I'll shut up now. :) (Can you tell I like Liquid Gold?)

[Greyshift]

Awesome response SD, thanks for taking the time I really appreciate it.

 

THIS is why I love B&C!