washes and surface tension.

[GrandMasterAralia]

Quick question for you all!

 

I've read many times that its a good idea to add just a little bit of dishwash liquid to you washes/inks before painting, this should presumably make the paint flow much better and stop it from making "smears" when it dries. Correct, yes?

 

So, I tried dipping the tip of my brush in dishwash liquid today before washing a sentinel's leg. As far as I can tell, the only effect this had was make my ink all "soapy" and "bubbly" so i had to correct the wash quite a bit to pop all those annoying little bubbles in the recesses... What did I do wrong? To much soap, or too much water to thin the wash before painting, or something else?

 

Hope you can help me?

[Grand Master Belial]

I don't use dish soap in inks/washes, just in paints. For inks, I just add water.

[Ironwulf]

I don't know exactly what the proper mix of dish wash liquid to use, but I think I would rather use something made for improving the flow of ink/paint… like acrylic flow improver, available at an art supply store.

[Kaedes Nex]

It's one drop for the entire pot. That's how little soap you're supposed to use.

 

If you want a less messy wash, you're going to have to gloss varnish the model and do an oil pin wash, or just a regular wash. Or you can just clean up the flat areas.

 

If you like the tint the wash provides, you can use an airbrush to apply it or you can diligently wipe all the excess wash off the flat areas and back into the crevices/off the model with your brush while it's wet. But this is tedious and you can often miss a spot/still leave marks.

 

There is no magic way to get an easy, fast wash where you just slather the model with the stuff and don't get drying marks. Even dipping leaves marks.

[Subtle Discord]

Taken from another thread that got on the subject of washing. Maybe you'll find it useful; the last two paragraphs in particular. I prefer Future Floor Wax to alter surface tension, but as I explain, it's usually not what you want to do to a Wash. Naturally, that's personally opinion, and there are plenty of cases where you might find it useful for control in some techniques.

 

+++

 

Since Glazes and Washes are close to my heart (I've been mixing my own for years, until purpose-made products started to appear) I think I'll take a few minutes to ramble about them. Now that they can be store bought I don't mix as often, I generally use what's offered as a base and then alter it if I want a custom wash today; the consistency of commercial products saves a lot of trial-and-error when you're going for something unique.

 

When I was making my own I always referred to them as Glazes; taken from the term used for Glazing in traditional panting and ceramics. A glaze is a translucent coating (ranging from almost opaque to virtually transparent) that coats a surface. Letting the base colour/material show through gives all sorts of creative options.

 

The term Wash became popular (from what I can tell) when GW came out with their line of Wash paints. I never used the term before then personally, but I think there's merit to it. From what I can tell, when miniature painting, a Glaze could be referred to as a more subtle staining of the surface with a thin coat (good for blending and unifying transitions) and a Wash is more liberally used product that is meant to pool more and create more depth. In my mind they are for the most part one-and-the-same; put a Glaze on heavy-handed and you have a Wash effect, and put a Wash on lightly and you'll get a Glaze effect.

 

The key to the bottled wonderful that is a good Wash/Glaze in general has more to do with Pigment and Viscosity; Surface Tension is there, but it's an extension of Viscosity. Unlike paints (that are trying to cover as much as they can, so have lots of pigment) Washes have most or all of the opaque pigments removed to make them translucent. This combined with the Viscosity make a product that wants to gather in nooks-and-crannies, but tapers out gradually from these deep pools of pigment. Since the colour is weak and translucent you get a very convincing shading effect with reasonable effort; taking time to layer up and back-blend the effect can take it to the next level if you choose.

 

Now, if you lower the surface tension of the Wash, it's going to want pull in tighter and cling closer to the nooks-and-crannies, and thus reduce the blending out effect that Washes are so good for. This will push it toward a Glaze, but just reducing the Wash layer will do the same. It's simple to get this effect if you add just a touch of Future Floor Wax to your Wash or Ink; it will drastically reduce the surface tension and cause the pigment to tightly cling to details. I don't find it that useful, and prefer the fade that you get from a thicker pigment, but it can be useful in some places.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

The terms were in use by GW for a while before they released their own washes, sometimes with no explanation. I remember the first time I ever saw the term 'glaze' being used, it was an 'Eavy Metal painting article on the studio scheme for Maugan Ra, and it described using several glazes of white on the bone parts of the armor as the final step, all without explaining what that meant.

 

I love using glazes and washes though. My painting style has shifted to a more realistic look than the old GW type with clearly defined base, shadow, and highlights, and washes and glazes make the realistic style so much easier to accomplish. I was never all that great at blending, and glazing gives me the ability to make some really nice blends that are much less frustrating at the cost of more time.

 

For me, glazes and washes usually differ in that I frequently use inks or very high pigment paints, like Golden Fluid Acrylics, thinned a little with water and a drop or two of 50/50 water/Future Floor Wax for washes, whereas glazes are simply regular paint thinned way down with a dab of drying retardant in it so I have a little more time to push and pull the color exactly where I want it to go. And when I say thinned way down for glazes, I mean waaaaaaaaaay down - like lightly tinted water.

 

I have also made my own washes, but glazes are always custom made on my palette for a specific figure. I think both are a great addition to any painter's repertoire and if you don't already use either or both, give them a try.

[GrandMasterAralia]

This has been super helpful! Thank you all for posting! GREAT help! :) I'm going to try some of the advice and see what works best for me. I've been using inks/washes for years now, and have also moved over to a more realistic painting technique, so I will give glazes a more thorough try! ... And lighten up on the soap ;)