Old (very old) GW paints/washes and unwanted glossy finish..

[appiah4]

I cracked open a few pots of very old GW/Citadel paints for painting purple the other day..  Namely Warlock Purple, Liche Purple and Leviathan Purple Wash.  I ended up with a very glossy finish that I don't remember having with GW paints (although it's been almost half a decade since I last used them).  Is this normal?  Have the paints gone bad with time?  Anything I can do to help with the issue, other than give it a matte varnish coat?

[Interrogator Stobz]

Most of the old paints are glossy in comparison to the new range, I still use many first and second ed Citadel paints and they are still ok. Why don't you try adding a ml of water and giving them a big shake, then the pigment should run freely as when they were new and the fluid/pigment balance will be restored.

Now I have no idea if your paints have changed colour over the years, I guess excess sun might do it (I think it's unlikely though) but mine surely haven't, they are still as 'good' as they used to be. which is not as good as the new stuff.

[shaun03]

You could add medium to them bring down the shine, good thing with those arts and craft stores sell them and coupons are easy to come buy. And one bottle should last forever as well.

 

Liqudex stuff works great and if you state side Michael's sell them and normally get it pretty cheap. I know minture paint companies market the same :cuss as anti-shine etc and charge almost triple the price. 

[Major_Gilbear]

Over time, the pigments and matting agents in paint settle. Unfortunately, this sometimes means that even if you shake up and/or stir the paints really thoroughly, the pigments and matting agents form little granular clumps that are difficult to break down further to give you a smooth result.

I would suggest that after a reasonable shaking, if the paint is okay and smooth enough, you just carry on and use them as normal. Even if they don't cover quite as well, or if they are not quite as matte, they should still be perfectly usable. For not covering quite as well, you can solve this with the application of another coat if needed. For the finish they produce, you can use some matte medium.

You could add medium to them bring down the shine, good thing with those arts and craft stores sell them and coupons are easy to come buy. And one bottle should last forever as well.

Liqudex stuff works great and if you state side Michael's sell them and normally get it pretty cheap. I know minture paint companies market the same as anti-shine etc and charge almost triple the price.

Yes, adding a little matte medium to the paint/ink on your palette will make them much more matte.

Additionally, the matte medium gives the inks a little more thickness/body, and makes regular paints a little more translucent. This is because as well as being very matte, the medium is essentially like paint with no pigment (i.e., "blank" paint!).

Another trick is to thin a dab of matte medium down with plenty of clean water, and lightly glaze over the model with it; it will dry clear and matte, bringing the finish down to what you're after. It doesn't offer any protection like varnish does though, so it shouldn't be regarded as a substitute.

Finally, on the subject of varnish: you can seal the model at various stages when painting, and then carry on painting over the sealer. So if you paint with the old paints/inks, seal with with a quick dusting of matte spray, and then keep on painting the model, that's just fine. And, you can still varnish/seal the model at the end anyway. (NB: This is a good way of painting models to a table-ready level, and then being able to come back later and work on the details further - the varnishes protect the paint job up to that point, and you can then just swish them through some clean water and a little hand soap to get the surface nice and clean for any new paint).