Washes VS gravity: helmets & shoulder pads

[Boyadventurer]

I find it such a pain to use wash on mk7 helmets (along that top ridge) and shoulder pads. Whether using a targeted recess wash or a just an all over coat, it always flows away from these areas before it can dry. I've resorted to targeted washes and balancing the model at a specific angle so gravity won't pull it anywhere, but it's a little ridiculous -- it takes a good part of a day to do it this way!

 

Any tips brothers?

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I would suggest either several thin coats of the wash directed to those specific areas or thin down paint of the same color and paint on the shade.

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

Usually I can get GW's wash to stay in the cracks by not thinning it and putting plenty of it on the lines. Enough to leave a nice dark line when it dries, and see a huge trail of liquid wash when it's wet, but not enough to break surface tension and spill everywhere. This requires a sharp brush and not accidentally dropping the bit, else the wash will spill over. It also requires pin wash targeted precision which is slower than just washing the whole model and re-layering.

 

One trick to make the targeted washes faster and not get all over the place is to try GW's gloss washes, or gloss varnish the model before washing, then satin or matte varnish when done to kill the shine.

 

Washes are quite finicky things. They look so simple to use and get great results in photos, but in practice they always cause all sorts of trouble.

[Major_Gilbear]

If you have an angle-poise lamp for painting by, maybe try using poster tack to stick them upside-down to the arm of the lamp whilst the wash dries (should only be a few minutes, right?).

 

Weirdly though, most washes I've used tend to be thick enough to stay put if there is a recess for the surface tension to hold it there. So I'd really only say that I could see it being an issue with the top of shoulder pads, but even there... Surely the natural gradient of the wash settling down the pad is actually what you want, isn't it? To simulate light hitting the top of the pad?