Highlighting white with dirt instead?

[HighMarshalAmp]

A quick breakdown of my painting situation: pressed for time, Airbrush isn't an option but I love rattle cans.

With that less-than-optimal situation comes the immense problem of highlighting white.

There's just no off-white spray around that's light enough to pass for an actual white and I'm still hesitant about buying another pot of Citadel paint.

 

So what if I just sprayed on a white basecoat and picked out the edges with a darker color?

Note the non-recess edges in this pic:

 

I know that it ahs been taken under studio conditions, heavily edited and that there were actual edge highlights on the white before the weathering.

 

But has anyone ever tried that admittedly lazy approach?

[Fajita Fan]

I’m on my phone so I can’t post pics from my gallery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBzW263n24g/?igshid=12757d5itxki1

 

That Valk is just white Rustoleoum primer. If you’re careful you can get almost complete coverage without clogging things too much, also the contrast white makes it a cool off white. I’ll get you pic of my Primaris marines, they’re sprayed all white and haven’t been painted yet but they look like Star Wars stormtroopers right now.

[HighMarshalAmp]

I’m on my phone so I can’t post pics from my gallery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBzW263n24g/?igshid=12757d5itxki1

 

That Valk is just white Rustoleoum primer. If you’re careful you can get almost complete coverage without clogging things too much, also the contrast white makes it a cool off white. I’ll get you pic of my Primaris marines, they’re sprayed all white and haven’t been painted yet but they look like Star Wars stormtroopers right now.

Whew, that was quick. Thanks!

That looks gorgeous! Love the scheme btw, reminds me a little of these as well:

 

I never was one to do any washes or edge highlights. I prefer to pick out details instead and let real light and shadow do their thing.

My newest army, some Sisters of Battle, even just get jet black primer with no highlights (Heresy, I know).

 

But white... I respect white. I can always go back and highlight, if not wash, my black if I want to some day but I can't highlight dead white.

I see from your pic that underestimated real light though. That white really doesn't need highlights.

[Fajita Fan]

Warhammer 40k stuff tends to have so many nooks and crannies and recesses that you can kinda go top layer while shading that stuff if you’re careful. I haven’t done any recess shading yet but the contrast white really does a nice job with making it look juuuuuust off white if you thin it down. My cell phone camera and light setup doesn’t photograph that plane well so I haven’t posted a pic of it yet at this stage.

 

The second part of this video is what it kinda looks like in real life - maybe at about 10 minutes or so.

 

https://youtu.be/L9_U3RuHqnI

[Ahistorian]

I used a soft wash (ie with an unshaken bottle) of Nuln Oil for my white Marines, and indeed my white non-Stormtroopers - both over a simple undercoat of white spray touched up with white acrylic. Admittedly the photos are potato-quality, but hopefully they give you an idea. The non-Stormies took 8 minutes each.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Ahistorian