Oil Wash and varnish questions

[Lysimachus]

Hello all,

 

I'm thinking about trying a new (for me!) technique on my latest Kill Team. They are a Marines Adamant Angels of Death team - my DIY Chapter whose colour scheme is a similar base green to the DA, but with a more feral, grungy feel.

 

I'd like to give them a dark black/brown oil wash, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing with regard to preparation before the wash.

 

1. Do I need to gloss varnish before the wash?

 

2. If so, do I need to thin the gloss varnish? I usually paint my varnish on with a brush, if that changes anything, as I don't currently have a working airbrush, but I do find it sometimes goes on a bit thick and I'm concerned about filling in the details and the oil wash then not having anywhere to go?

 

3. If I should thin the varnish, what with? Will water do the trick? Or does it need to be something specific?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give!

 

 

Edited January 24 by Lysimachus

[apologist]

1 hour ago, Lysimachus said:

I'd like to give them a dark black/brown oil wash, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing with regard to preparation before the wash.

 

1. Do I need to gloss varnish before the wash?

 

2. If so, do I need to thin the gloss varnish? I usually paint my varnish on with a brush, if that changes anything, as I don't currently have a working airbrush, but I do find it sometimes goes on a bit thick and I'm concerned about filling in the details and the oil wash then not having anywhere to go?

 

3. If I should thin the varnish, what with? Will water do the trick? Or does it need to be something specific?

 

1 – You don't need to, but it's advisable to do so. Acrylics form an impermeable seal, so you can apply oils over the top safely. However, the thinner (turps, sansodor, white spirit etc.) that you use can damage/remove some of the underlying acrylic paint, particularly if you're rough in removing it. For that reason, while it's not necessary (see below) it's a sensible idea to apply varnish of some sort prior to applying the oils – gloss or matt is up to you.

 

If you have used Contrast (or similar) paints, or inks, or are intending to use transfers, then you should apply varnish before letting oils or thinner near the miniature – the binders in those media aren't as resilient as those in typical acrylics, and transfers can be easily damaged.

 

  

The Gatebreaker on the left was painted with an oil glaze straight on top of the acrylics; the one on the right had a spray varnish (Hambrol acrylic spray varnish: matt) applied before the oils. 

 

 

2 – Brush-on varnish will tend to form a thicker layer than spray, and can retain brushmarks/fill in finer details – but if you're not too heavy-handed with it, it's unlikely to be a problem.

 

3 – This depends on the varnish you're using. Some are water-soluble, and those are fine to thin with water or other media. Others need to be thinned with a solvent like mineral spirits. It should say on the bottle – feel free to post a pic if you're unsure, and hopefully I or another frater can help.

 

If you're using water-soluble varnish, then you could experiment with trying flow enhancer/improver medium (such as from Winsor & Newton or Daler-Rowney). This will increase the fluidity, which will help to avoid filling in details. 

 

+++

 

Whatever you're using, and whatever combination of acrylics, varnish, thinner and oils you're trying, I advise you test things first – on some leftover pouches or excess weapons on a sprue, for example. That way you can compare like for like very easily: one with oils straight on top, one with neat brush-on varnish applied first, and one with thinned brush-on varnish applied. Be quite vigorous when removing the oil on these test pieces, as it'll give you some idea of how much pressure you can apply before you start to damage or remove the acrylic paint.

 

  

Before (left) and after (right) applying a heavy wash of oils.

 

The heavy wash in place – a cotton bud is run gently over the flat areas, working from the top of the area downwards, in smooth long strokes. The cotton bud wipes away the thin wash of oil, leaving it in the recesses. Be gentle – it comes away easily, and there's no need to scrub. In fact, scrubbing's makes it more likely that you'll work through the varnish and damage the paint beneath. 

 

This figure can be seen on the far left of the 'before' picture, and far-right of the 'after' picture.

 

Hope that helps, and looking forward to seeing the results you get. Oils are great fun and very rewarding to use.

Edited January 24 by apologist

[Codex Grey]

As for point 1) As I understand it, you gloss varnish before the wash so you protect the paint underneath when you wipe/remove the parts of the wash you don't want. The wash also flows better over the varnish, leaving less oil paint on flat areas and more in the recesses. 

However, you don't have to varnish if you use a gentler approach. It might take a bit more time, but if you apply the wash only to the places you want it to affect the model, and gently remove or thin it from areas you want the effect to be reduced (or where you misplaced/spilled the oil paint) using mostly the effect of the whitespirit/thinner, you can completely skip the gloss varnish step.

 

The boys from Siege Studios talk about it in this podcast. Maybe you'll find this method more fun or useful and less of a hassle? Though, maybe try it on some spare sprue or bits first...

Spoiler

 

 

 

EDIT: Too slow, and less informative...

 

Edited January 24 by Codex Grey

[Lysimachus]

Thank you very much, both very helpful!

 

The varnish I've currently got is Daler Rowney Soluble Gloss Varnish for acrylic colour... I'm assuming by soluble, it means water soluble? Can't see it specified on the label...

 

I normally just put it on as the second to last step (the final step being a coat of matte varnish to take the shine off) so it doesn't matter too much if it is a bit gloopy, but if I'm going to varnish and then do more work such as the oil wash, I really don't want to fill the little details in.

 

A related question, how does an all-over oil wash compare with an oil pin wash? Similar result? Is either one simpler or harder to accomplish?

 

 

Edited January 24 by Lysimachus

[PeteySödes]

Pin wash you just kinda touch thinned oil paint into a crevasse and it works through capillary action to flow naturally into the cracks. Over all wash will darken or be used as a first step toward the reduction technique that Apologist went over. All great tools, I've been really into oils lately and its honestly so fun. Def give it a go!

Edited January 24 by PeteySödes

[apologist]

1 hour ago, Lysimachus said:

The varnish I've currently got is Daler Rowney Soluble Gloss Varnish for acrylic colour... I'm assuming by soluble, it means water soluble? Can't see it specified on the label...

 

I normally just put it on as the second to last step (the final step being a coat of matte varnish to take the shine off) so it doesn't matter too much if it is a bit gloopy, but if I'm going to varnish and then do more work such as the oil wash, I really don't want to fill the little details in.

 

A related question, how does an all-over oil wash compare with an oil pin wash? Similar result? Is either one simpler or harder to accomplish?

 

Is it the System3 one? If so, that's a solvent-based varnish, and needs to be thinned with spirits. If you don't have any thinners, you can use watered-down rubbing alcohol (3:2 proportions of alcohol to water), or – if you don't mind sacrificing your Amasec supplies – vodka or gin, which can be used just as they are.

 

I use the matt version of that, and it is quite viscous. I tend to find that you can get away without thinning it for larger areas, but if you're concerned, then thinning it a little is probably advisable. Just be careful not to thin it too much, as then it won't protect the surface – a delicate balance! If you have the time, you can apply multiple thinned-down coats to ensure you get a smooth surface that also preserves the details; just make sure you leave each to dry thoroughly. When leaving varnish to dry, put the models under a box or something to prevent dust settling and sticking to them.

 

All over washes (like the Gatebreakers examples) tint and tone the colour. You can see here where the oil warms and mutes the yellow and green.

 

 

 

...While a pin wash is more controlled. This has the advantage of affecting the colours less, and being more controllable. If you've applied transfers (like the Salamanders examples below), it's a good way of keeping them safe and bright. 

 

Before (left) and after a pin wash has been applied to the armour joints. These models have not had any varnish applied at any stage.

 

Basically, all-over washes give warmer, more harmonious results as they tie every element of the model together. Pin washes give cleaner results with more 'pop'  and impact because they heighten the contrast without affecting the hue of the colours.

 

Since you're applying it and then leaving it to do its work, with no interaction  with (i.e. wiping/cleaning) the surface afterwards, pin washes can be applied straight onto the paint – there's no varnish necessary. A gloss coat over the top, however, will provide a smooth surface that encourages the oil to run, and will give a cleaner result still.

 

 

In terms of ease, neither's really easier or harder than the other. Pin washes take longer to set up, and require a more careful application, but once they're on, you just need to leave them. All-over washes are (to me at least) a lot more painterly and relaxing, and removing the excess with a cotton bud can be a lot of fun as you reveal the effect.

 

If you're experimenting, I'd thoroughly encourage all-over washes first, as they showcase what oils can do really well.

 

Hope that helps :)

Edited January 24 by apologist