Your way to ink/shadow/contrast?

[Xantippos]

I am curious to see how other modellers confront this spiny subject.

Before, I didn't bother with any shadowing or highlight, and later I discovered that applying artist's black ink, and then washing it off, achieved a very good result, highlighting all the creases and detail everywhere, very quickly and effortlessly. Maybe not a perfect result, but a very good one and good for wargaming.

Question is that the pot itself, being 50 years old has sort of dried up, and now doesn't work not even half as well as it did before.

I have tried Games Workshop Nuln Oil, Vallejo GameColor black ink, Vallejo Wash, and both don't convince me, when you apply looks good, but when it dries it sort of vanishes away, leaving mostly all the figurine darkened, and not much detail highlighted.

I more or less have avoided inks, painting the whole mini black and then applying the next color on top. But this usually gives a very dark appearance, and sort of blurs the general impression. And doesn't look good on classical subjects, in my opinion generally.

I know that for best results, in theory one should be applying lots of different colour layers and highlights, but this method gave me quick and very good details.

Now I am about to buy another pot of artists ink, but it also has the disadvantage that it wears off with water, at least until it has absolutely dried out, which can be a couple of years, but would love to read some of the other techniques / advice used by the great painters of this forum .

[blacksmith]

If you are UK based you can get Mixwax stain polyshades which works as the Army Painting but cheaper and better.
There is also another that works very well which is Clear or Future polish from Johnson and Johnson, to mix it with a bit of ink.
Those two work wonderfully well but I can't get them where I live. What I use is Betumen of Judea water based, for arts and school. It's very easy to work with but the mini gets a bit darker and then it need lights after the wash. It is what I'm using in the last three or four years.
Then there are a lot of home made washes with very similar recipes that you can watch searching on Youtube.

[Xantippos]

THanks for the reply . I had a pot of Betún de Judea for ages, but it dried up. I might try to get some locally. Does it dry ok? I remember it was a bit on the tacky side.

Interesting idea using a ironmongery wood stain. I would have to find a dark one and water based. Might give it a try.

[blacksmith]

THanks for the reply . I had a pot of Betún de Judea for ages, but it dried up. I might try to get some locally. Does it dry ok? I remember it was a bit on the tacky side.

Interesting idea using a ironmongery wood stain. I would have to find a dark one and water based. Might give it a try.

My pleasure
Minwax does wonders but I cannot recall now the name of the specific hue everybody is using (I think it was Walnut but not sure), but it has to be oil based and with polyshades.

The betumen I'm using is acrylic and doesn't dry or get tacky, but oil based always get smoother result. The one water based needs lights after it dries as the figure gets a bit muddier but it isi much easier to use. Here you can see all the Zombicide miniatures with just a wash of oil-based Betumen and with not lights after: http://javieratwar.blogspot.com/2016/02/zomibicide-black-plague.html

I've been tinkering with home made washes. Here's one with varnish and betumen (oil) that gets good results: http://javieratwar.blogspot.com/2009/07/dipping-caos-marauders.html

And here you have another with floor wax and ink: http://javieratwar.blogspot.com/2011/03/magic-wash.html


Cheers,

[PaulRPetri]

Here is the Minwax Polyshade I used back in the day. I gave up on it because of the mineral sprits clean up and the can drying out quickly. I must confess it did give better results than using Future floor wax mixed with inks.
https://www.amazon.com/Minwax-213604444 ... 2157&psc=1
Here is the Johnson Pledge revive it I use now mixed with inks. Dries gloss I use Dull Coat from Testors after that.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/sc-joh ... 39999.html

[PaulRPetri]

Here is a picture of the floor wax.

[blacksmith]

Yes! Tudor is the colour everybody is using with Minwax.
In Spain there is no Pledge nor Klear but I 've just found out a Mercadona floor wax with varnish that I hope it'll work as Klear. Can't wait to try it

[Xantippos]

I will have to try the floor wax and inks . Thanks for all the tips.

[steve_pickstock]

Just a few thoughts on how I the methods I use when inking, or washing.

I often base coat the figure and then wash the whole thing to give depth and shadow to the base colour, which I then paint over with the base colour and highlights. The dark wash stays visible in the depths/shadows.

I also use washes – more carefully applied – to shadow areas and bring out details, (especially on faces) but in a less saturated way, basic just enough and no more.

I use a variety of inks and washes. Mainly I use Games Workshop washes – Reikland Flesh shade, Devlann Mud, and Nuln Oil. I like to mix them because sometimes a wash can be too light or too dark. I tend to stay away from undiluted Black washes as that tends to be too stark.

I did make my own ‘dirty wash’ which I used for the scenery I made last year. I found this on Midwinter Mini’s channel on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BluWvC_nXik&t=254s) and it’s really simple.

You need a bottle of chestnut/peat coloured ink and a bottle of black, some odourless washing up liquid (I found mine in the local supermarket, much to my surprise), water and some matt acrylic medium. Get a decent size bottle and mix the acrylic medium and water in a 50/50 mix, equal amounts of each ink colour and a few drops of the washing up liquid (this breaks up the surface tension of the liquid, and it allows it to flow better). Give it a good shake and you are good to go.

It works out a lot cheaper by volume than even the Vallejo washes, certainly it’s a lot cheaper than GW washes.

[C M Dodson]

Following the always knowledgable Mr Crynns suggestion I use brown umber.

The less is more technique works best.

Too often I have seen superb miniatures with blacked out faces or drips from the eyes as if they have had an emotional night out !

Best wishes,

Chris