Light & Shade: A few questions about washes

[atomicholiday]

I've done some research on here and around the web regarding washes and I'm gonna give it a shot. I'm mainly interested in bringing more depth to my chassis, engine, and interior assemblies. Just basically adding more definition to everything. I'm using a mix of Tamiya acrylics and water for the wash, and I would like to apply them over Testors enamel and acrylics, and Tamiya acryilic.

Got a few questions though:

1. Is it recommended to apply wash over gloss finish or can I get away with putting it on top of a flat? My concern is that the flat will absorb to much of the wash and make it difficult to remove the excess.
2. Should I apply the wash over the entire surface or try to keep it mainly in the creases? This may vary depending on the desired effect, but what's your preferred method for adding depth & realism.
3. Should the wash dry completely (or at all) before cleaning off the high spots?

Thanks for your input gentlemen!

[Erik Smith]

I am no expert, but I really think washes are important for realistic looking models. I have done quite a bit of "looking around' too, to see what works, etc (look at military modelers, they are stringent when it comes to realism and have, IMHO, a better grasp of the wash thing than most auto modelers).

Here is what I have learned:

1. A dull paint will hold on to more of the wash and give the piece and overall darker hue - too dark for many instances. It works best to apply washes to a glossy surface and then add whatever sheen you want after.

2. Totally dpends on the situation and the look you are after. I apply to the whole part if I am looking to change the entire part and include crease shading. I will carefully apply only to the creases if I am trying to keep a cleaner, "new" look - but avoiding that lack of depth no wash leaves.

3. I dab excess off while the wash is still wet. It becomes tricky to remove once it's dry because you have to keep paint compatabilities in mind. What I mean is, if the base coat you are placing the wash is removed with the same thinner you are removing the wash with, you will ruin your paint - which I have done. I mostly use water based washes from Citadel - the black, mud, and sepia being the most used.

On this chassis, I painted it with Tamiya spray then washed with Vallejo dark gray, then thinned out and "dabbed" (with a paper towel), to remove excess on the high spots to increase contrast.

Here is close up of the rear end - I used Citadel black and sepia (two colors can add some great depth, as on the U joints)

Here i just added light washes to creases (valve covers) and a wash over the entire bell housing to slightly chnage the aluminum shade from the transmission:

It's really fun just to experiment!

Also, check out some of Harry's work HERE - he uses a mix of cheap acrylic paints and Future. I have experimented with the technique and it gives a very nice subtle wash, although some of my acrylics don't seem to like to dissolve completely in the Future.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Erik Smith

[atomicholiday]

Thanks for the response Erik. That's pretty much what I thought, but I wanted confirmation before I tried it and risked messing up hours of work.

By the way, that chassis looks awesome. What kind of car is that? Riviera? Nice work.

[guitarsam326]

just thought I'd add my two sense, I totally agree with Erik on execution and the fun part, I just wanted to say that india ink has endless uses from grease stains to bringing out creases in leather seats, I use the stuff on everything!

[DrGlueblob]

Illustration ink also comes in sepia.