Is washes worth it?

I have never tried out washes, do you guys think it is worth it? Which ones are the most important ones if you follow the standard painting scheme? I am considering trying out a couple if I get some good feedback.

Thanks

 

They are gold. I'm considering getting some acrylic glaze medium instead though.

 

IMO you absolutely need one of either inks or washes. They can so quickly and easily add a massive amount of depth and detail to your models.

If you just want to mess around with a couple, I suggest starting with badab black and devlan mud. The browns tend to be better than the other colours, and devlan mud is extremely versatile and useful on most models for adding a bit of 'dirty' shading.

 

I am familiar with inks but I have tried to cut down on the usage as it seems to look better the less ink you "can" use.

Does washes work in the same way or do I use a different technique to apply it?

 

The GW washes are very different from inks. You can paint them straight on without thinning, and they dry very fast with the same matte finish as any normal GW paint so you don't have to worry about it getting too glossy. They can really help to speed up your painting and add some depth if you don't feel like taking the time to do a bunch of layering. I'm suggest the black wash, devlan mud, and then whatever colours would be a complimentary shade to your main army colours.

 

I don't know what I would do without my GW washes.

 

Meh... Washes.

You can achieve the same result with thinned out paint as you can with a wash, and frankly, I prefer the thinned out paint.

Cheers!

 

Hehe I never thin out my paints, I hate when the painting floats everywhere and doesn't stick to the surface. I guess if I practiced perhaps I would get a better result but somehow it just feels wrong and that my result gets worse. Thinning inks? they are already like water, how does that help in getting a better result? I am sure they do get better, just don't see how.

I know that people seem to despise not thinning down when painting but perhaps I've developed a technique that doesn't support thin colors? I don't know.

 

Only if you use acrylic glaze medium which, like the stuff in washes, breaks water tension, making thin coats spread over the model much better and dry a bit differently.

 

I agree.

For me devlan mud is a must as some of you already said.... I also use badab black and started to use asurmen blue for my skinks aswell and they all do a very fine job!

 

Any rocommendations for washes on red models, varying shades from blood red and darker?

 

You need to thin inks because while they are already really thin, they have a very high pigment. Used straight from the bottle they are extremely dark. Thinned with water they will give a more subtle look.

Definitely thin down your paints. You don't need to heavily, just a little bit. If you use it straight from the pot, it goes on very thick and obscures detail, plus it can dry too fast and crack or give a very uneven coat. Several thin coats of paint will always give a better result than one thick coat.

 

Mix Baal red with the Purple wash (forget the name) and Badab Black in a 2:1:1 ratio. then apply.

Instant nice red.