How To Use Washes On Miniatures

Using washes when painting your miniatures can salvage you a ton of time. They're great at apace shading a model to give it depth, and it'south really easy to do. It's perfect if you've got to batch paint a lot of stuff, or you just want to relieve some time.

Similar anything in miniature painting, there'southward a few tips and tricks that will get a long way to helping y'all get the effect you lot want.

I'll prove you how to wash your miniatures and share what I've learned over the years. Using washes isn't complicated, but there are a few little tips and tricks that will aid y'all achieve the best outcome.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, significant, at no boosted cost to y'all, I will earn a committee if you click through and brand a purchase. The commission earned helps maintain this site.

Where Practise Yous Buy Washes?

Kickoff things kickoff, where do you buy washes for your miniatures?

You can detect them at pretty much whatsoever local gaming store. The ones you'll almost commonly see are from Citadel/Games Workshop. They come in tall pots. Another pop line y'all'll often find is from The Army Painter, as well as those from Vallejo.

For the almost office, miniature washes are the same regardless of who makes it. Some are a little different from others, but the objective of each 1 is the same, even if they accept different coverage or behavior. So, don't worry about who makes information technology and buy whatever is available to you.

If you're on a budget, or simply tin can't afford to buy every wash all at once (basically almost of the states), then you can go away with just having a black wash and brownish wash for near everything. Those are the two I recommend get-go, and from at that place simply buy what y'all tin can when you lot can.

Having a greenish launder and sepia wash are also very handy. Almost of the other colors are very situational, only useful to take at some point.

I also wanted to mention the gloss washes that Citadel has. If you're sealing your miniatures, which you really need to be doing, so there'due south no point in getting a gloss wash. Once you seal the miniature it will tone downwards the glossy effect.

If you desire a glossy look on something, then afterwards the miniature is sealed yous tin utilize a brush on gloss varnish for the areas you desire shiny.

Now, here's a not bad video by Vince Venturella where he talks about, and shows, the difference between the different washes and inks for miniatures by different companies.

What is a Wash?

So, what is a wash exactly?

Well, you can think of information technology as thinned out paint. It's very watery and you won't apply it in the same mode every bit a normal paint.

The fashion it works is that when y'all apply it to a model, the launder volition build up in areas that have seams or depth to information technology. Then, when information technology dries, those areas where it was the heaviest volition have a darker shade to them.

See, with a launder being so thin and watery, when your brush goes over the model it will naturally pool up in edges, seems, textured areas, and deeper areas to create a natural looking shade.

Depending on how thick you employ a wash will depend on how long it takes to dry out. If you go actually heavy then information technology can take an hour to dry out. Most of the time though, you won't be going that heavy, and it should dry out in most fifteen minutes, even less sometimes.

Quick Tip: Allow a wash fully dry earlier painting over it. If information technology'due south non fully dry and then you will lift up the paint with your brush and ruin the surface area.

How to Use a Wash

You lot'll want to load upward your brush pretty heavily with the wash. I like to utilize the Citadel Medium Shade Brush for most things I work on. The advantage of the shade brush is that it has a large belly. So, information technology can concord a lot more compared to a standard layer or detail brush.

However, you can use a normal layer brush as well; I did for years and years.

Once your brush is loaded you lot'll want to elevate your brush over the miniature to deposit the wash. At present, the way y'all want to do this is by dragging the brush into and up against the areas that should take the most shading.

Let's say you have a cloak you're working on. You'll want to drag the brush towards the folds of the cloak. What that volition do is leave the launder on the sides of the fold where information technology should be darker.

The arrows betoken at the high points, the folds, of the cloak. When I washed the cloak I pulled the brush towards those folds, depositing information technology in the lower areas, and shading it as you tin can run across above.

Here's another example but on flesh.

Again, using the arrows I'one thousand showing some of the areas I pulled the brush towards to let the shading build up.

Think of it like wood, if you're familiar with woodworking, and you want to go against the grain.

Video Tutorial for Washes

I recently did a quick'ish video showing how to use a wash. It covers nearly of what's mentioned in this commodity, though this article does become in depth a bit more than.

Layering and Cleaning Upwardly a Wash

Information technology'due south too worth mentioning that in both of those examples I painted other layers of paint later I done the expanse.

Come across, there's ii common approaches when you're using a wash. Ane is to simply apply it to the area and call information technology adept. Another arroyo is to launder an expanse and then to layer it up subsequently; typically with the same base coat color.

So, the Daemon Prince above, I painted the flesh a blue-white color. I and then washed it all with black. Afterwards, I came dorsum with that same blue-white and layered the skin while leaving the recesses shaded. That's how you lot get a nice clean await.

In fact, everything on that Daemon Prince was done so layered upwards: armor, wings, skin, horns, etc.

I did the same for that ruby cloak above every bit well. Information technology was base coated in red and washed with a dark-brown. I then layered reddish over it later to clean it up and bring the color back upwards.

Miniature Washing Tips

Some useful tips and communication I've learned over the years. I've made a lot of mistakes while learning, and so possibly I can relieve some of you those headaches.

Also, it gets a niggling technical below and at that place'south some painting terminology existence used. If you're unfamiliar with some of the terms then be certain to bank check out my glossary of miniature painting terms.

Don't Go Too Heavy

Most of the fourth dimension you don't desire to go besides heavy with a wash. It'southward better to exercise it lighter a few times to go it only right than to put too much on and take it non look right.

That being said, most of the fourth dimension I but observe I need one coat. Once you've done it quite a fleck then you get the hang of how much you need without overdoing it.

If you go too heavy then the launder can pool upwardly as well much in areas and instead of shading information technology, it will change the colour to that of the wash yous used. Nothing wrong with that if it'south your intent, just it sucks when it'south not.

With that, once you've applied information technology to the areas you lot desire information technology, glance over it earlier you set up it down to dry. Make sure there's no areas with too much wash. The wash will naturally motion effectually a flake while you're painting (more on that below).

If you run into an area that has too much on it then but grab your brush and drag information technology around to thin out that spot. Yous practise want to do this quickly though. If the wash has started to dry, and you elevate your brush over the area, and then you're going to lift the pigment from the model and create a blank spot.

At that place'southward no easy disengage with washes once information technology's dried on your miniature. If you mess up and then y'all'll need to repaint that expanse and try again. Y'all can apply blending techniques to correct some issues, but information technology'due south ofttimes a long and irksome process; been there, done that, and it sucks.

Thin Out the Wash for More than Control

If you want even more control with your washes then add in some Lahmian Medium, or some other acrylic pigment medium.

What this does is thins it out and gives you much better control over information technology. The medium will break downwardly the surface tension in the launder and spread out the paint more. Information technology's keen for very thin coats with fine command.

Basically, it turns it into a glaze at that bespeak.

Lahmian Medium is a great when added into a wash

By using a medium like this, information technology also lets you exercise some blending pretty easily. Y'all'll exist able to utilise multiple thin layers in succession to create a blend. This would exist similar to the blending technique I similar to use but instead uses washes. It'due south actually how I started learning to blend.

Using Washes for Skin

One of my favorite ways to pigment human peel is by using a thinned out mankind launder, similar Reikland Fleshshade. Past adding the Lahmian Medium and thinning information technology out, information technology lets me get the shading but correct by doing a few thin coats.

I find straight launder over human being skin tones doesn't wait very good; it's often a flake as well stiff and as well too dark. And then, I sparse it out and build it up as needed.

Here's two examples:

Washing Large Flat Surfaces

Using a medium is as well ideal if you're trying to wash large areas. Trying to wash something with large flat surfaces, like a tank, can come up out looking splotchy. It's just difficult to motion the launder effectually evenly and become a consequent coat on the model. However, with a medium you lot'll thin it out and take more command. It makes you less likely to have splotchy looking areas.

Some painters will fifty-fifty use a drop of dish detergent in their washes. Similar a medium, the dish detergent volition interruption the surface tension and allow for more fifty-fifty coverage.

Work in Sections, Not All at Once

While it does have a trivial fourth dimension for a launder to fully dry, y'all do want to move speedily when applying it. In only a few minutes it tin can get-go to dry in areas. If y'all're nevertheless moving your brush around then you tin hit one of those drying spots and elevator the pigment; in turn ruining everything. It sucks.

To avoid that I like to piece of work in sections. So, using that Daemon pictured in a higher place, doing i arm upward to the shoulder pad is a practiced section. Because the model is wearing a tabard of sorts, from the waist down is another skilful section.

Newton's Law of Gravity

The other reason to work in section is gravity. Gravity is going to pull the launder downwards, which is pretty naturally how shading works – non in every situation of grade, just by and large.

So, if you're washing a lot of sections at once so you lot're moving and tipping the model to reach unlike areas. While y'all're doing that, the launder y'all've already applied is also moving around on the miniature. The upshot tin exist information technology drying in places it wasn't intended to exist, like running into parts of the model it wasn't meant for, or simply drying in an unnatural way.

That's the biggest reason I like to piece of work in sections, to let my launder dry naturally without being moved around as well much. It takes more time when you're working on the model to work in sections, simply you're less probable to have any mistakes as well.

Choose the Right Color

This is more than of a color theory thing but it's yet worth mentioning.

As I said above, you tin get away with just a black and brown wash to start. Still, it is dainty to eventually have most of the nuts covered and have a selection to choose from.

The reason I say that is yous tin can get some really interesting looks with certain washes over certain base coats. Also, most colors tend to exist a darker version of themselves, so using a black over ruby-red works just it's not ideal.

Speaking of, an example would be that using a dark-green launder over a crimson base coat gives you a very natural looking darker red. You lot can even use a royal for an interesting look.

Green wash over red works great for shading — These Bloodletters were shaded with a nighttime green wash.

Too, using a blue over light-green can give a more natural shade every bit well. I like using a purple or cherry over gilded metallics to really give it an interesting depth.

In fact, Sable Warlord did a bully tutorial on painting gold where he shows his use of washes for a great issue.

I will admit that color theory is not my potent arrange at all, and so I learn a lot about this from experimenting – basic trial and error. My point is more well-nigh trying something different and realizing that shadows aren't just blackness.

How to Make Your Ain Wash

If you mix in some Lahmian Medium, or another acrylic medium, with a normal layer paint then you can create a launder from it. I find a ratio of l/50 works pretty well for most paints.

Then, you aren't stuck with the colors that companies put out, yous can create your ain washes for your miniatures to suit your needs. I do this quite a flake and is just another reason why I love Lahmian Medium.

Painting a Miniature with Only Washes

This is something I've done a few times and I love doing it – painting a miniature with simply washes.

How you do it is very, very simple. Kickoff, you prime your miniature in white. You could use grayness primer as well, depending on the tones y'all want, but I similar to apply white because you tin can darken it all y'all want but you can't lighten a color with a wash.

Afterward the model is primed, just launder away!

Y'all'll demand a good selection of washes to brand this piece of work well, or make your own, and often you'll need a few layers of dissimilar washes to become the desired color, but that'south part of the fun I feel. You lot just experiment and have fun with it.

Here's a few miniatures I've painted in this way to requite you an thought of what you can accomplish with just washes. I did also use some glazes in these, as well as a piffling dry brushing for highlights. All very basic techniques.

Tabletop Quality Painting with Washes

This is a video I shot in 2013, so a while ago. It's actually the first video I ever did for Creative Twilight.

Anyway, the video shows me painting a Grot with washes for some quick and easy tabletop quality work. There's some tips and communication in there every bit well.

Decision

If you're a new miniature painter then definitely try washes. It'southward piece of cake to get some skillful-looking shading on your models with minimal effort. Fifty-fifty if yous're a veteran painter yous should consider using washes if you haven't. It's a huge fourth dimension saver when you've got a lot to paint.

Also, it's worth noting that as with other simple painting techniques, using washes for miniatures has a flake of a stigma to it in the painting community. Some people wait down on information technology and feel that if you didn't spend hours shading your miniatures then you're doing information technology wrong.

Ignore that crap. Paint however you desire as long as you lot're happy doing it. Paint to please yourself and not anybody else. It'due south the result that matters, not the technique you used to get there.

For more tutorials check out the links below. I besides have a guide to miniature painting that serves equally a singular resource for every painter.

Lastly, if y'all're a new painter, or even a veteran, then check out my list of supplies every painter needs. That covers the basics that you need to take, too every bit some premium tools that are handy when y'all can get effectually to it. Yous might find something there yous hadn't thought of before.

Anyone else have some tips and advice for using washes on miniatures?

Miniature Painting Techniques & Guides

Acquire the nuts, every bit well as the avant-garde techniques, of miniature painting.

Author
Recent Posts

I have been in the miniature hobby since 2006 when some friends introduced me to Warhammer 40K. I'm a huge fan of Claret Bowl and I take an endless collection of teams for it.

I dear painting miniatures and teaching people how to pigment. I besides really honey blogging, so I've combined those two passions here.