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Hi there Dakka.

I know there are a ton of Q&A threads on washes etc, but I've been looking through them and feel I need to ask some specific questions, or for some good advice.

I've seen a lot of great looking BA paint jobs on this site, and while I know it takes time to get to that level, I've just started my first batch and been less than satisfied.

The red I have in mind for my BA army isn't the bright red that you see some players have... but it's also not the dull red that you see a lot of either. I want that happy middle ground, haha. To that end, after reviewing some tutorials online, I settled on the following:

- White prime (sprayed on, GW)
- Red Gore basecoat
- Blood Red over the Red Gore
- Badab Black wash

I have a bunch of tactical marines I'm testing on... so far I've mixed and matched the order in which I apply the layers of paint/wash, but I've found the above-listed order to be the best. I just can't seem to get the same results I've seen in these videos. I see people use washes and they just slather it on the model... and it turns out great. I tried that, only to find black splotches on my flat surfaces... the nooks and crannies look ok, but everything else kinda sucks. I heard drybrushing after the wash with white can really help, but I'm not exactly sure how that works, so that's my next step.

In the meantime, do you have any tips or suggestions for me? I do water down the badab black prior to applying it to the model. I also water down the paints a bit (1:1 for both paints and wash). It could be just a technique thing and I have to get the hang of it... or maybe I'm out to lunch on my colours/wash selection?

When I apply the wash, I apply it to the entire model. Should I just be placing it in the crannies, and leave the flat surfaces alone? I was under the impression the wash was to run off those surfaces anyway, but still give it a bit of character.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! (I can post pics later tonight, but for the moment I do not have any available).

Hi there fatal. I am by no means a pro painter, but I can answer what little I can.
As for washing, you do not need to water it down. What I usually do is splash the wash all over the model, and then blow on it. This tends to move the colour from open areas into the recesses.
Another thing is that you could be watering down your paints a little too much... If your paints are fairly new, I wouldn't worry too much about watering them down.
It will also be easier to give you advice when the pictures show up.

Thanks for the advice.

I was under the impression it was always a good idea to water down the paints, so that's good to know. I'll give that a try tonight as well and see what we come up with.

I'll attempt to get those pictures up first thing when I get home from work.

Alex who also posts on this forum has an amazing tutorial on his website, I do my BA's like this.

http://www.thewaaaghstudios.com/tutorials/bapaint.html

Thanks Thamor. That tutorial is nice and easy to follow. The red is a bit brighter than I had in mind, but I actually like it quite a bit. Better yet, it seems like something I could probably do (and tweak a bit if I wanted to change a few things, like the chest eagle).

Thanks again!

Fatal, when I do a wash it's usually the second step in the process. Basecoat - wash - highlights.

For what you've described I would start with scab red, then a Devlan mud wash, then Red Gore first highlight and then blood red. Make sure the Red gore and blood red are nice and thin.

Post some piccies up, that'll help get you some advice.

FatalGlitch21 wrote:I was under the impression it was always a good idea to water down the paints, so that's good to know.

The idea behind watering down the paints (thinning, is generally the term) is to get them all to a standard thickness. This is about the consistency of full-fat milk, about the time the mix turns from "gel" to "liquid". It's difficult to explain but pretty easy to get to grips with. Reds and yellows are notorious for having quite thin colours and as such may need less to no thinning to get to that consistency (whereas greys, for example, can get very thick indeed).

I really wouldn't recommend using them straight out of the pot without even checking the consistency unless it specifically says to do so (such as the Vallejo Poly Primers )

Hope that helps a bit.

So, with my reds I shouldn't need to water them down. But you recommend putting the paint on a painter's tray or something like that first, instead of using it straight out of the pot?

Definitely, for GW paints. While you can get acceptable tabletop quality (ish) straight from the pot, using a palette will help a lot. The trick with a palette is to take out only a little. I also have a separate brush I use just for thinning and mixing paints on the palette so I don't ruin the point on my painting brush.

Im also a new painter and have had great results using Quickshade which is a thicker dip that can also be applied by brush. If you use the brush method, you can control where you want the "pools" of shadow are to go. A slighter lighter shade of red along the edges of the armor (something Im stilll working on) makes it even better. The Quickshade product along with some dullcoat matte spray help fill in those hard to reach tight areas different colors meet up such as where the skull is on the backpack. It also does wonders for skin tones for helmet-less marines.

Here is a very basic example from their website. It will give you that dark gritty look if thats the direction you want to go.

http://www.thearmypainter.com/gallery_presentation.php?GalleryId=61&Gallery=Dragon Red: Blood Angel&page=1

Although not BA, here is a before and after with my Ultramarines.

Before



After
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Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Thanks LadyCassandra for the tip. I'll definitely give that a try.

Also thanks Rickfactor. I've heard a lot about the dips and have had it recommended to me. I might that a try at some point as well.

Here are the pictures I promised. The model is bad... just a warning! Also, I haven't done any of the details or anything. This is just a trial model to get my red how I like it. Clearly it's not working at the moment.

I appreciate any help you can give me after seeing these pics.


Thanks everyone!