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I apologize if it isn't displayed well in the picture but I have had a serious problem with my Vallejo off white cracking around detailed areas upon drying. This effect is greatly worsened with the use of any wash. I've tried a few solutions but nothing seems to work! Any tips?


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let me see if I can get a better photo, you can't see the small black lines forming around the detail from my pic. sorry!

Hopefully better


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It can be seen fairly well when maximized on the second picture

Try to thin paint more.

Possibly skin oils on the mini? I cant see well from the photos to be honest

Skippy wrote:Possibly skin oils on the mini? I cant see well from the photos to be honest

I am going to say oils from skin contact also. I have very oily skin and my hands sweat alot. I use gloves when I have them. If I dont the oil from my skin will wear the paint right off my models. I handle my CSM's by the pack nobs because I paint them last. Also if you eat or drink while painting some flavoring's in snack food can be very corosive.

Cant really see from the picks? Could be the wash is a bit think? or the bottle needs a good shake?

oh thanks for the help! These are all great suggestions sorry for the pictures, I know they are not the best quality.

I am sorry but these solutions/suggestions are wrong. You have thinned the paint too much and have not mixed it enough.

Paint is made up of different components; pigment, binder and carrier. When paint cracks like that it is the result of not enough binder being mixed into the paint, so that means that the paint was to thin, and applied to thickly, and/or the paint was not mixed enough.

If it was oil from the skin, then the paint would be pooling, not cracking.

Ashton

Yup.

Vallejo paints are notorious for needing to be shaken vigorously before use because they tend to settle out of their emulsifiers. What you've got is a thick mat of pigment slathered on way too thick without proper binder.

When the water evaporates out of the paint as it dries, the material on top cracks and peels, just think of a desert:



The wash you're then applying isn't exacerbating the problem, it's merely showing you how bad the problem already is.

What I'd do is make sure that you're thoroughly mixing your paints before you use them, and apply the coats in much thinner layers, using multiple thinner coats rather than just one really thick one.

Thanks. That certainly was the problem. I wanted to speed paint a couple of the new dark eldar to test out the paint scheme. quickly throwing on a thick coat was most certainly the issue. I took some time on another area and it worked much better. Thin and layers are always my friend. Sometimes I just get so excited to see a group together I forget what I've learned D'OH! Thanks for the helpful responses.