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Can anyone give me pointers/tutorials on this?

I feel like every time i try and water down i somehow water too much? then when applying on model it comes out almost like it has little bubbles on the brush.

hmm?

Sounds like you are thinning the paints a bit too much. How are you mixing the water and the paint? If using the bristles of a brush, that can cause bubbles. Use a toothpick or the butt end of a brush handle.

There is no hard and fast rule to thinning down your paints. Different brands, and the type of paint within each brand will change the amount of water you use. For example foundation paint requires more water than regular, but there's a couple of points to remember.

1. Use a palette. Mixing is always done of a palette, this allows you to see the consistency.
2. Use an old brush to dispense the paint. You generally want just enough to work with, you can always add more paint, its harder to get the paint back in the pot though.
3. Always work one drop of water at a time, you can use an eye dropper or an old brush to transfer the water, but do it with restraint.
4. You want the paint to be the consistency of milk. This means it goes on easy, but doesn't run. This is the trickiest part, and often only practice is the key.

Hope that helps

Put a blob of paint on your pallet first (or a plate). Instead of mixing the water directly into the paint. Put the drop of water down about an inch away. Then use the brush to drag a tiny amount of water into the edge of the paint. Don't over do it, or start mixing them, they will mix themselves as you paint, all you are doing at the moment is connecting them.

What you get is a blob of paint which is pure paint on one side, and watery on the other. You can then dip your brush somewhere in the middle to find the perfect consistency. The paint will naturally thicken as it dries, so you can keep on brushing in more water to keep it perfect. (Or use a wet pallet).

Smacks wrote:What you get is a blob of paint which is pure paint on one side, and watery on the other. You can then dip your brush somewhere in the middle to find the perfect consistency. The paint will naturally thicken as it dries, so you can keep on brushing in more water to keep it perfect. (Or use a wet pallet).

That is a great idea! i just discovered how to thin paints myself and this tip is great! i am gonna try this for sure tomorrow! thnx!

Smacks wrote:Put a blob of paint on your pallet first (or a plate). Instead of mixing the water directly into the paint. Put the drop of water down about an inch away. Then use the brush to drag a tiny amount of water into the edge of the paint. Don't over do it, or start mixing them, they will mix themselves as you paint, all you are doing at the moment is connecting them.

What you get is a blob of paint which is pure paint on one side, and watery on the other. You can then dip your brush somewhere in the middle to find the perfect consistency. The paint will naturally thicken as it dries, so you can keep on brushing in more water to keep it perfect. (Or use a wet pallet).

Exactly the same technique that I use.

I use only distilled water. You can get a gallon of it for really cheap. I filled up about three eyedropper-bottles from Reaper with the stuff and used the rest for cooking.

I also add a single drop of Reaper's Flow Improver. This allows you to water down your paints without completely destroying the adhering agent and creating those splotchy effects.

Finally, I just prefer using paints that come in dropper bottles. It allows me to control the mix.

Other people use an old brush to mix. I just prefer the back of a brush I'm using at the time. Stir vigorously. Note that the paint may 'settle' over time, so give the paint mix another stir on occasion.

Use a palette. I like the ones with concave holes in it rather than the flat-surfaces or tiles I sometimes see. You can get stupidly cheap ones from any old art store. If you're not into using a wet-palette yet, the quality of your palette is mostly irrelevant.

As Smacks said above, that's a great way to mix small amounts of paint.

Finally, one thing that I found really useful is to grab a sprue, violently slash a texture into it, and use that as a judge as to whether or not your paint is too thin or too thick. Too thin and the coverage will be uneven and/or just flow off. Too thick and you will barely be able to see the slash marks.

I am just as horrible at finding the right consistency of water to paint ratio. Instead, I use another technique, I run the tip of my brush around in the cup of water gently. (don't let the hair on your brush spread!) Then I brush lightly across a napkin two or three times to get excess water out. And THEN I dip my brush in the paint and start painting. I then repeat this after three or four dips in the paint. I find doing this much easier than mixing water in the paint only to find it too wet, and then have to wait for some of the water to dry out again....either that or wash all the paint out and try again.

Thank you, Smacks, for keeping me from having to type that all out again. I used to try and add water by the brushload, but it always ended with "too thick, too thick, too thick, tinted water... crap!"

Personally, I use a DIY wet palette, but using a round-welled white plastic palette can also help you get a feel for proper thinning, if you're the type that wants hard and fast ratios. You can simply draw your brush up the side to judge both the flow and the translucency of your current mix, allowing you to dial in a precise number of drops "recipe" for your given paint and intended task.