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Ok so I started on the PSU marines I want to get partially done for this weekend. The termies and the Chaplain I primed white. Then to get a head start on the shading and get the details/crevaces to become obvious I put a black wash on it. While it dried, I breifly entertained the thought of leaving it like that (I love that film noir greyscale look.)

Now, an hour later, I find that the bottom of the crevasses is bone white, while the dark parts are ~1mm or so away! Every raised rivet has a white halo around it etc. I am kind of stunned, and a little frustrated. Not a single crack or crevass took any black.

Now I had a similar reaction before, putting black india ink watered down on white primed models. I figured it was the ink. But now... I don't know. I have other white primed models that I put a reddish brown wash on, and that worked fine (and looked pretty sweet), as well as having used the Citadel Foundation Grey paint on models in a wash that worked fine.

Any ideas as to why this happened, and how to avoid it in the future?

Hi Wehrkind,

It could have something to do with the ratio of water to paint.  I tried this with my imitation black ink wash using a matte medium, much like Necros' in his Baneblade Log, but I had similar problem as you around the rivets.

one thing that I have found is either inking one portion of a model at a time. Then let that dry with the painted area perpendicular to the ground so gravity does not have as great effect on how the ink flows. Or, keep the paint not as diluted as normal, and then basically black line the model before painting.

Hope these might help

I honestly don't know how I got mine to come out right, but hooray for happy accidents

Maybe it's because I used black paint instead of black ink? Or it could have been the way I applied the wash, since it was beading up as I painted it on in some places, I just kept brushing back and forth over the area till the beading stopped. I did 1 armor plate at a time and didn't move on to the next one till it was dry and I liked the look. I did a couple of coats to get darker washes in some areas and I also went back with a smaller brush and more wash to kept the it wet around the rivets and in the cracks while the rest of it dried on the flat surfaces. I just had to babysit the drying process, but it wasn't so bad since it dried pretty quick.

I don't know. I used just the regular black paint I generally use, and in fact it is the same black wash I have used on other models (I mixed a bottle of it for easy use later.)
I ended up black lining a lot, but I had really been trying to avoid doing that since it is a pain, and I am lazy. Plus on white models it is alittle difficult to cover mistakes.
I suppose I will try again tonight with the Foundation grey, and see if that helps. Oi, so much for saving time by way of a wash

Posted By Wehrkind on 10/31/2007 10:31 AM
Any ideas as to why this happened, and how to avoid it in the future?

Future being the operative word. I used to have this happen and it was explained to me although I've since forgotten. I think it has something to do with surface tension and evaporation. To get an ink wash to work right, run out and buy some Future Floor Finish. It's sold as a floor polish, but is actually a clear acrylic paint, and when mixed 1:4 with water, is similar to the key ingredient in "Wonder Wash" and "Magic Sauce". When added to your chosen pigment, it helps improve flow, keeps washes in crevaces, and can even be used as a sealant when you're finished.

Unfortunately it can be a bit too shiny, so you may want to use artists' Flow Improver instead or just hit it with dullcoat when you're done.

Okay, this is a total guess, but I betting that it's a matter of surface tension. The pigment is probably bunching up at the meniscus or something, rather than getting down into the crevasses. Try breaking the surface tension a little by adding a small amount of soap to your wash next time.

hmmm that makes a lot of sense. I sort of recall reading in the "How to Paint Citadel Miniatures" book that a little PVA glue helped it stick to crevases, and soap made it spread out more evenly, but from a highschool physics/chemistry standpoint I think you two are correct. I will try adding a little soap and see what happens. Considering I am having issues with cheap craftstore black paint, and not with comparitively expensive Foundation, that is probably exactly the problem.
I will try it tonight and let you know! Thanks

Yup - it is probably that hhe cheap black paint has chalk or something as a thickener that seperates when heavily dilluted. it also can be the tap water has impurities - "hard" calcium water or chlorinated. You might try using distilled water then.

I find that pure pigment paints like vallejo rarely give me problems like these with washes.

It has everything to do with surface tension and pigment.

When the pigment is wet, it rises to the top (or as Triggerbaby more correctly put it, the meniscus) and when dried is left on top, leaving the valley devoid of the pigment.

To prevent this, you have to break the surface tension in the way that Elusive describes. Anything will do, even dish soap. Which is why people love future floor wax so much as it is an acrylic medium which also breaks surface tension.

All water based washes must have the surface tension broken or similar results as to what you describe will happen on a predictably regular basis.

YAY! I will take this information and get those bad boys painted and posted post haste!

Or really FedEx haste... the "post" doesn't do much of anything except hand it to you these days.

Thanks again guys!