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Temp.. don't use the wash over primer when using black.. doesn't matter which primer you use if you are painting over it.. then use the washes on the painted areas.

I think I'm gonna have to drive down to Escondido to buy you a round for all the things you do for the painting community.

I'm down

Here's another question, what label paper do you use for those bottles and what program do you use to design and print the labels? I don't really feel like having sharpie labels for 38 different washes.

I use Avery Full sheet adhesive paper. Then cut to size after printing. After you have the paper you can download their label making software online.

Ok so I'm doing my UK thing here, hope you don't mind Les...

Ingredients for UK LBursley washes:

* Distilled Water (You can but this at petrol stations / tool shops easily. Halfords defo stock it, I got mine from Esso though. Allegedly places like Boots or Superdrug also stock it)
* Liquitex Matte Medium http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/shop-online/liquitex-mediums.htm / http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/cat-liquitex-mediums.htm
* Liquitex Flow Aid (How about W&N Flow Improver? http://www.artifolk.co.uk/catalog/products/acrylic_mediums_and_primers/winsor_and_newton_acrylic_flow_improver_75ml_bottle.htm
* 1oz bottle http://snmstuff.co.uk/VallejoSets.aspx / check eBid and eBuyer for empty Vallejo bottles; anywhere that sells Vallejo / P3 paints will sell empties.
* Daler Rowney Acrylic Artist inks (Water Proof) http://www.artdiscount.co.uk/department/inks/ / http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/cat-inks.htm
*2 filler bottles - Finding it bizarrely hard to find these online; anyone want to help?
* Recipe notebook so you can write down custom mixes

Really your best bet in the UK for finding any art materials are;

http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/
http://www.artdiscount.co.uk/
http://www.artifolk.co.uk/

Any links gratefully recieved

No problem! Thanks for putting in the foot work to help others over seas. Let us know what works for you!

Damn!
I was looking at your store last week, trying to convince myself that it was worth 2-3x the product cost in delivery (damned Atlantic Ocean ) for such an awsome product...why, oh why did I put off my order?!?

Going to try and round up the ingredients locally on Friday, thanks to Tek for the UK suggestions, I'll see what I can wrangle up in HobbyCraft and post what I find (if anyone would find it useful?).

These washes really are superb Les, thank you for the info on how to brew them ourselves.
I have one more question though, if you'd indulge me:
What white primer do you use?
any I've tried end up being powdery, whereas yours seems really smooth.

I use cheap 98cents a can Color Place Flat White Paint. Can't beat it.. I use to use Armory but after reading the primer tips and theory on thepaintingcorps blog I realized there is more to priming than spraying an expensive brand of primer. Technique will let you use any brand no matter how cheap it is.

LBursley wrote: I realized there is more to priming than spraying an expensive brand of primer. Technique will let you use any brand no matter how cheap it is.

o_o please teach us!

Here's the link Les was talking about: The Painting Corps - Priming Tons of good info there. Really helped me when I thought I must have kept getting bad cans of primer. I was just too far away most of the time as it turned out.

Just got in all the supplies to make some washes today. making them in 15ml bottles so I had to 1/2 the recipes which is easy enough.

This stuff is amazing. At first the matte medium seems like it would be too thick to wash properly but the flow aid and water mix dilutes it just perfectly. I made a soft and heavy body black and a medium body sepia so far, and I will definitely be adding more inks to my collection to make more washes with.

These are especially cost effective if you are shading an entire army together. For my lizardmen I had to shade them all with devlan mud and I went thru 1 and a half bottles of GW wash for them. With these I have enough to refill my washes for years to come, all from a $4 ink, a $.37 bottle and $.25 worth of matte medium and flo aid.

If you do not have the means to make these yourself, hit someone up who can. I can not sing enough praises about these washes.

Awesome recipe dude... just thought I'd point out that Liquitex also makes (very nice) water-proof acrylic Inks.

The Liquitex Transparent Burnt Siena Ink is a dead match for the old GW Chestnut Ink by the way...

Dickblick or ASWExpress will carry them.
http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/online/4543/art-supplies/4

LBursley wrote:Temp.. don't use the wash over primer when using black.. doesn't matter which primer you use if you are painting over it.. then use the washes on the painted areas.

Ah, thank you. I think I'll have to try this on my next batch of minis.

Updated the first post to include info on how to tailor the washes to your liking, such as Thickening the wash and making it darker or lighter.

Some of this seems like common sense but I get lots of questions about it so it needed to be addressed.

Have fun making washes!

-Les

I just whipped up a batch of the soft body wash for myself last night and was amazed! No way am I going back to GW Badab Black! I never much liked the heavy black that you got with it, and Les's wash just flows so much better.

Couple of quick questions for you however:
1. Your dark sepia wash - is that comparable to GW's Gryphonne Sepia wash? I've been using 2 coats of the GW wash over boltgun metal weapons to give it a worn and rusted look.

2. I saw your video with your pigment powders and was thinking they could add alot of rust detail to my ork weapons. How does the application of the pigments work exactly? Brush them on in dry powder form over the areas you want and then add the rubbing alcohol so they'll dry in the correct place? That's what I gathered from the videos but wasn't quite sure. More narrative videos like the wash recipe would be great!

Keep up the good work!

the sepia is closer to devlan mud, but at 20 drops per oz. it is a VERY light in body compared to GW washes. I've got my 1/2 oz bottle up to 50 drops and added 10 drops of black and it's about the same as devlan mud now as far as coverage and color.

That being said, there is definitely a use for Les' recipe for sepia. If you aren't planning on highlighting, it makes a great finishing wash to dull down other colors and to add very subtle shading. I used it over a ghoul painted with rotting flesh and it toned down the green and even made it look a bit dirtier.

For rust, I use pigments applied dry with a brush and then paint alcohol over it to fix it. For mud I make a mix of pigment and alcohol.

Les, I got my friend to sneak me into the local art college today & bought a stack of inks at their shop.

They had no Liquitex kit, but I was able to pick up some Daler-Rowney acrylic flow aid. Do you reckon that D-R "Glaze Medium Matt" would be the same kind of thing as the Liquitex Matt Medium?

http://www.daler-rowney.com/content/acrylic-0

I'm guessing it's that one rather than the "Impasto Gel Medium Matt" (which is also acrylic).

Looking forward to having a play with this stuff soon, anyway -- many thanks for all the tips.

Wow...this looks so good

Hi, I'm considering giving this a try. One question before hand, though. Are you using the regular matte medium, or the ultra matte medium?

Thanks.

It's just the regular matte medium. Have fun!

Hold on a moment...

So you prime, then wash, then paint, then wash again?

And then a coat of some sort of protective matte sealer? Or does the wash accomplish that?

Have you had any joy with metallic washes?

I am starting a wolves army and would like to wash / rub their armor to give it a slight metallic sheen (not shiny mind you, just so that it looks like metal painted grey-blue)

Is the matte medium required?

Yes. If not, that's 50% of the mix gone and you are no longer making what is shown here.

without the medium then all you are doing is thinning down the ink with water and some flo aid.

Inks behave quite differently than washes.

ironKing wrote:
So you prime, then wash, then paint, then wash again?
And then a coat of some sort of protective matte sealer? Or does the wash accomplish that?
Have you had any joy with metallic washes?
I am starting a wolves army and would like to wash / rub their armor to give it a slight metallic sheen (not shiny mind you, just so that it looks like metal painted grey-blue)

Anyone?

I'm not sure if you are asking a question or making a statement. If you have seen my videos all the info is there on my process.

But to answer the Q's

yes, sometimes, yes, sometimes, yes, no, never tried.

@ IronKing: I believe the first wash after priming is just with the "soft body" all over the mini usually just to get the details to show up more clearly and begin some shading in the deep recesses. Basecoats and other layers of paint with brush are as normal and then washes are used again on specific areas for coloration, additional shading and effects. Most miniatures for gaming are coated with a matte sealer (NOT the same as the matte medium in the wash) or dullcoat to protect them from use and handling. Les can answer better for his specifics.

No idea on the metallic wash. It seems like it would be difficult because metallics have metal particles that are much heavier than regular paint pigments and would sink quickly in medium they are suspended in but it's worth testing out and seeing what sort of results you get with it. Seems you'd be better off drybrushing a mixture of metallic paint and base color possibly or doing weathering that would show off the metalic "chips" under the armor from wear. Hope this helps somewhat.

@ LBursley

got it, got it, got it, got it, got it, got it

@ Scherdy

Thanks

Im going to give the metallic a try on account I don't think those metallic scrubs / polish powders are available locally in South Africa.

I mixed up a batch of the Soft Body Black as directed in the instructions. When I used it, it went on grey (but after it dried I did not notice any grey at all), is this usual for the Soft Body Black (or any other wash used with this recipe) due to the Matt Medium being white?