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The biggest mistake people make when painting, is often nothing to do with their technique, it's to do with their colour scheme.

Even a quick "wash and highlight" model can look amazing with the right colour scheme.

I've seen armies that were nothing but bright colours with a wash with a few details picked out neatly that looked far better than models that probably took 5x as long to paint but weren't done with a good sense of colour theory to start with.

Really, the advice given out needs to focus more on colour schemes rather than technique.

chromedog wrote:They, like violence (never an answer) is just the question.

Chromedog, much as i respect you i have to take issue with this statement, it is a utopian idealistic take on the world and it is naive to think this way. It's like saying if the Police don't carry Firearms, Criminals will not use them. Violence is, often in parts of the world I have operated in, the only way to impose Law and Order, respect for rights and property. Having been to Djibouti and Horn of Africa and Somalia recently on Counter Piracy Ops. The level of Violence that the Pirates perpertrate against Law abiding mariners is shocking, they think nothing of Raping females and killing and mutilating crew members. Equally in Eqypt recently the American reporter named Lohan was sexually assaulted by a group of men before being rescued by Women and another Camera Crew. Without the Threat of Violence and retribution many people will return to their basest instincts and behave in completely anti-social and morally offensive behaviour. I for one, do not stand for it, I rally against it because my moral compass is strong enough to understand sometimes you have to sacrafice an ideal for a greater good. "ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO FLOURISH IS FOR GOOD MEN TO STAND IDLY BY" or in other words, when you do nothing when it is in your presence you Condone that act.

Do not think to say that killing is immoral, to me it is not, If people threaten life they forfeit their right to life, if you commit immoral acts I am happy to be judge jury and executioner, and why not me. I am sound of body and mind, I am trained to do it so who better than i to judge. I also have a fairly strong live and let live streak, Sexual Orientation, religion, Race, Colour or Creed has no bearing. The only thing that matters is that you abide by the rule of law. I believe in the rule of Law as it is fabric which holds a Nation together, but sometimes you have to go beyond that in order to protect the Nation (Under attack from Biological Weapons for instance, Terrorism and sometimes from invasion or assault by another State).

On the subject of Washes...Live and let live, there is no right or wrong way to paint a miniature. So how can you say a Wash is only for beginners, there are no rules for creativity?

Using a technique that's more difficult to master and/or takes a lot more time /patience to do doesn't make you a better painter or necessarily improves the look of your models. (A lot of the NMM models I've seen come to mind).

If you want a mini that looks as realistic as possible, please feel free to use matted colors only and wet blend highlights in 50 steps.
However if you like the strong comicy contrast look which many people (including myself) like and prefer for their minis it really doesn't make much sense to start using more time consuming techniques to get a marginally (if at all) better result.

I really think it's a bit ignorant to deem washing, extreme edge highlighting, dry brushing, etc as beginner techniques (which is often done), since even though they might be relatively easy to learn they are hard enough to master.

Just make sure you use the techniques that are best suited for the look you want to create.

My 2 cents

well luke, you have alot of chat, but nothing to show, if people like using washes to save alot of time, i say washes are the answer.

I think that the OP is correct in observing that many, many, many posters are advised to give a model a wash.

I can, however, think of some reasons why that might be the case:

First, and I think possibly the most common reason, is that the model is already painted. There are a lot of helpful tips that the talented painter can give you on how to paint a model, or how to detail a model once it is basecoated, but on a model that is already painted and detailed, a wash is one of the things that you can do without stripping the model. Many good techniques require you to start earlier in the painting stage. Thus, when presented with a model which is basically finished, "give it a wash" is one of the few suggestions that still works.

Second, a lot of models (due to lighting, lack of macro, or whatever) look much more washed out in photos than in real life. If you see a model which uniformly seems too bright and vivid, then something which uniformly knocks down that brightness (a wash) is going to be a good suggestion.

Third, a lot of people who want suggestions on improving their paint jobs aren't highly experienced painters. Most highly experienced painters already have mastered a stable of techniques. On the other hand, newer painters have not. Using a wash is simple to explain, simple to do, and relatively hard to screw up. Wet blending, feathering, non-metallic metals, and object source lighting take a great deal of time to do, a good deal of practice to learn, and can really feth up a model if done poorly. When you can suggest a simple technique, and a technique which probably won't screw up and result in a mini in need of stripping, it's going to be a common suggestion.


Thus, I think that you will see a lot of suggestions to "Wash that Model!", even though I don't think it's an over-used technique.

sent as a PM, whoops.

Why are folk that are established painters so down on anything that allows noobs to paint at a higher level.

Is it because you know all those dipped,washed and air brushed minis are getting close to your levels of paint jobs with alot less work.

I think they are great for blending, like a cape/sword/etc
And then also for flesh, however I do agree that there is also a requirement of layering to take your skill to the next level.

I disagree with what alot of people are saying here.

I think washes have a place even in higher level painting. All my 7s and 8s on CMoN have washes.

Example:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/269412

The skin tone on these models are 2 washes of Gryphonne Sephia and that's it.

Washes have their place. Heck I am one of the people that suggests using them. However I suggest it when I see something painted solid boltgun metal. If someone paints a part of their model solid boltgun or some other colour, then the obvious suggestion is a wash since it is a stage above the current painting abilities are. If someone is capable of painting with wet blending or some other advanced technique you will see it immediately and you would never suggest washes in the first place.

Sorry, I'd reply, but I'm too busy painting the next shiny thing.

With washes.

My Ork army was painted with all washes. I didn't even know about wash pooling so there's even some unsightly patches of Devlan Mud just languishing there on flat surfaces. I've become a far better painter in the year or two since I painted that army, and I've moved on from washes being the entire solution. They're very good to deepen your colors and give some shading to your minis, but you still need highlights. Right now I'm working on my first skin technique that doesn't use washes at all, and once I get a new paintbrush I'll be able to finish up the Catachans I'm working on and show them off. I'm still using a wash to shade their fatigues, but their skin looks way better than my old Dwarf Flesh > Ogryn Flesh technique.