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Let's be honest here: the GW washes are incredible.

I know they sometimes get a bad rap on here because they are used as a substitute for more advanced techniques likes highlighting, blending, and layering, but when it comes down to it, some of us simply are not looking to really improve our painting skills. Some of us enjoy painting within the lines, and then using washes to to the work for us. This is me.

So, what this thread is dedicated to is combinations of paints + washes.

Which ones do you like? What effect does it create? What do you use it for? Pictures would be nice (although I won't be providing any in this first post )

I'll throw out a couple of my favorites:

-Goblin Green with a Thraka Green wash

This combination is how I paint all of my Greenskin's Orky parts, 100% of the time. It works, in a word, perfectly. It results in brighter, more vibrant green on the raised portions and larger surfaces, and it shades the crevices to be nice and dark. It provides a great contrast between the light and the dark, and just overall, its a great way to do skin.

-Boltgun metal with Badab Black

Your basic metallic color. Using the wash means you don't really need to worry about having large surfaces looking boring. The wash will create texture, and, in addition, it fills in the nooks and crannies with black. One of my favorite things that this wash does is that it pools around the edge of a rivet, but leaves the top of the rivet lighter. In this way, it really makes those rivets pop out, giving the model a very nice look.

-Dwarf Bronze with Gryphonne Sepia

This is one that I rarely see people using, which surprises me, because its a great looking result. This is especially great on my Orks, as the wash really makes the metal look used and oxidized, giving it that junkyard-scrap look that fits in so well with the Orkish aesthetic.

-Dark Flesh with Gryphonne Sepia

This is a combination that I have only recently started using, but you can put it on any tunic, pants, boots, etc. It results in a nice looking, flat brown that end up looking much better than a straight paintjob, especially on those rank and file troopers that you don't want to devote too much time too.

So those are my favorite. What are yours?

My two favorites are:

Mechrite Red and Thraka Green. All my reds start with this (I paint from shade up to highlights). What may sound insane is basic color theory, and it works REALLY well for a shade for red.

and

Dheneb Stone and Gryphonne Sepia. You want to paint some parchment? Slap on some Dheneb Stone, splash some Gryphonne Sepia on top of that, bingo-bango, Bob's your uncle, you've got parchment.

ArmorOfContempt wrote:Dheneb Stone and Gryphonne Sepia. You want to paint some parchment? Slap on some Dheneb Stone, splash some Gryphonne Sepia on top of that, bingo-bango, Bob's your uncle, you've got parchment.

I've always done Skull White with Gryphonne Sepia. Now that works neatly.
Burnished Gold (after layers of paint) and Baal Red(or Orgyn Flesh). Now you have a rose gold colour, which is very neat.
Multiple layers of a wash of choice (besides Badab Black and Devlan Mud) + Boltgun Metal. Now you can make metallics dead easy, and it looks really cool
Sunburst Yellow + Gryphonne Sepia. Nice rich yellow that won't try to blind you

I love shining gold with badab black. It gives it a grimy feel, and I love it

Devlan Mud + Anything

romeo.lima wrote:Devlan Mud + Anything

QFT, or.... shining gold with purple wash makes for a great gold on detailed areas

I am a fan of knarloc green then devlan mud then highlight goblin green. My ork skin personal favourite.

I love Mithril Silver with a few coats of Gryphonne Sepia.
You got you self a nice gold or bronze. Depends on how may coats of Gryphonne Sepia you use.

my personal favourites are:

Bleached Bone and Gryphonne Sepia
Boltgun Metal and Asurmen Blue

Red Gore + Leviathan purple!
Don't forget your Blazing Orange highlights though!

well, my favorite for cloth is actually 2 colors +wash, but it still works: scortched brown with bleached bone drybrush and slap devlan mud on it, perfect dirty guard uniforms every time.

Enchanted Blue + Asurmen Blue Wash, awesome for stuff like Lizardmen skin or Deff Skull war paint.

Bleached Bone + Gryphonne Sepia, my bone recipe

Metals (Boltgun, Mithril Silver, Dwarf Bronze) + Badab Black, makes painting metals easy

Devlan Mud and Badab Black in general are awesome for general shading before layering/highlighting.

Shining Gold + Devlan Mud always looks fantastic, I used it on all the gold parts on this marine

Shining Gold with a Bleached Bone drybrush + 2 washes of Devlan Mud. Will post some pics of my Venerable Dread soon showing it.

Tinz Bitz + Shining Gold + Gryphonne Sepia. Makes a very nice slightly dulled gold.

All of them, I bought every single one for the fact they help so much. I'm probably going to use it for some OSL with a Vindicare's sights.