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You get the best purest white from airbrushing and spraying. I usually spray miniatures white and then try to leave the white parts unpainted. Ard coat and masking fluid works well for that.
If you want to paint white over a darker colour, then the only thing you can do is use lots of coats (or mask and spray). Some people recommend building up coats from dark grey to light grey and then up to white, or starting with a light foundation paint like Deneb stone and going from there. Personally I don't think it makes a lot of difference, I usually just use lots of coats of white.
Another alternative would be to use oil paint which tends to have better coverage, but takes a long time to cure.
The trick to painting white is not to use white.....take a look at this Lysander model I did a while back, specifically the shield;
That shiled was actually painted in Vallejo Medium Sea Grey, with the first highlight done with Vallejo Sky Grey and the next done with Vallejo Ivory, and the last was done in Vallejo Foundation White. So far the smallest part of the shield I used white and the largest I used grey, yet the shield is clearly white......That is the trick, dont use white as the base color, use it only as the final highlight.
Depends on what kind of white you want to achieve. For the cleanest and purest whites, either use an airbrush or, if you're feeling masochistically, just paint layers upon layers upon layers of thinned down white.
For clean whites I use Space Wolf Grey, a colour I also use for eyes to prevent that "Just walked into a rake" look. I then layer this up using a 50:50 mix of Space Wolf Grey and Skull white, finally edge highlighting with pure Skull white.
For dirty whites and light creams I use the same technique, but start with a Deneb Stone or Bleached Bone type colour.
I'll get a picture of my latest colour scheme for my Tau Battlesuits and post it when I get into work tomorrow to show how this works out.
"Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics, and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe, and Lao-Tzu, and Einstein, and Morobuto, and Buddy Holly, and Aristophanes…then all of this…all of this…was for nothing. Unless we go to the stars." Commander sinclair, Babylon 5.
Bobtheinquisitor wrote:what is going on with APAC shipping? If Macross Island were real, they'd be the last place to get any Robotechnology.
I've found the Citadel and Vallejo whites to be crap. They're super chunky/viscous, and dry too fast, which causes clumps to form. I've had nothing but poor results with them.
I use Tamiya flat white now, which is an acrylic and dries extremely evenly. It really does have a night and day difference from the Citadel-type white paint. I use it any time I need white paint now on my models. It also accepts washes quite nicely.
As promised, here is my Tau battlesuit in white. sorry the image is a little fuzzy, took it in a rush this morning. (Will replace it when I get a chance next week)
The white is a 3 layer scheme on Chaos Black spray undercoat.
Layer 1: Pure Space wolf Grey
Layer 2: 50:50 Space Wolf Grey:Skull White
Layer 3: 25:75 Space Wolf Grey:Skull White
Still needs edge highlights in pure Skull White.
The shield is the top from a FW Heavy Gun Drone, the rest having been used as an anti-aircraft battery on my Tau Titan project.
"Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics, and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe, and Lao-Tzu, and Einstein, and Morobuto, and Buddy Holly, and Aristophanes…then all of this…all of this…was for nothing. Unless we go to the stars." Commander sinclair, Babylon 5.
Bobtheinquisitor wrote:what is going on with APAC shipping? If Macross Island were real, they'd be the last place to get any Robotechnology.
I always prime black and use Astronomicon Grey as a base for white. This gives you a touch of shading as well. After that, just layer thinned white till it's smooth.
