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Hey all,

Just seen this video on youtube and I'm just wondering if you's could help me with something.




At around 9 minutes he uses washes to black line the miniatures. I'm just wondering how on earth would you go about getting washes to flow that smooth?

Bit of water and flow improver. I like Windsor & Newton's acrylic flow improver. It's good.

winterdyne wrote:Bit of water and flow improver. I like Windsor & Newton's acrylic flow improver. It's good.

Cheers man, just read that he gave it a coat of satin varnish too, shall have a go this evening

Fascinating watching that guy paint!

There are several things that go into getting a high flow wash.

First obviously is thinning. The thinner the liquid, the better it flows. Water works, thinning medium is better.

Second is breaking surface tension. This can be done with alcohol or flow improver.

Third is prepping the surface. The smoother it is, the better the flow, so a satin or gloss varnish helps here Also if you brush the area with alcohol or, better yet, spirits, first it will really suck the wash in.

You may have noticed alcohol and spirits mentioned in there several times. That is because alcohol/spirits have amazing flow.

Which brings us to the ultimate in high flow washes, the oil wash. Thin down a little bit of high quality oil paint in spirits/thinner to make a wash. The stuff applies like magic, it really has a mind of it's own, rushing into every nook and cranny of the model, especially if you whetted the surface in advance. The obvious downside being you have to use different brushes, and oil paints can be a pain to clean.

Yes, he uses a simple oil wash which is nothing more than white spirits and a little bit of oil paint to give it color. Works like a charm and flows like mercury. This is a common technique used by military modellers.

Looks like I will be heading to Dick Blick after work to pick up umber and thinner. Does anyone have any recommendations on brands?