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I took some time today to evaluate the options available to those of us who need a constant supply of Devlan Mud now that it is discontinued. I gathered up the alternatives I was aware of (Earthshade, Vallejo Umber Wash) and after a brief chat with the guys at army painter about their devlan mud equivalent options was sent some samples for this review of their vaguely titled 'Strong Tone' 'Dark Tone' and 'Soft Tone' inks.

I use Devlan Mud on 95% of my models and finding a match that is as close to perfect as possible is essential for me to get the consistency I desire when painting models in the same army months and years apart from each other.

I dont have any particular biases going into this, I am a Vallejo Model Color painter primarily, and typically prefer the old GW metallics or Vallejo Air metallics. I have nothing against the old GW paints except for the price, and devlan mud is the best thing they have ever produced in my opinion. I was given the three army painter inks for free for the purpose of this test. All in all, I am inclined to like all the paints tested for different reasons.

My devlan mud is almost all gone now, so it is slightly dehydrated and a touch darker than it was when it was a fresh pot, so please consider that when looking at the results:



The above image was scanned rather than photographed to provide consistent light levels across the swatches which is why it is not very vibrant. I have not retouched it at all, just left it at the dull scanner defaults.

The strip across the bottom is Devlan Mud which I am trying to replicate with the paints in the top row:

Vallejo Umber wash was my original plan for replacing Devlan Mud. The color is extremely close, but the medium is very different. The wash is a lot thicker, and if not mixed thoroughly or applied too thickly, I've had instances of a white residue becoming visible which is very undesirable. The final finish is not quite consistent with the old GW washes and requires varnishing to tone it down.

Agrax Earthshade flows a bit differently to Devlan Mud (much smoother flow) but the colour is a touch wrong.

Army Painter Soft Tone is much closer to the old Gryphonne Sepia wash, (but is not quite the same - it is a touch more brown and less yellow). It is nothing like Devlan Mud. The consistency and flow is the same as the old GW washes. Despite being labeled as an 'ink', it is a wash in GW terms.

Army Painter Strong Tone is the closest match to Devlan Mud. Again, the consistency and flow is the same as the old GW washes and I suspect if my Devlan Mud was not quite so dehydrated the match might be even closer.

Army Painter Dark Tone is basically Badab Black wash, which is useful to know but again, not Devlan Mud.

To remove some tricks of the eye with the brush strokes and paper underneath, I made an aggregate colour swatch for each of the main candidate replacement washes:



Vallejo Umber Wash and the Army Painter Strong Tone are on the left and right, with Earthshade underneath and Devlan Mud in the top middle. This image gives a better comparison and shows the difference between Agrax Earthshade and Devlan Mud a bit more clearly. Vallejo Umber Wash is very close but again has the wrong consistency and wrong finish. Army Painter Strong Tone is close enough that I think it is the best replacement option for Devlan Mud for my future painting in a scary post-Devlan Mud world.

Thanks for this.
I am almost out of my last pot of Devlan, and in the same boat as you.
Since it came out, I have used Devlan Mud on everything I do.
Base coat, highlight, then Devlan Mud. Maybe highlight again after.

I almost picked up the Army Painter stuff Friday, but was afraid I would get the wrong one.

Can you say how the Army Painter Washes compare to the dips they sell?

I've not used the dips but apparently the inks (washes) are tone matched to allow touchups with the dips. I believe the finish is different and needs varnish though. Dipping doesnt really appeal to me or the way I paint so I might be wrong..

Liquitex (spelling?) Burnt Umber Ink is very good. IMO. You need to water it down because it's really dark. But I used it on my Crisis Suits and it looks great!

legoburner wrote:I've not used the dips but apparently the inks (washes) are tone matched to allow touchups with the dips. I believe the finish is different and needs varnish though. Dipping doesnt really appeal to me or the way I paint so I might be wrong..

I believe you are correct. Their dips were also varnishes if I remember correctly.

@legoburner Great comparison, thanks. Put the Strong Tone in your old Devlan Mud pots and the world will be right again

Thanks a bunch, Lego! Now I know what I have to buy when my shop finally runs out of the "old" paints

reps0l wrote:@legoburner Great comparison, thanks. Put the Strong Tone in your old Devlan Mud pots and the world will be right again

That is literally what I have now done I do prefer the vallejo/army painter style dropper bottles for normal paints, but washes benefit more from being able to slap them on quickly from the pot in my opinion.

I agree completely. Foundations and washes work best in pots for me too.

But, how do they look on a figure? On a flat piece of card you may get one result vs what we actually use it for.

Washes are one area where GW rules the roost IMO. Other washes I've used seem to all have color and/or medium separation issues which require touch ups. I'd rather deal with some color variation than something that just looks bad.

Great review, really liking the new AP inks and hope they made some colour ones too.

check out these links

http://taleofpainters.blogspot.de/2012/02/review-army-painter-warpaints.html

he compares some on a backpack.

In a different review here, he states:
http://taleofpainters.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-citadel-paint-range.html

Verdict: Wasn’t impressed with Nuln Oil but the other ones were alright. Are the shades better than the old washes? No, but you can work with them. Once my stock is gone, I’m going to replace my old Citadel washes with Army Painter Warpaint Inks, their Strong Tone Ink is 1:1 Devlan Mud as I found out in this review, nd if their Light Tone Ink and Dark Tone Ink prove to be good matches for Gryphonne Sepia and Badab Black respectively I can’t see myself using the new shades very often.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Fralethepalewhale wrote:Liquitex (spelling?) Burnt Umber Ink is very good. IMO. You need to water it down because it's really dark. But I used it on my Crisis Suits and it looks great!

Supposed to be a great substitute for the old chestunut ink.

Thanks for posting this!

Why GW seems so eager to fix things that ain't broke is beyond me...

Anyone compared Devlan Mud or Badab Black to Secret Weapon Washes?

I got the Secret Weapon black wash in my swag bag at Adepticon, I'll try it out!

Orinoco wrote:check out these links

http://taleofpainters.blogspot.de/2012/02/review-army-painter-warpaints.html

he compares some on a backpack.

In a different review here, he states:
http://taleofpainters.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-citadel-paint-range.html

Verdict: Wasn’t impressed with Nuln Oil but the other ones were alright. Are the shades better than the old washes? No, but you can work with them. Once my stock is gone, I’m going to replace my old Citadel washes with Army Painter Warpaint Inks, their Strong Tone Ink is 1:1 Devlan Mud as I found out in this review, nd if their Light Tone Ink and Dark Tone Ink prove to be good matches for Gryphonne Sepia and Badab Black respectively I can’t see myself using the new shades very often.

Are there other pics of the army painter "tones" anywhere? The picture with the backpack did not impress me. It looks like it failed utterly to hunt for the crevasses and gave a result that was neither wash nor glaze. It looks workable, but it's performance is totally different from the devlan mud. I think with washes, you really need to pay attention to how it flows and dries, ensure that it dries to only one color(not separating), and then whether the color is a precise match to what you've used before. The army painter strong tone seems to have picked up the last two points, but not the first.

As long as it doesn't separate color when thinned, it's all good to me. I had a bottle of Vallejo green that even though I practically gave myself a concussion shaking it well and still it tended to dry with a distinct almost white line running through the washed area. Yup, that bottle didn't last long before it hit the bin.

legoburner wrote:

reps0l wrote:@legoburner Great comparison, thanks. Put the Strong Tone in your old Devlan Mud pots and the world will be right again

That is literally what I have now done I do prefer the vallejo/army painter style dropper bottles for normal paints, but washes benefit more from being able to slap them on quickly from the pot in my opinion.

Don't do this,be smart use a pallette otherwise it will dry in the bottle again,msrew top bottle keeps paint fresher longer


For the new stuff the washes are top notch but are thinner than the old.It was like the old was a Wash/Glaze hybrid.
The AP looks identical on the swatch.

The new Carroburg Crimson and Duchi Violet craps on thier old counterparts,no chaulky residue here
I actually like Nuin Oil, it sounds like what Sisters of Battle use not to squeak
Speaking of which how does the new Dheneb compare to the old,that stuff was my parchment in a bottle.
And Charadon,o Charadon how I miss thee

My last Mud pot ran out a few days ago. Thank goodness for this post.

I know it's a threadomancy, but this is bloody useful stuff.

 Orinoco wrote:
check out these links

http://taleofpainters.blogspot.de/2012/02/review-army-painter-warpaints.html

he compares some on a backpack.

In a different review here, he states:
http://taleofpainters.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-citadel-paint-range.html

Verdict: Wasn’t impressed with Nuln Oil but the other ones were alright. Are the shades better than the old washes? No, but you can work with them. Once my stock is gone, I’m going to replace my old Citadel washes with Army Painter Warpaint Inks, their Strong Tone Ink is 1:1 Devlan Mud as I found out in this review, nd if their Light Tone Ink and Dark Tone Ink prove to be good matches for Gryphonne Sepia and Badab Black respectively I can’t see myself using the new shades very often.

.

As this thread will come up often in searches, I would point out that Soft Tone is not similar to Gryphonne Sepia - it's got much more of a dark brown tone, and is, for instance, not good for shading yellows; seraphim sepia is much more like Gryphonne. It's the Strong Tone and the Dark Tone that are the gems of the AP line. I'm not too keen on their green or purple.