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Hi Guys, I need a little advice, (very new at painting here)

I've been painting my Orky army in batches, And getting to finishing some of them.
This is the state there at now, Experimenting with washes and highlighting and still need to pick out a few more details.

However the problem im having is the models seem a little dark, the skin for example id like to have a little shine as id imagine orks would be a little "greasy"

Any advice into making the models colours stand out a little more

What color are you using for a base coat?

Looks good to me so far - the only advise I can offer is drill your gun barrels.

Could mix a tiny bit of white into the brightest colour you're using for the skin if you really wanted to make it a little brighter. It seems fine the way it is though. Looking at that axe hand and they kind of have the greasy look already.

Hi Steel Cult, thanks These ones have a white base coat.

I have done some in black, i do notice that the black is more of a gloss undercoat while white seems more of a matt.

Would this cause the "lack of sheen"?

Depending on what kind of primer you are using (gloss or flat) it could. It could also be that you are seeing a difference because the black gives you a darker overall color. To get the sheen, I'd say after you dull coat them go back and use a brush on gloss coat to make some areas shiney.

One way of getting the shine level up is to use hair spry as a cover coat. Depending on the hold level of the said hair spry will change the level of the shinny-ness. If you don't like how its come out you can wash them in some warm soapy water and the start all over again.

I agree with Ribbon on that one. Also, I think after you wash your skin, you should rehighlight it, even if just s little that will help make the skin pop. And its as simple as taking your previous skin tone before washing, and watering it down big time, not quite a wash, but pretty thinned out, and re highlight the skin. Works a charm

cheers for the hairspray advice ill have to try that!!

on a seperate note i've just noticed i got a pot of citadel "ard coat" from my local maelstrom games store..

Does this give a shiney,Sweaty, glistening finish?

'Ard Coat is a gloss varnish, so it'll definitely make them glisten. If anything, it may be too shiny. It won't take much, so I suggest diluting it down a bit before application - it will go on thinner and smoother, which will improve the look, as well as helping to stretch that pot farther.

Maybe add a little Lahmian medium or other matt medium to reduce both viscosity and shine at the same time?

When you guys say hairspray, does that mean spray directly onto the model? Or spray into the lid and apply with a brush?

I wouldnt want the whole thing to have a shine!

Get some proper green ink and apply that, rather than the newer washes. It should leave a shinier finish that isn;t as overpowering as gloss varnish.

Seconding the ink above. I went from a vallejo black wash that turned out dark (very similar to yours) to a mix of water, vallejo sepia ink and vallejo black ink in ~6:1:1 or so with much better results. Nicely shaded but not so dark. Came out a bit shiny but the matt varnish took off most of that. Adding in some brown gives a lighter and dirtier look than just the shadow effect from black imo.

Also it might be a bit much applied. Can't hurt to apply a small amount, let it dry, apply another lot etc. until you're happy.

Smasher wrote:
When you guys say hairspray, does that mean spray directly onto the model? Or spray into the lid and apply with a brush?

I wouldnt want the whole thing to have a shine!

You kindda just answered your own question. If you only want a certain part done, then yea, spray it in a cup or something and apply that way

Inks are also a good alternative - I use Winsor & Newton myself.