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I am working on painting my tyranids. I am painting a brown carapace and washing it with sepia. I was thinking my first thought was to do two coats of brown over carapace before the wash to give it a solid shell like look. But I got to thinking. If I just to one coat (just making sure it was even with no obvious brush strokes) then wash it. It will show minor imperfection the coloration of the carapace, looking like battle damage were it is more obvious and organic asymmetry in coloring where is less so.

Do you think it would achieve this effect or just look sloppy?

I'd take some pics but the effects I am talking about don't really show on camera. If you have not seen a single coat followed by wash it is mostly solid with small irregular flecks of discoloration.

In general, if you want a mottled look, you're better off with a smooth base coat and then stippling or painting the blotches on with a subtly different colour. It's almost always better to have more control over an effect than less.

I honestly would do 2 coats because when you can see the discolouration under the layer I find it looks incomplete.

I would do 2 layers, then a wash, then highlights on the edges and you can just add some fine details with a fine detail brush on the carapace to make it look like battle damage.

Try that method post a picture up close of the results and then a picture of 1 layer and wash.
I know you said it doesn't show up on camera but try it and we shall see haha
Hope that helps!

If you're after an intentionally random and blotchy effect, then a single wash would work. The trick – i.e. the way to make it look intentional and effective – will be to go back in with a brush afterwards to emphasise and strengthen the effect. Darken the darkest bits, lighten the light bits. You'll soon have it looking great.

Generally, painters know what sloppy/incomplete painting looks like - we've seen at as a step in our own work, although most of us don't stop at that point. Even if the process gives an effect similar enough to natural mottling, I'd be afraid that someone familiar with painting (i.e. a fellow wargamer) is just going to see a sloppy basecoat topped with a wash.

Whether you want mottling or battle damage (or both), I think you're better off painting it as an additional step, over a solid basecoat. Not only do you get more control, as winterdyne says, there's also no risk of the effect being confused for something else, to the model's (and your) detriment.

Without seeing the models, this is a VERY hard call.

Both Oadie and Apologist have good points - does it look sloppy with a wash...or does it look intentional.

I can say this...my nids are similar - I do a base color (a parasite brown) and then cover with a very intense wash (its actually a minwax polyurethane stain, otherwise known as a dip) it gives a stunning representation of "mottled" and organic.

I also know that if I let it get too ...sloppy...and it pools too much, or I have areas of just poor painting...then it looks less organic...

Again, this is a very subjective thing, so...

1 - show them to some people and ask what they think.
2 - are you happy with it?

best of luck!