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So I've started using the new citadel paint system and have a few questions

1. What is 'ardcoat and what's it used for. Aswell as the lahraman medium.
2. I'm painting red models (the darker) what is the best shade to use without getting the splotchyness from a full body coat of nuln oil.
3. Would a glaze fix question 2?
4. What's the best way to use glazes?

Thanks for your help!

'ardcoat is a gloss seal that goes over at the end to protect the model. Lahraman medium is for thinning points, just grab some distilled water instead and only thin what you're using right then(ie:thin it on the palette).

For the rest, I'd recommend looking up youtube videos on painting.

 Rysgame wrote:
So I've started using the new citadel paint system and have a few questions

1. What is 'ardcoat and what's it used for.
Ardcoat is gloss varnish. It is used to protect the paint underneath when matt varnish is not strong enough. A lot of modellers use it before applying oil based washes so the wash will go into the recess.

As well as the lahraman medium.
lahmian medium [which I think is what you meant] is a thinner to be added to your paint to stop it clogging up fine detail and I think also to make decals conform to panel lines.

2. I'm painting red models (the darker) what is the best shade to use without getting the splotchyness from a full body coat of nuln oil.
Carrroberg crimson mixed in a 1:1:1 with nuln oil and Lahmian medium would work.

3. Would a glaze fix question 2?
No, it more for highlights as opposed to shading.

4. What's the best way to use glazes?
A glaze is best used to smoothen blending or tone down highlights to stop them overwhelming the base colour.

Thanks for your help!
You're welcome.

Replies are in bold.

1. 'ardcoat is a gloss varnish that is used mostly to protect models in a finish resistant to tear. While it protects models better than anything, it makes them very shiny, which is why if you're doing it you need to follow it with a spray can of Matt Varnish, which can't protect models that well but will eliminate the shine of the gloss varnish, leaving your models protected while looking the way they were.

1. Lahraman Medium is a dilutant for shades and paints. While not commonly used for paints, shades' properties actually change when you dilute them with water, making them more prone to splotch, while lahraman medium actually dilutes them while maintaining a good even spread. For paints it essentially turns them into a glaze.

2. Carroburg Crimson. Unless you're red is so dark it's essentially 1:1 Black/Red, then I guess you're left with Nuln Oil mixed with Lahraman Medium.

3. No.

4. Glazes are to help blend different shades of the same color together. You can see an example of that in GW's Painting the Taurox Prime video. Duncan used it on a headlight, turning the white that he painted over yellow into an extremely bright yellow that blended well with white. He then painted a white dot on top of that to complete the layering to a bright center.

Okay so stupid simple question. Best way to mix nuln and the crimson? I imagine just dapva little of both onto the brush?

 Rysgame wrote:
So I've started using the new citadel paint system and have a few questions

As well as the lahraman medium.
lahmian medium [which I think is what you meant] is a thinner to be added to your paint to stop it clogging up fine detail and I think also to make decals conform to panel lines.

To add a little more, it is basically colourless paint, it doesn't actually thin the consistency of the paint, it thins the opacity of it, so you can make your own glazes and achieve smoother transitions between layers of highlighting. The use for applying decals is correct, but there are better products dedicated to doing that.

2. I'm painting red models (the darker) what is the best shade to use without getting the splotchyness from a full body coat of nuln oil.
Carrroberg crimson mixed in a 1:1:1 with nuln oil and Lahmian medium would work.

You don't need to add glaze medium (for that is the common name for Lahmian) to a wash, they work at cross purposes.

3. Would a glaze fix question 2?
No, it more for highlights as opposed to shading.

It's for smoothing the transition between colours, shading or highlighting, but no, it wouldn't fix the issue.

4. What's the best way to use glazes?
A glaze is best used to smoothen blending or tone down highlights to stop them overwhelming the base colour.

Glazes are somewhat "run before walking" territory, you should be looking at becoming more proficient with many other techniques before worrying about using them, but if you're intent on following the Citadel system to the letter, then simply apply a smooth coat over the relevant area. That glazes are sometimes referred to as 'filters' might help you better understand their application, they can be used to smooth the transition between base and highlight (their main application in the Citadel system) they can be used to subtly tint an underlying colour (such as when weathering a model) or, if you've got the patience, used in many, many layers to build up a very smooth transition from shade to highlight.

Rysgame wrote:Okay so stupid simple question. Best way to mix nuln and the crimson? I imagine just dapva little of both onto the brush?

One should never paint from the pot directly, but transfer paint to a palette first, so simply mix the, on your palette. Washes don't really need thinning, but a little water never hurts.

Is the fill the brush then dab it off a good method for transferring washes?

The hard coat can also be used prior to nuln-oil and it will wick more into the crevasses and less on the surfaces (less splotches!) works great prior to putting on decals as well (as mentioned, there are products specific for those).

If you find the oil still too splotchy, "flow aid" like a drop can make it a little more manageable.

 Rysgame wrote:
Is the fill the brush then dab it off a good method for transferring washes?

Filling the brush isn't a good idea ever, it removes control and if any paint reaches the ferrule (the metal bit that holds the bristles together) it can clog and cause the brush to lose it's point, dramatically shortening the life of your brush.

For transferring paints/washes out of GW-style pots, I use the back of the brush handle. Shake up the pot, crack open the top (keep it less than vertical to avoid paint running down the hinge), and grab a drop from the "tongue" under the lid. The rounded end of most brush handles makes it easy to roll them on a palette (spin the brush in place to avoid dragging the paint everywhere), depositing nearly all of the paint. Quick, easy, less wastage than you'd get when you rinsed out the bristles of your transfer brush, and no risk of damaging a brush int he process.

THanks oadie, and by fill I meant I fill 50% of brush. I know better than a 100% fill

When you paint you should always add some water to the paint till it has the constancy of single cream. Otherwise it will look thick and rubbish when you put it on the miniature.

This isn't true.

Thinning your paints is a good thing.

There are other things than water one can use depending on what technique you are using or finished effect you're after.

The "single cream" (actually, it's usually skimmed milk given as the example) suggestion is a good guideline, but again, isn't suitable for all things (drybrushing for example)

I prefer Vallejo thinners myself but water is cheaper and better for a beginners, IMO.

 sing your life wrote:
I prefer Vallejo thinners myself but water is cheaper and better for a beginners, IMO.

How is using something that's specifically designed for the job, rather than a material which if employed poorly can have a detrimental effect on the finished article better for beginners?

Stop treating your posts on here like tweets and express your ideas more fully.

For the OP, and anyone else reading and wondering, thinning with water is fine to a point, but if you thin too much with water, you dilute the medium that the colour is suspended in too much, which can compromise the adhesion of the paint leading to chipping and rubbing off.

This is more of an issue with airbrushing, where you're normally working with already very thin paint, but it is possibly an issue with brushing too.

That said, sing is right in that water is perfectly fine for starting off, but, as is frequently the case, didn't explain the whole deal.