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Hi guys! I'm a gunpla modeler who is trying to get into Vallejo paints. I read a lot of stuff about Vallejo and how good it is for hand brushing. This is my first time hand-painting.

I have a problem with the priming step. I'm using ghost grey, and the primer feels runny or doesn't get a good coverage. I end up with a blotchy uneven surface. I thought it might the lack of shaking, so I shook it for a minute or two until the color was consistent outside the bottle. I still get the same result.

I tried painting on the bare plastic with the color I want and the results were somewhat decent(Although there are almost invisible brush strokes). I had to wait for the first not-so-covering layer to dry a little before brushing another layer. Can anyone give me tips on hand-painting? I look at your awesome models, and I'm in awe on how you achieve that on smaller models.

I sand and clean with water and soap the parts. And I'm using a flat nylon brush and a Tamiya fine-tipped brush.

The primer is pretty thin. Generally speaking I apply it with an airbrush for a nice, smooth coat.

In any case, with hand painting it's always best to do multiple thin coats. It sounds like you were already on your way to doing just that.

Is it fine without primer? I don't have an airbrush. I tried painting on bare plastic and the result was ok the night after painting.

Are there any guides for ratios? I tried this with Vallejo:
3 drops Magic Blue
2 drops White
3 drops Metal Medium

The finish looks a little bit flat and lacks some of those metal pigments. Can I add a gloss medium to make the paint more glossy?