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The other day, I was at the GW store, and I overheard some people discussing the virtues of using lahmian medium to thin paints, v. water.

To be honest, the discussion sounded a bit salesman-y, if that makes sense, so I didn't pay it much mind. Something about the water being immiscible with the paint, which didn't make sense to me as the paint is water-based. And I've heard of and thinned paint with a bit of water many times.

Any rate, are there any advantages to using lahmian medium v. water? I just watched a video tutorial where the poster was using medium, so maybe there is something to it.

I find that the new GW paints separate quite quickly when diluting them with just water and hence need a bit of stirring every so often to recombine them. For a reason I don't understand I also find that I get better diluted layering effects using a medium as well. But I've found no real difference between using a P3/Vallejo/GW medium I think it's just the paint.

The GW vids with Duncan Rhodes are amazing and in several of them he mentions that diluting with water too much can cause the paint to look grainy and crusty when it dries. With the LM, he says that it doesn't change the properties of the paint, but just thins them down so it's preferred if you are trying to make a glaze.

He does it a lot here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKyefOTvlQ

PS: No I don't work for GW, LOL. I just love watching those vids!

There's a discernible difference, yes. I've done both, and if I have time, I prefer the medium.

I'll echo everyone else, lahmian (or any matte medium) is better than water for thinning. Medium thins the pigment count in your paint, water thins the pigment count AND the rest of the mix.

Water absolutely has its uses, and I tend to use it more, but medium can do things water can't. Medium is absolutely not a replacement for water, but it's a handy tool.

I swear by the Lahmian Medium. I got a pot for free when I bought a pot of Reikland Flesh Wash that dried funny [white specks through it]. The GW guys said to put a couple drops in the wash, shake it up, and try washing over the spotty areas. Cleaned it right up.

I also have been adding a drop to any paint pot I open, and shake it up before I paint with it. I paint right from the pot [I use the lid as a well to thin paint on] and it works amazingly well. In 20 years of "painting" I think it's the single best thing that I've discovered.

So yeah. I love the Lahmian Medium. It's awesome. You still need to keep your brush wet with water, but to get the "almost right" consistency I've been adding Medium and it's just beautiful to work with. Especially helpful with the new White... Ceramite White, maybe? I find it gets thick fast, and by adding some Medium I've kept it workable much longer than water would have.

[No GW relation, all I buy there anymore is paint. ]

Lahman Medium is great. I use it to make all my rust washes, for instance. Water gives detectable edges and other effects as it dries. .

I've tried using Vallejo becos I hate the GW pots - but it's completely useless compared to Lahman Medium, as it's milky and that affects the colour.

Hrmm. Guess I should give it a shot, then.

Don't buy the GW stuff though, it's way over priced. Use the liquitex matte medium instead.

http://www.amazon.com/Liquitex-Professional-Matte-Medium-8-Ounce/dp/B000IYWYNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458076548&sr=8-1&keywords=Matte+medium

so then what's the real difference between lahmian medium and say vallejo's acrylic paint thinner? Or are they essentially the same thing just different brands?

Thinner is like wet water, medium is just colour free paint

you wana water down your paints but if you intend to glaze/blend you are going to want to want medium. It's helpful for colors like reds which I have had chalking issues with along with colors that dry quickly/refuse to go on smooth like yellows whites and browns. There are painters much better than myself who claim they only use water. I'm not sure how they do what they do with just water but it proves nothings set in stone with painting

as was mentioned medium is paint without color and the GW stuff is very very overpriced but good stuff

 Gordon Shumway wrote:
Don't buy the GW stuff though, it's way over priced. Use the liquitex matte medium instead.

http://www.amazon.com/Liquitex-Professional-Matte-Medium-8-Ounce/dp/B000IYWYNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458076548&sr=8-1&keywords=Matte+medium

Ok, done. I'll give it a go. This doesn't have any particular benefit for airbrushing, does it?

It makes the colour more translucent, so it can help with blending just as it can with a hairy brush.

There's gloss medium too, should that fulfil a need. Same difference, dries shiny.

Yeah, water or thinners will help for an airbrush, medium will not.

It makes the colour thinner, not the paint. Well the paint will get a little thinner but it'd be a waste