Author |
Message |
 |
|
 |
Advert
|
Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
- No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
- Times and dates in your local timezone.
- Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
- Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
- Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now. |
|
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/15 14:56:51
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Bounding Assault Marine
|
Ok guys, maybe this has been stated on here several times before, but I can't seem to find any article or thread regarding this issue I keep running into. Let me explain:
For the longest time, I've been using some of GW's old "Agrax Earthshade" wash, and it was perfectly fine. It dried nicely, flowed well into all the cracks and crevices, slightly darkened flat surfaces, did not tend to pool too badly if you paid any attention at all, and left behind a beautiful, smooth and non-glossy finish. At some point, my old pot ran out and I had to get a new one. Much to my disappointment, however, GW had apparently changed the formula, and, while the wash was still ok regarding the flow, coverage etc, it unfortunately left a glossy finish, which is something I can absolutely not stand on my minis. Now I could have gone in and painted over all of that with a matte paint or a matte varnish, but I did not really want to seal all my minis in case I had to do some repairs at a later stage, and I also do not like the finish a varnish gives a mini.
I decided to look for alternatives and came across Army Painter's "Strong Tone" Quickshade. At first, I was amazed. It's almost a perfect match to Agrax regarding the tone, saturation, coverage etc, and it also dries matte. After much searching, I thought I had finally discovered a suitable replacement. That wass until I decided to give two squads of old-school Plague Marines a wash yesterday evening with said "Strong Tone". When I looked at my minis today, I noticed in horror that the wash had somehow begun to contract so much when it dried that it cracked, revealing the basecoat underneath. Here's a picture to demonstrate what I mean:
The Strong tone had been applied all over the entirety of all the minis. I only did a few models at a time, and kept going back over them, making sure that there was no pooling. I made sure to wick away all the paint that seemed to build up too much in certain areas, and kept checking multiple times if it was ok, and it seemed fine. But when I looked back over them today, the cracks had suddenly appeared. Not on all models though, and it is kinda hard to tell what the issue is, as i t seems sort of random.
Guess I won't be using Strong Tone anymore... Needless to say, this is very frustrating. I may have messed up 13 miniatures this way, despite my best efforts. Now I know I won't be winning any Golden Demons any time soon, but I'm still disappointed that the paint just seems keep fighting me every step of the way. Honestly, I've been having gripes with washes for a long time now, like a similar story with my Nuln oil, and I am starting to get really desperate. It can't be that hard to find a decent brown wash that dries matte and does not alter or destroy my models in some weird way, can it?
So anyway, if any of you here have some advice or recommendations for me, please, I beg you, let me know. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope somebody here can help me out. Thanks in advance!
;tldr: If you know of an alternative paint that does what the old GW "Agrax Earthshade" (matte) wash used to do, please, for the love of god, let me know, cause I'm going insane. thx
|
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2025/01/15 15:02:35
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/16 13:58:02
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos
|
Army painter has not always had the best possible QR, so it's possible you got a bad batch. I use Strong Tone a lot, and I don't recall that particle type of puling/cracking. I hate to just recommend trying another pot, or any of the many different washes on the market, but I've used Vallejo, AP, warcolor, and citadel washes and never had that issue outside of a heavy dip type wash.
However, you may want to consider looking at oil washes. If your concern is flow and finish, nothing beats an oil wash, and you can always clean it up back to the base coat if you don't like it.
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/16 16:29:11
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
London
|
This chap does some interesting stuff with oils.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znrCqYFFl9Q
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/16 16:32:42
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Posts with Authority
|
Cannot recommend a direct match to agrax earthshade, but modelling companies sell all sorts of washes, ranging from enamels, to oils, to acrylic guache, Don't just stick to the stuff GW is pushing, there are loads of options out there, many of them drying to a matte finish.
|
"The larger point though, is that as players, we have more control over what the game looks and feels like than most of us are willing to use in order to solve our own problems" |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/16 17:42:51
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Bounding Assault Marine
|
Thanks a lot for your reply, Polonius! I ordered some Vallejo washes, maybe they will work. I kind of need them to match Agrax Earthshade as I have been using that for all of my Plague Marines up until now and I would really hate for the newer models to not match the older ones. I hope the Vallejo stuff will do the trick.
Regarding oil washes, it is something I'd rather not mess with right now. I've seen the results and I love the look it achieves. However, I live in an apartment and I don't want to use varnish, lacquer, or mineral spirits anywhere inside our home. I was hoping to find a simple pot of water based paint that I can safely use indoors without too much hassle or preparation. Still, thanks for that very good suggestion, it is something I will definitely try out at some point in the future.
- EDIT -
Wow, as I was typing this out I got two more responses! Thanks The_Real_Chris and tauist for your suggestions! I will definitely continue to check out different sellers and hope I find what I am looking for. Maybe I should also give Army painter another chance before I dismiss it completely. There's a chance I did get a bad or old batch of paint, and newer stuff might be much better. I gotta say that AP's Strong Tone was the closest match to the old Agrax Earthshade I've found so far, so it would be a good bet as a replacement. Thanks again to both of you for your help, it is much appreciated!
|
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/01/16 17:55:47
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/16 18:46:30
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Fixture of Dakka
|
There is always the option to mix your own, using matte acrylic medium, distilled water, a drop or two of flow aid, and artist inks. It's a bit expensive to set up, but once you get the inks and acrylic medium you can mix dozens of pots of wash and wind up saving money in the long run.
And you can make whatever custom wash you like.
|
CHAOS! PANIC! DISORDER!
My job here is done. |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/16 19:39:35
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Posts with Authority
|
If using solvents is a no go for you (odourless thinners do exist, just saying), here are some alternatives which do not require the use of solvents
https://ak-interactive.com/product/weathering-effects-set-ak-gouaches/
https://www.migjimenez.com/en/ammo-paints/9147-shader-set-industrial-aged-amig-7326.html
I'm sure there are others
|
"The larger point though, is that as players, we have more control over what the game looks and feels like than most of us are willing to use in order to solve our own problems" |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/19 14:33:03
Subject: Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Bounding Assault Marine
|
Vulcan wrote:There is always the option to mix your own, using matte acrylic medium, distilled water, a drop or two of flow aid, and artist inks. It's a bit expensive to set up, but once you get the inks and acrylic medium you can mix dozens of pots of wash and wind up saving money in the long run.
And you can make whatever custom wash you like.
Thanks for your comment Vulcan!  That seems like a good way to get the desired tone and finish, might have to give that a try eventually. I gotta say however, that I would prefer to have a simple, single pot of paint that is close to the original that I can buy and use as-is from the store.
I would prefer not having to mess about with any thinners or solvents, odourless or otherwise. I don't wanna mess up the apartment in any way and that seems like it could potentially end in disaster if I happen to spill anything. Maybe I can try mixing my own wash at my parents house, where I have a cellar and an outdoors area that I can mess around in, and then take said mixture to my apartment.
I checked out your links as well, and I think migjimenez industrial shaders might be something that could work. I will see about delivery. Thanks a lot for pointign it out to me, tauist!
---
I also happened to come across a conversion chart while doing some more digging myself here on the forums after all. It lists several other paints equivalent or close to Agrax Earthshade, so if my order of the Vallejo stuff ends up being a bust, I have some more stuff I can try out from there.
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, they have really helped me out a lot!
|
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2025/01/19 14:44:17
Subject: Re:Desperately need help finding an actually decent brown wash
|
 |
Angry Blood Angel Assault marine
|
Was it the original mix or from the newer Warpaints Fanatic line?
Hint: If the bottle is in black with a red cap and white text, its from the updated line, but I'm not sure if they changed the formulation of them or not... not sure.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
If it exists, maybe try Vallejo washes? They have some excellent quality paints and primers, have never failed me at all.
|
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2025/01/19 16:52:03
'Awsum' is the highest rating I can give something based on quality. Example: I would call it an 'Awsum' AWS-8Q instead of an 'Awesome'
Yes-Close To The Edge is the best song of all time and I'll virus bomb/PPC anyone who says otherwise
-my firstborn blood angels army blog: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/813479.page
|
|
 |
 |
|
|