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So I have a small bottle of Liquitex matte medium. People seem to recommend it for thinning paints.

Yet, it seems awful thick. Is it a better idea to buy maybe the Vallejo equivalent? Are Liquitex mediums made of a thicker "body?"

Adding the medium to your paint will reduce the amount of pigment you have in the mixture making it 'thinner' although the consistency of the mixture may be the same as the paint you started with. Adding water will also thin the consistency of the mixture. Pigments can start to separate if you add too much water to your paint to thin it which is why people suggest adding mediums. I would stick with the liquitex but add some water as well if you want a thinner consistency.

I use Liquitex Airbrush Medium to "thin" paints as it's is generally thinner than the starting paint and I get the same consistency to the paint every time rather than having to thin the medium them use that thin medium to thin my paint.

The only downside to this method is that the airbrush medium contains no matting agent so finished coats tend toward being glossier than the matte medium would make it. Of course a final flat coat solved this problem but I know some people are obsessed with making sure that their paints are as flat as possible.

Only use a drop of the stuff depending on how much you plan to use. To much will make your paints transparent. With Vallejo Model color I usually use 1 drop per pallet color and a maybe 2-3 drop of water.

 bantha_beast wrote:
I would stick with the liquitex but add some water as well if you want a thinner consistency.

Thanks for the advice. Seems like having to thin with water and medium might end up overcomplicating things. Or maybe I can just work out a good ratio and pre-mix some bottles of general "thinner."

A thicker matte medium is designed to reduce the opacity of the paint rather than actually thin it. As miniature painters we usually only scratch the surface of the properties of paint. Just a few things to consider when painting regarding the properties of paint:

1) Opacity/Transparency

2) Viscosity (how thick or thin it is)

3) Flow properties (how well the paint adheres to the surface, does it spread evenly, does it pool in the crevices, does it bead up)

4) How the paint settles (once it's applied but before it dries, the paint settles, some mediums are designed such that the paint self leveling, other mediums are designed to purposely leave brush strokes visible).

And heaps more, you can read all about mediums and the properties of paint here:
http://www.goldenpaints.com/products/medsadds/gels/gelreview.php

The short version of it, if your medium doesn't actually "thin" the paint, then it's probably because it's designed to lay down semi-transparent layers more smoothly rather than actually to thin it out. You can try mixing with water and other things to get the properties you want, or buy a different pre-mixed thinning medium.

This article might be of use to you. Good luck.