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.

 Mmmpi wrote:
And yet, when I've painted white over black in the past, I've done it in five thin layers, which is about how many I usually put on regardless of color anyway.

Then either you're using too few coats of white or too many coats of your other colors. It's well-known fact that white paints (like red and yellow, but to an even greater degree) have poor coverage and require more coats to get the same result. This isn't a subjective opinion or technique thing, it's objective fact about the pigment levels in different paints.

And it's an objective fact that it can still be done relatively easily if the right layer colors are chosen.

 Mmmpi wrote:
And it's an objective fact that it can still be done relatively easily if the right layer colors are chosen.

In particular if you're creating depth with a series of slightly whiter greys, pretty sure I'm at four or five coats on my boy sitting here with only one of those being an actual white which was a dry brush and he looks pretty good. A little darkness is what makes the white armor work. Said from much experience of screwing up white color schemes previously only recently getting a solid result.

YeOldSaltPotato wrote:

 Mmmpi wrote:
And it's an objective fact that it can still be done relatively easily if the right layer colors are chosen.

In particular if you're creating depth with a series of slightly whiter greys, pretty sure I'm at four or five coats on my boy sitting here with only one of those being an actual white which was a dry brush and he looks pretty good. A little darkness is what makes the white armor work. Said from much experience of screwing up white color schemes previously only recently getting a solid result.

Yeah, I usually prefer going the black/brown/sand/off white/white route myself, but I've had success with the grey path.

tneva82 wrote:
Once I learned to not use pure white as base colour but only as last highlight it became easy.

Gotta say the best off white iv ever used is vmc deck tan. really good coverage for an off white.

Did white on some Napoleonic models

these guys:


are Neutral grey, layered Light Grey and then layered Dead White for a 'cold white', this is over a black base, the trousers had the dead white drybrushed, the strapping layered.

Cold white worked nicely with the grey and blue colours on the models

this one


is a Brown Sand base, Iraqi Sand layer then Off White drybrush for a "warm white", used similar for British Napoleonic models as well, which works well with the red coats they wear

again this is over a black base

this


is GW colours, black base, Celestra Grey over, black wash into the recesses, Uthulan grey layered with White Scar over that, an alternative cold grey, shows what it can look like on flat panels

this one

is the warm white with red and yellow trim.

Suggest pick the colours you want with the white first, then work it around them. A black base can work, or something like panzer grey with multiple light drybrushes over - still leaves deep recessed shadows, or a mid grey base, avoid white unless you want a pure brilliant white effect which to be honest can be hard to look right.

some sort of blue, purple, red of green accent colour could work well and gives you the base to work with, a blue-grey, mid purple, brown or forest green type base to layer up over.

you could start white, or very pale grey, then try washes and drybrushing but to be honest I actually found layering to be faster

Very nice work.

 Desubot wrote:

tneva82 wrote:
Once I learned to not use pure white as base colour but only as last highlight it became easy.

Gotta say the best off white iv ever used is vmc deck tan. really good coverage for an off white.

Have to second this, needs the hell shaking out of it first

vmc "off white" is also pretty good, the bone colour is ok in two coats as well, Iraqi sand works nicely, indeed any white thats not quite white tends to cover ok I've found, Deck Tan is a very nice colour generally

I mean yes you can do 5 layers of white or...Or you could do one layer of any other colour!

hobojebus wrote:
I mean yes you can do 5 layers of white or...Or you could do one layer of any other colour!

you have obviously never used the VMC dark blues or greens, which struggle to cover themselves never mind any other colour

or yellow for that matter

plus building up layers with white is the best way to shade them

another example, similar to the method used to paint the building, but using VMC paints (forget the base but then a mix of sky grey & dead white, dead white drybrush to highlight)



black primer, base, layer, drybrush, finished - black primer to white in basically two coats of paint plus a drybrush, find most other colours need at least two coats to be smooth - there are more layers here for the green for example

leopard wrote:

hobojebus wrote:
I mean yes you can do 5 layers of white or...Or you could do one layer of any other colour!

you have obviously never used the VMC dark blues or greens, which struggle to cover themselves never mind any other colour

or yellow for that matter

plus building up layers with white is the best way to shade them

another example, similar to the method used to paint the building, but using VMC paints (forget the base but then a mix of sky grey & dead white, dead white drybrush to highlight)



black primer, base, layer, drybrush, finished - black primer to white in basically two coats of paint plus a drybrush, find most other colours need at least two coats to be smooth - there are more layers here for the green for example

I slagged off yellow earlier, never had issues with blues or greens.

If you're going to paint white, the best way is with an airbrush. You won't have brush lines, and it will be super clean.