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Any experts here regarding pigments?

I’ve gotten several bits and pieces for weathering and basing; grime effects, corrosion, grass tufts etc.
And one on the sets I grabbed were some (Vallejo I think) pigments.
They are the dry powder one, I did also grab a wet pigment mud type thing by Green Stuff World, but I assume that’s a bit easier to work with.

Basically my question is, obviously you can slap a load on a base for instance, or round a models feet.
What’s best for once you’ve got it how you like it to look?
The step of keeping it that way.
What can you and can’t you use over it (varnish for instance?)

Or just any other pigment and weathering based tips.

I don't bother with any sort of pigment fixer as I find they all affect the finished look, which I usually don't want.y best advice would maybe be a spray adhesive and apply the powder. Otherwise, just bang it on dry and leave it. It's going to hang out in the recesses, which is where you want it anyway really.

So issue with dry pigment weathering is that it is a product ment for static display models, aka thouse that are never touched when finished, so the products is made for that in mind.
Gaming minis is constantly touched so the pigment powder will wear off, this you cannot prevent.

Pigment fixer is ment to keep the dry particles in place, but at a cost, they wet the dust so the final result becomes nothing like the dry powder is(allso you have to apply alot more dust then you realy need if you are going to use a fixer). Varnish yield simmilar effects sadly, plus if you use rattlecan varnish the air preshure will blow the dust away before the varnish hits the model. ( i suppose the same happends to AB varnish too, and brushed on varnish will react in the same way as a fixer)

So only thing you realy can do is just re apply the pigments now and then as they wear off.


I have never tryed wet pigments so that i cant speak for, but i have used wet enamel weathering products and thouse dry up nicley and stays in place for a long time. I guess that allso applys to your wet pigment mud thingy from GSW.

If you only handle the minis by the base rims (which I assume most careful hobbyists would endeavour to do) then non secured pigments still shouldn't be an issue even when used for gaming, but yeah as above, you can always dust a new coat of them on if you want. Pigment pots generally last a good while.

One thing I’m using them for is a bolt action display anyway, so for that it’ll be fine I guess.
Aside from that I just wanted to give them a try etc, so can always try out dry and wet and see how it comes out.

Just want to get as much use as possible out of them, and most of my stuff is gaming models..
But yeah also generally I’d be pretty careful with my models. (As you say, who wouldn’t want to be)