Three Color Painting and other highlighting questions

[Mr. White]

Hey all,

I've read a few posts about three tiered, or color, painting.  It sounds like Foundry sells three shades of a color for ease of highlighting.  Do any other compainies sell these?

The past few years, I've been doing a lot of dipping, then following up with the base color as a highlight. This works fine for gladiators, mad max crazies, etc., but I'd like to try a new technique to bring out brighter colors.  I really like the look of blacklines models, but don't have the talent/steady hand to pull it off.

So, I'm thinking about priming white, then washing black. What's a good wash mix that'll put black in the crevices, but leave most the model white?  Is it the 'magic wash'? If so, anyone have some clarification on it? I understand it involves a floor cleaner, but will it do the trick?

Thanks!

[theoldschool]

As far as I am aware Reaper is the only other company that does a 'true' triad system. P3 does a sort of triad system, but it requires some colour mixing. You can also create your own triads from most other paint companies.
Personally I think putting a dark wash over a white primer just gives you the worst of both both systems. It doesn't give the depth created by a black primer nor the clean look of a white primed figure.
Pat

[WillieB]

Jack,

Perhaps you could  try the grey primer/ purple wash system RudiG came up with.

Afterwards you simply drybrush the entire figure in an off- white colour and then it is ready for either washing/ inking with inks or acrylic paint, or even painting with oil paint.

Before you dismiss oil paint take a look at the costs. Actually a fraction of what it would cost you in acrylic paint and some of the effects you can achieve with oil paint are very hard to reproduce with acrylic paint.

However, since you seem to prefer the 'blacklines' as you call them I suppose oil paint isn't exactly what you want.

To make sure that a wash reaches all the smaller nooks and crannies you might want to add a surface tension softener to your wash.
 
Quite a few floor polish producrs are suitable for this. I use SolsPlus but almost every country has its own product.
Mix it in a 1/4- 3/4 proportion with water and your diluted paint will flow exactly where you want it  and dry without too many blotches.

Added advantage; your figures smell really good.....

[Ironworker]

I use Future floor wax with my washes.  It's easy to get anywhere in the U.S.  

One of the guys on the forum has a triad program with several paint company paints.  You might check the Paint tips section I believe it's being discussed right now on the front page of that section.

[Ironworker]

Here is the exact thread I was talking about.

http://www.reapermini.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30502

[Captain Blood]

Well, a dark wash over a white primer is what I use.

The wash is simply a thinned down mix of acrylic black with some khaki or dark earth in it. It takes experimentation to get it right, but I'm guessing I use 20% black, 10% khaki / earth (which deadens the starkness of the black in all your creases and folds) and 70% water. Reduce the proportion of water slightly to get a darker wash.

Apply it liberally and quickly with a big fat brush, then use a bit of tissue, sponge, or your finger (!) to wipe off before it all dries - leaving all your crevices nicely shadowed, and all the raised detail outlined, but still white (ish) for easy painting...

Works for me!

[theoldschool]

Well, a dark wash over a white primer is what I use.

Apply it liberally and quickly with a big fat brush, then use a bit of tissue, sponge, or your finger (!) to wipe off before it all dries - leaving all your crevices nicely shadowed, and all the raised detail outlined, but still white (ish) for easy painting...

Works for me!

Very interesting technique Captain. Normally when I have seen this demonstrated the primed figure is a muddy brown. I haven't heard of wiping off the wash to reinstate the white. I must give it a try, if I have one complaint about black it is that these days I find it harder to pick out the detail.
Do you wait until the wash has dried a bit or do you go in immediately to wipe it off?

Pat

[Captain Blood]

Normally when I have seen this demonstrated the primed figure is a muddy brown. I haven't heard of wiping off the wash to reinstate the white. I must give it a try, if I have one complaint about black it is that these days I find it harder to pick out the detail.
Do you wait until the wash has dried a bit or do you go in immediately to wipe it off?

Pat

Pat,

You're quite right, if you have too little black in the mix, or it's over-thinned, and if you don't wipe off, then you are usually just left with a splodgy mottled figure.

So the wash needs to be just the right consistency - dark enough to fill the recessed details opaquely, but thin enough to run in everywhere.

I then wipe off while it's still wet, or just starting to dry - you have to work fast, because as you know, acrylic - especially thinned acrylic - dries out pretty immediately. But you can always moisten your tissue, sponge (or finger!) a little bit - that lifts the black wash off the raised areas.

It's not perfect, but it's the best method that works best for me - my eyes just can't cope with all black undercoat any more!