Detai with Gel Pens, whod of thought?

[Rogerc]

Hi, after being recommended by a friend I have tried using Gel Pens for painting detail on figures and been pretty pleased with the result. In the below picture I have used it on the officer blade edge and point, hat and coat lace and gorget. More detail on the blog but not a bad idea.

http://gapagnw.blogspot.co.uk/

[fred]

Intersting, does the ink stick/dry, or does it seem like it will rub off?

[Westfalia Chris]

A nice effect, but a word of warning, if I may - I tried that in the late 90s with some WH40k figures for quick and bright metallics, but the silver yellowed after a few years - my suspicion is that the white undercoat somehow bled through or reacted with it. It might be a good idea to seal the area to be coated with some hard-drying varnish before applying the gel silver.

Still, it looks extremely nice and shiny, and could be very effective applied sparingly to the actual cutting surface and edges, especially for small areas like bayonets.

[Rogerc]

It doesn't seem to rub off, however I am spray varnishing over the top so that will stop it. Still new to it and learning. I do only intend to use it fairly sparingly.

[Sarge Canard]

I use Posca paint pens - PC1MR Ultrafine. They've been OK so far, under a coat of spray matt varnish.

http://www.posca.com/uk/all-material-markers/pc-1mr



In my experience, all metallic media tends to fade/bleed/dull/all three over time.

[rebelyell2006]

Micron paint pens are great for adding piping and chevrons, and other tiny details.

I use them in museum settings as well.  When I add catalog numbers to an artifact, I always place a transparent layer on top of the spot to be marked, then after the paint pen dries I add a second transparent layer on top of the number.  Paint pens will smear otherwise.  In a museum setting, I use an acryloid (usually B-72) dissolved in acetone; for miniatures, a matte varnish is best.