nogoatsnoglory Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 Hello friends, I haven't painted miniatures in quite awhile so I'm quite foggy on what I'm doing. I've noticed that when I start to apply paint, that the detail seemed to disappear on the model. I'm using Vallejo paints, do I need to thin the paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Caroland Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 Always thin the paint. It's better to go in with a few thin coats so that you can control your paint and keep your detail vs. a thick coat just to get it covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 Thinning your paint is one of the most important things to do as a painter, particularly on models with small details. You want to be applying several thin coats to get a solid colour, otherwise you can easily flood the details and lose them. I dilute mine down to a milk like consistency, but you probably don't have to go that far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webmonkey Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 I dilute mine down to a milk like consistency, but you probably don't have to go that far... Yes,.. but Mako's insane,.. *sagely nod* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odinsgrandson Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 Always thin the paint. It's better to go in with a few thin coats so that you can control your paint and keep your detail vs. a thick coat just to get it covered. I will ditto that. A milky consistency is about right. What you need is for the paint to dry flat. Paint needs thinning or it will go on too thick, and that is actually easier to get wrong with a lot of Wyrd's plastics (much of the details is very fine, and not super deep). For base coats, you are going to need to apply the paint more than once before it will be solid enough to move on (two coats is minimal if you've thinned your paint enough, and three is average- four happens too). Just remember not to apply another coat until the paint underneath is dry- otherwise you'll end up pulling up a bit and get some beading and other problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantomime_cat Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 It has been awhile since I have painted also. In the past, I used oil based paints on metal figures. With oil, base coating, and wet blending was much easier imho. You could also use subtractive methods... and shelac.... and a million years with dry times. The biggest change for me with acrylics on plastic is the viscosity. With water, it seems as though no matter how thin the paint is, the water just pools up, and it freaks me out. Thinner and oils did not do that so much, and seemed to cover easier. Anyway, it's taking me 4 coats for the base coat. But I'm timid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odinsgrandson Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 You can thin with matt medium instead- that helps the pooling problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boshea Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Thinning with only water can be risky since you;ll eventually start to break the paint down with too much. Going with an acrylic medium is the best bet when going with really thin paint. Pledge Floor wax works as an easy to find alternative (the one with Future shine), and makes your models smell clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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