Overview ~ Materials ~ Recipe

Overview

Washing a miniature, terrain, or scatter is one of the outset tools and techniques I learned when painting. While I am however learning how to use washes to the all-time of their ability, DO'south and Don'ts, How and When etc. I have begun to brand my ain for terrain painting in order to save money and accept a consistent color or recipe for a project that tin stretch years. In this post I will share my method and recipe for crafting my own Washes.

Now for those who ask "What is a Launder?"

Washing in miniature painting is the term for using a low viscosity semi-transparent layer of colour or paint to motility into the recessed areas of the model. This is a quick and an easier skill method of applying shading to your models or figures. Although this method does not take away from the fact or need to acquire proper shading (in progress skill for myself).

Some of the almost famous washes or shades in the miniature effigy painting hobby are the citadel lines of shades and most notoriously "Nuln Oil". Nuln Oil is famous and endemic by virtually all hobbyists as the default black wash/shade. It is besides well known considering in many ways spilling your wash all over your hobby space and staining a project, your desk, or your clothes is then common it can exist considered a right of passage into the hobby.

Even so miniature painting washes can exist expensive at around $7.80 per 24 mL container (Shade cost on Games Workshop Website). So what do yous do if you demand ALOT of wash for your hobby or project merely don't want to spend the money on these small-scale containers? I exercise non always need much for miniature figures and shading just for terrain, dungeons tiles, or scatter using a habitation fabricated wash saves me a good bargain of coin in the long run.

Making your Own Launder

The Theory

The Theory: A launder is typically made with iii primary ingredients:

  1. Medium: Making up the bulk of the wash. Typically made up of water which holds everything together.
  2. Color/ Pigment: Determining the advent or Hue of the wash.
  3. A surfactant: substance used to interruption down and reduce surface tension of the solution

Materials

  1. Distilled H2o aka DI Water: This is what i've used to make upwardly the bulk of my wash. By using Distilled Water, I do not have to worry nigh the quality of h2o coming out of my pipes in the house. However in a compression tap water tin can work also.
    Where to Buy: Any Grocery Store for effectually $1 a gallon
  2. Acrylic Ink: This is the pigmentation used for my home made launder. I currently use 3 different pigments for different recipes/applications. These can be purchased at almost any hobby shop.
  • Liquitex Carbon Black
  • Liquitex Transparent Burnt Umber
  • Liquitex Vivid Lime Green

3. Matte Medium: Is a white paste like gel that will thicken the paint and so instead of making "colored h2o" will retain some shape and permit brush strokes. I am as well using the Liquitex brand of matte medium.

4. Dawn Dishsoap: Taken from the kitchen counter every once in awhile is my electric current surfactant to break up the surface tension. Although the more expensive and improved pick would exist a Flow Assistance. I do have some simply have yet at the time of this writing used it for creating washes.

v. Containers/ Bottles: Used to containing your mixtures and completed created washes. This tin truly be any container yous have around the house or personal preference. I've used everything from Mason jars to minor liquid containers.

six. Dispensable Pipettes: I prefer to use ones with volumetric measurements on the sides. You can hands purchase about 100 for $iv on amazon

Recipe

  1. Create a Water and Flow Aid Mixture . Currently us a ratio of 10:one h2o to flow medium. Creating enough of mixture each batch I create is 30 mL of DI H2o to 3 mL of Dawn ultra Antibacterial Handsoap. Yet any surfactant could work.
  2. Take water mixture and add Matte Medium. Ratio is ii:3 water mixture to matte medium. I tend to create 8mL of water mixture to 12 mL of matte medium for well-nigh projects.
  3. Add pigment for desired colour
  • Black Wash: 3-4 drops of amsterdam oxide black per ten mL prepared in #2 (ordinarily used in my Dungeon Tiles)
  • Dark-brown Wash: 4-5 drops Burnt Umber per ten mL (Commonly used in my Tavern Tiles).
Final version

There yous have it. My current recipe for creating my ain washes. Practice yous make your own launder? How does it differ from my own? Don't hesitate to comment downward below.