What is a good paint to thinner ratio for a wash? I have heard everyting from 1 part paint to 10 parts thinner to 1 part paint to 30 parts thinner. Maybe I should go with something in between?
Thanks, Dave
Experiment to see what effect you want heavier and grimey or lighter.There are only general answers,you gotta see what works best for what your doing.
It is so uncritical I never bother to measure- I only estimate. My guess is my mixes run from about 1:10 to 1:100, paint to thinner. If you are just getting started in washes, I’d go thinner rather than thicker. Thin washes may require several applications, but that allows you to stop when it is correct more easily. You can overdo it with a thicker wash.
I sometimes merely shake a bottle of paint, lay the cap upside down on bench and put a thin (maybe 1/32 to 1/16 inch layer of thinner in cap and start with that. I almost always try a wash first on a painted area not very visible, to test it, but a thin wash can be wiped off without harm if done in 15-20 seconds or so (enamel washes, don’t know how soon acrylic washes must be wiped off). Washes are so thin I’ll bet you one can’t tell the difference over about a 3:1 variation in thinning ratio.
The best way I can describe it is that a wash is lightly tinted thinner and not thinned paint.
Yes, excellent way to put it!
Personally, I aim for ‘coffee’ consistancy from my oil washes.