Hello!
I am about to do my first attempt to wash a model with oil paint and I need some advice, do you use a particular type of oil paint?, what type do you recommend?; in some place I’ve read about using artist’s oil for weathering and there is actually a brand named “Artist” for oil paint. Thanks in advance for the help.
I have a tube of Daler and Rowney raw umber artist’s oilpaint that I use for my washes, thinned with mineral spirits. I wouldn’t think the brand would matter a great deal.
I’ve already a tube of Daley and Rowney Georgian (cheaper than Artist’s line) burnt umber; last night I’ve put a wash over a model and it work fine, thanks merlin.
Cruiz, If your model is painted with enamels, beware that oil-based washes may well ruin your paint job! I’d let the model dry for several days and apply the oil-based wash selectively, to particular areas and recesses without dragging the brush. Fill in your brush and place the very tip along a recessed line for instance and let the ‘capilary action’ do the rest. The wash should flow and flood in the whole recessed line.
If you’re not a patient man, use water based artist’s colours (watercolours, not acrylics!). They wont ruin any acrylic nor enamel base paint.
Good advice DJ, think I am a patient man (I have working 6 months in this model); before the wash I’ve covered the model with future and let it dry a couple of days.
As you say,the wash run freely in the panel lines when I put the brush over it. I believe the next step is to cover the model with a satin-cote to protect the wash and as a preparation to make some exhaust stains with pastel chalk.
You’ve got it…! But do not forget the very last step: posting pics over here!
Happy modeling!
I check artist oils and its more cheaper that hobby colors. Can I use these colors for the major painting or just for washes only?
jedi-mike, oils are quite transluscent and are best used for shading over a base color. It’s a favourite medium for figure painters, as they dry very slowly and allow for great blending. The tubes are quite expensive (some colors more than others), but they last just about forever… I have tubes of white, burnt sienna and yellow ochre I purchased 15 years ago, that are still very good, and very much full!
thanks, so I can use burnt sienna for flesh to simulate a dirty flesh? that is if i’ll use artist’s oils. I check a local bookstore here in the philippines and they told me to use turpentine? what is the ratio if i’ll use it for washing?
Most figure painters do not use washes. For instance, they’d use tiny amounts of Burnt Sienna, applied with a fine brush in all recesses, before ‘removing’ the extra paint and blending what’s left in the lighter base color with a soft flat brush.
Jedi, post something in the Figures forum, there’ll be some people in there who can give you a better explanation as to how to paint faces and skin. I’m not that good at that! (shame on me!)
I was going to start weathering with oils, but i wasnt sure what to prep the model with. I am building Tamiya’s M2 Bradley, and i have just given it a coat of Acrylic Tamiya Desert paint. Its been dried for about 24 hours now, and i was wondering if i should give it a dullcote or future coat before applying the wash, or if I should just let the wash go right on the paint? Thanks.
If I were to do it, I would let the base dry for another 24 hrs and then apply directly to the base coat. The secret to applying weathering to an enamel base (in my mind at least) is to be sure the base coat is absolutly dry (48 to 96 hrs of drying). If the enamel base is not dry, even enamel weathering solution will raise the base coat. By the way have you considered using Rust All? I started using it recently and (so far) have had no problems with it.