Only had a little time so whacked on some base colors on the dwarf warband- plus a few loose figures in need of similar colors.
The basecoating process is far less painful to me now I have forsaken water in favor of windex.
Windex you say?
Yes. Windex. As in My Big Fat Greek Wedding Windex.
Windex dilutes paint without destroying surface adhesion and evaporates quickly- so it sticks to your model in a thin layer, then dries. Therefore you can apply several thin coats in quick succession. The first bit of paint is literally dry by the time you finish coloring in the last bit. Windex allows the paint to flow off the brush easily, and is really cheap. Windex can also reinvigorate drying acrylics. Give your wet palette a windex spritz under your baking paper and marvel how it doesn't go moldy. Yep. You heard it here first kiddies.
The blue tint evaporates leaving your colors exactly as you mixed them. Bless it. However- if you want to spend money, however, buy vallejo airbrush medium. It is basically windex without the blue in it. Don't believe me? Give it a sniff.
Windex has been used as a thinner in airbrush art for donkey's years. Though I would definitely wear a gas mask. Are you my mommy?
I layed out a quick pass of black, leather brown, vermin brown and flesh. But now I must sleep. Good night, whatever you are.
Windex.
I have certainly read in old-school painting books of the use of windscreen wiper fluid (same or similar stuff, I would assume) for thinning paint. I will give this a go at some point.
ReplyDeleteDwarves look good, too!
I actually heard about it elsewhere first but never in its undiluted form, very intersting actually...
ReplyDeleteWhy do you keep throwing good ideas at us to try new techniques when we barely have time to use our poor but familiar techniques DAMN !
Because my head is full and I need the space. Take the ideas. Take them!
DeleteFor me it's moot point, as they don't sell Windex where I live (so the Vallejo airbrush thinner tip is great), but you described a blue tint to your paints that goes away after the Windex evaporates. How does that affect planning and laying out paint for you? Does it distract you? Did you find it easy to correct for the tint in your head?
ReplyDeleteGrab car wiper fluid (no antifreeze) and try that.
Delete@Astrochelonian: shouldn't be a problem, I guess, if you do your planning on the wet-pallete. Mix your colors up first, then go back and dilute with the 'dex.
ReplyDelete@Mr. King: Is it really completely undiluted? I'm somewhat astounded... I have a giant mech that needs attention and I'll certainly be trying this out.
You really cannot see the blue once it is on your palette either.
Deletedamn, this seems fun to try out, may give it a go when i get a group of miniatures to try your techniques out on... love the doctor who reference ... =P
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of consistency do you have your paint+windex mixture mixed to? I've been trying to do this technique but my paint either ends up opaque (hence losing all the benefit of the pre-shading) or, if it is thin enough to avoid this, it simply acts as a wash and settles in the recesses, destroying any evidence of the Badab Black wash.
ReplyDeleteAh, had a breakthrough after I posted that - was using far too much paint on the brush and slipping into the habit of using it as an inkwash. Adopted the techique of actually painting with it and that seems to be giving better results.
DeleteThats the ticket- once I load my brush I touch it to paper to remove excess- that gives me control.
DeleteOh thats also a very good point- as it does not damage the bonding properties of the paint, you can thin it 1:1 and still have seemingly opaque paint. Hence brilliant for base coating.
DeleteWindex eh?... Hmmm.... I went through a patch where I was using Johnson's Klear to dilute my paints... Until I couldn't get it anymore... I may have to give this a try, thank you for the tip :)
ReplyDeleteI've used Windex for ages. Never had any problem. The ALDI version of window cleaner smells a lot nicer and works the same. There has been some people concerned about ammonia in windex, but I've never found a bottle with it.
ReplyDeleteI clean the airbrush with it too, just dismantle it and soak it till I remember it. Then get out the inter-dental brushes from the chemist and brush away.
I soak my airbrush in dilute simplegreen.
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