Inkwashes

Several you have talked about ink washes, but what is an ink wash?

Is this something you buy or is it a method or both?

How do you go about doing it?

Any help would be appreciated! :-)

Thanks,

John

@cyanight:

I use Vallejo washes. They are much different than the paint and very fluid. Most of the time I dilute the ink because if you put too much on it will darken the paint under it. It is designed to seep into the cracks of the model and help raise shadow detail. Its also good to then apply a dry-brush technique of the highlight paint over the ink washing. Make sure you let them dry at least 24 hours though.

When you dilute it, do you mean, dip your brush in water, after you have dipped it in the ink?

@CWO:

As a non-painter I’m always amazed (and a detail-oriented person I’m always impressed) by how intricate the technical aspects of customizing processes can get.  :-D   By the way, I think “Operation Inkwash” would have made a great code-name for some sort of WWII military or espionnage mission.Â

LOL, that is too funny! Good one, Marc! :-D

@dangermouse650:

There are ink washes and then there are blackwashes, i didn’t seem to have any success with the inkwash, they are very runny, i made my own blackwash, just water down some black paint, need to experiment a bit with the thickness, and yes they do tend to darken the paintwork.Can also do it with brown as well.

Appreciate the comments. Like CWOMarc, there is so many aspects to customizing. It is unreal. :-)

Thanks Tolerone, for your help and links! :-)

@dangermouse650:

Forgot to mention earlier that you can whitewash as well, i used that on my Russian forces, which by the way is what they actually did back in ww2  8-)

Well that is cool! Thanks for the info! :-D

@IWillNeverGrowUp:

Washes are usually used to add shadow/shading to a model. � If done right it looks fantastic! � If done wrong it just makes your model look like a mess.

You can buy premade washes (Games Workshop, Army Painter, Vallejo, etc) and they are great, but pricey.

You can make your own washes. � This is my preferred method.

To make your own Ink wash;

1. Buy whichever color ink you wish to use (my most recent purchase was a bottle of Speedball brown ink and a bottle of Windsor and Newton black - They both work well). � The color depends on what you’re doing. � I find brown works best for gritty WW2 applications and black for more sci-fi ish things. � I’ve seen orange, yellow, red and blue used as well. � The effect you want goes a long way to determining this choice.

2. In a separate jar, add 50% ink + 50% water + 1 drop of liquid dish soap. The soap breaks surface tension and helps the ink flow better. � The water is to dilute the ink so it’s not overbearingly dark. � If you want stronger shades, use less water/more ink. � If you want lighter shades, use more water/less ink.

3. Apply the ink wash … THIS has several methods, again depending on what you’re doing.
   � - I highly recommend using a gloss varnish on the model first. � This helps the ink flow (gloss = less surface tension) and the ink won’t just seep into/through the paint
   � a) PINWASH - This is a method to get specific applications of the ink. � Basically you put some on your brush and just touch the crevice/area you want the wash to be then clean up the surrounding area with a cotton swab (q-tip) + alcohol to get rid of excess that may happen. � Great for details and just getting into the lines.
   � b) DIP METHOD - This method is most often used. � You essentially dip your entire model into the ink wash and then shake it off and let it dry. � It gets over the entire model shading it to whatever color you used. � Army Painter sells a variety that they market specifically for this (Army Painter DIP “Strong”, “Medium”, etc)
   � C) BRUSH ON - This is the least used as far as I can tell. � Essentially the same as the dip, but you brush it over the model and let it seep into the crevices. � Then clean up the large surfaces you don’t want it on with a cotton swab + alcohol.

4. Let it dry! (it will probably be glossy looking after dry)

5. Touch up any areas you don’t want the wash (and missed cleaning while it was still wet)

6. Add highlights to the model if you want - Usually after washing (to get the shadows), people will highlight high surfaces to add another level of contrast.

7. Add another layer of varnish (gloss, semi-gloss, satin, flat … your personal preference) for a final protective coat.

You CAN do the same with paints as well, but I find inks flow better. � Paints seem to be fickle as a wash in my experience and it’s harder to get the consistency just right.
I keep wanting to try out the Future Floor Wax wash/Dip myself, but … since the Ink wash seems to work for me, I stick with it.  hehe.

Thank you so much for this info. When I start the German navy, I might try some ink washing methods.

Thanks again for this info! :-)

John

@cyanight:

Sorry for the late reply John. I always dilute the wash with water on the brush.  Then I place a few brush strokes on paper until its the correct thickness.  I never trust the paint or ink on my brush until I see it on paper first.  This helps eliminate clogs of paint and very runny inks/washes.  I do waste paint and inks this way but its a very small amount that I feel its worth it.  If you can continue to add small coats of paint to your piece you can control the paint much better.  I’m learning this myself although its a huge lesson in patience.

Thanks Cyanight, for the reply, and thanks for the tips. :-)

@koba:

I’m old school on the ink wash thing.

I use a bottle of ink and the floor polish. I think I mix it like 3:1 polish to ink.  I don’t generally dip my pieces. Usually  a 5/0 or #3 brush works best to apply the wash. When doing ships, I’m careful not to wash the decks as I find it makes the whole piece look dull. I just do the edges around the castles, guns and other little details.

Let the wash dry and then dry brush your pieces. This really brings out the detail/contrast. I use flat Krylon  ColorMaster (spray can) for sealing/protecting. My pieces are handled a lot and it works the best.

Thanks Koba for your input. It is really appreciated. :-)