Hobby: Washes and what they can do for you

Hello followers of the Fiberglass Demon;

I really doubt that I have actual followers after one posting, but here's to being over confident.

Last time I talked about the importance of quality basing on your models and what it can do to improve the overall look of your army. This time we are going to delve into something else that can make a good painter's models look great. Washes! That's right kids, those little pots of watered down colors that you put on after the model is done. (most of the time)

The first and most important thing about washes is knowing which color to use on the paint job you have chosen for your army. This usually comes down to deciding if you want to brighten the look or darken it, and what the main color in your scheme is. There are washes for just about every color and if a color does not have a wash you can make one by simply adding water to the color you are using. For a darker look you want to use a darker shade, i.e. Hunter Green wash over Catachan Green paint. Or vice versa to lighten a paint job. What this does is simple and amazing. The wash settles into the detail crevices of the model creating the look of layers that give a model more depth. The more depth you can give a model the more real it is going to appear. Drybrushing is another way to accomplish this but that is for another article. Learning to combine the two will help even more.

The two main things washing does are bringing out detail in your model and add depth to your paint job. Many times the model will appear to be missing something when you have picked out all the details and have no way to add more. If this happens and you can't view the model as done then try washing it with a basic color, my favorite wash to use as a generic color is Delvin Mud, thank you goes to Carlos Fernandez of the Game Preserve for letting me in on the secret of this little gem. This color is awesome for coloring almost every part of your model and most surfaces will get a good result from applying it. It gives a used look to clothing and makes medal weapons look battle used.

Models can also be washed on their bases. It adds shade to gravel or sand and gives a darker shade to bases that are lighter colors. This is another one of those things that just makes a model pop a little more and gives a completed army that extra touch that can win a best paint award.

In my next post I will be showing the results of a model I am painting for a poor lost soul who is a friend of mine. He has asked me to put the brushes to Kharn the Betrayer to add to his World Eaters force. This poor lost soul writes a post on this site as well, under the name of Son of Horus. Send this poor lost man a message and bring him back to the service of our beloved Emperor. I will be posting step by step what I do as well as pics of different stages of completion. So stay tuned to see the results.

Glory to the Emperor!

Until next time, introduce a friend to our great hobby and keep the dice rolling.

Your resident painting guy: The Fiberglass Demon