? about acrylic auxiliary products (specifically vallejo)

[BirdofPrey]

Right now I use Vallejo paints, and paints are all that I have, but I was thinking of expanding my liquid toolkit, have some paint on primer and varnishes (maybe eventually find space to airbrush that stuff on) instead of just spray cans, and potentially have some mediums for changing the basic paints beyond just adding water.

With that in mind I had a few questions about what exactly the various things do and are useful for and conversely what they can't do or aren't useful for.
Some of this may be general, but as I've been using Vallejo, I have been looking at their catalog specifically, so the questions are framed in the terms in there and their products.

So first of all, I've been priming with gray primer from a can, but wanted to try brush primer so I can brush it on whenever inside rather than making a space outside during the day in good weather to grab the can and primer multiple minis.  Would mixing a little bit of paint into the primer to color it adversely affect the ability of the primer to actually work?

Second, what exactly is glaze medium?  Given the other mediums are gloss and matte, is glaze a different word for satin finish or something else entirely?  Second, does it even make a difference what medium is used after the varnish has been applied, and if not, is there a preferred/best medium?
Also, I understand mediums are useful to thin down the pigmentation without breaking the emulsion which can happen with just water, is there a good ratio or rule of thumb for how much medium to water to use for thinning for various use cases?

Next, are the premade washes worth it or am I better off just mixing my own washes.
Similarly, how well does adding metallic medium to regular paints work, and am I better off just using the premixed metallic paints? (I would guess the actual metallic paints would have a higher pigment load, but am unsure how much difference it might make.
What does acrylic thinner do that water doesn't?

Are there any use cases where inks work better than pigment based paints?


Also, on an unrelated note, what are your thoughts on varnishing the miniature as a whole in matte or satin but going over the cockpit glass and energy weapons with a brush of some gloss medium?

[Ratboy]

I would not mix paint with primer. They have different formulations. Vallejo Surface Primers come in many colors.


Glaze Medium is for making glazes using paints. Mediums are not Varnishes, they are actually "Thinners" for the paints and to make suspensions with pigments.


Usually 1:1, but as thin as you need it for the effect you are trying to get.


Vallejo washes are in earth tones and camo tones. They are similar to other brands washes. Premade washes are useful in that you will get a consistent mix and color each time you use it.


Metallic medium will make any paint color metallic. It contains micro-fine mica (or similar) particles.


Water has surface tension, while Acrylic Thinner/Mixing Medium/Flow Aid does not. it allows the paint to flow better on the model. Some brands are concentrated and need to be mixed with water prior to using (e.g. Liquitex Flow Aid).


That depends on the type of effect you are trying to get. Generally inks are used for shading/lowlighting because it saves time by flowing into the low areas on its own.


I use 4-5 coats of a Matte Sealer, then use Tamiya Clear Gloss over the canopy.

[BirdofPrey]

I would not mix paint with primer. They have different formulations. Vallejo Surface Primers come in many colors.

I figured it might be ill advised, but their website does mention mixing with other stuff.  All the colors of primer I can find are earth tones, was hoping I could find a red or blue primer along with the standard gray I usually use.
Probably not THAT important, though.
Will check other companies.

Glaze Medium is for making glazes using paints. Mediums are not Varnishes, they are actually "Thinners" for the paints and to make suspensions with pigments.

Where did I indicate I thought mediums were varnishes?  I did indicate I understand the use of mediums in the paragraph after.
and what exactly IS a glaze?
Also you didn't answer, does it make a difference whether the medium is matte or gloss?  the vranish pretty much overrides the level of gloss of anything under it, if I am not mistaken.

Metallic medium will make any paint color metallic. It contains micro-fine mica (or similar) particles.

I know, I was asking how mixing metallic medium into regular paint compares to metallic paints.  It would seem to make sense to me that regular paint mixed into metallic medium would have less pigment than metallic paints (and possibly less mica, I don't know how concentrated the metallic medium is in that regard), but I would like to know how much difference it makes in practice.

Water has surface tension, while Acrylic Thinner/Mixing Medium/Flow Aid does not. it allows the paint to flow better on the model. Some brands are concentrated and need to be mixed with water prior to using (e.g. Liquitex Flow Aid).

would that make acrylic thinner useful for washes?  I always hear about people putting future into their washes to reduce surface tension.
Also, any tips on when to use water and when to use thinner (I've always used just water, though some colors can be harder to stretch without also having medium)?

That depends on the type of effect you are trying to get. Generally inks are used for shading/lowlighting because it saves time by flowing into the low areas on its own.

Still a bit fuzzy on this.  I've heard of people using inks instead of washes for pretty much every use case I can think of, but I can't seem to find what the advantages and disadvantages of each.

My understanding is that inks are also translucent rather than opaque like pigments

I use 4-5 coats of a Matte Sealer, then use Tamiya Clear Gloss over the canopy.

NEAT

[Ratboy]

Where did I indicate I thought mediums were varnishes?  I did indicate I understand the use of mediums in the paragraph after.
and what exactly IS a glaze?
Also you didn't answer, does it make a difference whether the medium is matte or gloss?  the vranish pretty much overrides the level of gloss of anything under it, if I am not mistaken.

When you mentioned a finish, I was trying to clarify. A matte medium will make a paint/pigment more Flat and a Gloss medium will make it shinier.  Yes. The varnish should override any amount of shine/matte from the paint.


A Glaze is a wash that is even more dilute. It is commonly used in the layering painting style to make gradations between layers more subtle. It usually requires several coats of a glaze to get the desired effect.


Personally I prefer matte mediums when making new paints and when using pigments. Gloss has a few uses (e.g. to make things appear wet, glass effects, etc), but those I usually apply after the model has had several coats (3-4) of Matte sealer.

I know, I was asking how mixing metallic medium into regular paint compares to metallic paints.  It would seem to make sense to me that regular paint mixed into metallic medium would have less pigment than metallic paints (and possibly less mica, I don't know how concentrated the metallic medium is in that regard), but I would like to know how much difference it makes in practice.
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It should not make much of a difference at all. I've used it a couple times in the past and it turned out well for the colors I was using. If a metallic paint already exists commercially for what I need, I use that instead of mixing a new color. You do not need much of the metallic medium to get a good result.

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would that make acrylic thinner useful for washes?  I always hear about people putting future into their washes to reduce surface tension.
Also, any tips on when to use water and when to use thinner (I've always used just water, though some colors can be harder to stretch without also having medium)?

Future is a gloss. It can be used as a gloss sealer for canopies and such. I've tried all the formulas out there for making washes with Future and basically, they are either below average or just average in quality.


The best medium I've found for making washes (and thinning acrylics) is Liquitex Flow Aid #5620. You mix it 20:1 with water to make the actual medium (directions on bottle). I stopped using just water any more to thin my paints many years ago.

Still a bit fuzzy on this.  I've heard of people using inks instead of washes for pretty much every use case I can think of, but I can't seem to find what the advantages and disadvantages of each.

My understanding is that inks are also translucent rather than opaque like pigments

Many people use the term Ink and Wash interchangeably and it causes confusion.

Inks should be referring to Drawing Inks (ink as opposed to paint). I've tried a number of brands and found the best one to be Rotring Inks (used in their Rapidograph Pens). Most other inks will bleed through any paint you put over them. Ink colors are richer and more vibrant than washes, but usually more expensive (not sure with the prices of paint increasing lately).


Washes are acrylic based and use a similar formulation to acrylic paints. If you need a lot of a wash, get yourself some mixing bottles and try different ratios of paint to acrylic thinner/flow aid. I find that usually a 4:1 paint to flow aid makes a wash comparable to commercial ones.


Translucency is based upon density of the pigment/ink. You can dilute either an ink or a wash to make it more translucent.

[Wikkid]

A glaze medium is a product to reduce the opacity of pigments while maintaining a smooth flowing product.

If you add water to a acrylic paint you are not just reducing the pigment volume but you are also diluting the solvent in which the pigment is suspended (even in acrylics, the solvent is rarely water).

Some glaze mediums are more fluid http://www.pullingers.com/c/1527/art-paint-supplies/acrylic-mediums-varnishes/winsor-newton-artists-mediums/artists-acrylic-effect-gel-mediums/winsor-newton-artists-acrylic-glazing-medium/?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=pricecomp&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CO_ChNSJqsoCFUsOwwodHlIEOA , others more viscous http://www.pullingers.com/c/1557/art-paint-supplies/acrylic-mediums-varnishes/daler-rowney-acrylic-mediums/daler-rowney-acrylic-additives/daler-rowney-glaze-medium-matt/?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=pricecomp&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CMnov6CKqsoCFQkXwwod6LIBJQ, but basically they do the same job.

The point of a glaze (or a filter as many military model builders know them) is to tint the underlying colour. Glazes can be built up to to graduate a colour, much in a similar manner to wet blending (but it's a whole lot easier).

Personally I use glazes to build the highlights on a mini.

[Maverick__]

Regarding the primer and paint:  I recently saw brush on primer in a hobby store that came in most, if not all, the primary colors.  And I may be remembering it wrong but I think it was vallejo.  Also, I've used some of the newish spray cans of Krylon that are paint and primer combined to good effect.  I am really liking the concept of paint and primer combined.  I am all for saving time by combining the primer and base coat in one.  This also keeps the thickness of the overall paint on the miniature down too.

....I've even painted a couple of rooms in my home with a primer/paint combo.  :D

[Ratboy]

Regarding the primer and paint:  I recently saw brush on primer in a hobby store that came in most, if not all, the primary colors.  And I may be remembering it wrong but I think it was vallejo.  Also, I've used some of the newish spray cans of Krylon that are paint and primer combined to good effect.  I am really liking the concept of paint and primer combined.  I am all for saving time by combining the primer and base coat in one.  This also keeps the thickness of the overall paint on the miniature down too.

Vallejo Surface Primer. Good Stuff.

[BirdofPrey]

See all the primes I could find from vallejo are actually somewhat low on color.
Redish brown, yellowish brown, dark green, sand, dirt, grey, more sand, more dirt, more grey.

Seems great for some paint jobs, but for the other half, grey might still be the best (though light ghost grey might not be a bad one to grab for lighter paint jobs).

I'm not attached to Vallejo at any rate; it's just the only good acrylic paint I've used, so if someone else has a good color primer, I'll look at it, but I need to know about it first.  I'll definitely look into the liquitex stuff for mediums and additives.

I'm still trying to get away from spray cans, though.  I don't feel I have the control with one I get from a brush or airbrush (not that I have the latter at the moment anyways, my cheap piece of crap is missing parts, and I don't have a compressor)

[Ratboy]

Yep, almost all the Surface Primers are meant for Camo / Military paint schemes. Although the Light Ghost Grey is what I use pretty much all the time.