Using Inks To Shade Miniatures

[Olaf the Stout]

I like to use inks to shade my miniatures. I use the Citadel range of inks. I think the ink out quite a bit with water before painting it onto the area I want to shade. I have found that the ink sometimes sits on the flat areas of the mini and doesn't flow into the creases due to the surface tension of the water.

I've come across 2 suggested solutions to this, both having the effect of breaking down the surface tension of the water. One suggestion on the Games Workshop website was to use a little dishwashing liquid. The other suggestion I came across was using a product called "Flow Enhancer". This is a product I'm not familiar with. Is it commonly used? I haven't seen it available here in Australia.

Has anyone had the same problem when using inks to shade their minis? What have you done to try and fix the problem? Has anyone tried using either dishwashing liquid or "Flow Enhancer"?

Olaf the Stout

 

[ethandrul]

I am expecting some flow enhancer to come in the mail this week from Miniature-Giant.

I have really only used inks on 2 minis so far, and I found that it is a good idea to have another brush ready to "mop up" and excess ink. I think this may mean the ink is too thin.

 

[Doug Sundseth]

I don't use inks much, so I'll let others speak directly to that. But I have used flow enhancers when glazing with paints. For my technique, they're not much different than using water, so I usually don't bother.

Dish soap should work, but you'll want to be particularly careful not to add too much because it can make a huge mess. (For reference, the flow enhancer I do use is supposed to be diluted twenty to one with water before adding it to the paint, and I don't add all that much.)

As to problems with pooling: Rather than the ink or paint being too thin, you might consider that you are using too much in your brush. You don't want the brush to be dry, but you want to remove a fair percentage of the fluid from the brush before painting it on.

 

[WhatGravitas]

What have you done to try and fix the problem? Has anyone tried using either dishwashing liquid or "Flow Enhancer"?

Olaf the Stout

Yeah, I had the same problem here (mind you, I'm painting miniatures for about for a 3/4 year) - and putting a drop of dishwashing liquid into a big pot of water that I've used to thin inks has helped a lot - so it definitively works. It's also sometimes helpful to use that mixture for thinning regular paints, as it flows better from the brush in general.

I haven't tried "Flow Enhancer", because the dishwashing liquid made me happy. ANd since you probably have some, I'd say give it a try.

Also: Wipe off the excess water from a brush. Always, otherwise it will swamp the mini and pool and not flow into the recesses as nicely as it should.

EDIT: Depending on how much time you invest in painting minis, also think about how you use inks. Currently, I don't use inks for anything but blacklining (and use less diluted ink than usual for that) and heavily textured stuff, like fur. For shading itself, I mainly try to blend (with varying degrees of success).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

has anyone ever tried using an atomizer to put a VERY fine coat of water onto the mini before using an ink or blend, to give just a little extra moisture to help the flow?
and I do mean a TINY amount.


Never wanted to try the dishwash liquid routine as I am too worried about it messing up varnishes, as my pieces are used in games, need strong varnish.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I've come across something that might help me. Someone has come up with something called "Magic Wash". It uses a diluted mix of Future floor polish. Apparently it helps the ink wash flow right into the cracks. More info can be found here. I'm sure I've heard of this "Magic Wash" before. Has anyone here tried using it?

Olaf the Stout

 

[frankthedm]

Yeah, magic wash works pretty well.

http://www.paintingclinic.com/clinic/guestarticles/magicwash.htm

United Kingdom: Klear or Krystal Klear

Netherlands: Pronto Wax for Wood Floors or Parket Plus

France: Klir

Germany: Erdal Glanzer

Australia: Pledge One Go