"Painting query and blog update." Topic

I've been experimenting with a grey undercoat and "magic wash" to speed the painting of my AWI collection, I am trhinking ahead to the very white French infantry. So far I am not too impressed with the results; the wash is "dirtying" the grey undercoat and not defining the crevices enough so I have to paint into them, in a way that's not necessary with a black undercoat. I could well be getting the mix wrong, but I am wondering about short cutting the whole process and using Coat d'armes black shader.
I am expecting too much by hoping to get the wash or shader to fill the crevices and leave the raised bits untouched?

Any help would be appreciated.

In the meantime here's the latest unit I've painted (five minutes at a time over many days!) in the traditional black undercoat style.

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I find that, for a wash over primer, I make it quite heavy on the ink (I use black acrylic ink) and add a touch of flow improver.

It will dirty the primer but I don't find that a major problem, it is still lighter than black and the contrasts are still there so that I can see what I'm painting – which I can't if I use black.

You might try a very quick drybrush white over the high points to brighten them up – I do that sometimes and it seems to help the white/grey to cover on my Austrians.

For whire uniforms, try a white primer washed with a mixture of Payne's Grey with acrylic floor "wax" and water. Then highlight with white. You may need to experiment a bit, but you may get something you like.

Clibinarium,

Beautiful work for 10mm; certainly put my 15mil Brits to shame.

Back to the French. I do second Gildas' advice, however, I apply the wash along the seams, belts, packs and gaiter tops and sides to better define them. Dry brushing with white does pick out details and gives you better options when painting belts or bags a natural or leather colour.

Cheers,
Robert
18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.com

This what I did for white clothing:

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I recently bought some MinWax Antique Walnut Polyshades Satin to fill in the crevices in the white breeches and waistcoat of my British AWI range and it works great! It is glossy, but hopefully some Testor's dullcoat will elimated that. It provides just the right amount of light brown in the crevices, without making it look "too" dirty. It is not as if white uniforms stayed white for very long, particuarly in the heavily wooded American theatre. I will post photos on the Pendraken Yahoo forum soon hopefully. (BTW clibinarium, I love your AWI sculpts, they are simply outstanding. I also followed your blog on painting the figures. I especially like your approach to the faces, and although it takes a fine brush and a steady hand, you are right, the effort is rewarded.)

ilodic.

I think this came up once before where the wash was staining the primer, and not just gathering in the recesses. I think one of the solutions was to seal the figure first and then apply the wash. I have not tried this out yet, but I can see why it would work.