"How do I use an ink?" Topic

I bought some Coat d'Arms chestnut ink, flesh ink and armour ink. Are these like the GW washes? Do I just slop them on out of the pot or do I have to apply a different way? I don't want to waste any.

Cheers!

Depends what you're trying to do.

In general though yes, you use it like a wash.

You will probably want to dilute them for most things, although, as Extra Crispy says, it depends on what you want them to do.

I am using Army Painter inks and I dilute 50/50 with water. The difference between this dilute and straight from the bottle is pretty big, so a personal favourite would probably lay somewhere between straight and 50/50. for example for me it is likely 4 ink to 3 water (I am still experimenting).

I posted an example a few weeks ago which might help. Link link

you might find the effect too subtle, you can click on the photo to get a closer look. They look OK to the naked eye without the paint job being made too dirty – though I coat the figure with satin varnish first. I am using acrylic paints.

i haven't used the Army Painter or Coat d'Arms versions yet but i have used the GW shades (aka washes) . i find the best results when using the colored washes over the same color paint , for example Carroburg Crimson over red paint . doing this you don't get the 'dirty' look you get by using Soft Tone or Dark Tone etc. and highlighting with the original color looks really good . adding a second highlight looks even better .

I was just going to use it like I would the old Devlan Mud was from GW. Just wash it over the figure for the instant shading. I guess I will try one and see what happens.

I've used inks full strength on my white primed minis to pick out details and as to help on shading. And, as stated above it really depends on what effect you want after, or during, the painting of your mini. I have noticed that different products produce different effects.

I use Windsor Newton Nut Brown ink straight and apply it liberally. I then quickly use a dry brush to wick away the ink from wherever I don't want it. You waste a lot of ink this way but can fine tune the look to what you like.

If you don't want any discoloration of the underlying paint and just want the ink in the crevices, then spray with dullcote before inking them. This helps the ink to flow better than applying it straight to acrylic.