"painting and shading in yellow???" Topic

Hi Folks

I need some help. I have fairly mastered shading many different colors after I apply a black wash. However, yellow escapes me. Maybe I should scrap trying to use the wash and try some other approach. Any suggestions?

Dave
SFO

I wouldn't put a black wash over yellow. I paint yellow over a white undercoat. Depending on what paints you have and how you like to paint will dictate your approach but if you are using washes I'd put a dark yellow wash over a brighter yellow then use the brighter yellow neat for a highlight.

I don't wash yellow but I mix myself up three tones aiming to keep the colour clean – you have to be careful not to turn yellow too muddy. You need to make sure you're mixing in something like a warm golden brown to get the darkest tone.

If you happen to have access to Future floor wax (or whatever it is called now), you can put a coat of that on first and let it dry. Then when you wash with a darker color it does not bleed as much. I do that for predominately white and yellow uniforms and for flesh.

For a brighter yellow wash with orange.
For a duller, more natural yellow wash with Olive green.

I'd wash Yellomwith raw sienna or raw umber. Never black.

When I paint yellow I always prime in white – then I usually do a couple of layers, first a darker yellow then overbrush it with a lighter colour

I am still working out how to best paint yellow – I think this is one of the biggest challenges in painting minis

FABET01 has an interesting nick, but that's a good approach to washes on yellow.

I paint over black primer, and I always do a base coat of something like VMC Ochre Brown (856) or VMC Yellow Ochre (913), and then the brighter yellow goes over that pretty readily. I can also tweak how "yellow" I want the collar or epaulettes to be by using more than one coat. I use washes over most of my colors, but yellow is the exception, as I find undercoating like this to be more predictable. I'd probably revisit if I had to do something like a yellow coat or pants.

Whatever you find is easier for you, really…

I always shade yellow with a orange or a orange/brown

I use Reaper yellows and shade with Winsor Newton Chestnut Brown ink. The paint seems to absorb the ink and actually darken the yellow paint. If you don't like inks, Reaper makes a color called Marigold Yellow which is a darker, orange-yellow that is good for for shading.

I always shade yellow with a orange or a orange/brown

Ditto.

--
Martin Stephenson
The Waving Flag | Twitter | eBay

I got some nice yellow shades using the vallejo yellow washes over white

A yellow ochre wash is the key for me.

Pics?

I usually do a three color highlight pigskin, dark yellow and bright yellow.

The technique wrgmr1 uses works for me consistently.

It is important to realize that most paints are NOT opaque but are rather translucent . . . and yellows are particularly translucent . . . which is why so many paint their yellows on a white background.

For shading, I tend to black prime, then white damp brush (much more white than dry brushing) . . . then I simply paint the yellow over it and let the 'under-shading' bleed through . . . but then I'm fairly lazy with my painting . . . still it works for me.

But if you don't want to risk it, use one of the previously mentioned shading techniques while understanding that it is yellow's translucency that is causing your problems.

-- Jeff

Wow, thanks folks for the great feedback. I will try some of these.

Dave
SFO

The Andrea yellow paint set…………….heaven.

Yes, Jeff's technique of painting white first really brightens up the yellows. Thanks for reminding me.

I've tried the three colors of pigskin, dark yellow and bright yellow with both black primer and then white painted on the black primer. The white really helps bring out the yellow.