Here's some pics. of my second batch of five Nighthaunt models where I tried to improve the way I use the Citadel Hexwraith Flame technical wash.
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I think I finally got my head around the best way to use it to achieve the same kind of ghostly look that GW got when they painted theirs.
You can of course just do a wash of the Hexwraith Flame over the entire model and then paint in the other details. They look really good that way too.
But to really achieve that "wispy, floating", kind of materializing out of the ground effect you have to use the Hexwraith Flame more selectively.
Should be said too, this new Citadel technical wash is amazing! GW wasn't kidding when they said this is a true effects paint made especially for the Nighthaunt. It is milky in consistency and goes on much more solidly than a standard wash. You can indeed do a one-pass with this and it doesn't resist staying in the recesses. You won't have to spray it with gloss first and you won't have to do multiple coats at all. It must already have a chemical or agent in it that makes it stay in the recesses. But the neat part is that it dries totally flat, no gloss whatsoever like you get from a lot of washes or inks. This is a great product and with the large bottle you'll have enough to do hundreds of models at least. It goes a long way!
I found that you can use it at full strength but you want to start at the very top of the ghostly area and dab it in so that it gets in the recesses. The nice thing about the Nighthaunt range is that many of the models have cloaks and hoods, so you can use the part where the cloaks end as a starting line for where the ghostly effects begin. Then as you work your way down towards the bottom of the wispy area, continue to pull the wash down until you've got almost nothing on the brush and continue dabbing. Leave the very bottom-most parts of the wispy effects in pure white, OR give them just a VERY, VERY light dusting of whatever Hexwraith Flame is still left on your brush.
Best way I can describe it is that you're kind of doing a wet-blending motion and pulling the wash down to thin it out the further you go, but at the end it turns into almost a light dabbing before finally becoming almost drybrushing. I really had to work at getting it to look like the ghostly effects were coming up out of the ground in that misty, floaty, gradual way. But the detail of these models is spectacular! It's really worth the effort of making the most of those wispy effects.
I'm really looking forward to using the Hexwraith Flame on other models for things like magical smoke or magic spell effects!
Just for contrast here's the models I did today alongside the first five I did a few days ago. You can see the difference in doing a wash of the green over the whole model as opposed to using it more selectively to achieve that gradual, fading effect. Personally I think they look good both ways, but taking the time to do the fading effect really makes the most of the detail!
Comparison pics:
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