Thanks *INTO THE AM* for the sweet T-SHIRTS! Grab some for yourself with this link and get *10% OFF* intotheam.com/BMCTEN *BLACK FRIDAY SALE* (Nov 22 - Dec 3) 30% - 80% OFF Storewide!
for the cups you can buy bundles of like fifty clear measure cups they use for things like medicine or other crafts like resin off amazon for cheap. They come in all sizes from two inches tall to eight inches tall for when you need to do a whole table's worth of terrain
I showed the t-shirts to all my friends so we could make a big order and get free shipping to Canada. The designs are so cool we got a bunch of them. We are going to look gorgeous all around the table at our next DnD session. Great sponsor.
Oil painter here. I'll give you guys 4 big tips - 1st Save your used thinner up in a little glass jar with a tight sealing lid. Once it's full, just let it sit and settle for a while. The pigments will settle out to the bottom. You can then pour the clean thinner off the top into a fresh jar and just reuse it. Depending on how cleanly you poured off the top in the first stage, you may want to do a second stage of settling but that shouldn't be a problem. Yes, you will eventually hit a point where that thinner can't really be used in places where you need a *really* clean thinner, but that will probably take you years and years. Especially at the scales a modeller is using. Even so, you can still use that old thinner up for tasks, like weathering washes, where purity isn't really needed. In short, there is basically no reason to ever actually get rid of used thinner. 2nd You want to get yourself a bottle of liquin or Galkyd. These are essentially oil medium with a bunch of drying salts mixed in. Cut the oil paint you're going to use with like 10-20% of these before mixing into your thinner for you wash. This will greatly accelerate curing time. With the thin smooth layers used at modeling scales, the paint should be fully cured after a full day. If it's done correctly, you should be able to be fully confident that it's 100% fully rock hard cured after a few days. 3rd Don't forget fire safety. Drying Oils have exothermic reactions. Your paint brush cleaning rag *will be* exactly the oily rag you where always warned about as a kid. So is that cardboard you used to leach the oil (more on that in a minute). Do not just wad up used paper towels with oil paint on them and throw them in the trash. Get yourself a fire proof container that you can use to safely store those used oily rags. You can then dispose of them safely once the oils in them have cured. 4th I'm baffled by the notion I see going around in modelling communities where you want to leach the oil out of your oil paints on some cardboard. All this is going to do is cause under binding. It's no different from over-thinning acrylic paint with water and no medium. It will weaken the paint and cause it to fail. In fact, oil painters tend to *add* oil to their paint. Often, once the oil on a painting has cured, there are spots on a painting where there is still visible under binding and so it's a common practice to "oil out" a dry painting by putting another thin layer of thinned oil medium over the top. Note that this isn't the varnish layer. This oil is absorbed into any pigments which can hold more of it and this stabilizes the pigments and also helps the vibrancy. The varnish layer is applied after the painting is oiled out and that has cured.
This, so so much. Especially point three and four. I use oils for scale modeling and it seems that every hobby has their own total misconception of what to do with chemicals.
This deserves more attention, I would've brought up the liquin myself otherwise since it's basically magic. I'm glad you brought up the safety warning, I've noticed it's often overlooked in tabletop hobbies to treat solvents and aerosols without any precautions or gear. Also worth noting to others is that acrylic can't be put on top of oil paint, to stave off the inevitable flaky hoards of minis whose paint jobs are going to be ruined.
@@paintingbyminions8360 Don't be scared. Just be safe. Edit - Just to add. Dmitry Fesechko has a few very informative videos worth checking out. Also, check out james wappel.
@@arathduiliath9074 Honestly, I haven't ever had a problem with acrylic over oil just so long as - A: You make sure that your oils are dry before applying acrylics. With thin layers and liquin, I usually wait 4 days just to be really sure. B: You should varnish afterwards. Hell, I use an acrylic varnish. Haven't had an issue. I will say that I would question whether or not this would be truly "archival" but, you know, we're talking about game pieces here. How long do we realistically expect a mini's paint job to last? I'm not too interested in pretending that I'm the van gogh of mini painting and that my work should last forever or that this is even possible with kids running around and playing games with me and each other. A few years back, I had the experience of stripping and repainting a whole crapload of my dads battletech mechs from the late 80s-early 90s. My dad, brothers, and I played a *ton* of games with those. 30ish years seems to me to be a good run for a paint job and it also seems to me that nothing I paint is going to truly survive my nephews and nieces in the long run anyways.
A note on safe handling: if you're using oil paints for gaming miniatures, be conscious of what sorts of pigments are in your paints. Heavy metal poisoning tends to be a cumulative thing, and a quick varnish can serve to protect yourself, and others, from incidentally consuming trace amounts of toxic metal oxides whilst snacking during a game.
Yeah, I always varnish everything that I expect to be a game piece. Not even from just a safety standpoint, but from the perspective of my wanting the paint job to outlast gameplay.
You know what I _really love_ about _this_ video? It's actually the _first_ one that I've seen, that actually _shows you how to mix_ the dang wash! Seriously, thank you so much for showing the most important, basic step everyone else seems to take for granted!
1 thing i absolutely love about your channel and content, is your realisation that alot of your viewers may not have access to the stores you do, and when you link products you include other countries and provide alternatives if the exact same thing isnt available. By far one of the best channels associated with this hobby!
I'm happy you made the disposal message. I used to sell these solvants when I worked at an art supply store and would always make my little "don't dump it in your sink" speach. Sometimes I could tell the person wasn't going to do it ptopery and it made me so angry to sell these products to irresponsible people.
Whats the place to put them in again? I know you shouldnt put it in the sink, but I still get confused with where to put it and the process to clean it up
@@wooperman6960 you keep it in a solvent resitant jar (i like a mason jar because it's easy) and you can re use it for a long time. The pigments fall to the bottom so the top stays clear. When it's so dirty that you can't use it anymore bring the jar to a center that collects this king of waste, same place than for old house paint, car batteries ... Look online for local procedures, they change from one country to the next.
@@wooperman6960 if you don't have a place locally that does hazardous waste disposal, you can also pour your extra onto something like a cookie sheet, put a small cardboard box in the middle, and leave it out in the sun. The liquid will wick up into the box, and the sunlight and airflow will evaporate it away pretty quickly. Obviously this only works when it's not raining, and make sure you do it outside somewhere where there's not a risk of it catching on fire, because it's going to be pretty flammable
Mannn, this is the first time I've really, ACTUALLY considered using oil washes. I've been all about the acrylic/water-based ("I need this mess to DRY."), but there is something different about that oil wash. Thank you for breaking it on down!
Oil washes are one of those 'once I can upgrade the hobby space so it is not permanent chaos' to do items. Bonus props for being the first person who discussed oil washes who discussed what to do with the leftovers.
I have watched so many people do this, but really man, I love the way that you break it down and demonstrate. Your content has changed my life so much man, the way I hobby now is so deeply inspired by you. Thank you for this and all that you have done, you truly rock J. Rock ON!!!!!!!
I’ve been using oil washes on my minis for a while now and have learned a few things through the trials and, albeit minimal, tribulations. The amount that you thin your washes will affect how they flow, but it will also affect drying times. I recently made a wash of about 10:1 thinner to paint and within 8 hours, I did end up having some staining on white armor. Wiping the paint towards your shadows will certainly give you a nice gradient if you have gone for a heavy wash. Using a clean sponge surface with a bit of spirits really helps with efficient cleanup time, if you’re looking to batch paint or something. Once the sponge becomes “dirtied” with pigment, you end up just sort of pushing it around. I’ve been on a social media campaign of sharing my minis doused with oil paints, basically dunked, and then the beautiful gradients and relief shading that it creates. Thanks for sharing the oil wash love to the greater community!
Once you've collected the thinned paint in a jar you can actually let the paint sink to the bottom and reuse the thinner, it becomes good as new this way. I've been oil painting for years (mostly on canvas) and reusing my thinner, I'm only on my second bottle. I have a dirty jar I put the dirty thinner in and a clean-ish jar as intermediate which I often pour from directly as thinner and if this jar gets too filled up I just put it back in the original bottle because it's basically the same for practical use (once it has sat still for a few days).
@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial letting it settle is plenty, if it's not clean when you check, it just needs more time. Or if your jar is super dirty because it gets dirty quicker because you pour complete washes rather than just dirty paint thinner you might want an extra intermediate jar because I feel the last bits have a harder time settling at the bottom when the jar already has a lot of paint in it.
Can the contents of the "dirty" jar be stirred up and re-used as a wash? Or will the contents no longer be usable for painting once the pigment has settled?
@@alexanderspalding3541 technically it could at least for a little while, but if the jar isn't sealed properly (like some small cheap ones aren't) then it will evaporate rather quickly. It will evaporate regardless I think, leaving behind the paint and oils, tho and thus the wash will get thicker over time. Whenever I make washes I use small amounts like NJM
I do the same although I tend to filter mine infrequently using regular coffee filters. The type of thinner I use tend to go from colorless to slightly yellow this way but it’s not enough to actually affect the paintings.
Armour modeler here. Just a few things that I learnt throughout my involvement with oil paints. Nevertheless what you do with them, it is always the best idea to apply them over a gloss coat, reasons are Washes flow even better You can wipe any mistakes easily And you don't risk reactions with other types of paints(acrylics have no issues, but rattle can colours,tamiya paints and some other react badly with the thinner you use for the oil paints) After finishing with your desired effect clear coat again, gloss or matte, this way you seal everything you did. You can also use oil paints for weathering like colour modulation, streaking grime, rain marks, dust marks, oil filters, have you ever tried anything from these techniques? If so i would like to see how you do and your experience. Sorry for the long comment. Keep up the good work and also keep us inspired.
For larger scale pieces (busts or larger scale 3d printed "statues") I use acrylic to basecoat and drybrush and oils to wash and I often wash, wipe off excess (either wet or once dry, depending on the look), drybrush or layer again with acrylics then wash again with oils and this is sometimes repeated several times. I do make sure things are bone dry before going from oil to acrylic or back again. Not had any problems at all (no varnishes in between either) but the oil can stain the acrylic paint if not sealed. Not sure if this would affect the wear on a gaming piece, but for something that sits on a shelf, it's fine.
I really like these types of videos. They’re super informational for new crafters such as myself. Until now, I thought that oil washes were just an expensive substitute for acrylic washes. Now knowing all of these things helps make informed decisions of how to make the piece you’re working on look the best it can be. Good work Jeremy! These help a ton
This is the video I was waiting for since you started using oil washes. I like the way you breakdown how you do it with out getting bogged down by details. Thank you for going boldly so the rest of us have a guide to follow.
Oil paints are an amazing resource, whether you're a try-hard display painter, or a speed painter just looking to bang out loads of models for the tabletop, they can definitely be a big help.
Great tutorial. Can you do a side by side comparison between oil and water based washes and how they look on different mediums? (aka stone or wood textures)
I recently started experimenting with oil paints and I have to say it's hard to go back to acrylics for anything other than base-coating. Washes are 10 times better in all regards. But you can also easily replicate wet-blends and glazes and highlight things with a few brush strokes. It is amazing.
I know I’m a bit late to the game on this. I’ve watched this vid maybe 5 times now. Just got home from the shop with a few oil paints to try this out on my first bits of 3D printed scatter for my dnd game. Thank you Jeremy for all your tutorials I’ve watched over the years, they are massively informative and inspirational and for a long time I’ve watched but not really done anything. That’s changing now though. Also oil washes are a total game changer. Wow what a difference it makes. Honestly if there is anyone out there reading this. Give them a try, super easy and fun.
nice choice of paint brushes there(Ones with the blue handles) . I'm almost 100% sure they are the same cheap (but surprisingly ok quality for the cost) ones I use on my terrain. Never commented on one of you videos before but just wanted to say I love your work and I have learned so much from watching you for years now. You're a true inspiration
a cool trick if you want realistic Rust FX, is to do your oil wash, then before it is dry, apply a rust colored acrylic paint wherever you'd like your rust effect. because the water based acrylic reacts with the oil, it sort of coagulates, creating a cool organic rust effect.
The series on the paint actually refers to a pricing system based on the rarity of the pigments in the paint. That doesn't mean that the pigments in lower series are lower quality, just that the higher series contain pigments that are harder to acquire. A good example of a low series pigment is PR101 (Pigment Red 101), which is synthetic iron oxide. It'll typically sell much cheaper than, for instance, a paint made from PB72 -- cobalt blue.
Man, oil washes are life changing especially on terrain. I really love just really putting it on heavy onto the roofs of buildings and letting it run naturally down the walls and pool on other surfaces. I don’t even clean it off after, just leave it to dry. It creates such a fantastic weathered water damage/grime buildup look that’s both evident enough to bring a lot of depth to the piece, but subtle enough that you don’t have these dark streaky lines screaming at you when you look at the piece.
As a trad oil painter, rags, and paper towels that has spirits or turpentine can sometimes catch fire if in a hot area or in direct sunlight. I use an old metal container to store my rags, and keep it in a cool dark closet when I'm not using it!
As a long time plastic model aircraft builder, I always put a gloss varnish over the paint job and then do the weathering with oil washes. It just flows so much nicer.
The best of both worlds and something I have not seen anyone talk about is water mixable oil paints. Get all the benefits of oils without all the smell and chemicals of solvents.
First thing: This was great. I live in a third-floor apartment. I have a porch, but no garage, so I built as much terrain as I could over the summer (buildings, scatter terrain, spaceships) so I could spray prime them outside. I’ve watched you use oil washes before and liked the results, so I wanted to give them a shot. This video came out just at the right time. Second thing: Yes, I did think “that shirt is sick”. And now I know where you got it. And will buy it.
just have in your mind that if you spray out oil washes also need to be done with a lot of fresh air as the fumes from white spirit are very very bad too
Oil washes are one of those things that I've yet to dive in to, but I know as soon as I do I'll never look back. The results definitely look fantastic with them!
My wife got me using gamsol for thinning oils. Since she does oil painting (on canvas) that's what I did. Low odor and easy to use and reasonably priced.
I love oil washes! Though I use them on my mechanical models and not minis, the technique is still the same. A great way to get an effective but extremely lazy weather job is to do a "gunk" wash. It's the same concept but I thin the paint substantially less and wipe off less from the flat surfaces. I'll also use a matte clear coat before oils, which will then darken and give the whole kit a "gubby" "gunked up" appearance.
Thanks Jeremy. I've been painting alot more lately since I got my 3D printer and your painting tips have really inspired me and help me create better models with more realism and depth. I've stayed away from oils mostly because I hate the smells, the clean up and the waste disposal. After watching this tho, I might give it a try as I'm not happy with the results from my acrylic washes. Going to check out the shirts now, thanks again.
Amazing video!!! I love oil washes and they have had the same impact on my painting. I liked how you say you don't need to varnish pre oil like other people do which is so unnecessary and misleading unless you're trying to change the finish. In my experience, I don't need to varnish before putting acrylic on top of oil. The oil just needs to dry first which can take a few days. Acrylics behave weird on top of the wet oils. I think the mineral spirits dry within an hour or so but the oils themselves don't dry for a few days which is why you can wipe them off the next day.
Haven’t done an oil painting on canvas in years. The paints are still there and good. These would be a great way to put them to use again. Thanks for the demo.
Great video! Marcos videos are what got me to try oil washes too. This video really clarified some things I was still unsure about. Like you can gloss varnish before your oil washes but you don’t have to, and you can let the paint completely dry before removing the excess but you don’t have to.
What a helpful video! I've been looking to test the oily waters for a while and this inspired me to give it a go on my next project. Thanks for the tips and demo man!
I keep my homemade oil washes in bell jars. Absolutely great on recent Transformers figures that have massive amounts of detail all painted a single color.
I think I was probably a bit nervous about the idea of trying oil washes but this video has really helped take away any nerves, I think I might give it a go
Yeah, I've only tried to do a pin wash on my first tank, and you're right, the thinner is the most difficult to figure out. I think I used Iso alcohol when I did it but I'm sure a better choice would have worked better.
When you get to the point about applying the oil washes onto acrylics easily without needing a protective varnish, I got really jazzed. I did not know that.
Great timing Jeremy. I tried an oil wash the first time on my last project and it didn't go well. I wasn't feeling very confident about them, but this video makes me feel like it's not a big deal. Thanks for all you do. Much love.
I really like the seamless transitions from color to color that the oil washes do. Great vid btw I'm def considering using oil washes to up my painting game 👍
This is exactly what ive been looking for. Im starting to paint battletech minis and i really want this nice grungy, dirty look for them and i think this will be perfect!
Great video, to save some cups. I use a big well palette covered in a single layer of tin foil. Depends how much you want to make but a clean solution and less waste.
Good stuff. There's lots of YT videos describing methods of depicting rust streaking using oils on acrylic. Some of the best are by railway modellers working on rolling stock and scenery.
Ok, I'm convinced. I'll give them a try. I grabbed 6 colours I figure should work for grime type effects and some mineral spirits (seems to be odourless turpentine here in ZA) and some brushes. Here's to learning new things!
I'm late but great video as you've done what no others I've watched have done. And that's actually explain how to make an oil wash and that is amazing,! Thank you
Since this is the latest video I'm commenting this here, but since a few of your videos have mentioned being able to make D&D fun for kids, I think it would be a great idea to try and make some sort of dungeon/scatter terrain/something like a chest the players can interact with to get treasure out of and build it all or mostly out of legos and show people how you did it.
Thanks for sharing this. I have heard great things about oil washes for costuming, but never thought to use it for miniatures. I am going to have to pick some up now.
I'm trying my first oil wash today so I'm rewatching this XD I am gonna use Gamsol for it. It's supposed to be one of the "safer" options compared to the harsher thinners. I wanted to be an oil painter back in the day so I have a LOT of oil painting stuff haha.
Been looking at oil washes for such a long time without actually getting around to trying them. This video really did give me everything I need to get started. Guess I know what next months hobby budget's getting spent on!
Amazing video at a super coincidental time right as I am trying to find out about Oil Washes! Also, if you eat a lot of yogurt or italian ice the little cups are amazing to save for mixing any number of hobby things
Here in the Pacific Northwest, Yoplait sells a yogurt branded as Oui. It comes in these little glass jars that are fantastic for hobby mixing. They also make excellent tea light holders, and the yogurt's good, without a ton of additives. Gods, I sound like a dang commercial!
@@terenceconnors9627 Im from New England and I think chobani, theyre pretty wide and have nice ridges for using them for brush water. Either way, reusing the plastic is a cool thing to do!
Wow, Jeremy. I have to say, I was not expecting this to be as encouraging as it was. I watched it because I always pay attention to what you have to say about crafting. But I really did not expect to come away with any sort of desire to really do anything with oils. But man, you have convinced me. That looks gorgeous! Especially wiping off after dry. That almost eliminates the need for any sort of dry brush after the wash. Good job. As soon as Christmas is over (and I have $$ again for crafting) I will grab a few colors and start playing with them. I assume no ill reactions with any of the other stuff we use like foam core or insulation foam?
Thank you - I guess yours was the "kick in the back" I needed. After like 35+ years in mini painting, this was new and somewhat scary for me. Not any longer :-) thanks to you!
There are oil paints that mix with water if working with solvents is concerning. A small amount of surfactant is added. Best of both worlds. Generally, these are sold as beginner paints as they are more similar to acrylic paint. However, some of the nicest oil paints that can be found are water soluble - well worth trying at any skill level. The brand Holbein makes fantastic stuff.
The shirt montage just got me down. Right there, haha. After so many years, you still manage to hit the right spot 🔥 I'd never even consider using oil paints as a replacement to washes as we know them. Thank you for sharing your experience, from why to use cardboard to when it's best to wipe off. P.S. Speaking of wiping off, that moment with the yellow tile - it's just like from the old TV ads about household cleaning agents. Brilliant 💎
I was hoping I could premix these and save in a jar but I guess not. I watched this when it first came out but didn’t remember all the details bc I wasn’t really ready to make any at the time. I think I feel more comfortable with the homemade acrylic wash from your recipe. Sure this looks better but it’s easier and safer to clean up acrylic than oil.
I don't know if anyone has suggested it to you but you should pick up medicine dosing cups. They are absolutely perfect for mixing small batches of color that you will toss after or use fully.
I am going to finally give this a try. I have been wanting to give it a shot. Wyloch's latest video talked so highly about it. I have to give it a try. Wish me luck.
Good info. I have oil painte left over from an ancient attempt at painting horses...they should make suitable washes. I do have some water based oils, so a comparison is in order. Cheers!
Try something called Liquin for Fine Detail by Winsor & Newton. It will thin the paint, but it will also dry faster. I use it in oil paintings all the time, just be careful it will solidify in the bottle if you leave it open to long.
I say, try oil washes once (maybe a friend uses them and you can experiment) and you'll see what all the fuss is about! Acrylic washes are still good for large 'distopian' terrain tho'. On the subject of those cheap plastic pipettes ("pip - et" btw), I find the bulb will quickly split along the seam. So, before [or after] this happens build up a few coats of liquid latex on the bulb - 4 or 5 thin layers, dried with a hair dryer, takes a few minutes and you've extended the life of the pipette. Even 'disposable sundries' costs add up.
I use Winsor & Newton Sansodor thinner. As the name suggests, it comes with very little smell. Recommended! Regarding varnish, I can only suggest to varnish surfaces, if you want to use your oil washes as pin washes. Because the surface will be smoother, the capillary action is WAY better that way. Also, the glossier the varnish, the better this will work - you can always matte varnish the part afterwards. And: VARNISH AT THE END. That isn't optional. Oil paints still might contain highly toxic stuff. This isn't "I like to form my brushes in my mouth Citadel Hobby Paint (tm)" stuff.
Instead of disposable cups, I use egg cartons (the plastic ones if I'm making washes) or old chocolate trays . I don't dispose of them, and after a while the paint just cures so I can re-use them. Less single-use products!
Thanks *INTO THE AM* for the sweet T-SHIRTS!
Grab some for yourself with this link and get *10% OFF* intotheam.com/BMCTEN
*BLACK FRIDAY SALE* (Nov 22 - Dec 3) 30% - 80% OFF Storewide!
for the cups you can buy bundles of like fifty clear measure cups they use for things like medicine or other crafts like resin off amazon for cheap. They come in all sizes from two inches tall to eight inches tall for when you need to do a whole table's worth of terrain
“And they don’t shrink in the wash!”
Challenge accepted.
@@Bopperkid I dry everything on high!
I showed the t-shirts to all my friends so we could make a big order and get free shipping to Canada. The designs are so cool we got a bunch of them. We are going to look gorgeous all around the table at our next DnD session. Great sponsor.
@@juliehamel8330 🔥
Oil painter here. I'll give you guys 4 big tips -
1st
Save your used thinner up in a little glass jar with a tight sealing lid. Once it's full, just let it sit and settle for a while. The pigments will settle out to the bottom. You can then pour the clean thinner off the top into a fresh jar and just reuse it. Depending on how cleanly you poured off the top in the first stage, you may want to do a second stage of settling but that shouldn't be a problem. Yes, you will eventually hit a point where that thinner can't really be used in places where you need a *really* clean thinner, but that will probably take you years and years. Especially at the scales a modeller is using. Even so, you can still use that old thinner up for tasks, like weathering washes, where purity isn't really needed. In short, there is basically no reason to ever actually get rid of used thinner.
2nd
You want to get yourself a bottle of liquin or Galkyd. These are essentially oil medium with a bunch of drying salts mixed in. Cut the oil paint you're going to use with like 10-20% of these before mixing into your thinner for you wash. This will greatly accelerate curing time. With the thin smooth layers used at modeling scales, the paint should be fully cured after a full day. If it's done correctly, you should be able to be fully confident that it's 100% fully rock hard cured after a few days.
3rd
Don't forget fire safety. Drying Oils have exothermic reactions. Your paint brush cleaning rag *will be* exactly the oily rag you where always warned about as a kid. So is that cardboard you used to leach the oil (more on that in a minute). Do not just wad up used paper towels with oil paint on them and throw them in the trash. Get yourself a fire proof container that you can use to safely store those used oily rags. You can then dispose of them safely once the oils in them have cured.
4th
I'm baffled by the notion I see going around in modelling communities where you want to leach the oil out of your oil paints on some cardboard. All this is going to do is cause under binding. It's no different from over-thinning acrylic paint with water and no medium. It will weaken the paint and cause it to fail. In fact, oil painters tend to *add* oil to their paint. Often, once the oil on a painting has cured, there are spots on a painting where there is still visible under binding and so it's a common practice to "oil out" a dry painting by putting another thin layer of thinned oil medium over the top. Note that this isn't the varnish layer. This oil is absorbed into any pigments which can hold more of it and this stabilizes the pigments and also helps the vibrancy. The varnish layer is applied after the painting is oiled out and that has cured.
This, so so much. Especially point three and four. I use oils for scale modeling and it seems that every hobby has their own total misconception of what to do with chemicals.
This deserves more attention, I would've brought up the liquin myself otherwise since it's basically magic. I'm glad you brought up the safety warning, I've noticed it's often overlooked in tabletop hobbies to treat solvents and aerosols without any precautions or gear. Also worth noting to others is that acrylic can't be put on top of oil paint, to stave off the inevitable flaky hoards of minis whose paint jobs are going to be ruined.
Well now I’m scared again 😱 great points.
@@paintingbyminions8360 Don't be scared. Just be safe.
Edit - Just to add. Dmitry Fesechko has a few very informative videos worth checking out. Also, check out james wappel.
@@arathduiliath9074 Honestly, I haven't ever had a problem with acrylic over oil just so long as -
A: You make sure that your oils are dry before applying acrylics. With thin layers and liquin, I usually wait 4 days just to be really sure.
B: You should varnish afterwards. Hell, I use an acrylic varnish. Haven't had an issue.
I will say that I would question whether or not this would be truly "archival" but, you know, we're talking about game pieces here. How long do we realistically expect a mini's paint job to last? I'm not too interested in pretending that I'm the van gogh of mini painting and that my work should last forever or that this is even possible with kids running around and playing games with me and each other.
A few years back, I had the experience of stripping and repainting a whole crapload of my dads battletech mechs from the late 80s-early 90s. My dad, brothers, and I played a *ton* of games with those. 30ish years seems to me to be a good run for a paint job and it also seems to me that nothing I paint is going to truly survive my nephews and nieces in the long run anyways.
A note on safe handling: if you're using oil paints for gaming miniatures, be conscious of what sorts of pigments are in your paints. Heavy metal poisoning tends to be a cumulative thing, and a quick varnish can serve to protect yourself, and others, from incidentally consuming trace amounts of toxic metal oxides whilst snacking during a game.
Honestly, varnishing minis is just a good idea in general.
Yeah, I always varnish everything that I expect to be a game piece. Not even from just a safety standpoint, but from the perspective of my wanting the paint job to outlast gameplay.
You know what I _really love_ about _this_ video? It's actually the _first_ one that I've seen, that actually _shows you how to mix_ the dang wash! Seriously, thank you so much for showing the most important, basic step everyone else seems to take for granted!
I second that comment! Truely a nice tutorial. I'll be using this when building model aircraft, and other equipment.
1 thing i absolutely love about your channel and content, is your realisation that alot of your viewers may not have access to the stores you do, and when you link products you include other countries and provide alternatives if the exact same thing isnt available. By far one of the best channels associated with this hobby!
I'm happy you made the disposal message. I used to sell these solvants when I worked at an art supply store and would always make my little "don't dump it in your sink" speach. Sometimes I could tell the person wasn't going to do it ptopery and it made me so angry to sell these products to irresponsible people.
Whats the place to put them in again? I know you shouldnt put it in the sink, but I still get confused with where to put it and the process to clean it up
@@wooperman6960 you keep it in a solvent resitant jar (i like a mason jar because it's easy) and you can re use it for a long time. The pigments fall to the bottom so the top stays clear. When it's so dirty that you can't use it anymore bring the jar to a center that collects this king of waste, same place than for old house paint, car batteries ... Look online for local procedures, they change from one country to the next.
@@wooperman6960 if you don't have a place locally that does hazardous waste disposal, you can also pour your extra onto something like a cookie sheet, put a small cardboard box in the middle, and leave it out in the sun. The liquid will wick up into the box, and the sunlight and airflow will evaporate it away pretty quickly.
Obviously this only works when it's not raining, and make sure you do it outside somewhere where there's not a risk of it catching on fire, because it's going to be pretty flammable
Mannn, this is the first time I've really, ACTUALLY considered using oil washes. I've been all about the acrylic/water-based ("I need this mess to DRY."), but there is something different about that oil wash.
Thank you for breaking it on down!
I could have sworn I've seen you use oil washes already!
I read this in the voice
Oil washes are one of those 'once I can upgrade the hobby space so it is not permanent chaos' to do items. Bonus props for being the first person who discussed oil washes who discussed what to do with the leftovers.
I have watched so many people do this, but really man, I love the way that you break it down and demonstrate. Your content has changed my life so much man, the way I hobby now is so deeply inspired by you. Thank you for this and all that you have done, you truly rock J. Rock ON!!!!!!!
I’ve been using oil washes on my minis for a while now and have learned a few things through the trials and, albeit minimal, tribulations. The amount that you thin your washes will affect how they flow, but it will also affect drying times. I recently made a wash of about 10:1 thinner to paint and within 8 hours, I did end up having some staining on white armor. Wiping the paint towards your shadows will certainly give you a nice gradient if you have gone for a heavy wash. Using a clean sponge surface with a bit of spirits really helps with efficient cleanup time, if you’re looking to batch paint or something. Once the sponge becomes “dirtied” with pigment, you end up just sort of pushing it around. I’ve been on a social media campaign of sharing my minis doused with oil paints, basically dunked, and then the beautiful gradients and relief shading that it creates. Thanks for sharing the oil wash love to the greater community!
Once you've collected the thinned paint in a jar you can actually let the paint sink to the bottom and reuse the thinner, it becomes good as new this way. I've been oil painting for years (mostly on canvas) and reusing my thinner, I'm only on my second bottle. I have a dirty jar I put the dirty thinner in and a clean-ish jar as intermediate which I often pour from directly as thinner and if this jar gets too filled up I just put it back in the original bottle because it's basically the same for practical use (once it has sat still for a few days).
Do you filter in any way or it just settles enough?
@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial letting it settle is plenty, if it's not clean when you check, it just needs more time. Or if your jar is super dirty because it gets dirty quicker because you pour complete washes rather than just dirty paint thinner you might want an extra intermediate jar because I feel the last bits have a harder time settling at the bottom when the jar already has a lot of paint in it.
Can the contents of the "dirty" jar be stirred up and re-used as a wash? Or will the contents no longer be usable for painting once the pigment has settled?
@@alexanderspalding3541 technically it could at least for a little while, but if the jar isn't sealed properly (like some small cheap ones aren't) then it will evaporate rather quickly. It will evaporate regardless I think, leaving behind the paint and oils, tho and thus the wash will get thicker over time. Whenever I make washes I use small amounts like NJM
I do the same although I tend to filter mine infrequently using regular coffee filters. The type of thinner I use tend to go from colorless to slightly yellow this way but it’s not enough to actually affect the paintings.
Armour modeler here. Just a few things that I learnt throughout my involvement with oil paints.
Nevertheless what you do with them, it is always the best idea to apply them over a gloss coat, reasons are
Washes flow even better
You can wipe any mistakes easily
And you don't risk reactions with other types of paints(acrylics have no issues, but rattle can colours,tamiya paints and some other react badly with the thinner you use for the oil paints)
After finishing with your desired effect clear coat again, gloss or matte, this way you seal everything you did.
You can also use oil paints for weathering like colour modulation, streaking grime, rain marks, dust marks, oil filters, have you ever tried anything from these techniques? If so i would like to see how you do and your experience. Sorry for the long comment. Keep up the good work and also keep us inspired.
Haha! I was just talking about wanting to learn this on my live yesterday! Thank you for making a video covering it!😊
I’m so happy to see you’re watching BMC!! He has so many good pointers that you can use across all the scales
For larger scale pieces (busts or larger scale 3d printed "statues") I use acrylic to basecoat and drybrush and oils to wash and I often wash, wipe off excess (either wet or once dry, depending on the look), drybrush or layer again with acrylics then wash again with oils and this is sometimes repeated several times. I do make sure things are bone dry before going from oil to acrylic or back again. Not had any problems at all (no varnishes in between either) but the oil can stain the acrylic paint if not sealed. Not sure if this would affect the wear on a gaming piece, but for something that sits on a shelf, it's fine.
I really like these types of videos. They’re super informational for new crafters such as myself. Until now, I thought that oil washes were just an expensive substitute for acrylic washes. Now knowing all of these things helps make informed decisions of how to make the piece you’re working on look the best it can be. Good work Jeremy! These help a ton
This is the video I was waiting for since you started using oil washes. I like the way you breakdown how you do it with out getting bogged down by details. Thank you for going boldly so the rest of us have a guide to follow.
Oil paints are an amazing resource, whether you're a try-hard display painter, or a speed painter just looking to bang out loads of models for the tabletop, they can definitely be a big help.
Great tutorial. Can you do a side by side comparison between oil and water based washes and how they look on different mediums? (aka stone or wood textures)
I recently started experimenting with oil paints and I have to say it's hard to go back to acrylics for anything other than base-coating.
Washes are 10 times better in all regards. But you can also easily replicate wet-blends and glazes and highlight things with a few brush strokes. It is amazing.
I know I’m a bit late to the game on this. I’ve watched this vid maybe 5 times now. Just got home from the shop with a few oil paints to try this out on my first bits of 3D printed scatter for my dnd game. Thank you Jeremy for all your tutorials I’ve watched over the years, they are massively informative and inspirational and for a long time I’ve watched but not really done anything. That’s changing now though.
Also oil washes are a total game changer. Wow what a difference it makes. Honestly if there is anyone out there reading this. Give them a try, super easy and fun.
nice choice of paint brushes there(Ones with the blue handles) . I'm almost 100% sure they are the same cheap (but surprisingly ok quality for the cost) ones I use on my terrain. Never commented on one of you videos before but just wanted to say I love your work and I have learned so much from watching you for years now. You're a true inspiration
This video genuinely helped me. My ability to finish models and "slay the grey" has greatly improved since watching this. Thank you .
a cool trick if you want realistic Rust FX, is to do your oil wash, then before it is dry, apply a rust colored acrylic paint wherever you'd like your rust effect. because the water based acrylic reacts with the oil, it sort of coagulates, creating a cool organic rust effect.
The series on the paint actually refers to a pricing system based on the rarity of the pigments in the paint. That doesn't mean that the pigments in lower series are lower quality, just that the higher series contain pigments that are harder to acquire. A good example of a low series pigment is PR101 (Pigment Red 101), which is synthetic iron oxide. It'll typically sell much cheaper than, for instance, a paint made from PB72 -- cobalt blue.
Man, oil washes are life changing especially on terrain. I really love just really putting it on heavy onto the roofs of buildings and letting it run naturally down the walls and pool on other surfaces. I don’t even clean it off after, just leave it to dry. It creates such a fantastic weathered water damage/grime buildup look that’s both evident enough to bring a lot of depth to the piece, but subtle enough that you don’t have these dark streaky lines screaming at you when you look at the piece.
I'd love to see photos of those buildings and how they turned out with the method you described
As a trad oil painter, rags, and paper towels that has spirits or turpentine can sometimes catch fire if in a hot area or in direct sunlight. I use an old metal container to store my rags, and keep it in a cool dark closet when I'm not using it!
As a long time plastic model aircraft builder, I always put a gloss varnish over the paint job and then do the weathering with oil washes. It just flows so much nicer.
The best of both worlds and something I have not seen anyone talk about is water mixable oil paints. Get all the benefits of oils without all the smell and chemicals of solvents.
I have had no good luck working with oils yet, but I'm remaining open minded. Thanks for giving a little boost and walkthrough.
I got some small stainless steel cups on amazon and they work wonders for oil washes, easy to clean and saves on waste.
First thing:
This was great. I live in a third-floor apartment. I have a porch, but no garage, so I built as much terrain as I could over the summer (buildings, scatter terrain, spaceships) so I could spray prime them outside. I’ve watched you use oil washes before and liked the results, so I wanted to give them a shot. This video came out just at the right time.
Second thing:
Yes, I did think “that shirt is sick”. And now I know where you got it. And will buy it.
just have in your mind that if you spray out oil washes also need to be done with a lot of fresh air as the fumes from white spirit are very very bad too
Oil washes are one of those things that I've yet to dive in to, but I know as soon as I do I'll never look back. The results definitely look fantastic with them!
My wife got me using gamsol for thinning oils. Since she does oil painting (on canvas) that's what I did. Low odor and easy to use and reasonably priced.
Literally just bought some Burnt Umber, white spirit, and brush cleaner yesterday. So this is coming out a the perfect time
I love oil washes! Though I use them on my mechanical models and not minis, the technique is still the same. A great way to get an effective but extremely lazy weather job is to do a "gunk" wash. It's the same concept but I thin the paint substantially less and wipe off less from the flat surfaces. I'll also use a matte clear coat before oils, which will then darken and give the whole kit a "gubby" "gunked up" appearance.
A big thank for making this video. I was really uncertain as to what I needed to use to remove the paint. This helped me alot.
Thanks Jeremy. I've been painting alot more lately since I got my 3D printer and your painting tips have really inspired me and help me create better models with more realism and depth. I've stayed away from oils mostly because I hate the smells, the clean up and the waste disposal. After watching this tho, I might give it a try as I'm not happy with the results from my acrylic washes. Going to check out the shirts now, thanks again.
Amazing video!!! I love oil washes and they have had the same impact on my painting. I liked how you say you don't need to varnish pre oil like other people do which is so unnecessary and misleading unless you're trying to change the finish. In my experience, I don't need to varnish before putting acrylic on top of oil. The oil just needs to dry first which can take a few days. Acrylics behave weird on top of the wet oils. I think the mineral spirits dry within an hour or so but the oils themselves don't dry for a few days which is why you can wipe them off the next day.
Haven’t done an oil painting on canvas in years. The paints are still there and good. These would be a great way to put them to use again. Thanks for the demo.
Great video! Marcos videos are what got me to try oil washes too. This video really clarified some things I was still unsure about. Like you can gloss varnish before your oil washes but you don’t have to, and you can let the paint completely dry before removing the excess but you don’t have to.
What a helpful video! I've been looking to test the oily waters for a while and this inspired me to give it a go on my next project. Thanks for the tips and demo man!
I keep my homemade oil washes in bell jars. Absolutely great on recent Transformers figures that have massive amounts of detail all painted a single color.
I think I was probably a bit nervous about the idea of trying oil washes but this video has really helped take away any nerves, I think I might give it a go
Yeah, I've only tried to do a pin wash on my first tank, and you're right, the thinner is the most difficult to figure out. I think I used Iso alcohol when I did it but I'm sure a better choice would have worked better.
When you get to the point about applying the oil washes onto acrylics easily without needing a protective varnish, I got really jazzed. I did not know that.
I dipped my toe into oil washes to do tau panel lines recently. My god what a wonderful experience. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Great timing Jeremy. I tried an oil wash the first time on my last project and it didn't go well. I wasn't feeling very confident about them, but this video makes me feel like it's not a big deal. Thanks for all you do. Much love.
I really like the seamless transitions from color to color that the oil washes do. Great vid btw I'm def considering using oil washes to up my painting game 👍
It gives a very impressionistic or watercolor effect to the models.
This is exactly what ive been looking for. Im starting to paint battletech minis and i really want this nice grungy, dirty look for them and i think this will be perfect!
Great video, to save some cups. I use a big well palette covered in a single layer of tin foil. Depends how much you want to make but a clean solution and less waste.
Great foil tip!! Wife never washes her pallete so this will be a game changer.
great vid, you can also filter out the pigments from your mineral spirts and use your solvent/thinner again
Incredibly informative. I may need to start into oil washes now. Another great video.
Good stuff. There's lots of YT videos describing methods of depicting rust streaking using oils on acrylic. Some of the best are by railway modellers working on rolling stock and scenery.
Reusing lids! That is my pallet every time I craft. I think I’m going to pick up some oils this weekend.
Ok, I'm convinced. I'll give them a try. I grabbed 6 colours I figure should work for grime type effects and some mineral spirits (seems to be odourless turpentine here in ZA) and some brushes. Here's to learning new things!
I'm late but great video as you've done what no others I've watched have done. And that's actually explain how to make an oil wash and that is amazing,! Thank you
Dude. Thank you for making this video. I haven’t really found another one specifically for our hobby that was useful to me before
Since this is the latest video I'm commenting this here, but since a few of your videos have mentioned being able to make D&D fun for kids, I think it would be a great idea to try and make some sort of dungeon/scatter terrain/something like a chest the players can interact with to get treasure out of and build it all or mostly out of legos and show people how you did it.
Thanks for sharing this. I have heard great things about oil washes for costuming, but never thought to use it for miniatures. I am going to have to pick some up now.
Thank you. I am now less scared to give it a go 👍👍👍
I'm new to models and really been trying to figure out these washes to make armour pop, thanks for advice this really helped
Not gonna lie, this intro shows Jeremy has dance moves... Great content, very useful tips all around, thanks for this gold mine of information !
Great introductory video. You inspired me to try out making washes myself, but now I have to try oil washes as well.
I'm trying my first oil wash today so I'm rewatching this XD
I am gonna use Gamsol for it. It's supposed to be one of the "safer" options compared to the harsher thinners.
I wanted to be an oil painter back in the day so I have a LOT of oil painting stuff haha.
Been looking at oil washes for such a long time without actually getting around to trying them. This video really did give me everything I need to get started. Guess I know what next months hobby budget's getting spent on!
Amazing video at a super coincidental time right as I am trying to find out about Oil Washes!
Also, if you eat a lot of yogurt or italian ice the little cups are amazing to save for mixing any number of hobby things
Here in the Pacific Northwest, Yoplait sells a yogurt branded as Oui. It comes in these little glass jars that are fantastic for hobby mixing. They also make excellent tea light holders, and the yogurt's good, without a ton of additives. Gods, I sound like a dang commercial!
@@terenceconnors9627 Im from New England and I think chobani, theyre pretty wide and have nice ridges for using them for brush water. Either way, reusing the plastic is a cool thing to do!
I normally zone out during sponsor plugs, but this company is pretty awesome. They have great artists and the most vibrant prints!
Be honest, it was my sick moves that did it.
@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial hahaha! They did not hurt! Great tutorial!
Thank you for this guide. I was hesitant about oil wash but after your video I"m gonna use that on my titan :)
I use wood stain for a similar effect on large terrain pieces. Slather it on, wipe it off the surface with a rag and good to go.
Never used oils before allways acrilicks. But it looks like a new world of. Painting and wheather in garden models. 😊
Wow, Jeremy. I have to say, I was not expecting this to be as encouraging as it was. I watched it because I always pay attention to what you have to say about crafting. But I really did not expect to come away with any sort of desire to really do anything with oils. But man, you have convinced me. That looks gorgeous! Especially wiping off after dry. That almost eliminates the need for any sort of dry brush after the wash. Good job. As soon as Christmas is over (and I have $$ again for crafting) I will grab a few colors and start playing with them. I assume no ill reactions with any of the other stuff we use like foam core or insulation foam?
Nah, it's safe on all your crafts.
I’d recommend if you don’t want to pull wash from recesses use a brush with thinner for more control
I've fallen into the trap of being afraid of new materials so many times! Thank you for demystifying oils for me 😍 just ordered!
Love seeing the shout out for other creators. Thanks for being such a good dude
Thank you - I guess yours was the "kick in the back" I needed. After like 35+ years in mini painting, this was new and somewhat scary for me. Not any longer :-) thanks to you!
That was a great lesson. I’ve got some 3D printed terrain that is perfect for this.
There are oil paints that mix with water if working with solvents is concerning. A small amount of surfactant is added. Best of both worlds. Generally, these are sold as beginner paints as they are more similar to acrylic paint. However, some of the nicest oil paints that can be found are water soluble - well worth trying at any skill level. The brand Holbein makes fantastic stuff.
The shirt montage just got me down. Right there, haha. After so many years, you still manage to hit the right spot 🔥
I'd never even consider using oil paints as a replacement to washes as we know them. Thank you for sharing your experience, from why to use cardboard to when it's best to wipe off.
P.S. Speaking of wiping off, that moment with the yellow tile - it's just like from the old TV ads about household cleaning agents. Brilliant 💎
Love oil washes, so satisfying to work with
I was hoping I could premix these and save in a jar but I guess not. I watched this when it first came out but didn’t remember all the details bc I wasn’t really ready to make any at the time. I think I feel more comfortable with the homemade acrylic wash from your recipe. Sure this looks better but it’s easier and safer to clean up acrylic than oil.
I don't know if anyone has suggested it to you but you should pick up medicine dosing cups. They are absolutely perfect for mixing small batches of color that you will toss after or use fully.
I am going to finally give this a try. I have been wanting to give it a shot. Wyloch's latest video talked so highly about it. I have to give it a try. Wish me luck.
Really great video, extremely informative. I plan to use this technique to wash my spaceship miniatures.
Good info. I have oil painte left over from an ancient attempt at painting horses...they should make suitable washes. I do have some water based oils, so a comparison is in order. Cheers!
Was going to do a live stream last night and was going to use oil wash for the first time. I'm looking forward to using them
Another great, must have tutorial!! I do not make terrain, but this will help out greatly in a few upcoming projects that I have.
Great vid, I bought some oil paints qnd thinner a few months ago and havent used them yet. I'll have to sit down soon and give them a try
Try something called Liquin for Fine Detail by Winsor & Newton. It will thin the paint, but it will also dry faster. I use it in oil paintings all the time, just be careful it will solidify in the bottle if you leave it open to long.
I say, try oil washes once (maybe a friend uses them and you can experiment) and you'll see what all the fuss is about! Acrylic washes are still good for large 'distopian' terrain tho'.
On the subject of those cheap plastic pipettes ("pip - et" btw), I find the bulb will quickly split along the seam. So, before [or after] this happens build up a few coats of liquid latex on the bulb - 4 or 5 thin layers, dried with a hair dryer, takes a few minutes and you've extended the life of the pipette. Even 'disposable sundries' costs add up.
Awesome video man! Always wanted to try oil washes. Makes me want to get back into the hobby after a few years off
I use Winsor & Newton Sansodor thinner. As the name suggests, it comes with very little smell. Recommended!
Regarding varnish, I can only suggest to varnish surfaces, if you want to use your oil washes as pin washes. Because the surface will be smoother, the capillary action is WAY better that way. Also, the glossier the varnish, the better this will work - you can always matte varnish the part afterwards.
And: VARNISH AT THE END. That isn't optional. Oil paints still might contain highly toxic stuff. This isn't "I like to form my brushes in my mouth Citadel Hobby Paint (tm)" stuff.
Just got oil paints and mineral spirits recently but haven't tried them yet! Perfect timing
This is the video I’ve been looking for! Thank you, sir
Instead of disposable cups, I use egg cartons (the plastic ones if I'm making washes) or old chocolate trays . I don't dispose of them, and after a while the paint just cures so I can re-use them. Less single-use products!
I have used the oil wash and I have used the oderless white spirit and it CAN 100 percent strip your acrylic paint off of your models.
Into The AM is a great sponsor! I love their shirts and pretty much exclusively wear them
I was reluctant until they sent me samples! Legit good quality.
lighter fluid works very well and it doesn't attack the lacquer top coats.
edit Acrylics are fine as well I tried on Tamiya.
Excellent video! Great explanation and demonstration of oil washes. Top notch content my dude.
Loved this video; it´s answered many questions i wondered about oils... Thanks!
Great video man. Definitely gave me a lot of confidence to try and attempt some washes. Appreciate you making this.