The Good and the Bad

Transcript*

Intro

Hey there, Paul here. Just came from outside. And by outside, I mean the rest of the store where it’s cold. But I do have a question for you. Are you dry? If you are, it’s probably because it’s winter. Um, and especially if you’re from Toronto, Ontario or just much of the southern Ontario in general because we’ve had a record breaking January.

Starting off with um the fact that for a little bit there we were the coldest place on earth and then afterwards we were consistently one of the coldest places on earth. It was ridiculous. But then following that, and so you know what, it over overlapped too, is record-breaking snowfall where uh for nearly 3 weeks in a row, we’ve had snowfalls, the two snowstorms specifically, that hammered us. Um and it didn’t melt because of how cold it is. And this most recent one, the week of the 24th, January, uh we reached snowfalls of up to 60 cm. That’s 2 feet 2 feet of snow for our American friends.

So, it’s been a little ridiculous. So, I’m going to go back to my previous question. Are you dry? If you are, maybe the solution is glaze medium. What? You expected a solution to be lube or something? No. Onto the video. So, it’s admittedly a little nicer now. Um, but when you scroll down the dates and the temperatures here for the next week and a half. Yeah, man. This is the temperatures of doom and despair. This is what Toronto is in for for the next week and a half to two weeks. Disgusting.

Glaze Medium & Dry Paints

Glaze medium. Why it works, how it works, and how it solves their drying out problems is the main point of this video. Of course, you can use glaze medium for another part, and I’ll actually show it later and talk about it, but really, it’s going to be about why your paints dry out so fast in the winter. And that’s the crux of today’s video. And that’s because it’s just too damn cold, man. Too damn dry.

Basically, there’s no moisture in the air. That’s why they recommend using a humidifier to emulate or semi- emulate the weather and the moisture level in the air during the summer, right? Because it’s better for your skin. Your skin doesn’t dry out too much. It’s also more comfortable living environment. Whereas during winter, there’s barely any of that. What does that mean? That means that your paint just dries out faster. Now, this is a uniquely water-based acrylic problem.

If you use lacquer, enamel or solvent based acrylics and solvent uh I mean Tamiya acrylics is all solvent based and then Mr. Hobby Aqueous H paints are also all solvent and of course you know lacquer and enamel. That’s no no need for explanation there. But yeah, it doesn’t really affect you unless you use water-based acrylics.

For one, lacquer you’re already expecting a fast dry out. They dry out the fastest regardless. And enamel the effect is negligible. Same with solvent based acrylics because of that added alcohol. So really if you’re using water-based, pay attention. This may save your miniature and that is the reason why you should have a humidifier on at all times though. Please clean it. Micro mold inside with a filter. Anyway, so that is what we’re discussing today.

Products

The paint we will be using for this demo is pure red from Army Painter Fanatic Paints. Um and we’re going to leave three dots here. One right here on the very left is the control dot. Basically, just purely the paint. So, that’s two drops right there. And then in the middle here, we would have two drops of the one we will use water on. And then right here at the very edge is the control.

Test Parameters

I keep saying control, but you know what I mean. Basically, the sample that we’re going to be using glaze medium on, right? And in fact, if you want uh just to make it fair, this will be just by itself, this will be water and that would be the medium because I applied that first just to see the difference. So I’m not going to apply anything on the right. And then for the one in the middle will be water.

I will be mixing in water here. So let’s put three parts, right? So it’s a little runny. There we go. Just mix that thoroughly. And for this one, three drops of glaze medium. And then just mix. There’s a drop there in the corner. I’m not going to be using that drop. So there it is. And in fact, you know, just to make it fair, add a bit more water. So that’s me cleansing it in the background. That’s the swirling here. Um, so there’s no cross contamination. So we will be trying to start a timer here.

Let’s just do a stop watch actually. Three, two, one. And then we’ll just do uh sort of a plus minus thing. So plus 1 minute essentially cuz I delete that lead there. But yeah, we’ll do this and then we’ll come back to it and see what happens. So remember, medium water, nothing.

Drying Results – 20 Minutes

It’s been 20 minutes. Let’s check up on the paint, shall we? Ribbon. Just grab a new brush. And yeah, just to see. So again, just to reiterate, this is the one with the medium, three drops, bit. This one went on four drops of water just to make sure it doesn’t dry out that fast. And this is the one that doesn’t have anything mixed in. So it’s the control group. Let’s see.

Oh, it’s already forming some sort of skin. You saw that starting to dry out already. That’s not good actually. Then that water swirl around. Now let’s dry it out just so uh we don’t overly dilute the second option. Okay, it’s starting to dry out too, but it’s definitely in a better shape. Right. Let’s add a bit of water cuz it definitely lost a bit of water there when I swirled it around and took it off.

And then let’s see the medium. Oh yeah, it’s still really wet. So it’s in action. Let’s keep going a little further. So 21 minutes now. So really 22. Remember I said add a minute.

Drying Results – 30 Minutes

We’ve officially hit the 30 minute mark. And let’s further check again. This is the control group. Nothing on it. Yeah, it’s basically dry. It doesn’t even swirl anymore. Uh and then let’s check the middle with water. Okay, still going. But you can tell it’s like dried right there. You can still see the outline, right?

Still see the outline, but it definitely won’t go as far anymore. H. See, look. It’s not even going far at all. But let’s see the medium. Oh yeah, it’s going to go places now. It’s certainly dried as well, and you can tell, but it’s going a lot farther. And why is this important? This is what I’m talking about, or you’re about to see.

Saturn Dreadnought Mini

Anyway, this is the Saturnine Dreadnought. Um, this is from last year’s Warhammer releases. Uh, also I’m pub or about to publish an article regarding the paint job of this monstrosity. Uh, he’s chunky. He’s hefty. So hopefully by the time this video is uploaded, I will have had a at least the first article of this series, probably three or four, uh, published on our website somewhere.ca. Look forward to that if unless I slack.

Anyway, so it’s more apparent here on the shoulder pad what I’m about to talk about, but you can already see it on the body as well. The matter of streaking. Basically, when you’re painting, you’re fighting gravity, and there’s no really nothing you can do about gravity. You can only sort of kind of mitigate it. And what’s the best way to do that? Well, basically, don’t overfill your brush, but also thinning your paints properly. It’s a mix of both. See, if you don’t thin your paint enough or you uh thin it too much with water, by the way, with water, uh both and will end up dripping off of the panels.

But really, the problem here is that the the slightly thicker paint will cause more streaking or the more overloaded paint also will cause more streaking because as it’s dripping because of gravity, it’s starting to dry out. And that is why it kind of this one in particular here, it just stopped from dripping all the way. It just dried, right? So, it formed this streak. It’s gross. And uh you can kind of see it on the back, too. Same sort of deal. Um same thing here.

Now, I did this on purpose and it’s a very easy fix. You can easily hide this because ultimately these are thin layers, but at the same time, you don’t want this to appear at all. You want it to be thinned out properly, but even if you thin it out properly, winter is still a thing and water-based acrylics dry fast. This is where the medium comes in. So, what I’m going to do is I’m going to be bringing this back to its original color to see and show you how easy it is to repair.

Its original color, by the way, is True Metallic Metal Obsidian black. This is the original color, right? So, that’s before I apply the wash. And what I’m going to do is afterwards we’re going to be putting on the wash that I used before, but this time with proper uh sort of thinning techniques, i.e. using a medium and not overfilling my

I’m still going to be soaking it, but not too much. So, and you’ll see the difference. I’m just going to be dry brushing it on pretty heavily. Just see show you how easy it is easy it is to repair something like this. Right,

Dry Brushing

just dry brushing it in. Right, this is the XL Dry Brush from Vallejo and it’s basically back to its original color, which was Gunmetal. That’s what Obsidian Black is, by the way. So, I’m just going to let this dry and we’re cooking. Yeah. So, Obsidian Black, by the way, is Gunmetal. That’s why it’s dark.

But this is the original color and the streaks are gone. Simple thin coat of the original color uh should suffice. So this is Obsidian Black wash almost a thick sludge like uh sort of wash from the True Metallic Metal line. And I purposely applied it initially way back when to kind of prove a point which is this video.

Glaze Medium Application

Uh, but now what I’m going to do is apply a bit more medium hair. I already applied a little bit, but So, all I’m doing is just thinning it, right? And I’ll make sure not to overfill my brush. Maybe one more drop. And what you’re doing here is essentially sort of making almost like a contrast paint sort of thinness, right? Because there are some contrast paints out there that are so thin.

Some are thicker than others, but some are just water thin, it’s a little ridiculous, actually. And when you apply this a little bit more thoughtfully, it results in something a little bit more smoother, a little bit nicer. And that’s because not only does it slow the drying time, but it also just smooths it out a little bit more compared to water. So if we apply it like this, sort of evenly, right? You can see, well, first of all, I didn’t apply a lot.

Well, I did, but I didn’t overload my brush to the point where it would start dripping everywhere. And the magic of this is I can just propagate it somewhere else. If it’s a little too orphalt like the coils here at the top, I can just spread them around. Spread the love. That is not to worry. So it was still settle in the recesses, but no tripping is happening. Nothing. That’s what you want to do. This smoothness, right, where you’re propagating it all over the miniature isn’t really possible. If it’s water, it would have dried already, especially if the paint is this thin, right?

So, see, I’m just distributing it. And we will have a smoother, sexier product as a result. See, I’m just keep distributing it till you’re satisfied. is the main point is to get into the recesses. There’s also another technique I like to do which is dabbing off the excess, but the brush is a little filled with just medium. Just medium, no paint. And this will absorb any sort of excess wash that you applied.

Make it a little bit neater. So do this before it dries. And then add a little bit more medium. Just the medium itself. Just dab. Just literally dab it on. It will absorb anything excess allowing for a smoother finish. Because remember, with a medium, your paints will dry slower but more evenly. So by doing this, you’re going to have some sort of almost borderline airbrushed look.

So this is a technique that if you use a lot of enamels, you’re extremely familiar with because it’s the exact same technique with a sponge brush and removal of the excess wash, right? With mineral spirits, exact same thing. All right, so it’s been about an hour. It’s still not dry, but it is drying. Um, and so we’re going to talk about it a little bit. So basically, despite it not being dry yet, you can already tell the difference. And also, again, I wasn’t joking when I said that this is a very reminiscent step to you using um enamel washes with streaking grime and mineral wash, right? Or the panel liners from Tamiya, right? And mineral wash removing the excess.

So very similar. Also dries in a very similar sort of time frame as well. And the end result, it will look like you airbrushed it. It’s ridiculous. So, a lot more even. And you can actually see it right now where the the one on the left, the one that’s been, you know, we applied glaze medium, it is a lot more even. And there’s a very almost very consistent, but not perfect.

Nothing really is perfect, but very consistent sort of weathering job done throughout. Whereas for the one with just water on the right hand side, um you can tell that it kind of sort of just dried at the very top there. And as it was dripping down with gravity, it just kind of that dried like in the middle um before it got to the bottom.

And uh you can tell that with the medium, it’s sort of pooling at the very bottom there a little bit like right there. But that’s not even an issue really because I’d rather have a little bit of pooling like that compared to streaking. streaking is terrible because at the end of the day, a little bit of pooling like that, when it dries, it’s going to look like just a a collection of dirt, like weathered dirt, and it’s intentionally placed there by the artist, even though you and I both know I didn’t really intentionally do that. It’s just gravity, right?

But again, I’d rather have that than streaks. And the difference is stark. So, yeah, let’s flip over the back here. Same thing back at the shoulder pads. And uh you can tell which one is streakier than the other. And it’s actually very very subtle but very very apparent. You can see this one where it dried water. Massive massive streak right there where you can tell that’s where I applied with my brush. Sometimes you’re not just fighting gravity. Sometimes you’re over brushing, over correcting.

And that’s exactly what that is. That’s not a droplet. that’s dropping down while it’s drying. That’s my brush that I accidentally brushed on while the paint was already in the process of uh drying. So, yeah. And uh it’s not perfect, of course, the one with the glaze medium. And I can see a streak. Wait, that’s not a streak.

Actually, that’s a brush bristle. It’s on a surface. I’m going to have to pluck that out later with a tweezer. So, I thought that was a streak. Turns out it’s not. So, there we go. Total glaze medium victory there. Domination trying to make it stand. Anyway, you might think, well, it takes a long time to dry, but honestly, it’s worth it. It’s so worth it. I’d rather have that than drying.

Plus, you can just do it in the middle of the night, go to sleep, by the time you wake up, it’s completely dry and looking airbrushed. Beautiful. You won’t even feel it. I’ve largely discussed the how, like the process of painting it, right? the glaze mediums and the process and showing you the drying times etc. and the logic behind that. to the why behind the how. But I haven’t really discussed the main why. Why we’re doing all this, why you should buy mediums.

And I’ve discussed only one part of it is that it dries too fast. Well, the other part of it is something uh airbrush painters are familiar with is why they stuck with airbrushing, right? Or if you’re someone who paints cars and planes, you’re incredibly familiar with Come on, say it with me. That’s right. Water-based acrylics are terrible for painting smooth continuous and curved surfaces or massive flat panels.

They’re terrible for both. Um, they don’t have the legs to continue on. They dry too fast. They dry too unevenly on curved surfaces, especially where on side may be uh easier, right, for the the paint to drip, right? because of the curve or with flat panels, some parts just dry more unevenly than others. It’s slowly changing with newer formulas like the Ionic and Atom paint line from Ammo by MIG, but vast majority of paints from the uh from acrylic water-based stuff like Vallejo, Citadelle, Army Painter are largely not like that.

They don’t really have that self-leveling tech. That’s why self-leveling is important, right? why uh people covet the self-leveling thinner from Mr. Hobby, the greatest thinner on the market, but that’s only for lacquer and water-based acrylics, they don’t have that unless you use glaze medium, in which case a lot of your problems are largely resolved.

That’s why for main body aircraft, the, you know, the fuselage or the body of a car, they they typically either airbrush it or they use a can because brushing it is just such a pain, especially with water-based. And a lot of those guys typically don’t even use acrylics. So, you can imagine uh the pain of using acrylics with brush painting and they still prefer to use airbrushing or a can.

So, it should say something, right? So, this is a problem that a lot of people in the car and plane community in the hobby are extremely familiar with. And if you’re not aware of it, you are now. That is the second half of the why that kind of mingles and coincides with the why previous, which is that it dries too fast and it’s specially weather dependent. uh mixing those two together and you’re left with a a streaky mess that you may or may not be experiencing, but now you know how to resolve it. Mediums. Let’s talk options. What are your options here?

So, obviously, I’ve been flashing them, but uh Vallejo’s uh glaze medium is my preferred one and what I know my regulars use the most, right? Uh it comes with 60 and 18 ml, right? um depends on how much you’re painting personally, right? Uh then we also have Army Painters own equivalent which is the war paint stabilizer.

Probably the least popular out of the ones I’m going to show uh and have shown already. Uh so yeah, it’s not as popular, but probably because the war paint line is considerably more new than uh Vallejo and Citadels, and I just spoiled it. And the other ones would be technical lamian medium. This is Citadel’s own equivalent to glaze medium. And for if you’re using contrast paints, the medium you’ll use is Contrast Medium. Obviously, you can use uh lamian medium and glaze medium for contrast paints, but it’s not as smooth as you would use contrast medium. There is a difference.

Not much difference, but it’s there. It’s enough. So, and of course, Vallejo and Army Painter have their own contrast medium equivalent. Speed paint medium for Army Painter, Express Medium for Vallejo. But anyway, those are your options. And uh whichever one you pick doesn’t matter. It can apply to all three of those brands and any other water-based acrylics.

That is the beauty of water-based acrylics is that yes, they’re weaker, more sensitive, but at the same time, you can mix and match and share all the thinners, all the mediums, all the paints, and nothing will happen. Nothing bad anyway, only good things. So, please, if you’re painting one continuous surface like the body of a car, a massive flat panel, or just, I don’t know, like lots of curves or maybe a steep drop off like that, a smooth drop off at that, too.

Please use mediums if you’re brush painting or use a can if you don’t have a medium and paint the nitty-gritty with brush later on. Obviously assuming you don’t have an airbrush, in which case airbrush that stuff, man. Just airbrush it and then move on to the tiny stuff with a brush later. That’s it for me today. Thank you guys so much for watching. It was a lot more of a tricky situation that I intended just because I have to record this live live for me, not for you guys.

I don’t pre-record anything. We don’t do that here. We do it on the spot to prove not a hypothesis, something I know for a fact is true. I just needed to do it perfectly just so I can pull it off in video. If I made a mistake severe enough, I’d have to scrap the entire topic and half the shift is wasted. So that’s great. It worked. Anyways, uh hopefully you enjoyed that video.

Um again, all items I’ve shown in the video, at least their listings if they’re out of stock, which you can sign up for. Uh all of that is available on the website right now down below. That’s our real time inventory sunwardhobbies.ca.

Also down below is the links to our social media pages. We’re incredibly active on every single one. So please hit us up, message, send us a video or whatever. Tag us if you’ve used any of our paints or tag us because of this video if you’ve used any of the mediums I’ve recommended. So please follow and subscribe.

Thank you guys so much for watching. Have a nice day. This is Paul signing out. Bye-bye.

About the Author:

Paul Catindig As someone who’s been building model kits since he was 8 years old, Paul is very knowledgeable and adept at model kit building! When he’s not building or painting kits, he spends his free time cooking, playing video games with friends, or at a restaurant patio somewhere. Hopes to make his very own movie one day.

*Video by Paul Catindig
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano