Howdyhedberg Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 So, I have painted since 2019, but still haven't started with varnish. Perhaps because I feel I can always go back and make my models better. My questions are as following: - Can you for example spray the whole model with stormshield varnish, but then add ardcoat varnish later to make the metallics more shiny, or you have to do this with brush separate? -can you paint on top of the varnish, or it's "done" when you have done that? -i have two painted armies and I think it would be the easiest to spray, but I'm open for pros and cons of spraying. Thankful for help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimDork Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 54 minutes ago, Howdyhedberg said: - Can you for example spray the whole model with stormshield varnish, but then add ardcoat varnish later to make the metallics more shiny, or you have to do this with brush separate? Yes, you can definitely varnish with Matt or satin, then go over areas with a gloss varnish (like ardcoat). Normally best to do this with brush to avoid over spray. Or alternatively you could gloss the whole model, then Matt down the areas you don’t want shiny. 57 minutes ago, Howdyhedberg said: -can you paint on top of the varnish, or it's "done" when you have done that? 100% yes. If I’m painting a freehand (like a marine shoulder pad), I will gloss the area first, then paint my design. If I make a mistake, and need to remove paint I can without fear of damaging the paint underneath. You can firmly rub off the layer with kitchen towel. Some techniques are best with varnishing between steps, stuff like pin washing and oils etc. 1 hour ago, Howdyhedberg said: -i have two painted armies and I think it would be the easiest to spray, but I'm open for pros and cons of spraying. I personally use an airbrush (as I find I get better control), I do a coat of Vallejo gloss, then a coat of testers dullcote. Depending on the mini I might re-gloss some areas by hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Arthur Hotep Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 48 minutes ago, Howdyhedberg said: So, I have painted since 2019, but still haven't started with varnish. Perhaps because I feel I can always go back and make my models better. My questions are as following: - Can you for example spray the whole model with stormshield varnish, but then add ardcoat varnish later to make the metallics more shiny, or you have to do this with brush separate? -can you paint on top of the varnish, or it's "done" when you have done that? -i have two painted armies and I think it would be the easiest to spray, but I'm open for pros and cons of spraying. Thankful for help! I don't use spray varnish, but I regularly use matte and gloss brush on varnish. Or, more accurately, gloss and matte medium, since that's how I mainly tend to use them. Just to make sure we are all on the same page: Acyrlic paint is made out of three different parts, pigment, acrylic medium and water. When paint dries, the water evaporates and you are left with a film of hardened medium and pigment. Varnish is a type of acrylic (or other) medium that has no pigment added and is formulated to preserve colour (other mediums focus on different properties, such as high flow or keeping the paibt workable for longer). That should answer one of your questions: Acyrlic varnish is basically just acylic paint without pigment in it, so you can treat it like any other paint. It's totally fine to paint on top of it or mix it with other paints. That goes for any kind if varnish, matte, gloss or anything in between. When applying varnish with a certain finish (let's say gloss) on top of varnish with a different finish (matte), you will generally end up with the finish of the final layer of varnish you have applied. This is not exact; a layer of matte varnish might not be enough to fully kill the shine from a coat of gloss, for example. Now to the question of whether you should varnish your models: Generally, plastic models don't particularly need to be varnished, since they don't tend to chip like metal models did in the past. you. Varnishing will always change the colours of your paint job a little, and will inevitably change the finish. This is a problem if you use metallic paints in particular, since varnishing them will always take away from their metallic shine. Even gloss varnish will make them look more like metal in a plastic wrap. What I personally use varnish for is unifying the finish of my paint job. A paint or wash might be glossier than I want it to be. In that case, a quick layer of matte varnish can bring everything together. You can also use varnish/medium to thin your paints for glazing or washes. Mixing one part artist's medium and one part water make a medium with a good consistency for mini painting. Thinning paints with medium is so much easier than with water, because it prevents the pigment from separating. You will probably get the most use out of matte medium, but gloss medium is nice if you want a glossy base coat to apply metallics over or to tint metallics with inks without killing the shine. I have personally been staying away from spray can varnish. Partially because I don't want to varnish miniatures all over. But partially because spray-varnishing a model outside comes with the risk of moisture being trapped in the varnish, which leads to a frosted finish that is very hard to remove short of stripping the paint off completely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyhedberg Posted January 7, 2022 Author Share Posted January 7, 2022 Two great answers! This will help me on my path. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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