Army Painter Quickshade

[Agincourt]

Great stuff. The review notes the inks are differnt to the dip as they dry quick and don't ruin your brushes, so they are different but same end effect? Anyway I'll be giving them a go... Got to speed up my painting somehow!

[Stuart]

I asked Owen at TW about the inks, and he said that he thought they were closer to GW washes, and it was rumoured that they are produced by the same company that supplies/supplied the GW range of paints.

[Gareth]

I have now used both, and I much prefer the Inks. I used Soft Tone ink, and found it to be darker than the mid tone dip. Bit weird, considering Army Painter claim that they are the same colour.

The Ink is similar to a GW wash, and behaves the same. Its essentially a limited range, of the same stuff, for cheaper.

The tin, I am not fan off. Its more like original dip, which was wood varnish. Its thick and gloopy, takes an age to dry, pools into a tacky puddle that takes an age to dry, and then does so very glossy. I got around the last part, by using Dullcote, which is a miracle product. Also it will ruin your brushes. Despite washing with soapy water, its still turned them into stiff blocks.

All in all I had better results doing a base coat, highlight and devlin mud wash, on my Easterling test model, than I have with either product, but I would use the Ink again. After this tin has gone, I cannot imagine me picking up another.

[manrogue]

I bought the dark tone dropper bottle and think it is brilliant so far, only used on a tank so far though.

[Stuart]

I'm going to give the dip a try this weekend - hopefully I've gleaned enough tips from the abundance of tutorials that abound, and I've got some "volunteer" test models lined up.

Andy T highlighted a few things to be aware of, particularly to be aware of it pooling when applied with a brush. A few other sources also mentioned that a matt finish will need to be applied to counter the sheen of the varnish component. As it's oil based you'll also need something more than soapy water to get your brushes clean - either brush cleaning fluid or white spirit. Definitely not a job for your best brushes, and I plan on picking up some cheapo ones that I don't mind trashing.

It's certainly not as forgiving as a wash when applied with a brush, and will take a little time to develop a technique. I've got a good stock of Devlin Mud to fall back on if it doesn't work out anyway! I'll use what remains of the quickshade to treat the shed...

[manrogue]

Army painter do a specific Matt varnish that I have also bought, will try and do a character model this weekend to see what it looks like when applied to a fully washed model.

[Stuart]

I plan to do the same - we'll have to publish some photographic results and compare our findings!

[Stuart]

Picked up a tin of the strong shade from TW today, might have a go with it tomorrow if I get an hour.

[Stuart]

First attempt suffered due to my impatience. Using the Strong tone, applied via brush:

Initial subject was a space marine based with GW Catachan Green, but I don't think I let the base coat dry sufficiently before applying the quickshade. I also forgot to shake the tin before using it, and didn't apply enough. After applying Dullcote to offset the glossy finish, there isn't really as much shading as I'd hoped for.

Next subject is another space marine, but this time based with GW Enchanted Blue (the colour I use for my Cygnar). I let the basecoat dry thoroughly this time, then gave the tin a good shake before applying the quickshade. Also applied a lot more, working it into the recesses with the brush. Looking better so far, I'll give it 24 hours then Dullcote it and see how it turns out.

I need to dig out another test subject that is more cloth/flesh based than armoured. I'm also starting to think that the Dark tone might be better for producing the effect I'm after on the space marines.

[Stuart]

A comparison between the GW washes and Army Painter inks: http://fromthewarp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/0...-wash.html