Exploring Colors: White (How to Paint White) - HC 442

In this Hobby Cheating Tutorial, I take you through the pitfalls of white paint and how to avoid them, along with some tips and tricks for making your neutral highlighting easier. Hope you enjoy!
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0:00 Intro
0:50 Background
3:00 How it Works
7:25 Painting White
14:05 Near Whites
15:25 Pure White Paint
17:00 Outro

[@vivanjester431]

Vince is so powerful he can paint a portal back home while at adepticon just to give us a hobby cheating video

[@maximebemer3407]

😂 Is it possible to learn that power??

[@grimoirworkshop6623]

We already established he can mind control people too.

[@grimoirworkshop6623]

Maybe Vince is secretly prince of Amber? They knew the art if drawing portals.

[@Misterfairweather]

Sorry, sorry everyone, this is my fault I was rewatching all his prior white videos this week because every few years I decide to challenge myself by painting in white and black and Vince is my source for actually learning how to work with colors. Thank you for the color videos, they fill a big gap in my understanding of how to paint.

[@cybermbebe]

Oh yeah. These are A-MA-ZING!

[@jillsyillsy]

Thanks so much, Vince. As a woodcarver, I use white all the time for painting Santas and snowmen and have the hardest time trying to shade and highlight. (And differentiate Santa's beard from fur on his coat). Great tutorials!

[@philgee486]

Vince is my encyclopaedia of hobby thinking, I watch other people paint, I learn things from Marco, from Riccardo, the Wappel, I'm inspired by Alex and many others but when I need a specific subject analysis, when I need that full understanding to slot into a project, when I want to paint black hair and get the halo right, when I want to take flesh tones in an evil or underground direction, when I have 50 yellow marines to paint, I come to my reference library that is Vince. I'm so grateful for it. There's no-one else that comes close

[@thornthallid950]

Loving all the MtG angels on the screens in the intro background.

[@Krullio]

Notice the one with all the different white tints/tones. Pretty applicable hehe. Subliminal messaging that technomancer Vince throws at us

[@OlafKievit]

Thanks for stretching my ideas about "near whites" a bit farther out, much appreciated, Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

My pleasure!

[@bragoen]

5:04 "Here's my first piece of advice to make white easy to paint" and in my mind I just go "Don't".... I laugh so hard when that's exactly what you said

[@AVS_uk]

This is super helpful Vince. My job is to paint the snow on Mount Blanc (most people don't know that snow actually falls blue and we Snow Painters have to paint it all white), so this video will really help me out. Your ski trip will look much whiter next winter

[@razzlebazzle420]

Are you new, i went on a school trip about 21 years ago and the last guy was killing it

[@AVS_uk]

@@razzlebazzle420 - ah yes, that would have been Old Bill - a legend in my field. He painted the slopes for 40 years, a real expert and genius at ice whites.

[@razzlebazzle420]

@@AVS_uk Glorious. Tell me, did he paint the ice-caves with all the sculptures too? His mastery of translucent glazes absolutely blows me away. One day I hope to gain such skills.

[@wpb5876]

So much appreciation for all your work and sharing your knowledge of painting. I’m planning to paint a white Manticore (based on the Dark Souls mini-boss) and this video is a godsend!

[@VinceVenturella]

Wonderful!

[@jorgemontero6384]

That AK pastel purple is a killer that I am surprised you never mentioned in your list of favorite colors, because basically nobody else in mini painting makes it, and it's just as good illuminator for purples and magentas as ice yellow is for many other colors. Ice yellow just overpinks magentas. I just don't touch purple without it

[@Slayernuke83]

Thank you for the video. I have the most difficulty in getting white to look right on so many items.

[@mr.adamski6431]

I’ve been struggling with painting white for years. Thanks for the useful info and tips!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help!

[@mattbrown1306]

Another timely, helpful, and accessible tutorial. Vince continues to crush hobby content.

[@MarketResearchReading114]

Gloss+white is such a nice shout, thank you Vince!

[@kevinhayes517]

Another superb tutorial packed with the underlying theories (which you make easily understandable) and a lot of great tips for the painting process on this color……thank you so much for you time and effort to help us paint better!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@brkfstfd]

I've been doing some of my highest highlights on S2D lately with the updated game color Verdigris. That's a really great way to see how composition and surroundings influence how color reads. No one would assume it's verdigris without being told. It reads as 99% dead white next to so much payne's gray and black.

[@aspect0]

Not really a white painter, but those pastel colours look super unique compared to other ranges! Going to get the set now, they seem very versatile for general simple highlighting

[@SigurdDecroos]

Golden Soflat has some new colors added to the range, a lot of pastels and near whites. They paint really smooth.

[@ThePingouin2ter]

Thank you so much for this one. The pastel blue becoming a white when applied was eye opening.

[@gerritvandenbosch4681]

This reminds me of my graphic design work in printing. White is easily tainted by other colours, but when near whites are next to white you almost never cam tell, and sometimes looks better than unprinted white areas.

[@martinsteward1657]

Brilliant video! Shocked at how white those paints looked on the model.

[@oleww50]

Not sure how you do it but you always seem to read my mind with these videos! White is on my agenda 😅🙏❤️

[@KevinoftheCosmos]

Adding a gloss medium to pure white is brilliant. I can't believe I've never thought of that before. Cheers, Vince!

[@SigurdBraathen]

I never thought of mixing white with gloss varnish. Thanks for a great video!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@alternate3787]

I got a lot of inspiration from the MtG set Mirrodin, where everything is made of metal. The amount of bright reflections while staying diverse enough to present a world is really something

[@Satli]

I bought the Golden SoFlat box after you did a video on it a while back. By far the best white paint I've tried.

[@MaskedRiderChris]

Oh yes, I still dread painting white even after what, 14-15 years of painting! But this is, as usual, an excellent video full of good information, thank you Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

You can do it!

[@wolfofwarYT]

Great video as always. Especially love the part about complimentary colors as tint/shade on the white.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you liked it!

[@flowersofsulphur5532]

Some really interesting points. Thank you for taking the time to share. I was hoping you'd also cover the use of white to lighten colors and things to think about (e.g. for edge highlighting if you don't have a go-to pot of paint that is already lighter/brighter that meets your needs. So for example - what are the pitfalls? ... and do you need to sometimes think to offset by adding white + another warm/cold color?).

[@VinceVenturella]

In general, I just mix in a little bit of those pastel near whites into my base tone to knock out the edge.

[@rhag1394]

Great guide again! I stilm find white very challenging to paint, but artists acrylic zinc white has helped me smooth the colours together. It's not chalky at all and you can even glaze with it but it's not the most straightforward paint otherwise. I got the idea from a Marco Frisoni video.

[@RookieBrushes]

My favourite series is back! Thank you for everything you do.

[@BaoZakeruga]

New painter here and today was my first time trying to paint white. This video came at the perfect time.

[@Ash-sf4gr]

Aw yeah! A long awaited return to my favourite series. Would never have thought to mix gloss varnish into white paint, very interesting.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Wijkert]

I have been experimenting with mixing in white ink into regular acrylics. Ink is glossy as well, so seems to have a similar effect to your suggestion of mixing in gloss varnish into pure white. One extra advance of adding gloss to white paint is that it counteracts the grainy finish. I have "fixed" physical texture with gloss varnish in the past (i probably learned that trick from you Vince... 😉)

[@shawnfairbanks9339]

Hah, I’ve been saying that about white (and white walls) for years, it’s nice to see the pros say it.

[@cordial001]

I love your hobby videos. You touched on how good the Pro Acryl off-whites are. I was blown away myself by how much better they are than most other lines on the market for those sorts of colors. I don't know how they do it.

[@johnbruce4004]

I watched this virtually in slo-mo, so much info. Really, really helpful and superb explanation. Have a great rest of Adepticon. Thanks.

[@76trizzy]

Thanks Vince! Very helpful

[@Benry87]

Another killer tutorial. Great job as always!

[@Isaac-hm6ih]

I'm looking at painting an entire army with white capes soon, so this is convenient timing. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a few extra tricks on top of your old videos, which already taught me to paint white well.

[@DrScotavious]

Vince talking about the white glint and my eyes immediately flicker to his forehead. Im bald too, i just thought that was funny 😂

[@thesoothsayer9223]

Working on winter FEC and your signature blue white has been a perfect off white universal brightest highlight.

[@billmalandrino8337]

Hello! I wanted to take a moment to reach out and express my gratitude. Your instructional videos have been a significant help in my journey through miniature painting. Just before my 43rd birthday, I decided to dive into wargaming. After consulting with friends, I selected a couple of games and purchased the miniatures. Understanding that painting them would be part of the fun, I began watching tutorial videos, including yours, which stood out to me. The knowledge I've gleaned from your content has been immensely beneficial. Although I still face challenges, I'm feeling increasingly confident with each miniature I paint, all thanks to your guidance. Interestingly, I've discovered that I derive just as much, if not more, enjoyment from painting as I do from playing the games themselves. So, thank you for generously sharing your expertise, and continue being amazing

[@VinceVenturella]

Wonderful the hear and always happy to help!

[@jasontrinque]

That is a really interesting point about adding the gloss varnish to the white to make it read more white. Thank you for sharing that! I think I remember someone saying something similar for adding gloss black in shadows for reducing the graying effect that matte paint would cause. You have inspired me to try and experiment with going from trying a satin black shadow, matte layers, and then a gloss highlight! Fun!

[@milamilla1977]

Master! You experience is invaluable!

[@edgarbaez516]

This video has been on my wishlist for awhile, I'm excited its finally here!

[@tjthehobopainter9173]

Another great lesson ^^ And nice to see Larry make his guest appearance again 😄

[@milamilla1977]

I was making fairy garden for kids and used your advise to paint white parts of the project. Turned out really well!

[@markgnepper5636]

I love all Vince Ventrella Stuff 👏👍

[@notnubilous3804]

Honestly the thing that really taught me about using white effectively was using artist grade acrylic mixing white, which doesn't really desaturate colors as much as a titanium white. But it really showed me how much depth of white you can get from just one color while mixing it with something else. I highly recommend it to everyone to try out.

[@Xaltotun]

The timing of this video is perfect, as I am starting to build a Sisters of Sigmar warband for Mordheim.

[@KujoPainting]

Something that helped me was just to think of it as painting a light colour, rather than painting white. So a light green, light pink, light blue etc. Then when it's surrounded by darker colours it reads as white even though it's not.

[@VinceVenturella]

Absolutely agreed! Hope you're doing well sir.

[@HedoniteOfPaint]

Amazing to see the color series extended! Thanks again and hope you are enjoying Adepticon

[@PhD777]

Vince, another excellent informative video! There was an excellent, more in-depth article on painting white some years ago on Planet Figure about painting a French Imperial Guard 3rd (Dutch) Regiment large scale figure wearing a white uniform. It was done with warm shadows similar to your cape. On Historical figures from the late 18th to mid/late 19th C. You will find "dead white" used on belts, straps, and similar, especially when painting 15/18mm miniatures to make the belts, straps, and similar stand out.

[@Maximilian4th]

Thanks vince you gave me the inspiration for a heresy project i’m working on.

[@galatician8063]

I appreciate your black and white values: Painting over black: "Stop waisting your life". Painting pure white: "Just don't!" (Unless it's a glint).

[@cyagen9782]

I enjoy this Serie a lot more than I should. Thanks Vince

[@goforitpainting]

Cool as always. 🖌

[@bunionsandcabbage6764]

Man, I wish this video had come out like 2 weeks earlier. This was great info and I had just finished a black and white wasp for a commission.

[@kingkreaghan6762]

So helpful! I actually have a miniatures that has white armor. So great video for me to see! Awesome and informative as always.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@markdorn8873]

I wish I'd seen this video before painting my Shining Spears. Thanks for sharing! Also, I don't think I've ever seen a video where someone says, "Let's grab Larry out, and we're just going to paint his butt." 😂

[@Cordeneaux87]

You can tell Vince recently updated his kitchen and his wife won out on the color aesthetic...

[@gabyzzeetoon4516]

😂😂😂

[@Razyrazer]

thx Vince this is exactly what i needed for my marines.

[@MisterTingles]

stellar as always!

[@JackDespero]

Amazing video. Thank you for sharing.

[@Wijkert]

One of my favorite series is back!

[@Krullio]

Can’t wait for the EC Black!

[@terrydactyl2077]

God this video was what I needed! I haaaaate all my whites. But I’m grabbing then ProAcryl set soon finally.

[@davidfurr6519]

Excellent video. Thank you Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Very welcome

[@ramenron]

You just had to show that bloody painting, didn't you!?! We were distracted by the french for Crom's sake. Keep up (the otherwise) great work Mr. V.

[@YeemRAG]

Another fantastic video, thank you so much!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MattCexwish]

Thanks for this Video, Vince! :) I remember how back in the day, the great José Manuel Palomares Nunez (JMPN) and Alfonso Banshee Giraldes were showing how one can paint the White Robes of the Knight Model's Anakin vs. Obiwan Diorama with different shades of orange and green, yet still achieving an amazing perceived White Effect! As a rule of thumb, never use pure White in anything (similar to how you should never use a pure Black) and mix in tiny amounts of accompaning tones found in the scene to tie the piece together. Keep those Videos coming :)

[@chucklamb3496]

Thanks so much Vince 👍

[@shaunkrogulski9619]

Great information as always!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GhostGuitars]

Fascinating. Thank you

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@AM-uw3gp]

I love your screensaver Vince I can’t stop looking at the winged people

[@VinceVenturella]

I love MTG angels :)

[@redv.7686]

Hello Mr. Venturella! I love your Exploring Colors series, they have been a major help with how I approach colours. However, it appears that you have omitted the video on chartreuse from your playlist, seeing as this recent Exploring Colors video has entered the list. Just thought I'd let you know. I look forward to the day when you do an Exploring Colors episode on the colour black!

[@Wadtomaton]

Great video Vince. Shout out to Larry's dumptruck 🤘🤣

[@alanwesley598]

Everyone who paints minis needs this video.

[@chrisbarrett1006]

Thanks for another great video Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

My pleasure!

[@Fortunes.Fool.]

I wish I was starting the hobby now, tutorials like this would’ve been amazing because the advice I got 20 years ago was terrible 😂

[@whofreakincares1000]

Love to see as always.

[@TravisHi_YT]

5:03 I wish this was the first part of the video, I made the massive mistake of painting my Tau Army Scar White. I'll never use white as a feature color again. I'll always use a grey.

[@chasechristensen7617]

Man I would love to watch you paint white Viorla Sept Tau

[@ivan7672]

thank you for the great explanation!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@michaelshaw1782]

You can tell it's a good Hobby Cheating when you come away with more questions than you started with. How do I desaturate and darken my compositions to make the whites pop without losing the impact of my colours? Can I use varied tones to add visual interest to otherwise very flat white compositions? Very interested to try starting at a bone hue- previously I've been painting my way up from a tan/zandri dust kinda startline. Suddenly I'm excited to play around with white as a colour rather than avoid it

[@VinceVenturella]

Let me take these in order. 1) The darker the piece, the less you have to go to white to make it seem like white, the more the value can lower and still feel like white. 2) Yes and you should. 3) Absolutely!

[@PhthaloGreenskin]

There's a very easy trick to white I learned from Greg over at GRG miniatures. Basecoat kantor blue/Moletow Petrol then spray white ink from above sortof like a zenithal highlight. Super easy and great for stuff like white Armor.

[@bradlothrop4076]

Why not get into mixing? Titanium makes pastels when mixed but a "zinc white" is a good mixing white for lightening a colour due to being a bit transparent. I find this fact is where many paints go wrong much like titanium is added to a colour as more a gouache (to make opaque). This was observed a bit with the Army Painter Fanatic paints. Zinc white is the little known hero of how to lighten a paint and maintain some level of saturation. Great video and good note on gloss to make white read better.

[@candidgamera]

Yeah, I have a few pure whites from various lines, and honestly, I am tempted to just toss them in the trash .. but the idea of a mix with gloss medium is interesting.

[@MobWob-]

Thx for the content

[@Coordinator010]

Okay Vince but now I have to go back and painstakingly repaint every single Black Templar shoulder with these cool new whites you've mentioned

[@azuritet3]

I just got some white Ikea furniture. I was thinking about painting it.

[@G0DlikeTrojan]

Good video. Thanks for video!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you liked it!

[@brkfstfd]

Also, another reason to avoid dead white if at all possible that I've found, in my own experience anyway, is that even just a little bit of an actual color (so I'm talking ice yellow, glacier blue, verdigris, pastel-whatever, and not just a white heavy gray) is they tolerate glazing quite a bit more. Enough that I'll do it. I don't even bother trying to glaze just white.

[@spuriusligustinus4509]

A video about white and not mentioning Pro Acryl Bold Titanium White, heresy ! I use it pure on the trims of the SP of my 1st company Ultramarines as well as the Ultima symbol. Works really well for an "in your face effect" while the rest is recess shaded and highlighted

[@CoconutCheez]

This video came at the perfect time. I'm about to paint some white cloak and cloth. Thanks Vince!

[@TerrierHalo]

I did get the Monument white just to see if it was real, and now I find myself mixing paints with it all the time so that kind of backfired. :D I would get their off-whites to make my life easier but they’re kind of expensive and hard to get over here, so that’s on the some-day list. I have been trying to paint some white on a black banner and have not been happy with the end result, the (off) whites end result don’t look quite right, will have this fresh in mind on my next attempt, thank you kindly.

[@chrisleggett1303]

Just to be clear, I would 100% buy a Larry the Ogre t-shirt…or any other Larry merch 😂

[@Streetsam]

Great!

[@gerritvandenbosch4681]

A killer video. Back when i used GW paints j used Ulthuan grey as it was very bright but covered like solid black. Then you could shade and highlight to white and make it looke white. Now i use pro acryl and am happy to learn that their pure white (while nearly perfect) is complemented by near whites too