Hobby Cheating 154 - How to Paint Smooth White

[@carlmayne3519]

The fact that you explain "why" paint acts in certain ways, and "how" it interacts, if you use things like varnish and flow aid is what makes the video's for me ... Its so much more informative than "you paint it like this cause it works" .... This is an invaluable white tutorial .. I'm off to try it now - Cheers Vince!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, happy to help as always and that truly is exactly what I am going for in my videos.

[@dimitrisskyhunter9827]

Hi Vince! I had a discussion with my brother yesterday about how great of a blessing you are for the community. We actually discussed how we appreciate your down-to-earth non-clickbaity methodical video title choices. It’s not just the quality of these masterclasses. It’s the respect towards your fellow painters that gets them to an even higher level of quality. Many thanks for this. It matters.

[@VinceVenturella]

Well thank you, that means so much to me and is deeply appreciated. :) Always happy to help.

[@austinworwa3224]

@@VinceVenturella Long shot here Vince but can you tell me specifically what flow aid you prefer using?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@austinworwa3224 I like Warcolours Flow Improver. But Liquitex flow improver is also a great buy from the art store.

[@austinworwa3224]

@@VinceVenturella Thanks Vince! You're a legend.

[@andrewgreenaway1513]

Dimitris, this is a lesson in painting and understanding finer qualities of being a human being, its a two for one thing. :D

[@bethanygraham427]

Gloss varnish, eh? Will go and give that a try right now! Thank you so much for doing these videos Vince. You are entirely responsible for getting me back into this hobby and I have not been this happy for years.

[@VinceVenturella]

That's amazing, rewarding and awesome to hear. You always seemed to me to be such an effortless artist with a great imagination. I am glad I have contributed to that in any way. :)

[@LoneEagle2061]

I get the impression that the gloss (smoothing the chalk) is important; but is it actually simply the additional medium? Will things like Retarder, matt Medium, or surficant have any noticable effect?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@LoneEagle2061 So yes, this is actually 2 effects, one science and one an optical illusion. So the medium does help keep it smooth, no doubt. In addition, gloss medium reflects white (pure light) and hence, when mixed with pure white paint, your eye can't distinguish between the reflection and the white paint and it all folds together into a single white tone, making it look hyper smooth.

[@LoneEagle2061]

@@VinceVenturella Excellent, thanks for the explanation - I love to paint whites because people think it's hard; but I'm definitely giving this a try to see if I can get another level out of it (I have always started lighter (old Citadel Elf Grey or Vallejo Light Blue Grey) and worked up to heavily thinned white glazes - relying on strong primary colours to provide the contrast element to make it look whiter). Deeper shadows and broader highlights, here I come. :-)

[@ralex3697]

Best teacher / painter on You Tube hands down Vince you are truly gifted

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that means a great deal and always happy to help.

[@gager73]

THIS was the best instruction/advice/direction I've gotten on how to paint minis, ESPECIALLY! when painting with white.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, always happy to help. :)

[@darkojovanovic5637]

I'm a little late on this Topic but I watch all you HC videos from the beginning. So it will take a while to see them all. The Gloss Varnish hack is really a game Changer for white, I own you a beer if you ever visit Vienna. I said to everyone that if you have the Balls to watch all of Vinces HC , you pretty much learned everything you need to know about Miniature painting. This Channel is Criminally underrated for sure.

[@VinceVenturella]

Well thank you, that is wonderful to hear and I am always happy to help. :)

[@WilliamFurby]

Thank you for another great tutorial. I just used Citadel White Scar with Vallejo Satin Varnish and it was like a magic potion. Next time I think I will add a bit of thinner medium.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, I used Gloss here, but notable is that Satin and even Matte medium from a brush would all have similar effects. Thanks for watching and glad it helps. :)

[@rogthepirate4593]

2:25 "Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king"

[@PunchieCwg]

Hello Vince! I just want to say that I find your videos very useful and that i enjoy seeing the work put in while learning. Thank you for making them.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, that is deeply appreciated and I am happy to help as always. :)

[@Uselesswizard]

I just started using artist's white paint a few weeks ago. it's utterly amazing. I didn't think of using the gloss medium/varnish. I'm looking forward to giving that a shot too. Thank so much for this video Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, the Artists HBA is a real game change, the medium makes a big difference, you'll see it immediately. :)

[@Hushai1979]

This video is super... love it... white is so hard to paint... your artistic teaching “ how too”... made it look easy...I value that thank you,. from Aiken South Carolina USA.. 😃👍🇺🇸

[@VinceVenturella]

My pleasure 😊

[@russelmoody4613]

Thanks, I learned some stuff from this that I've since tried with different colours. Mixing gloss varnish, trying flow improver and other things have helped me across my painting.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help!

[@DSK2007]

I’m a newer subscriber. Someone mentioned you in a marvel Facebook group and I must say my only regret is not finding your content earlier. Great stuff.

[@VinceVenturella]

Welcome aboard! Always happy to have more people along on the hobby journey and always happy to assist.

[@montlejohnbojangles8937]

Thank you so damn much. I've been doing a white enameled armour effect on my Stormcast and you've just saved me from pulling my hair out. Bless you Paint Jesus. 🙏

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, always happy to help.

[@lukebrough790]

Thanks Vince. I’ve been struggling with white recently (painting over black - eek!) so these tips are so very useful. Going to get stuck straight into using these.

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, always happy to help. :)

[@iammatthewgray]

Dude, the trick with the varnish? Pure gold.

[@VinceVenturella]

Than you, always happy to help. :)

[@Liopot68]

A couple of questions for you: - What is better for painting white and white-containing paints: flow improver or gloss varnish or medium? - Any preference for heavy body acrylics between Golden and Liquited? Thanks! PS: I hope you are not licking your brush with the white heavy body acrylics paint as I think it contains a carcinogenic substance

[@VinceVenturella]

1) Generally a little varnish mixed in. 2) Golden for me, but both are good.

[@matthewwerner3656]

Vince, thanks for being my personal painting mentor in my hobby journey. After picking up Star Wars:Legion, this will help me pump out some slightly better than TT looking Stormtroopers. At least that is always the goal.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome and yeah, this kind of technique and the tones will be perfect for stormtroopers.

[@JamesSerapio]

Automatic like for being a Stormshadow guy over Snake Eyes! ... And for the ARAH reference in general.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, Stormshadow was always cooler. Also, always glad when people catch the references. :)

[@rogthepirate4593]

So I suppose adding a tiny bit of gloss varnish will also work on other bright and/or off-white paints that have a tendency to go chalky, then, right? Very useful. I'd imagine you'd have to be a bit more careful with it to not get it too glossy though. Then again, can always matte it back down later.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes indeed.

[@GetterRays]

Comin' back to this after all the Lumineth announcements. Wish me luck!

[@VinceVenturella]

Good luck!

[@Wolfgar-jx5kl]

I’ve had very good results since I started using scale 75 brand whites . Great video . Glad I came across it

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robv.johnson6360]

Using the old Sniktch model that I love so much was an inspired bit of evil! Great video! Going to use this next time I'm doing white.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it's a great model and I was looking for a good excuse to get some paint on him. :)

[@robv.johnson6360]

@@VinceVenturella good man! Er, rat-man!

[@danemorgan7231]

As always, great video. I’d love to have you add videos on White, Grey, and Black to your Exploring Colors series.

[@Mikey__R]

Hey, 25:48 a product review for heavy body acrylic, yes please! I'd love to see you compare several tube paints with similar from Vallejo, etc.

[@VinceVenturella]

I plan on doing a big review and tutorial when I get the HBA from Scale 75.

[@Mikey__R]

@@VinceVenturella S75 HBA? That's some interesting news!

[@susiduo3438]

You got me at Stormtrooper :) I was looking to improve my white and here I found it, thanks alot.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help! :)

[@vermillionhugh]

I’m thoroughly enjoying this video and your technique, thank You 😎🎨👍

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, thank you sir, much appreciated.

[@Xn7000]

When you were talking about your secret weapon that you had off screen, I thought you were going to bring out the Daler Rowney FW white ink to thin your white paint while increasing the pigment density. I've heard good things about using heavy body acrylics, especially commonly used colors like white and black because then end up being cheaper by volume. IIRC, Kujo Painting uses Windsor and Newton's artist grade heavy body acrylic (which might be more available for some folks) for similar reasons.

[@Uselesswizard]

Ohh, I've used acrylic inks mixed with hobby paints to get super saturated colors and washes over zenithal highlighting. I'm going to grab some white ink to try this.

[@Xn7000]

I haven't tried it for this purpose myself (I'll frequently cut my black brush on primer with a touch of ink to get it in the recesses though). Just knowing Vince's love for those inks I assumed that's where things would be going.

[@VinceVenturella]

Another good trick I failed to mention here is to mix the FW white ink with the HBA, You want to talk about crisp white! :)

[@talondanger]

Fantastic video! thank you so much for putting out so much informative content, it has really helped me up my game!

[@VinceVenturella]

Always happy to help!

[@jeroendriehuis1740]

Golden Titanium white is such a fantastic product. I tend to use some glaze medium with it. Really helped with some stormtroopers I painted

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it's really helpful. :)

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

I appreciate you doing this Vince, it's motivating me through my challenges.

[@VinceVenturella]

That's awesome to hear, always happy to help. :)

[@johnreid5539]

Complete newbeeeee.....Thank you for sharing Vince

[@VinceVenturella]

My pleasure!

[@dougsundseth6904]

Hi from the future! 8-) Very useful video. A quick comment: Titanium White is high-tinting not because it is white per se, but because Titanium Dioxide specifically tints very rapidly. If you want a white that tints more slowly, try Zinc White, which is slightly cooler in a mass tone, but tints much more slowly. Sometimes it can be much easier to get a smooth range of midtone mixes when using Zn White than Ti White.

[@VinceVenturella]

Very cool tip, that's wonderful info and I will have to give both versions a try. Thanks for the tip!

[@jeromevandeneynde3895]

Thanks Vince for the video! Will try this for my Stormcast armour from the Dominion Box! Do you sell some merch? I would love to have the same mug as you do! As always thanks for the content!

[@VinceVenturella]

Sadly, that mug is something special my wife gave, but I do have some basic merch (T-Shirts and such), it's in the desciption. :)

[@womblissimo6666]

Okay - you are very very quickly becoming my favorite mini painting resource .. I'm sitting through a typhoon right now with nothing to do but watch youtube - so I must have just watched 20-25 of your videos in a row .. lol .. A question for you .. if the artist's titanium white works so well, is there an equal advantage to using other artist's acrylic paints?

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, the other HBA are also useful, they are ery different paints and it's usually good to have them mix with some normal miniature paints, inks or flow improver to get them smoothed out.

[@oatbringer627]

Thanks for the tricks and tips! I will try them as soon as I can. Cheers sir and keep up with the good work!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you and always happy to help.

[@gaijin_lfc]

I also like using artist paint whites. I use Liquitex soft body paints and it’s great. Will try gloss varnish to see if that improves normal white painting.

[@VinceVenturella]

It really makes a difference, I have had much more success with normal white paint since including a little of it in there.

[@michaelschirf4145]

I have been eyeing up that Golden Titanium White for a while, wondering if it would be any better than your typical mini paints. Guess I'm gonna pick up a tube now!

[@VinceVenturella]

Totally and completely worth it.

[@matthuckabey007]

Wow this works great, thanks for sharing this with us. You rock!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it helped!

[@Wijkert]

In this video you used flow improver and gloss varnish in a similar way where both helped with letting the paint flow. I am wandering what the difference is between the two; when do use one over the other? I getter that gloss varnish helps with brightness because of it's finish.

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, so flow improver is sort of general, it just makes paint flow better because it breaks up the natural cohesion of water molecules (think of dish soap, same thing). Gloss Varnish creates shine due to a very smooth chemical bonding process. Because it reflects pure white, it tricks the eye into thinking you are looking at a pure white reflfection when actually you are looking at white paint + the refectled light.

[@chrisl4999]

Thank you for this. I've been avoiding painting white except through an airbrush (or just a dot) because of all the chalkiness. I knew that you were supposed to build it up using greys, but I think the rest of your tips are the actual "secret".

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@questgivercyradis8462]

I'll have to give the artist thick acrylics a try soon. I do like painting white though. I use glaze mediums a lot to get it to play smooth. My "trick" though? Use illusion work. Some whimsical freehand work hides good-but-imperfect blends. Did white sheer on a Caucasian skin model with a blue bra, sold the effect by painting the shirt to have a white pattern on top. Poof! Now no one looks at the imperfect blend because the freehand looks rad. Different one? Just a white cloak with a holly leaf trim freehanded. And whimsical or natural patterns mean wider error margins too, compared to fixed geometric shapes. Trickery! :D

[@VinceVenturella]

It's true, things like that really do go a long way.

[@charlesfe]

I’ve noticed some chalkiness with Vallejo white, but rely on Privateer Press’ P3 Morrow White which has not yet chalked on me. I am a heavy user of matte medium for blending so that could be an influence on it. (Though no problem with the P3 white on 60 some odd 15mm Norman shields in preparation for decals.)

[@VinceVenturella]

The medium is likely helping for sure. In general, including medium with your white is a good way to prevent this. White pigment is rougher and quite different from most other colored pigments and it actually requires a good deal of medium to stay smooth, so it sounds like you were already on the right track. :)

[@johnc.4871]

I noticed it with vallejo's "dead white" I purchased "dragon white" and use it instead. I read somewhere that white is often titanium oxide which the article said you dont want for color. titanium oxide is best for other things. vallejo has a different white but have not tried it yet.

[@kincaidgraff4857]

I know this is an old video, but I'd appreciate a response. Not owning an airbrush, if I wanted to layer up panels of armor (like a Chaos Warrior from Slaves to Darkness), should I use the heavy-body white acrylic to edge highlight or should I feather where I think the light will catch into the white-grey area, like a glazing / layering technique? Appreciated!

[@VinceVenturella]

I would use it as both honestly. :)

[@imdeaded]

you gotta do a review on brushes . winsor to raphaels to everything sable . brush restorer etc etc .

[@VinceVenturella]

That's a good idea, I will mark that one down.

[@basicminiaturepainting]

This is brilliant many thanks vimce ive struggled with a smooth white for months,so gonna try this for my napoleonics

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always. :)

[@josemariacampos2572]

I´ve recently discover your chanel and...I love it! Thank you so much for your video tutorials. I´m improving so much my painting technique and learnig so much golden tricks. I could not find something related to painting black, like black templars. And black for my is a very difficult one. Thank you for your videos. Are really awesome!! Fantasctic!!

[@VinceVenturella]

I do need to do an updated black video, it's just my least favorite color to paint. That being said, there are lots of good tricks to it, so I will add it to list and plan it out. Thanks again and glad you find the videos helpful. :)

[@josemariacampos2572]

They are really more than helpful!! Thank you so much again!! ;-)

[@Wijkert]

I have yet to invest in a heavy body acrylic. I do have a bottle of Kimera white and am wandering what the difference is between the two. I know the mass of the paint helps with the highest highlights because it reflects light the most. Would you recommend owning both?

[@VinceVenturella]

I would, a solid HBA white is really something incredibly useful. It's not miniature paint, it's thick like traditional canvas paint, but that means you can feather with it really easy, it also makes things like Loaded Brush WAYYYYYY easier.

[@jorey4565]

I used Citadel base ""Ceramite white" ,best result to obtain smooth whites areas with brush or airbrush ,well diluted with thinner or simple water ;no brush marks,no orange peels.. Same technic as a primer to receive light colors like yellow,orange and red..👍😊

[@VinceVenturella]

Cool, if something is working for you, then I often say it can't be wrong. :)

[@Mikey__R]

Hey Vince, are there any other uses for heavy body acrylics in miniature painting? Wet blending, perhaps? Or maybe mixed in with some medium to make super tanslucent but highly pigmented glazes?

[@VinceVenturella]

Sure, you can also use them for feathering and adding color into your normal miniatures, it's often easier to highlight as they are thicker and can highlight. They can also just be your paints, there are several miniatures painters who will just lay down the base tone with a miniature paint and an airbrush then do all the contrast work from there.

[@brkfstfd]

I have tried unsuccessfully for a looooooong time to shift this warm and wet blend out some ivory robes - on both Dark Angels and Stormcast. All of my experiments have gone awry. I end up with a mess of a mix of the warm tones that usually comes out very yellow from the ochre. Any tips shifting it warm? At times I've wonder if this kind of wet blending is the way I should approach these DA and SCE robe surfaces. They're not very big and the volumes seem awkward for it. I just haven't had results I like at any other way either. Throwing down a midtone and then glazing down sepia/ochre shadows and layering highlights up is definitely popular but I end up with dirty looking yellow shadows and big blocks of obvious white highlights sitting next to the ugly shadows with a bit of midtone in between. I just want ivory white without all this yellow junk!... :(

[@VinceVenturella]

The key with warm tones is they still go white at the highest highlights. Then you take it into very subtle brown tones. One of the tricky things is that warm highlights go into cold shadows (so there is also that).

[@brkfstfd]

@@VinceVenturella Yeah I have seen you mention going back over shadows with highlights before but beyond that I have not wrapped my head around when that step should be done. Is it just with cold shadows and is it all cold shadows? I assume it's to represent reflected light from below?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@brkfstfd Warm highlights have cold shadows and cold highlights have warm shadows. (as a general rule)

[@brkfstfd]

@@VinceVenturella oh I'm tracking that. When you said "go into" I was thinking literally put an opposing color temp highlight directly into the shadowed area, not the general observation of opposing the shadows/highlights. I'm just not so good with the wetblending of these colors (yet) is really the deal. That and I need to make smaller moves I'm sure. A light umber to ivory movement probably wasn't smart lol.

[@MaxRodFTW]

I've just tested it and it's perfect ! artist white + gloss varnish is perfect to make a ceramic like base, perfect for my glowing stuff on my necrons :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help. :)

[@TheMiniaturesPaintbrush]

Ok I followed the steps one at a time and I’m not happy with my brush on white, not that I ever have been. I go back to masking and airbrushing white until I can take a class with you personally. Lol

[@VinceVenturella]

Walk me through what you did, paints, application, thinners. We can solve this.

[@Mikey__R]

Hey Rob and Vince, I'll listen along if I can?

[@jamesmeeks6000]

The Miniature's Paintbrush I’m following in on this.

[@TheMiniaturesPaintbrush]

Sorry for the delay, School has been crazy, especially since home coming planning has begun. To be honest I didn’t use the exact colors that you selected there but I used similar colors, I mixed a couple of game colors grays to get the lighter gray tones the concept is the same where I used a darker gray to a lighter gray putting it in layers blending and then hitting it off with a vallejo white for the top coat my problem is chunking and it’s beyond looking chalky but very chunky so it’s not really smooth as but the thing that I haven’t tried is that titanium white I guess that was Liquitex basics titanium white. The white I’m focusing on the white shoulders for my Stormcast Eternal Celestial Vindicators. What I’m thinking is that the paint that I’m using is not thin enough, although it looks like on your palette that the paints a fairly thick and not a glaze consistency.

[@TheMiniaturesPaintbrush]

PS I remember having both the Snakeeyes and Storm Shadow Figures and having fights to the death until Desro ruined everyones fun. PPS I have the GIJOE #1 Comic Book in Mint Condition, Go Joe!

[@AbouTheMagnanimus]

Hey Vince, have you used zinc white at all for the transparency vs the more opaque titanium white? If so, what are your thoughts? I just picked up a tube of the Golden heavy body zinc white in the hopes it will help colors such as blue not look quite so stark with lighter colors.

[@VinceVenturella]

I've tried it a little, I think it can very much do what you're describing yes.

[@alexandrefernandes6286]

Your videos are simply brilliant!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help as always. :)

[@maddogmadden23]

Vince, would you recommend white through the airbrush if you have it available?? I'm looking to do a space marine in white for a competition and want to add in some reflective colours from the ground.

[@VinceVenturella]

If you can apply your white through an airbrush, that is preferred if possible. You will generally get much smoother from that.

[@-Gaudi]

Hi Vince! I came back to this video again after quite some time. Since the first time i got myself a HBA white, used and loved it (thank you!) I also got some Kimera, a couple of Scale 75 artist line... and loved them all. So basically, every time i get something close in any way to a high quality HBA paint, i find them way better than hobby paints. Is there any reason not to take 7 or 8 more HBA from Golden or other good brands, and just paint with them as you do with the white here? Other than the more limited range and higher price per unit (i don't mind mixing colours) is there any drawback or reason not to?

[@VinceVenturella]

So using all HBAs is tricky. They work very differently and have lots of different opacity. They can be a little tricky to work with for all your work. FOr me, they are more tough to work with for all purposes.

[@utubenoobie01]

God Vince I wish you had a massive curly perm like Bob Ross!!!!!!!!!

[@VinceVenturella]

I would need some kind of hair at all to go that direction. :)

[@johnc.4871]

a bob ross spoof? ;)

[@hobbithubby5076]

Have you ever used Blick’s brand of artist acrylic titanium white? Is it a good enough substitute for Golden?

[@VinceVenturella]

I've never used it, but as long as it's an artist HBA, it should be fine.

[@joshuabarron9953]

This video just helped me with one of the most difficult issues I have had with painting in the past. I love how you explain how the different paints and the flow aid interact with each other. Gotta ask what kind of holder that is you have in that video as well?

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help as always. The holder is from Game Envy.

[@CoryMaffucci]

Hey Vince , using these techniques to paint a. Sanguinary Priest ... Layering from grey to white...in your opinion because of whites translucent nature.. would it be better to layer up with gradually lighter shades of grey? Or just many many layers of white over grey?

[@VinceVenturella]

I think in general, it's best to use as little pure white as you can get away with, true white is actually pretty rare. That being said, I would make about 50% of the space a true white and layer up in that way.

[@Daturablossoms]

Hi Vince, Is keeping the water in my rinsing cup free of non-white pigment particles important for getting a clean white? I sometimes have trouble getting a clean looking highlight sometimes if i'm not rinsing with clear water. Any thoughts?

[@VinceVenturella]

It depends how much water you're using. If it's dirty, it can have an effect, but if it's lightly colored, it shouldn't have an effect with enough white paint.

[@ryanlott1108]

You say use gloss varnish to remove chalkiness, would matte varnish do the same? Or is it the gloss itself that prevents that?

[@VinceVenturella]

Not really, the gloss varnish reflects a more pure white light because of the smooth surface, I have a couple of videos on finish and how light works, so check those out as well. :)

[@gdmunn83]

Hey Vince, if using a gloss varnish and acrylic paint should I hold back on using my best brushes and will water still work fine to clean out the brush if it's got varnish or acrylics in it?? Thanks

[@VinceVenturella]

If you're being controlled (i.e. not getting paint up in the ferrule), you'll be fine with a nice brush. That being said, a cheaper brush, as you saw me using here, is never a bad idea with this. As to cleaning, I always keep a little surfactant or a drop of dish soap in my paint water, and that should break it up.

[@gdmunn83]

@@VinceVenturella as always, thanks for the helpful info 👍🏻

[@Login_Fehler]

Can the gloss varnish be changed to a matt varnish, or would that not work? And why would it /would it not work? Great video, thx :)

[@VinceVenturella]

You want gloss because gloss reflects light. Light when it reflects is pure white, and covers the inconsistencies in the paint. :)

[@Login_Fehler]

@@VinceVenturella And because Mattvarnish does not have these properties, it would not work, right?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@Login_Fehler Correct, matte varnish diffuses light, so it would not reflect and would show the inconsitencies.

[@Login_Fehler]

@@VinceVenturellaAh, ok. Thank you for the answers :)

[@neilmckie2768]

I'm going to have to stop binge-watching your videos. Every time one finishes, I'm straight onto Amazon ordering 'stuff' which I either didn't realise I needed, or didn't know existed, lol.

[@VinceVenturella]

It is dangerous, I am always trying different hobby stuff, so you could easily find yourself drawn into the same trap. ;) - That being said, some of the stuff (like the HBA Titanium White), I really would recommend it, it's wonderful product that I use all the time. :)

[@neilmckie2768]

@@VinceVenturella Already ordered and due to be delivered by Saturday, lol. With my historic figurines (mainly military) there are a lot of white accoutrements, cross belts, etc., so have already employed your technique for building up to white on my current model and will finish it off using your advice. Many, many thanks - since my conversion from oils, I've been using your techniques to great effect and taken my output to a whole new level. So, once again, many thanks, mate.

[@spu313]

Vince, I'm going to be painting the shoulder pad of an imperial knight white (because I hate myself). How would you adapt this method for a huge, flat surface with pretty much no details to add contrast?

[@VinceVenturella]

So this video here is what I would do - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKm2nmxmqraBfpI

[@spu313]

@@VinceVenturella Thanks! Much appreciated.

[@garouHH]

What if I want large, flat, white areas, and edge-highlight those? A hint of blue on the areas?

[@VinceVenturella]

The key is to use something near white, either cold or warm (i.e. either slightly blue/grey or slightly yellow/brown), then the white edges will pop out.

[@garouHH]

@@VinceVenturella Thanks! Wow, I didn't expect an answer on a video this old.

[@VinceVenturella]

@@garouHH No problem, I alwys try to answer every comment. :)

[@baglio88]

Hi Vince, I have a question for you: what brands do you think make the best white paint? By that I mean something with fine pigments that I can sort of glaze with if I want to without going too chalky. I'm asking because I wanted to mix some custom skintones (I'm always disappointed by the ones I buy and end up making mixes on my pallet that I can't replicate later), but for that I need a good white foundation that I can work with. Thank you for everything you do, I moved my first steps in miniature painting watching your videos (and am progressing watching more).

[@VinceVenturella]

Well, white never glazes really well, one of the keys for smooth white is to add some gloss medium to get it smooth and even. That being said, Pro Acryl's white is amazing. Warcolours also makes a great pigment rich white that smooths out with the gel medium. Daler Rowney FW White Ink is great.

[@baglio88]

@@VinceVenturella Thanks for the reply. I tried Liquitex white ink and it's quite amazing. Perhaps i'll try that with some medium (a gel medium?) to add consistency to make my skin tones

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

I have a question, if I prime with white and then paint with off white or whatever, will it have any negative effects? Because the white primer is bright white. I'm painting Aeldari helmets btw

[@VinceVenturella]

Nope, it will actually make it a lot easier.

[@davedogge2280]

I'm a bit late to the party but instead of GOLDEN 'heavy' acrylic white titanium paint could I use the Windsor & Newton Artist's Acrylic (oil) white paint ? I think both products have the PW6 code on them, whatever that means.

[@VinceVenturella]

Well, certainly you could use the oil to finish it off, but it would need to be varnished in between, as the oil paint would damage the acrylics if put on in that amount otherwise. That being said, yes, you would get a very smooth white.

[@davedogge2280]

@@VinceVenturella GOLDEN acrylics heavy it is then. Thanks. I bought those Windsor & Newton Acrylic oil paints to make oily washes primarily.

[@OhManTFE]

I am painting nakai the wanderer albino kroxigor. My first ever custom model. Super hyped then super depressed coz the white looked so shit. Now with these techniques he's looking beautiful. Thanks a million V

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, always happy to help. :)

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

So using gloss medium... does that mean I should do less layers of white than usual? Also how would one have an ivory white but with blue ish shadows? Does that make sense or is that a bad idea?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, in general it means you won't get the chalkieness, but you might still need as many total layers (maybe) as it's thinner, but it will appear smoother. As to cold shadows on a warm cloak, sure, you can do it, it should just transition through a quite neutral grey to make the color shift.

[@tomkelly2363]

Hi Vince, is there a trick to telling if a colour is warm or cool? I understand the difference generally but I struggle when it comes to telling apart warm/cool blues or warm/cool white? Also do you have a secret weapon to mix into colours to shift them one way or another on the temperature scale?

[@VinceVenturella]

The answer is basically does it have REd/Yellows as part of it's construction or does it have more blues in it basically. So warm blue is more rare, it either has to be quite purple (hence red) or quite green (hence yellow), but the key is to look for the presence of those as your markers. Honestly, part of it is just something that comes from really, really looking at things deeply and studying and picking apart the colors.

[@tomkelly2363]

Vince Venturella thanks for the answer Vince, that’s very helpful. How about when you are mixing a colour to shift it one way or another? Do you have any go to paints for this?

[@georgedebleu]

Excellent video, Vince. It's not that white does not feather well, it is that resin-based hobby paint does not feather well. It does not feather well for the same reason it goes chalky so quickly. Are you using Masterson's paper now? Or are you still using parchment paper in your wet palette?

[@magnus71111]

That's an Everlasting. Vince has a review up on it. I have one myself, the smaller version. Expensive, but very good. So, it's Everlastings paper as well.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, yes, I understand it has to do with the pigment and construction of the white paint that makes that all challenging. Magnus is correct, it's the Everlasting wet palette and their paper.

[@georgedebleu]

Thanks Magnus and Vince for replying about the palette. Missed the review; will watch it now. The post about he white paint was, primarily, for your viewers. Most people think acrylic paint is acrylic paint (or worse, "paint is paint"), few know that there are differences within a medium.

[@VinceVenturella]

Nope, I appreciate it. As paint has become more hobbyist friendly (more colors, easier tools) it means we don't gain the understanding from working with artist colors and understanding the deeper technical aspects. You might say it's become...opaque. ;)

[@bringerofjoy1700]

Vince Venturella I think the difference crystal clear mr v, one type of paint a tool that most can use, the other an instrument of which, very few can use.

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

Would you say you use equal parts gloss varnish and white paint?

[@VinceVenturella]

It's more 2-1 (Paint - Varnish).

[@eranroseman]

Great tutorial. In your previous hobby cheating about white you used purple for the shadows. When will you use the old one and when will you use this technique?

[@VinceVenturella]

I use purple, grey, blue, ochre, green. You can do basically anything in the shadows as long as it's desaturated. In general, I choose the shadow color to be aligned with the model and ambiance I want. So in this case, I choose the grey with a little blue tone to have the basic clean white shadows. If I were doing a wood elf force with some white, I would likely bury some green or white in the shadows. As long as it's minimal and desaturated, it should work.

[@eranroseman]

I left the white artist’s acrylic paint on the wet pallet. Now I have a big pool of liquid white. Is it still usable? I am working on two pink heralds of Tzeentch. Which color would you bury in the shadows?

[@Tarrasque87]

Wonderful. Have you tried other heavy acrylic artist colour paints?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, I have tried a few others, I like them, especially the reds as some of them are very, very intense, but in general, the one that really does it for me is the white as the great search for white paint that remains buttery smooth while also being intense and bright is always tough.

[@lukemoerchen5603]

Vince, could I use lahmian medium for the thinner or do I need gloss varnish for the thinner.

[@VinceVenturella]

Are you talking about the step at the end to pop the final white point? You want a gloss varnish, that reflects white shine (hence the white).

[@lukemoerchen5603]

Yes thank you

[@mikebreazeale2563]

Wow! I guess I have been doing it wrong for many years. And...I'm going to keep doing it cause it works for me. You say its wrong but you don't tell us why... Why? I've been using your last secret for several years. I use Liquitex, Winsor & Newton Titanium white but my favorite titanium white is Schmincke, the finest artists acrylic...it is fantastic white. Love it! Good video Vince...Thanks for sharing...

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, Schmincke makes a good white. I don't have any but I have borrowed and used some for use from another artist at a show and really liked it. Which part did I tell you is wrong, the painting over pure black?

[@mikebreazeale2563]

You said it's wrong to prime in black or to start with black. I always do. I paint it all black and then gray and then white. Most of the time. They turn out fine in my book. There is one or two I didn't do it that way. For the most part everything I do gets a black primer coat first. I am not a great painter but have taken several first places in contests. I've painting that way for a long long time. It works for me so I am sure it would work for others...at least the guy I learned from things so. Sorry for the long answer. I get my Schmincke from across the pond...only place I have found so far.

[@VinceVenturella]

Maybe we are talking past each other. Are you saying you paint over straight black? If that's the case, then yes, that's what I was saying. If you are priming black, then doing like a zenithal, that is perfectly fine, no issue at all. I always have a black/grey primer I use for 98% of my work as the base, I just zenithal over the top. My point wasn't the final quality, I am sure you can make such a paint job look good, many pro painters do it. I just don't understand it. It simply takes longer if you want to get a true color. Putting orange, yellow, red, or nearly anything straight over black either requires multiple layers or it dims the color. Can it be done? Sure, if you put in the time. My question is why not zenithal, because then one thin coat over the top creates a truer version of the color and you have built in contrast. Time is the most valuable thing to me. It's the resource we have the least of in life and can't replace. I don't like to waste a second if I can avoid it.

[@anguslei3985]

Learning a lot from all your videos, thank you so much! I'm curious if this video applies to large surfaces such as Tau armour? Would working up from grey to white and wet blending work the same, but simply from the center to the edges, or vice versa?

[@VinceVenturella]

It would work, but my honest answer is on things like that, you are always better with an airbrush if there is anyway you can swing it.

[@Devanox4]

So what I've done is take 3 drops of white paint to 1 of white ink. I'm figuring it has the same effect as thinning with medium and flow improver. What do you think Vince? Appreciate all of this btw!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it's a great trick and can really help smooth out white.

[@TJDieter2191]

I know I'm a little late to the party, but hearing your opening bit about assassins in white immediately made me think of The Stormlight Archive. Are you a fan, by chance?

[@VinceVenturella]

Never read that one, but it seems a cool series, I like him as an author, Mistborn was the one I got into.

[@TJDieter2191]

@@VinceVenturella You should definitely give it a shot if you can find the time for a epic fantasy series with 1000+ pages per book. Thanks for all of the work you do, your channel is awesome and I'm so appreciative of all the knowledge you've shared!

[@LarryOffley]

What is the copper wire in the wet palette. Is it antibacterial?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, copper is anti-microbial and will help prevent mold from forming.

[@djjc76]

awesome video. I plan to do Stormtrooper in the near future.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome,happy to help as always. :)

[@chucklamb3496]

Vince, wouldn’t Daler Rawney white ink work too?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, I kicked myself for not mentioning that, but yes, they would certainly work (and I often mix them with the HBA acryllic).

[@Joetime90]

What about white panels, say for an Eldar vehicle, or maybe some of their weapons? Not a lot of recesses to work with and I fear highlighting them if they're pure white.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's tricky, for a vehicle, it's really the sort of thing where to get a smooth white over that amount of space, you need an airbrush to get it really smooth. That being said, the key is very subtle variation and panel lighting.

[@kevinbrand2836]

Schminke (german brand) makes a fantastic white paint. (Ben Komets uses it aswell ( ok, the fact that you can buy it easily in germany factors in a little ))

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, it's great, he has mentioned Golden a few times, so I know he likes that one as well, but Schminke is great and you couldn't go wrong with that.

[@MrMatthewPR]

First off, I really appreciate how much you give to this community. You're a life, time, and frustration saver for all of us :) After attempting to paint my first squad of units since I was a kid and making the mistake of having whitish armour requiring just so many coats, I watched this and ordered some heavy body acrylic for future whites. I got lucky and found a set that included a gloss medium and a bunch of other colours in little tubes to try as well... half price gets me every time. Now onto my question - When using something like Liquitex flow-aid, do you dilute it with water first as the bottle says or just use it straight? I've tried both ways when using it with regular miniature paints and haven't noticed much difference - but I'm still very early in my journey.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, glad to help.

[@soerenheriksen]

Would this work with skin colors too? I have problems with kislev flesh turning chalky all the time.

[@VinceVenturella]

It would, lighter colors like, especially skin tones are great for this kind of wet blending. You can see it in action here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6CzpHR5aqqlqNE

[@S-Mags]

Thanks for posting this Vince! How does the golden compare to the schmincke that Ben Komet uses? Also if I may ask why the heavy body and not the fluid acrylic?

[@VinceVenturella]

They are both of similar quality, there are several artist brands of Heavy Body Acrylics and they are all of roughly equal quality. You want the HBA as that has the high pigment density and can smooth out much easier than a liquid acrylic which will have much of the same challenges as your standard miniature paint.

[@ArielSasinsky]

Hi Vince. Thanks for the tutorial. is it ok to use the gloss varnish technique with W&N series 7 brushes or would you recommend using something cheaper? i'm worried if i try this it will ruin my good brushes.

[@VinceVenturella]

Shouldn't hurt anything as long as you keep your brushes clean. What I mean is don't let the paint rest on the brush for too long, rinse them often and you should be just fine.

[@ArielSasinsky]

Thanks!

[@maytech7886]

I like that panting handle you got that mini on, where did you get it?

[@VinceVenturella]

I picked it up at NOVA, I honestly don't remember, but if you look at the NOVA vendors, I believe they are listed there.

[@LXGoat]

Thank you so much for that tutorial mate. Now I searching for something to paint white ;) When (if) in this process would a FW-White-Ink would take place?

[@VinceVenturella]

MIx it in with the HBA, it will be even smoother, I also use it when I want thin bright white lines.

[@gigartina]

Would you ever add FW white ink into the mix? Great video: thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, I really feel I should have mentioned that here as well. As I do mix the FW white ink in with the HBA to get a super bright white pop.

[@Crs9072]

If heavy body white is your choice, then why not use heavy body acrylics for all colors?

[@VinceVenturella]

I don't like painting with it for everything. I tend to use lots of glazes and the HBA is more difficult to glaze, but you can certainly do so. I use it for my strong end colors (black and white) and I think it really excels for that with my style. That being said, there are certainly those out there who do use almost exclusively HBA.

[@KerfluffinMcWooly]

Have you ever had any problems when painting white with fallen brush hairs on your paint job? Don't know if that is normal or not. More evident with white.

[@VinceVenturella]

Not that I can think of, but if you're losing hairs out of the brush that often, it may be time for a brush change. ;)

[@KerfluffinMcWooly]

@@VinceVenturella Thanks. I did notice small hairs in the brush soap I use. How do you wipe out your brush soap?

[@kylegillard3343]

Amazing video ive just discovered your videos and they are Great! gonna try to adapt this to a White scar

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome! Thank you! Always happy to help. :)

[@kylegillard3343]

@@VinceVenturella unless you ever wanna do a White Scar video then I’ll just try to mimic you lol again thank you been a great help so far!

[@hobbithubby5076]

Would this work for Stormtroopers?

[@VinceVenturella]

Absolutely, this same cold grey would be perfect for them.

[@UnderMyThumb]

KZbin sent me this video while I was struggling with white today. Thanks KZbin!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help! Always happy to assist. :)