Hobby Cheating 89 - How to Use Oil Washes 

Vince, the daddy of miniature painting. This is a 5 year old video and people are only just popularising this in the last 12 months or so.

I honestly don't know how you dont have more subscribers. Your content is seemingly endless in both quantity and quality. You dont harp on about patreon etc, i wonder how you have the time!? Thanks for your videos either way :)

Oh man, I am so glad I saw this for my "left outside too long" knight. You're my hero and thank you for dedicating your time to help us peasants.

I love your Oil Paint videos. Not many mini painters working in this space. Super informative and so knowledgeable!

I love this hobby cheating, I was strug;ing with oil washes for a while and now I'm pretty sure that i can pull this off. Thank you for your time and effort!

Great video on the subject. It was also very helpful that you showed past just the initial wash. How to clean up. Touch up, etc.

I used your ogre speed paint video and this one to paint my entire Grayjoy collection and I’m very happy with the result. I will use the oil wash technique for batch painting going forward. Thanks for your content. I’m pleased to see the quality for the level of effort.

Brilliant video ,loads of tips , cant wait to practice them. Thanks Vince.

Great video, Vince. Going to invest in some oil paints now, super excited to try them out. Thanks for inspiring me!

Thanks for the great tutorial, I love those metal colours. I had the same problem as babyschaf 1 when I tried oil washes once which left me quite disappointed with the technique as a whole then. Will give it another try now with a different white spirit!

Just found your videos mate, they are great, thank you. Just about to do my first knight and I hope my metals look as gorgeous as yours. Vallejo ftw.

just want to say thanks for the awesome content. loving my warcolour paint. and you do a great job explaining everything

OMG I just did my first oil wash today and I'm in love!

I'll give a shout out for cotton balls. Get a lot of use to them, and can be altered in shape and size easily for every nook and cranny. They really give a solid streaking effect. and while I agree with q-tips leaving some bits of cotton, I recommend rolling the edge of it down the pannel, not pulling. Helps mitigate that a lot.

I've recently purchased some W&N oil washes, liquitex ink set and a range of enamel washes, this is gonna be really helpful in learning some grimdark techniques. Good stuff vince 👏

I wanted to watch a video about oil washes for painting my space marines and I found myself listening intensely to a guy explaining how steel is not perfectly smooth and why that is. This was so interesting, you must have really thought about different surfaces and why they have certain colours and textures.

I'm so glad you released this. I'm gonna do this for my hobby challenge dreadnaught now instead of the glossy nuln/Agrax. Now could I just apply by brush Vallejo gloss varnish instead of spraying a gloss varnish on the whole model before using the oil?

This is an excellent tutorial! ~ Wolfbrother Methos

Excellent tutorial. Something I feel is worth mentioning (even though you touched on it) is that you (the generalized you) should use some sort of gloss varnish over your acrylics, be it gloss or semi-gloss; the smoother surface makes it *much* easier to remove the excess, whereas a matte varnish would still protect the acrylics but a matte finish promotes adhesion, making it more difficult to clean away the excess. For rivets, something I've seen done is to let the wash pool a little around it, then come back in with a moistened (with white spirit) brush or sponge and gently pull the wash downwards; this makes it look like the oil and grime that's accumulated there is gradually being pulled out of those depressions by exposure to weather.

Fantastic video Vince

A great video, very useful tips. Only a thing that I think you should have mentioned, the odourless thinner has, as its name says, no odour, but still can be harmful to breathe the vapours for a long time( the first symptom could be headaches).It's a bit tricky, since it has no odour, make sure that you use it in a well ventilated room.

What I never undertood is the Army's Painter Quickshade product... If you buy in the small bottles, it is a regular water based wash... If you buy in the large metal tins format, then is its a oil varnish based wash... It works great but it is quite glossy...

Hi Vince, a big thanks for this video and all the other ones ! Quick question : do we really need to varnish miniatures before using oil paints ? I heard that water based acrylic paints once dried won't react with White spirits. I guess varnishing will help the oil wash into recesses, but if I can avoid myself an additionnal step into my painting ... Thanks in advance for your help :)

Very interesting, I will try that out, thank you!

Thank you for this. I’m definitely gonna try this out again. I just had bad experiences with Winston oils so I think I’m going to spring for the Artist ones rather than Winton oils. So after varnishing, what are your experiences with durability with gaming miniatures?

Hello Vince, thank you for your long term community support! I cant state how much are these videos helpful! Quick question regarding colored metals - I want to paint my very old dragon princes of caledor in the 5ed style, but little grim dark :) For armor, horse barding, lances etc I still use the bright colors, but over metallic preshade and than add chipping and pigments. This makes the 5ed fantasy style little bit mature :) For the colored metallics, would you go with colored oil wash/tint - e.g. green, red oil wash - or would you rather use the method from your other video - using contrast paints over metallic preshade? Many thanks - Jan

Vallejo makes a metallic medium, if I dull my metallics too much I make a wash of that and apply it as needed. But I would want some of my shadows to be matte.

Thanks for sharing. That looks great. Have you considered making a tutorial about using Vallejo metal color paints to paint a large piece of equipment like a knight or steel tank?

Great video! I tried similar techniques on a couple models and noticed that the final product dried very grainy. Have you ever run into this, and if so how did you rectify for future models

sorry for the noob question but would this technique work well with tanks ie rhinos landraiders and such? Tired of select washing all the crevices and having to repaint mistakes takes so long lol

Really great stuff! Just a question regarding oil paints - would you reconmend the Winton line from Winsor, or the Artists line? I've heard that the artist line has a much finer pigment then the winton.

Great video- I'm just sarting to experiment with my technique, so found this really useful.

Hey, thanks for this tutorial! I like the idea of these two other colours added to the black. I have a question however: I use the exact same products for oil washes but my wash always(!) ends up drying chalky or flaky. As if the pigments separate from the solvent, so the smooth finish goes to waste. My White Spirit however had little flakes in it since purchase. So you have any advice for me? Thanks in advance!!

Hey Vince, love your videos. Do you have a gallery of completed miniatures? I would love to see the finished product of this knight!

Would a good next step to this be grab a brighter silver and a really soft brush and a very gentle dry brush over the metallic sections? Then edge highlight the sharpest lines? Thanks again for another great vid.

Thanks for this video. I've been trying oil washes but every time I am getting a whitics grey residue in the recesses and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm applying varnish as you mention through an air brush so I don't think it's going on too thick. Any suggestions would be great!

Fantastic video as always, thanks for sharing so much useful information with the community :) One question though, what colours would you suggest for washes for flesh tones and other organic surfaces like plants and alien skin/carapace etc? I'm currently trying to collect a few base colours I could mix to make a good range of oil washes. Most videos seem to just cover metal/armour and use mostly blacks and browns. I've currently got Ivory Black, Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna, any suggestions for others that might help compliment these more organic use cases? Thanks! :)

Hi Vince. Thanks for all of the amazing content. Did you varnish this before the oil wash? If so, did you use gloss, matte or satin?

That was so interesting, thanks! I can't wait to see the hobby cheating video for flesh oil shading. I love be aware of funky techniques like this one. By the way, do you think this technique is as suitable for big mechanical miniatures as for little shining knight in armour like the Stormcast eternals? Do you also use this technique on other metals like copper or brass? And finally, would you suggest a satin varnish over a gloss varnish for metal? Thanks again from France

Great stuff as always. Is oil wash your predominant wash medium just for metals or weathering only? When do acrylic washes work better?

I love this video. I love your model and paint work. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. A small comment from a guy who works with machines...the piston tube in a hydrolic system should be somewhat shiny (from the friction of motion, etc) ...if it looks oily, there is a problem with the hydrolic system! ;)

Hey Vince. Painting up my Iron Warriors, the big thing that I realised is that, to sell the idea of old steel, you need tonal variations in the metals. I used oil based metallic paints over a zenithalled acrylic base coat, mixing a bit of Van Dyke Brown into my steel colour, and this gives me my light and dark. But then, using Army Painter Strong Tone shot through the airbrush, I can place a selective brown filter over various parts of the armour. Strong Tone is so subtle when airbrushed, you can build up layers of dirt as you go. I found this approach easier than trying to paint in or wash in the dirt. Anyway, whilst painting up some scenery using poster paints, I ruined a piece when I found out poster paint isn't water fast. It occurred to me whilst watching this video, that the ability of poster paint to reactivate in water might actually be useful if you tried using it as a wash. Anyway, I've filed that away in the "something to try" bin for later.

If you mix Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue, make jokes here, you can get black out of it. Had to take a class in college using oil paints, which I have a lot leftover, and the professor made explicit we had to learn how to make our own black. Still great video, will use this for terrain.

Great video! I'm going to use this on steel armour for my Stormcast. The other colours are jade and purple for tabards, shoulder pads and shield, and copper/bronze for shoulder trim. Should I still include brown in my wash, or go a different direction?

Thanks again Vince! I’m soon starting a metallic green armor project and was thinking of using this technique. I was thinking of using green and black to achieve a dark green wash. Should i consider adding red or brown to desaturate the underlying green?

What layers of varnish (since you said oils will ruin acryllic) do you use when dealing with oils on metal, and potentially layers on top of that (for heavy metallic pieces with some details that may be better done after). For example would you do the metal (acrylic), gloss varnish, oil wash, gloss varnish, vallejo metal varnish, brush on matte varnish, acrylic, brush on gloss varnish, brush on matte varnish (So many layers of protection). Or would you use all metal varnish?

Great share thanks

Great vid... 2 questions please: 1) How different is this from the Army's Painter quickshade (the tin version), which is clearly oil-based? 2) When I tried this method, the wash dried very grainy and dusty on the model, like the paint it separated from the white spirit, total mess and no way I cold clear it with a q-tip... What am I doing wrong? Thanks!!

A lot of questions from a very inspired novice: After seeing your video I would love to try using oil washes on miniatures, but I know, that usually thinners will ruin the acrylic paint so a coat of varnish is required, which sounds like it’s a pain especially that I livei n an apartment... I have already bought the w&n white spirit, but I am wondering if there are any thinners that don’t eat through the acrylic paint and therefore don’t require the use of varnish? And if so will the oil wash flow well over the acrylic paint? Someone suggested that I use a w&n glazing medium instead of a thinner, but i have no idea how that would work considering the drying time and flow. Also, there are the water mixable oil paints. Would they do the job right? And if so, with what medium? I would like to retain the qualities like the long drying time and the ability to wipe excess wash off some areas with a sponge like you do and the general advantages of traditional oil washes...

good job! awesome video!

Great video Vince have you tried Windsor newton water thinning oils they seam to work a lot better then the thinner based ones Those seams will show in the legs after you finish Vince the armor doesn't cover them

When you go to varnish everything after your oil wash, do you find that the VMC Metal Varnish provides an appropriate finish over the top of the heavily oiled/opaque pieces, or does it require more steps to seal that?

Vince, have u tried other oil paints besides Winton? I saw a set of 24 for 14 bucks at hobby lobby but am not sure if those would work as well as Winton considering those are like 6 or 7 a tube. Is there a quality difference? I'm going to start out trying oil washes soon.

thanks for the video. Would you use the same technic for the imperial knight size for titanicus or are they considered too small?

That metal looks fantastic. I wish I had watched this video before I started my Armiger Warglaive...at least there are two in a set

Thank you for the informative video! What shade of the Vallejo metal did you use for the base coat? Steel?

Thanks Vince this will go perfect for my metal based OBR army. How long do you need to allow it dry/cure for before you use the oils?

Yeah man you answered all my questions. I'm painting a white army with pink and light blue highlights. Any suggestions with whites that you'd consider in the terms of shading and oil washes?

Thank you for your awesome tutorials. I have a question: maybe I missed it but do you varnish the paint before the oilwash? In the other oilwash Video you say you varnish twice, before the wash and after the wash. But in another video you state that varnishing metal should be avoided because it will loose the metal effects...

Really nice video. Wich vallejo metal colors did you use for the knight weapons?

Can you add acrylics after? Like edge highlighting if necessary? I'm going to use an oil wash on my whole thunderhawk to give it a gritty feel. Should I edge highlight before the wash and bring the highlights back with wiping it off?

hello! thank you very much for the detailed tutorial. Can I use water-soluable Oilpaints, mix them with water and expect a similar result?

Hey Vince, I'm going through this process for the first time with a knight, oil wash and metal color. I wanted to ask what you recommend as an edge paint for metal color gun metal?. I'm worried my usual 2 stage edge of ironbreaker/runefang will look strange due to the flecks. Thanks for the awesome videos.

Really awesome. Do you have a video for painting the metal section?

I have a few questions: 1. You mentioned you sealed the miniature. From what I've read that's a must step or you damage/strip the paint underneath. Is that true? 2. I have heard you can't paint over oil wash with acrylic (ie water on top oil) so it has to be the last step, is that correct? Thanks

what colours should one have in it's oil paint palette to create washes? standard basic range (blue, red, yellow, white, black) or any extended form of said colours?

Hey Vince, sorry for the post on an old video. Do you still advocate using the metal colour gloss varnish and oil washing? Or just glazing in the shades?

also I got burnt umber and ivory black. mine is for nurgle tanks though. I figured I'll mix brown and black together.

Watching again before I attempt, but question: did you put the oil paint straight in your cup from the tube or off something to remove the oil from the oil paints themselves?

Can you mix a batch of your oil wash in a dropper bottle? do you paint on the metal varnish or put it through your airbrush? Off topic questions from stuff I noticed in the video. What is with the tape on the hip joint? What do you use to fill in the mold gaps? (If you couldn't tell I have started going through your videos.... Love them. wish I found them sooner)

Also, what varnish should I use to keep this effect to the end?

Awesome video. What color did you use for the metal. Getting ready for Titanicus and those legs look amazing. Would love to replicate. Thank you.

Thanks for the video, I've been struggling to find good videos for washes, everyone just talks about panel lining Gonna be working on my first model in a few months when the model releases so I'm trying to learn everything in advance and plan my paints now I was wondering would Tamiya TS-13 clear acrylic lacquer work with Oil washes? I know they are good for Acrylic or Enamel, but there's no mention of Oil

You mention using this technique for flesh areas. Other than the flatness, what makes this oil washing different from hard-edge forms? Or oil washing any organic surface for that matter (hair, fabric, wood, etc)?

So I noticed that my wash is still wipe-able after a few days, this is where I missed wiping excess before. Problem is that I want to put more acrylic over top. Is this a bad idea? Should I let it sit longer? Varnish the area I want to paint over? Should I have waited to do the wash last? Painting necrons, washed first because metal+wash = battle ready.

Vince, I've watched your video here before and I've attempted to use your methods but I keep having an issue with the wash + mineral spirits dissolving my base coats. Despite the fact that I DO use both a flat protective coat followed by a gloss coat to encourage the flow of the oils. I will apply the wash, wait a few minutes for a bit of drying and use q-tips to wipe away the wash. Well, often I pull up much more than I intend. At first, I thought it was the type of mineral spirits I was using but you use the same brand as I. I can't seem to find the answer!

What would you recommend for an oil wash on blue grey-white armor? Trying to add some finishing details to my white scars

I've been using oil washes on vehicles for years, it's great for weathering..metal or paint. About to try it on actual figures, Imperial Fists I'm working on. I usually use a gloss varnish first but had a few guys tell me to shoot some satin..any advice? These are 30 Sternguard, don't want to screw them up...lol. Great Video by the way, love your stuff.

I wonder if the same technique is applicable to metallic minis like Necrons and Skitarii, or small metal parts like augmetics. I really like the tone, but wiping the paint off smaller surfaces could be a challenge.

Is there any significant difference between enamel washes (AK streaking grime for example) and homemade oil washes? Thanks for the video and advice anyways!

Thank you for the tutorial, Vince. One question, if my oil washes have dried very well (over weeks), can I then apply a satin varnish with my airbrush?

This got me over the hump to try some oil washes, but I had a little bit of difficulty with grainy finish after the oil washes set. I was doing a Winton burnt umber wash over VGA bone white and once the wash went on it looked great, but once it started to dry you could really see some separation. Is this just what I should expect when I'm doing an oil wash over a lighter color or do you think I might have had the mix too thick or too thin?

Hi Vince, this may be obvious but does the metal paint that you started with need to be dry before starting to wash with oils? Thanks for the video and this old robot dude you painted looks awesome. ##just got to the end of the video where you said to varnish it before starting oil washing ##

Hey Vince, I'd like to try oil washes on my metallics, but I usually paint really heavily rusted armour and weapons on my Beastmen. Would it make sense to still use an oil wash? And if so, would you suggest applying the rust (as per your video where you used typhus, camoshade, sepia etc.) before the oil wash, or after?

Hi Vince, I applied a "Gloss Varnish" and am having success with both "Oil" and "Enamel" washes. If I want to continue to apply highlights with Acrylic Paint (i.e., after the Wash), do I need to "Matt Varnish" before applying paint over the "Gloss Varnish" to mitigate any paint adherence issues? Your thoughts are welcomed.

Hi Vince. I can get Winsor Newton 37 ml oil at a fair price, so what colors do you think I need for washing to cover most situations? I think I need ivory black, burned umber, magenta - and a blue, red, green and orange. Is there anything I dont need or somethin that I have forgotten? And what blue, green, red and orange do you recomend in the winsor newton line? Again thank you for sharing your knowledge - and for inspiring us! :)

I know this video is about oil washes (and it was great), but, if you use oils to dry brush, how long do you let them dry before putting varnish over them?

Great video... I would love to see a video on using it on Flesh... You mentioned it but it was not the focus on the video. Thanks

Nice video. Do you varnish the oil wash once it dries to seal it in?

Hey Vince, can you paint acrylic paints and inks over something that has been oil washed? Or does the oil prevent the acrylic binder from adhering?

Hey Vince. Would you use black oil paint for shading storm troopers?

If the panel line wash dries alittle grainy does that mean I used too much spirits? I used a satin varnish instead of gloss so that probably didn't help with the flow either

Great tutorial, but I got a question - would you say grade of oil paint (entry level/student-grade, mid-grade [like winton], professional and fancy) matters a lot, or something mid-grade will do as long as it doesnt't have too much filler added?

What varnish would you recommend other than the Metal Color varnish specifically? I'm about to oil wash some Dark Eldar I painted in these colors

Can you make an amount and store it? Or does the linseed oil or whatever is used for thinning, evaporate over time?

If using the wash to line panelling how would you remove the unwanted oil? I feel the sponge is not absorbent enough and que tips will remove the panels paint. Thanks for the vid

Hey Vince ;) If I may asked, how come the oil paint manage to dry on plastic miniature , bc oil paint doesnt dry in theory ?y goal is to do some the same process that you (wash + dry the excess and then paint some details as acrylics) do I need to wait between steps and do I need varnish? so I want to make the jump to oil washe but I need your help on this question ! thank you for this nice video :)

Is it recommended to apply a "gloss varnish" before applying the "oil wash" (flows easier and easier to remove)?

Vince, have you ever tried or considered the newer gen of water-mixable oil paint? The pitch is that you can have the best of both worlds. You have convinced me on the merits of oil wash versus acrylic wash, but I get considerable pushback regarding the solvent smell and toxicity issues with traditional oils. Thanks.

Although I would really like to use oil washes due to the advantages as shown in your great video. But after several attempts and different brands there is always the same problem: after drying there is no clear colour line in the recesses. I see the clumpy pigments, the whole thing is really gritty .With acrylic washes I have a better and clear finish (as well as with some enamel washes). Have you encountered this problem when using oil-based washes?