Maybe a second bonustip? : you don't have to use only one technique to paint a specific part of the model. If wetblending has gotten you a decent blend, but not quite as smooth as you had hoped, you can always improve the blend with glazes afterwards
You've done it again Vince! Even after 300+ videos I'm still learning new stuff somehow. Just painted some pretty great looking skin using your layering tutorial!
Tip 6 is where it's at! Just figured that one out in my own recently and it really gave me a boost on wet blending! Now to practice! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! You are a great teacher!
Yep, I wanted to stay away with additives with this (as that's a whole different conversation, and I've talked abotu them many times on the channel), but you are certainly correct. :)
The boat analogy is great. It made me picture my brushes like the tools I use to clean mold lines, like fine brushes being more like my blades and bigger brushes being more like smoothing and sanding. Its encouraging because I am waaaay more skilled and confidant in cleaning, assembly, and priming than I am at putting paint on after the priming.
Great as always, after 2 decades I’m still too slow and the paint drys to fast but damn am I willing to try xD Also: every time you say “thick” I just imagine Scott making a small video just for you with the title “THICC” with edits from this video and himself saying it while a heavy beat is playing in the background xD
Thanks Vince! I appreciate your reinforcing the basics after a recent prominent tutorial suggested thinning paints! : o Thinning paint was my biggest barrier to the technique. I’ve been successfully wet blending since your first tutorial, but have begun to now explore paint combos, desired texture, etc. Love the feathering advice too!
Loved the part about brush size. Honestly, never thought about that. "Wrong way", awesome. Love it when creators leave mistakes/etc in the videos and how they fix them. Those help me so much more then just seeing a technique used. Multiple passes, hmm, never tried that^^ One thing that helps me a lot, is using retarder. I might've missed it, but you didn't mention that. Is there any reason why? Anyway, great video as always!
Retardent can be very useful, but then I have to explain the additive and what it does and how to apply it, and it's not something people are doing "wrong" - I was avoiding it as not strictly necessary, but it can certainly be helpful.
@@VinceVenturella Ah fair enough! I do remember your "old" additive video, it was very informative and helpful. Been meaning to pick up a bottle of surfactant, to try it out, but always forgets. :)
Same principle, put two in two different places and then use a clean brush to draw them together, but it will only be staining and largely dependent on the undershade.
I haven't watched yet but I was just about to start trying to wetblend for about the second time in my life. I'll be doing some purple robes on some cultists. Technomancer Vincy V with the timely rescue!
I’ve been trying to paint a Hulk Crisis Protocol figure using layering techniques with Reaper MSP. And it hasn’t been going well 😂. The large musculature would probably be better tackled with wet blending, but I’m not sure if my Reaper paints are thick enough. I bought a triad of green Two Thin Coats to try. Would they be a better bet than Reaper for wet blending?
Thanks for another banger Vince. Loving the new style on the videos. Just for me, and maybe others, can you show the brush set up a little more closely when you're discussing its moisture? I have a pretty good grip on the amount of moisture I use for layering and glazing, etc. It feels like so much of acrylic painting relies on brush moisture and relative paint thickness and it would be nice to see those stages before we're going on the model. Again, another banger! Love the background music, love that you're delivering straight to cam. I am sad I can't travel to catch your classes at Adepticon.
No, Vince, you're stronger than this. Don't give in to the tyranny of the 5. You're above this madness (And the bonustip isn't really enough to please the Dark Prince either). What about embracing the 13? You can set a new trend, yes, yes...
Waking up on a Saturday. Gonna paint some minis but damnit I know I need to finally learn to wetblend part of them. Oh well. Check my phone. >New vince vid dropped this morning, all about wetblending. Well then. This is awesome lol
Fantastic video Vince, all of these tips are excellent! I would like to extend you the friendliest of feedback since you previously mentioned that you wanted to improve your videos this year. So please don't take this as complaining or anything like that. I just noticed that in the talking head shots where you explain the topic, your lighting could be improved, specifically on two points as far as I figure. The first is that you don't really stand out from the background, in fact I think the background might be even slightly better lit than you are, making it feel a bit like you're actually in shadow. The second is that where you're sitting you happen to get glare from the ceiling lights in your glasses, which makes it very hard to see your eyes sometimes. This might be difficult to get around depending on the space you're in, but maybe it could be enough just to turn the angle at which you're sitting a bit to get rid of the glare. In any case, I hope you've had a great weekend and as always I look forward to seeing the next installment of your invaluable hobby tips! (by the way, have you considered making a product comparison video on contrast paints vs s75 instant colors and the army painter speed paints? that would be really interesting coming from you for sure)
Another bonus tip, something The Tickler and Jon talked about on TPUP months ago was an artist who would apply a water/retarder medium to the surface of his minis and wetblend on top of that. Something Don Sarutos did a video on earlier this week, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2_ZMkY_PalA.html and I feel that these two video are a fantastic starting point of info for wetblending, oh and also treat wet blending as a preblended basecoat tom glaze over.
Wet blending needs the paint to be thick - but it doesn't require the paint to be opaque. You can use mediums to get a translucent paint that is still thick and workable but without the opacity. The smack those onto a figure, smudge um around. Ends up being somewhere between fat glazing and wet blending.
Is a retarder a good option to prolongue the drying time of the paint to increase the window when you can wet blend? Also, thank you very much for your videos, they are extremely helpful!
if you use thick paint, is using a wet palette counter productive? at what point do you have to rinse the brush? what is a good way to use retarder medium or any form of medium, that helps with the drying time? what is a good way to even out rubbed off paint, so the new layers don't look like a patch?
1) No, because the wet palette alone without being closed won't really thin the paint, just keep it basically workable. 2) Once your two paints have been down and blended, unless you're working quick and go into a third. Or when you need to grab a new color WITHOUT the color on the brush getting in the mix. 3) Put a little on the surface then wet blend over the top. 4) You don't generally have to worry about it. If you've kep the layers thin, you won't notice with the new layer over the top as you saw here.
Thanks for the vid, Vince. It might have been better to show the effect you were going for before showing the wip part. I had a tough time figuring out what you were aiming for, at first.
Vince , I lie your videos looks like you are trying to get better with video quality. I have a request please please get a headset or put the mic closer to your mouth. It sounds like your in a tin can.
That boat description made it crazy visual and understandable. *thank you* All hail to Sensei Vince ;-) One question though - do I understand you correct that you are using so much paint that in theory you’d get coverage with just one layer? Also for e.g. yellows?
Yes, you are using thicker paint and spreading it out, you end with a normal layer denisty, so if it covers or not won't largely change. Yellow, Red, all of those colors are easy to get coverage with, you just need to put them over the correct undershade as I've shown in previous videos. :)
Hi Vince. Thanks for the video. So, a problem I've had in my limited experience with wet blending is the direction of the brush stroke to take. So, for example, I pull the mid tone into the highlight and gentle mix going and there is a pool of darker paint amongst the lighter. Should this be pulled back towards the mid tone as continuing to the highlight would leave a deposit of dark paint to close to the highest high light like with glazing? Hope my question is understandable and thanks!
You want to use the wiping trick I mention. You sweep back and forth, get it smooth and then wipe, wipe wipe, then with the relatively clean brush, repeat.
I hope you are entering Adepticon GD! It looks like it is going to be a serious competition, with all the European painters heading over. Cheers for the video.
Vince, I so enjoyed your study… it’s a new and great ways of doing art I found out by you today… .. the principal I can probably use with oils too. Vary good teaching, 👍😃✝️🇺🇸from Aiken South Carolina
I love how at the beginning of this video when mocking the youtube format of lists with hidden tips at the end you don't even smile like you're just so done with all the youtube nonsense. Great video as always, you truly are a hobby wizard
Great video as always, I mainly use Army Painter and Citadel paint and slowly building up my Scale 75 collection as well (they have become my favourites amongst these 3 paint lines). Is there any recommended paint brand for this technique? The Army Painter paints feel lower quality than the other two brand's products, can I use them for wetblending or are they overly liquidy for this purpose?
If possible avoid hobby paints with a gel medium their harder to work with when it comes to wet blends. Anything with pigment mediums such as vallejo or citadel and the likes are easier.
Anything can work with practice, that being said, paints with higher pigment densities that are starting thicker are generally better, - Kimera, AK Interactive 3rd Gen, Pro Acryl, that sort of thing. But even Citadel Base paints can be great with this.
Wet blending seems like sth that would be very useful to learn, thanks for the video, Vince. Are there ways to keep the acrylic paints wet longer or does that defeat the purpose? How about gel medium acrylics like Warcolours or (I think) scale75? Would you recommend those, do they have different attributes when it comes to wet blending?
You can use a retarder, but you have to be careful, those also thin, so you need to make sure the paint is nice and thin. Just put a little on the surface, then wet blend over the top.
It doesn't really matter, but thicker paints with higher pigment density are better. Any can do this, but if you are talking about the absolute strongest, Kimera, AK Interactive 3rd Gen and then maybe pro acryl are all fairly solid at it.
I finally succeeded at wet blending when I used a 4:1 mix of water to retarder. I'll drop a bit of that in a plastic palette and dip my brush into it and wick off a bit before loading up with the paint(unthinned). The first time I tried this was the first time my wet blending FINALLY gave me the effect I desired.
Yep, I didn't want to bring additives into this one (as it was more what people do wrong focused), but you are correct, a little retarder can go a long way.
I’m still waiting for a hobby company to come up with the hobby equivalent to the Holbein Duo Aqua: an oil paint that is water mixable and can even be mixed with acrylics. Color match that oil paint line with an acrylic paint line, and then just use the tool that is right for the job at any given moment. Mini painting has come so far these past 15 years, but somehow we are still stuck with essentially the same tools: hobby acrylics that work well for layering but not for blending, or artist oil paints and heavy bodies that don’t match our color schemes. Since having multiple gradients on our minis is now considered standard, it is really time our tools evolve.
Not to belabor the point but these videos look and sound great Vince. Excellent work. I'm going to try wet blending again on my next fig. I was definitely using too small of a brush and thinned paint. Whoops :)
Please do more of these Vince. I’ve been a supporter of your channel for about 2 years now and I’ve watched so many of your videos….the quick, to the point tips help intermediate painters like myself while some of your other videos are probably better suited for beginners. With that said, ALL your content has been valuable to me and I thank you sir!
Great vid Vince. I find wet blending to be very freeing,just slapping paint on and mixing as you go is always fun! Would you use slow drying medium to help stop the acrylic paints drying out too soon sometimes?
Thanks a lot as I've been recently thinking about wet blending more. My question is what about wet blending small surfaces like faces/skin? Does the same tips apply there? I know you used paint retarder, but in HC 249 it was absolutely amazing and magical how quickly you got those blends done. Once again, thanks for the video!
Yep, same stuff on those small surfaces, but there is a limit to how much you can do before you switch over to glazing or something, but it's a great start.
Fantastic advice. I’ve been trying to practice my wet blending while doing my bases and they never come out right. Gonna see if this info helps. Thanks V2
Technomancer early gang! Very helpful video indeed. I think I've been always wayyy too watered down in my wet blending attempts. Time for a new attempt!!
Big thanks as always! Don Suratos had a video last week where he coats the area with a thin layer of retarder medium for longer working time. I haven't tried it jet but seems like a helpful approach. What I'm still struggling is nmm on flat areas like the side of an axe or long broad swords. Round shapes or ornaments a easy but on flat surfaces my nmm looks off. Maybe you could give some insight on another hobby cheating?
Yep, that technique is a great one. I'll see how I can work that into a video, but do you want to know the trick? Just make it a dark black grey. Look at someone like LAN (Michel Pisarski) - he is one of the top painters in the world and pulls that trick frequently. :)
i still struggle with wet blending but it's a practice thing for me, i just need to get the practice in and i should get better. i know the fundamentals. thanks for explaining it again for us... always gonna have someone in the back (i.e. me) who needs to have it spelled out for us lol
Great vid, really helped me better understand this technique and some gotcha areas I was getting caught up on. I’ve shifted a lot of my paints to dropper bottles and thinned them in the process which will be making this more challenging for myself also!
Excellent, it can be a challenge with the thinner paints, but you can still do it, just really want to make sure you're using the larger brush with just a little moisture.
That was a great video Vince , really enjoyed the way you blended with extreme colours. Thanks for the thick paint tip my previous attempt was far too thin. Now to get over my ‘it’s not going to turn out great’ and plunge on in !
so many times i attempt a technique from a video and then not get quite end result i was looking for. Not the case for any of your HCs, it's so helpful when you share the common mistakes and pitfalls to watch out for and has helped me come to many epiphanies in this hobby
Wet blending from paint to a wet surface is the massive win for me out of this video. I have a GreySeer model I blocked in and highlighted two years ago and want to go back to to push the highlights further. Going to give this go with a good dose more confidence now. Thanks Vince!
I love wet blending and struggle with my own laziness in applying that second coat to really solidify the blend. #5 was a great tip - I never thought about using just plain water to achieve the same effect as two brush blending except without that second brush!
That was a really good break down of wet blending, and I think I walked away from this video with a better understanding of it. (We'll see on my next mini I guess lol) Great video as always!
That was very informative once again Vince it always seems like I’m going to get better from just watching your videos I’m definitely going to use these tips to help me out I still haven’t got the hang of wetblending so this is exactly what I need thank you
Great video! I'm recently going back to trying wet blending using acrylics after some time spent on oil paints. I'm still not good at it, but your tips might help me more. Especially that moist paper towel. I have an issue of paint drying too fast. I'll try to not thin it, but use staight out of the bottle.
One of the best places to practice were doing is on mini bases. Flat surface area and easy to start over. You can get a good feel for the paint, the brush, and the blend on a low risk area
Tip 5 blew my mind; I never considered wet blending to mean ANY wet. Something that always gets me with wet blending is not keeping my brush traveleing; I have a tendency to keep it working in the middle so I get a perfect middle tone... but it doesnt shift over the space.
The Thing with the blending into water ist in my opinion nothing else, than a fastforward layering. the good thing is, you might have more control and a mutch quicker result, as th option to smooth it out with XX blend layers.
This is great advice. I'd already found all of these since I first cracked the idea of wet blending from another of your videos, but for someone new to wet blending it'd accelerate the learning massively. 8:30 I'd recommend blending paint into medium rather than water though, for a smooth finish, as thin water dries too fast and thick water leads to paint behaving unpredictably.
I've always considered wet blending to be above my skill level but I've got a model waiting to be painted that would really benefit from the technique. I think I'll practice these tips on some scrap plastic until I feel competent enough to try it on my mini.
