Citadel Gloss Varnish observations

[-Ice]

I was following the how-to thread of GW's Blood Angels and I basecoated my mini with blood red and then applied a "wash" of 1:1 dark flesh and varnish, diluted with 10x water (0.2ml + 0.2ml + 4.0 ml)... what I got was a nice wash effect but the really interesting effect was that my blood red basecoat actually looked brighter, more vibrant!

After about 24 hours, the mini looks great with all the edges looking hard-lined with black/dark flesh but all the red areas look gritty/worn but shiny.

I think this deserves further experimentation!

I was wondering though, if I could do blending AFTER varnishing or would it be better to blend shadows and highlights first before varnishing?

I'm interested in hearing other people's experience with gloss varnish, some do's and dont's...

 

[BPI]

Hi Ice, I'm not a big varnish user but in my experience it gets used last. Gloss for glossy effects (patent leather for example) but generally it is used because it provides a level of protection that matt doesn't. If your minis are for display only, no need for gloss at all. Otherwise apply a matt varnish over the gloss to finish off. In the flesh this isn't too important but for photoing your minis for the Gallery here a gloss finish is going to be a pain.

Nothing wrong with using it as a medium for your paint, as long as it gets the result you want. No real rules there, just trial & error to achieve personally satisfying results. Keep in mind, a dash of dish-washing liquid can help with surface tension issues, handy for washes (did you get many tidemarks from your mix?).

Painting over the gloss may be a problem with regards to getting the paint to adhere? I do sometimes put a thin layer of matt varnish over an area that I've worked too hard, in order to smooth it off for more even paint application (most often on faces or freehand). That hasn't been an issue for me.

Post a pic of your results for further feedback!

Cheers, B.