Trial Techniques - Over-highlighting and Washes

So this is a technique I've heard about but never really tried before. The basic theory is that you highlight the model more than you would normally, then use a wash or glaze to tint the model back down to the desired tone. Normally I do my reds by basing with Mechrite Red, washing with Baal Red or Badab Black, then highlighting with Carmine Red, Blood Red, and finally with small accents of 2:1 Blood Red + Bleached Bone. Instead, this time I based with Mechrite, washed with Baal Red, then did a heavy drybrush with the standard Carmine/Blood/Blood+Bone mix, then took it to a 1:1 and finally a 1:2 mix of Blood+Bone. The models almost appeared pink when I was done! But after two washes of Baal Red, the tone of the model was once again that rich, squiggly red I was after. An added bonus was that the two washes of Baal Red smoothed the whole model out and eliminated that telltale dusty appearance of drybrushing.

This isn't the most refined technique, and it won't look as good as careful blending. But it's quite useful for completing mass quantities of models in a short amount of time.



-I