[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-/guides/washes-and-shades":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":114,"date":115,"description":116,"extension":117,"heroImage":118,"intro":119,"lastUpdated":115,"meta":120,"navigation":121,"path":122,"related":123,"seo":126,"shopSearch":127,"stem":128,"tags":127,"__hash__":129},"guides/guides/washes-and-shades.md","How to Use Washes and Shades",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":106},"minimark",[9,13,18,21,25,54,58,73,77,97],[10,11,12],"p",{},"If you only learn one technique, make it washing. A wash (or shade) is a thin, dark, flowing paint that settles into the recesses of a model, instantly adding depth, definition and shadow. It is the fastest way to make a flat basecoat look painted, and it does most of the work on metal, fur, cloth and detailed areas.",[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"what-it-is","What it is",[10,19,20],{},"A wash is heavily thinned, free-flowing paint with a high pigment-to-medium ratio that pools in the cracks and recesses while leaving the raised areas clean. That dark pooling reads as shadow and separates every detail.",[14,22,24],{"id":23},"how-to-use-one","How to use one",[26,27,28,36,42,48],"ol",{},[29,30,31,35],"li",{},[32,33,34],"strong",{},"Basecoat first."," Washes go over a finished basecoat, not bare plastic.",[29,37,38,41],{},[32,39,40],{},"Apply where you want shadow."," For clean armour, target the recesses and panel lines with the brush tip rather than coating the whole surface.",[29,43,44,47],{},[32,45,46],{},"Control the pooling."," If too much collects on a flat area, wick it away with a dry brush before it dries.",[29,49,50,53],{},[32,51,52],{},"Let it dry fully"," before layering or highlighting back over it.",[14,55,57],{"id":56},"all-over-vs-targeted","All-over vs targeted",[59,60,61,67],"ul",{},[29,62,63,66],{},[32,64,65],{},"All-over wash"," - fast, great for textured models (fur, rust, infantry hordes) where pooling everywhere just adds grime.",[29,68,69,72],{},[32,70,71],{},"Targeted wash"," - for clean armour, shade only the recesses so the flat panels stay smooth.",[14,74,76],{"id":75},"tips-and-common-mistakes","Tips and common mistakes",[59,78,79,85,91],{},[29,80,81,84],{},[32,82,83],{},"Don't drown the model."," Too much wash leaves chalky tide marks on flat areas.",[29,86,87,90],{},[32,88,89],{},"Match the wash to the colour."," Brown for warm tones and bone, blue/black for cool metals and white, flesh washes for skin.",[29,92,93,96],{},[32,94,95],{},"Recesses, not panels,"," on clean armour schemes.",[98,99,103],"affiliate-shop",{"label":100,"search":101,"tid":102},"Washes and shades","miniature wash shade set","washes-and-shades",[10,104,105],{},"A small set of washes (a black, a brown and a flesh tone) covers almost everything.",{"title":107,"searchDepth":108,"depth":108,"links":109},"",2,[110,111,112,113],{"id":16,"depth":108,"text":17},{"id":23,"depth":108,"text":24},{"id":56,"depth":108,"text":57},{"id":75,"depth":108,"text":76},"Techniques","2026-06-28","A guide to washes and shades - the single highest-impact step in miniature painting, how they work, where to apply them, and how to avoid the common pitfalls.","md","/images/guides/washes-and-shades.webp","The single highest-impact step in miniature painting",{},true,"/guides/washes-and-shades",[124,125],"drybrushing","edge-highlighting",{"title":5,"description":116},null,"guides/washes-and-shades","T9Da6lxssHav9K7G8NX9y6lQStVvUgpV6NEVqACWTCs"]