Paintin' white colours...

[paulyrichard]

For future reference, how do you guys paint, shade and highlight White colours? I see some of the most stunnin' paintjobs usin' this colour, and it makes me wonder.
I know that they're are two oil colours - Titanium White and Zinc White, but which is the best to use for highlightin' with? To me, Titanium White comes out a little too thin. Thanks.

Regards, Paul.

 

[Blind Pew]

Hello mate, white along with black are the 'colours' that people struggle with the most. I can only tell you how I do it, there are many more talented painters than I out there...
First, don't paint it white, paint a base colour on there that's as near as to white as you dare go without actually being white. How I go about this is as follows. If I'm after a warm material I use the lightest shade of brown that I dare. Then if I'm after something cool then a use grey. I also have in my arsenal a shade of purple that I use if I want to represent something of a silky texture, something I picked up form fellow Planeteer, Konrad.
Oh, titanium white is the one for highights. Use it, then go over it again a few days later and it will look even whiter. I don't know why, it just does...
hope this helps mate.

 

[Einion]

Previous threads:
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16900
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17441
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17033
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13108

You can pretty much dispense with Zinc White unless you ever intend to glaze much or at all. A zinc-only white is the most transparent of the three main whites available in oils (zinc, lead and titanium, in increasing opacity order) and since we need coverage as a rule you want to use the most opaque one you can get.

To me, Titanium White comes out a little too thin. Thanks.

Thin?

You might want to consider investing in an expensive brand for this colour. The higher the pigment load the better and being a cheap pigment this colour won't cost the earth even from a high-end brand.

Many (or most) Titanium Whites also have a little zinc oxide added for a couple of reasons and if you're already using a cheaper brand then the pigment load is not going to be spectacular to begin with so together it could make for a white with pretty wishy-washy coverage; you can increase the pigment load of oils artificially though, by soaking out some excess oil from the paint before you use it.

Einion

 

[paulyrichard]

Einion, that is exactly what I do, paint a very very light grey colour down first. I use Vallejo's Sky Grey, its almost white.
I've seen mention on 'Artifolk', that Zinc White should be used for mixin' with. Anyway, thanks for those links.

Blind Pew, thanks for the tip on usin' Titanium White.