Varnish

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi folks I was recently using Vallejo Acrylics to paint the wood effect on the inside of Young's Templar Shield and as I applied the thin coats of Base colour, Highlight and Shadow I started to get a semi gloss finish, I finished the painting and left it to dry off over night but the semi gloss is still there and I would rather have a total matt finish. Now I know that the obvious action is to give this a coat of matt varnish and I have used this before over metallics etc to seal them but I feel that once you apply the varnish you loose the 3D appearance of the painting and I usually start adding washes and dry brushing over the varnish to try and get some of the 3D look back but end up with a poor paint job. Does anyone else have this problem and is there a technique using a particular varnish that will soak in to the painted object and maintain the 3D look.
On a recent post Gerard used AK interactive ultramatte varnish airbrushed at 50/50 to get a matt finish on the Tunic of a Bust that he had painted for the box art of Mick's Mick's and I will give that a go but another suggestions?
TERRY

 

[mick3272]

Hi Terry.
I also use Vallejo Acrylics. I have always used Windsor & Newton Galeria. Matt varnish. Saying that my work is not show stopping so it may not be so good on quality paint jobs. As you say Gerard's work on the Dragoon speaks for its self and it didn't spoil the effect on the chevrons. You can see the finished effect with AK interactive so give it a go.
Mick

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

Hi Mick will get the hold of the AK varnish as Gerard's work is outstanding, I have a box full of varnishes (Vallejo, Humbrol, GW etc) and I don't really like the end results of any of these but then am I using them correctly lol.
TERRY

 

[mick3272]

Dont know about using them correctly. its learning the tricks of the trade from the masters.

Mick

 

[colonnello kurz]

Over the years I tried many Matt varnish but at the time for result and ease of use AK ultramatte varnish is the best on the market in my opinion, both with airbrush or brush you always have a Death Matt result without any frosting

 

[montythefirst]

Army Painter Matt anti shine spray varnish always gives me good results

 

[davidmitchell]

I've tried AK Matt varnish and it has dried with a sheen ,not sure if I can use another brand of varnish over this.Didnt know they did an ultra Matt varnish.


Cheers David

 

[colonnello kurz]

This is the AK ultra Matt varnish (AK183),very happy with it,If you are looking for a forum there is a discussion about this product with pictures of the result .... death flat

http://ak-interactive.com/v2/product/ultra-matte-varnish/

 

[KenBoyle]

I use the AK Ultra matte varnish quite a bit. However, I seldom wash the entire figure with it as the results can sometimes be splotchy if overdone. If you carefully brush it on specific areas of the figure there should be no problem. I don't have an airbrush so I can't comment on that.

On the other hand, I use it to cover any shiny spots caused by glue, etc. Also, I will add it directly to any acrylic paints that tend to dry to a soft sheen. I usually have issues with certain shades of blue resulting in a satin finish. A few drops of this varnish directly into the bottle does away with the problem.

Ken

 

[SamS]

An idea came from Danilo Cartacci, he adds a dab of Tamyia Flat Base X-21 to his acrylics during painting so it prevents the shine at the onset. As far as post painting shine, I've had good success with 50/50 Humbrol Matt Varnish (mixed well and airbrushed); enamels work well over acrylic base. IMHO, the 3D effect you're talking about is a result of the rendering effect of applied shadows and highlights. In addition, aside from cloth articles (uniforms, flags, etc.) and ground work, if controlled, a slight satin look on weapons, leather, wood (in some cases) isn't a bad thing. In fact, it adds some realism and yes, enhances the 3D effect but that's just a matter of taste. Any photos?

 

[TERRYSOMME1916]

I use the X-21 mixed into the acrylics for base coats but sometimes it can give a varied finish when trying to place thin coats over base coats to obtain shadows and highlights, I have not had much success trying to master the use of acrylics so I keep going back to using oils over the top of my botched acrylic efforts, I have put a couple of pictures on here of the shield as it sits but I still have some work to do on it including trying the AK Ultramatte on the wooden surface.
TERRY