Taking a Dip

I've been playing Lasalle since the rules came out over a year ago. However, I still don't have an army painted for it... don't ask me how I accomplished any actual gaming.

Recently I thought about perhaps using the dip method of painting to try and get my army done quickly. Basically the process involves painting your miniatures using only flat base coats in the appropriate colours, then applying a special coloured varnish all over the model to achieve the shading. To be honest, I have always been skeptical about using this method since I have always been a painter at heart. But since this project is languishing on my to-do list and preventing me from playing, I figured what the hell - let's give it a shot.

Until fairly recently, most people used Minwax Polyshades in various colours for dipping. It is called the dip because you literally dunked the model in the can and shook off the excess. Polyshades is a mix of varnish and stain meant for wood but the reason it works is because it pools nicely in the crevices of the models and leaves a nice gradient of shadow in the right places. These days we have a newer product called Quickshade by the fine folks at Army Painter marketed directly to gamers as a way to get your painting done quickly.

I did an experiment in the past with Polyshades, but after doing a little googling I thought that Quickshade might work a little better, so I went out and bought two cans - Strong tone and Dark tone. I wanted to try them both out and see how they looked. It's not cheap ($25 - $30 per can) but on the other hand, it will probably last your forever.

Source: http://www.coloradominiatures.com/EVD-C4F041.aspx

The project in question is an 1812 Russian Grenadier army for Lasalle. While not the biggest army in the game, it's still a lot of little men fighting for room on a crowded painting backlog that I really want to get cleared out. Here's how I did it:

GW = Games Workshop
Vj - Vallejo

1. Prime the models with Army Painter Greenskin colour spray primer.
2. Touch up any missed spots with GW Snot Green.
3. Paint musket furniture with Vj Beige Brown
4. Greatcoat Roll - GW Fortress Grey
5. Straps - Vj Off White
6. Trousers - Vj Off White
7. Shako and packs - Vj Black Grey
8. Face and hands - GW Dwarf Flesh
9. Shako cords - Vj Off-White
10. Cuffs, collars and epaulettes - Vj Flat Red
11. Musket metal - GW Chainmail
12. Brass fittings - GW Chainmail + Snakebite Leather
13. Moustache and hair - GW Charadon Granite

After the base-coating was complete, I did one model with Strong tone Quickshade, and the other with Dark tone. When the models were complete dry (about 24hrs later) I sprayed them with Army Painter Anti-Shine matte varnish. The results are below (Strong tone on the left, Dark on the right)!

As you can see, the Quickshade is very shiny so you really do need to use a matte varnish to kill it when it's completely dry. The models in the photo don't look quite as good as in the flesh (and I had a bit of fogging when I varnished them with matte spray), but I think you get the idea.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Quickshade is an oil based product, and takes a long time to dry. It's also a bit stinky so use proper protection and ventilation.
• The first stage looks like hell. Don't get discouraged! It pays to be neat when base-coating so try not to make a mess - it takes less time to be neat than it does to go back and fix messy spots.
• Apply the Quickshade with a brush instead of using the dip and flick method. Not only is it less messy, you also have more control over the pooling of excess stain. Just use a brush to soak up any spots where there is excessive Quickshade.
• Quickshade gets tacky after a minute or two but does take almost a full day to fully cure.
• You can see in the second photo there is some excessive stain on the front of the trousers. To fix it simply dip a brush in mineral spirits, dab the excess on some paper towel, and clean away the stain while it's in the tacky stage. You can see in the last photo that the trousers are a little cleaner.
• If you have models that are black and still want them to have some shading, just use a very dark grey for your base coat. In general you'll want to use brighter colours for the base since the stain will darken them a bit.

In the end, I prefer the Dark tone. Strong works well but is a little too brown for my taste. I think both shades work well but depends on what colours the models use. I would use Strong for more earth tones (e.g. WWII uniforms) and Dark for other colours, although the Army Painter website seems to describe them in terms of brightness rather than colour. I might also play around with my base coat colours a bit although the ones I chose should work fairly well. You could even go back and do a very quick highlight on some parts - especially the flesh and jackets.

I am putting the Grenadiers back on the painting schedule so I will be sure to post more photos when I have some finally painted.