Want to start painting for competitions? Take your glaze game to the next level by learning to paint with desaturated paints from one of the best!
This Next Level Painting tutorial is focused on desaturation painting techniques using blue paint in a glaze over black paint. Desaturation makes colors more muted in appearance. A wet palette is key for mixing blue, black, and a little bit of ivory to get that saturation technique down. Don’t forget to add a little Flow Improver to get your paints to the right consistency. Take your blues and blacken them up, adding ivory as you go to get the right glazing paint.
Star by repainting the black portions on your model, like this Despoiler from Kings of War. We previously painted the shoulder portion black and we are now adding our super dark blue/black and are glazing layers over it. We want to start shifting the colors all over the purple and black portions with our glaze, keeping the coats thin and using light brush pressure. Keep adding layers of that blue/black glaze all over the miniature until the transition is almost unnoticeable.
Take a little more ivory/blue mixed with Flow Improver to work with less pigment and more moisture, grabbing those highlights to add a stippling technique to our paints. Manipulate the model around as you paint, shifting the desaturated highlight all over. Keep your glazes moving over your model to shift the colors in a successful blend of our model.
Keep your glazes to 3 or 4 passes to give you more desaturation and highlights as you go. After your glazing, use an edge highlight on the raised portion of the armor. Go for striations to create a Tyranid chitin effect. You can also use Flow Improver for these highlights to quickly blend your paints together.
Remain patient with your glazes and your paints will blend together perfectly. The more transparent your coats of paint are, the smoother your model will look. Use these techniques to get your painting to the Next Level!
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