Editing WIP (section)

====Wash/Glaze/Ink====
This aspect of the painting process saves time and produces great effects. All three utilize a very old technique of painting used across many cultures in which pigment or paint is mixed with solvent or suspended in a transparent medium, which results in a colored but partially transparent effect. What many don’t know is the actual difference between the three effects and when to use them. 

* A “Wash” is a transparent effect which will sink into details of a model, changing the color of raised parts minimally while darkening any recesses. The solution composition is a small amount of large chunks of pigment suspended in water, alcohol, or a similar thin liquid. It will tint the model to some degree. For example, a light brown Wash applied to the hand of a Caucasian miniature man will give him a very faint tan, but will make the definitions of his knuckles and the folds of his palm visible. The artist can then, if they choose, go back with the original skin tone and highlight the top of raised edges to keep the detail definition but lose the tanned coloration (of course if they want a tan they can choose to leave the washed skin as it is). Protip, thin metallics with glossy washes.
* An “Ink” is the same as a Wash, <s>but a Wash will dry with a more matte (dull) look and be similar to the degree of shine as what lies underneath (repeated layers of Wash will eventually cause a gloss), while an Ink will immediately cause a gloss effect</s> uhh no, inks are just washes but far more intense in colour, they can be glossy, matte, or satin, same with washes. Inks are different in structure from a Wash because they contain more pigment, which is also usually smaller in grain than the pigment found in a Wash. Citadel used to produce exclusively Inks, but now produce Washes, which they call "shades", fun. Some Inks are really intense, and pretty much requires you to thin it before using. Inks are also great to use through an airbrush, because of their colour intensity and thinness, and are especially great for glazing and zenithal priming.
* A Glaze does NOT sink into recesses, and can be matte or gloss. It tints the entire area it is applied to. In chemical composition, a Glaze is full of small chunks of pigment like an Ink, but in a smaller amount in a thin liquid like a Wash. For example, when applying a light brown Glaze to a Caucasian miniature man hand it will change his entire skin tone to a brown. Applying a blue Glaze to a white piece of armor will dye the armor blue the same as if you had painted it blue to begin with. Glazes are great for quickly producing a specific color if applied to a light base coat. It can also produce quick and easy blending effects, as the transparency of it will naturally blend what lies below with its own effect. Glazes can be used to lighten or darken, and a Glaze can really just be emulated by adding water or medium to ordinary paint. Use it over zenithal undercoat for some good speedpainting. 

Very few models don't need a coat one of the three at some point during the painting process, and for those who are just trying to quickly get miniatures into a decent color scheme for the tabletop they may be the last or second to last step in the process. 

 Become familiar with your options for these, as you can greatly speed up your painting by picking a wash tone and color that allows you to apply the basic colors of the model (skin, hair, metal, cloth), apply the wash, then only do a small amount of highlight and detail work (eyes, emblems) to finish.
When speedpainting, a glaze and a wash are superficially the same thing. The technical difference is that a glaze consistently coats the model much more while a wash sinks into the cracks and stays light on raised parts; using the example of a white Space Marine pauldron and a medium green, the glaze will turn the entire thing a decent green and successive applications will darken that green where it is applied while the wash will turn it a very light green and bring out the details in dark green immediately. As a result glazing is usually not used in speedpainting unless it replaces the base coat step for the dominant color in the model, while a wash is likely to always be used. 

A wash will highlight all the thin details of a model, like cracks in bone or veins in skin. Many modelers accomplish skin tone with a white primer or spray then follow it with a dark wash, saving a great deal of time and effort. Ghostly effects can be accomplished with blue on white spray, and flame effects can begin with red or orange on white. A wash can also give a degree of dimension to a model, as an alternative to the aforementioned "leave some black visible" in the Spray? section.

Inks are not used as often unless intentionally producing a “wet” or metallic effect. Space Marine armor and slimy monsters see the most use of inks, but the popularity of matte effects and only selective use of gloss is favored in the current miniature painting culture. A black ink on grey produces an effect that is reflective without the metallic effects of a silver paint, and is favored by some historical miniature hobbyists or those who prefer a more dull look to their fantasy/sci/-fi. 

The Army Painter and Citadel are the most popular manufacturers of washes. Army Painter makes a large can to just dip models in and give a and vigorous quick shake for fast washing of a large number of minis, though it's really messy and doesn't save much time compared to just brush slapping washes on a miniature. Citadel also has "Contrast" paints, but they are in essence just expensive glazes/inks. Reaper MSP, P3, Vallejo, Daler-Rowney, and a huge amount of other manufacturers also all produce a great selection of inks or washes, buy a few from all of them and see which one you like the best. 

A lesser used but still entirely true /tg/ WIP meme is that the difference between a shit paint job and a decent one is the use of black wash (AKA Nuln Oil from Citadel). 

<gallery>
Image:Beastmen Wash.jpg|The basics of what a wash can do. 
Image:How To Wash.jpg|The basic steps. 
Image:Wash Comparison.jpg|Washes vary more by shade and tone than by company. 
</gallery>