SHADE: NULN OIL (18ML)

Tutorial: Shade Paints

Shade paints are an essential tool for bringing natural-looking depth and shadow to your miniatures. They are specially designed to flow into recesses and crevices, creating realistic shadows and emphasizing the details of your models.

Key Features:

• Formulated to Draw Out Details: Shade paints are designed to enhance the recessed areas of your model. When applied, they naturally flow into crevices and intricate details, adding depth and emphasizing texture.
• Natural-Looking Depth and Shadow: The paint is transparent, allowing the base colors underneath to shine through while adding depth to your miniature. This gives the model a more realistic, dynamic appearance.
• Smooth Matt Finish: Shade paints provide a smooth finish without any gloss or shine, keeping your model looking matte and lifelike.
• Water-Based Formula: Like other Citadel paints, shade paints are water-based, making them easy to use, thin with water if needed, and clean up with ease.

How to Use Shade Paints:

1. Preparation:

   • Ensure that the model is painted with the base coats and highlights before applying shades. Shade paints are best used after the main color is applied, as they enhance existing paintwork.

2. Apply the Shade Paint:

   • Use a Clean Brush: Pick up a medium or small-sized brush (depending on the size of the details you're working with). It's essential to use a clean brush to avoid mixing colors.
   • Apply Generously: Apply a generous amount of shade paint to the model. Focus on the recessed areas, such as the folds in clothing, under armor plates, or in areas that would naturally be in shadow. The paint will flow naturally into these recesses.
   • Avoid Overloading: While shade paints are meant to pool in crevices, it's important to avoid applying so much that it floods onto the raised surfaces. If too much shade accumulates, gently remove the excess with a clean brush or tissue.

3. Control the Flow:

   • Work in Small Sections: Apply shade paint to small sections of the model at a time to ensure you have time to manage the flow and avoid flooding areas.
   • Let it Flow: Don’t worry if the shade pools in some areas—it’s part of the technique. Just make sure that the paint flows naturally into the recesses without leaving large pools or streaks.

4. Blending and Smoothness:

   • Smooth Transitions: If the shade is too harsh or if there are visible lines, use a clean, dry brush or a slightly damp brush to smooth out the transition. This will ensure the shadows blend seamlessly with the highlights and base colors.
   • Thin the Shade Paint: If you find the shade paint too thick or intense, you can thin it slightly with water. This helps to control the intensity of the shadows.

5. Drying:

   • Allow the shade paint to dry completely before moving on to other steps in your painting process. Shade paints typically dry quickly, but drying time can depend on the thickness of application.

6. Post-Application:

   • After applying the shade paint, you can add additional highlights or touch-ups to further refine the model and bring out the details. The shade helps to define the shadows, but highlights can be used to bring back brightness to the raised areas.

Tips for Best Results:

• Don’t Overdo It: A little shade paint goes a long way. Applying too much can result in muddy or overly dark models. It's always better to build up layers gradually.
• Use for Object-Specific Shadowing: Shade paints are great for shading the edges of armor, wrinkles in clothing, or in any area where you want to create the illusion of depth. They're especially useful for skin, armor, and details that would have natural shadowing.
• Vary the Intensity: You can control how intense the shade looks by layering more or less paint. Applying a second layer of shade will make the shadows deeper.
• Use for Details: In addition to large areas like clothing or armor, shade paints can be used to enhance small details, like eyes, weapons, or details on the bases, bringing out even the tiniest parts of the model.

Conclusion:

Shade paints are perfect for adding quick and effective depth to your miniatures. Their ability to enhance recessed areas with subtle shadowing makes them an indispensable tool in achieving realistic, dynamic models. By using shade paints to define the contours and recesses of your miniatures, you'll create pieces that look far more detailed and lifelike with minimal effort!