We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

I have been resisting oil washes for a long time. I’ve seen them used on many YouTube videos by some of the best painters, but I didn’t want to believe they were a good idea. I thought they were the latest painting fad. Something that was unnecessary and more trouble than it was worth. Why was an oil wash any better than an acrylic wash?

The thing is, I started my artistic pursuits at age 11 taking an oil painting class, something I kept up for decades. And I knew a lot about oils. I knew they were messy and I knew they took a long time to dry. And I liked that acrylic washes (specifically Citadel washes) were so easy to use. Even when they inevitably spilled they were easy to clean up. Oil is different.

But then I started a Kharadron Overlords army, and I simply wasn’t getting the pinwashing that I wanted. Acrylic washes simply weren’t cutting it. The armor of the Kharadron Overlords is such a perfect palette for pinwashing, but Nuln Oil wasn’t getting there.

So I decided to cross the rubicon. I went to the craft store and bought some black paint and white spirits. (Well, first I bought thinner, and discovered that thinner didn’t work. It needed to be white spirits. I have since switched to turpentine substitute, and it works great, too.)

And it worked! Below is my Arkanaut Ironclad, after being oil washed.

So how does it work? Here is a Gunhauler that I have painted with regular acrylic paints and have not washed. It looks very clean and lacks depth.

I have two jars on my desk, one of which is filled with plain turpentine substitute, and the other has the oil wash. The oil wash is made just by mixing black paint (I use Winsor and Newton) with the turpentine substitute.

Then I apply the wash to the entire model with a brush. I let it get on there nice and thick so that the whole model is blackened and filthy. And then I let it sit and get (mostly) dry. I had initially thought that this drying time would take FOREVER because oils are like that, but the wash is so thin that it only takes about an hour. Then I go in with a Q-Tip dipped in clean turpentine substitute and wipe away the dried oil wash.

And the results are remarkable. Now, I’m not saying this is going to win me a Golden Demon. It’s not the best painted model in the world. But I absolutely love the look.

So if you’re like me and have been on the fence about getting into oil washes, trust me: they’re not just a fad. They’re a really great technique that adds to your hobby arsenal.