Chest of Colors forum

I was reading some posts on the forums and I came across articles about thinning paints.
After further reading on the internet, I read something about using thin paints to glaze???
So far when I have been painting, I have not really seen the need to thin my paints (I'm using GW pots so it's very difficult to measure 1 drop of paint, not to mention the obscene wastage of paint left on the brush) and hence I would like to ask.
Do you thin every single paint you use? Or are there certain paints you would paint straight from the pot?
I'm currently very new to this and I'm slowly making a transition from GW paints to Vallejo.
For Vallejo there is Model color,game color and Air.
Which would you suggest me to use?
So how do you go about thinning your paints?
I used to use a bathroom tile to paint from,and I have recently bought a P3 wet palette.
Would I still need to thin paints on the wet palette?

generally speaking - yes, you should thin every acrylic paint. the old painting truth is: few thin layers are better than one thick.

no, you don't have to thin your paints down... if you're satisfied with your painting.
if you want to increase smoothness, blending, transitions, control of colors, color nuances - thin your paint more.

of course, it will slow your painting down. maybe just a bit, maybe a lot - it depends of how much thinner your paints are. but quality takes time to achieve.

Nameless wrote:generally speaking - yes, you should thin every acrylic paint. the old painting truth is: few thin layers are better than one thick.

Yup I guess that is true.
Going to try and remember that when i paint this time.

mahon wrote:no, you don't have to thin your paints down... if you're satisfied with your painting.
if you want to increase smoothness, blending, transitions, control of colors, color nuances - thin your paint more.

of course, it will slow your painting down. maybe just a bit, maybe a lot - it depends of how much thinner your paints are. but quality takes time to achieve.

Ok, so is there a difference between glazing and thinning paints?
Because I will most likely try to thin the paints.

thinning is something you should do with acrylic paints, no matter what paints and how you use them. as Mahon - this just helps with smoothness and other stuff.

glazing is a specific technique, where you paint with paints so dilluted they are actually transparent.

Nameless wrote:thinning is something you should do with acrylic paints, no matter what paints and how you use them. as Mahon - this just helps with smoothness and other stuff.

glazing is a specific technique, where you paint with paints so diluted they are actually transparent.

oh... so that is the difference
Tried to thin my paints on the wet palette today and I really prefer paints like this over painting from the pot.
Though it kinda made the wet palette paper... wetter than usual xD

I have seen this truth on many forums but my newbie question is - How much do you thin the paint? 50/50 or just a tiny amount of water? Never seen a good guide on the amount you should thin it with.

/K

there's no such thing as "golden ratio", one true amount of water to be put to your paint... you want to use paints with different dillution for different purposes. thinner for glazing, thicker for highlighting edges etc.
also, paints themselves vary in thickness, so you need to use different amount of water to achieve the same final result.
some like to say "milk/cream consistency". this is very confusing in my opinion (different milks/creams have different consistency), but may be used as a guidance.

I'd say - paint should be as dilluted as possible and practicable. thinner is better, but you need to be able to control flow.

Suggestion: use distilled or de-ionized water for dilution of paints. Minerals in tap water (and in most bottled water) can and will change color of paint and it how it covers.