There are two techniques that can take your miniature up a level — and you don't need years of practice to pull them off. Washing and glazing are essential tools for every miniature painter. Washing gives a model depth in five minutes flat. Glazing creates smoother transitions and tones. When should you reach for which — and how do you actually do it?
In this article, we'll go through both techniques from the ground up: what they are, how they work, which products to use, and the most common mistakes that spoil an otherwise good paint job. Whether you're painting your first miniature or looking for a way to take your shading further, this article is for you.
Wash vs Glaze — the basic difference
Both techniques work with translucent or thin paint, but their purpose and behavior are different.
- A thin, heavily pigmented paint
- Flows into the model's recesses and folds
- Works across larger sections of a miniature at once
- Fast — one pass and you're essentially done
- Can leave marks on flat surfaces
- Ideal for textures, metal, leather, fabric
- A very translucent, heavily thinned paint
- Applied deliberately with a brush
- Smooth transitions and tonal shifts
- Slower — several layers to build the effect
- A highly controlled result
- Ideal for transitions, skin, organic surfaces
Washing — how it works and when to use it
A wash is a thin paint formulated to flow naturally into a model's recesses and settle there as it dries. The result is automatic shading in folds, gaps, textures, and details — without needing to apply it precisely with a brush. That said, you don't have to "flood" a wash across the whole miniature. If you only need to shade specific areas, there's nothing wrong with targeting just those — in fact, it saves you work.
Physically, a wash works through a combination of surface tension and gravity. Pigment settles wherever the liquid lingers longest — that is, in the recesses — while raised areas stay clean or pick up only a thin film of color.
When to reach for a wash:
- After a base coat on metal surfaces — Nuln Oil over Leadbelcher is one of the most-used tricks in the whole hobby
- On textures — leather, fabric, bark — a wash brings out the texture automatically
- For fast-painting armies, where you need solid results in the least amount of time
- As a color tint — for example, Reikland Fleshshade over skin shifts it toward warmer tones
An overview of Citadel Shade — which one, and when
Nuln Oil
A universal dark grey-to-black wash. Ideal for metals, dark armor, technical details. Generally the best-selling wash out there.
Agrax Earthshade
A warm brown wash. Great for leather, wood, earthy materials, bones, and anything organic.
Reikland Fleshshade
A warm orange wash for skin and flesh. Adds a natural color and depth without a grey cast.
Drakenhof Nightshade
A dark blue wash for blue armor, fantasy leather, frost and shadow effects.
Biel-Tan Green / Coelia Greenshade
Green washes for nature, ork skin, toxic effects, and organic materials.
Druchii Violet
A purple wash, great for shading light surfaces, stonework, and elf-themed materials.
How to apply a wash correctly
Prep the surface — the base coat must be dry
Always apply a wash onto a fully dry base coat. Wet paint underneath a wash causes the pigments to mix and gives a messy result. Wait at least 10–15 minutes after the base coat, longer in cold weather.
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Load the brush — but not too much
Use a medium-sized soft brush (size 1–2). Dip it into the wash and wipe off the excess against the rim of the bottle — too much wash on the brush causes it to spread into places you don't want. The wash should be wet, but not dripping.
Apply the wash and let it do its thing
Apply the wash across the whole section, then step away. Physics does the work on its own — the wash flows into the recesses by itself. The most common mistake is over-brushing the wash, which disturbs the settling pigment.
Touch-ups — while there's still time
If a wash spreads onto a flat area and threatens an unsightly blotch, quickly lift it off with an almost-dry brush (or a paper towel) before it dries. On flat surfaces, a wash can sometimes leave so-called tide marks — visible stains. Keep an eye on the model and the wash for the first 2–3 minutes after applying it.
Let it fully dry before the next step
The wash needs to be completely dry before you move on to layering or highlighting. A wet wash can reactivate with the next color and smear. Typically 15–30 minutes is enough, depending on how thick the layer is and the temperature.
Glazing — how it works and when to use it
A glaze is a very translucent layer of paint applied with a brush to a specific spot for a specific purpose. Besides referring to the paint itself, the word also names the technique. You can turn any color into a glaze by adding enough medium to it.
Where a wash works automatically on your behalf, a glaze goes exactly where you decide to put it. The result is smoother transitions, subtler shading, and tonal shifts with no hard edges. That's exactly why glazing is a standard technique among advanced painters — especially for skin, fabric, and organic surfaces.
When to reach for a glaze:
- For smooth transitions between light and shadow with no visible boundary
- For tinting a base coat — for example, warming up light skin by adding an orange tone
- For fixing overly harsh transitions left by layering
- For targeted shading of a specific spot without flooding a wash across the whole area
- For translucent effects — glass, energy, sheer fabric
How to make a glaze
You make a glaze by thinning paint with a medium down to the consistency of weakly brewed tea — translucent, but not colorless. The key is using the right medium:
Lahmian Medium
The best choice for glazes made from Citadel paints. Slows drying, keeps the consistency workable, and leaves no glossy finish.
Contrast Medium
Mixing Contrast paint with Contrast Medium creates a glaze with a very smooth transition — ideal for organic-looking blends.
Glazing medium
Special products from Green Stuff World or AK designed specifically for glazing — extends drying time and improves adhesion.
How to apply a glaze correctly
Get the consistency right
Mix paint with Lahmian Medium at roughly a 1 part paint : 4–6 parts medium ratio. The result should be translucent, but still visibly colored. It's best to test it on a spare miniature or texture first.
Use a soft round brush
Apply glazes with a soft round brush with a good tip — a Winsor & Newton Series 7 or an Artis Opus is ideal.
Apply it deliberately
Apply a glaze either onto a dry surface (more precise, building it up gradually) or using the wet-on-wet technique (dampening the area slightly with medium first and applying the glaze into the damp surface for even smoother transitions). Both approaches are legitimate — it comes down to preference.
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Layer slowly — less is more
A single glaze is rarely enough. 3–5 thin layers with drying time between them give a smoother result than one heavy layer. Check the effect after each layer — it's easier to add more than to take away.
Advanced techniques — where to go from here
Targeted Wash
You apply a wash deliberately, only into folds and recesses, with a brush — not across the whole surface. The result is cleaner, and flat areas stay untouched. Slower, but much more controlled.
Oil Wash
Abteilung 502 oil paints thinned with turpentine create a wash with enormous control — the slow drying time lets you correct and blend it even after applying it. Popular for vehicles and realistic figures.
Glazing for skin transitions
Layering warm and cool-toned glazes over a skin base coat creates deeply realistic transitions. Orange → red → purple in the recesses, white → cream on the highlights.
Wash vs Glaze — a quick decision guide
| Situation | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A metal surface (Leadbelcher) | Nuln Oil wash | Fast, the metal's texture needs shading in the recesses |
| A character's skin | Reikland Fleshshade + glaze | Wash for the base, glaze for smooth transitions |
| A large flat surface | Glaze or a targeted wash | A wash on a flat surface leaves visible marks |
| Fast-painting an army | A wash over the whole model | The fastest way to add depth |
| A transition between two colors | Glaze | A wash can't pull this off — it's too dark and hard to control |
| Shading fabric folds | Wash or a targeted wash | Fabric folds have a natural texture for the wash to flow into |
| Tinting a base coat | Glaze | A wash would be too dark — a glaze just shifts the tone |
The most common mistakes — and how to avoid them
Too much wash at once
Creates dark blotches in the middle of flat areas. Apply less and add more if needed — removing a wash from dried paint is difficult.
Brushing the wash around while it dries
A wash needs to settle on its own. Fussing with it too much after applying disturbs the settling pigment and gives an uneven result.
The glaze is too thick
A heavy glaze leaves a visible layer and ends up looking like poorly applied paint. The consistency should be genuinely translucent — like weak tea, not like paint.
Thinning a glaze with water instead of medium
Water disrupts the paint's surface tension and causes transitions to break up. Always thin with Lahmian Medium or another glazing medium — never water.
Washing over a wet base coat
Wet paint underneath a wash mixes with the wash's pigment, giving a muddy, uneven result. The base coat needs to be fully dry — ideally 15+ minutes.
One heavy glaze instead of several thin ones
A single heavy glaze is hard to predict. Three thin layers will always give a smoother, more controlled result than one thick one.
What to buy — a product overview
| Product | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Citadel Nuln Oil | Wash | Metals, dark armor, all-purpose shading |
| Citadel Agrax Earthshade | Wash | Leather, wood, bones, organic materials |
| Citadel Reikland Fleshshade | Wash | Character skin, warm tinting |
| Citadel Shade — the full range | Wash | 12 tones for every type of surface |
| Army Painter Quickshade | Wash | An economical alternative across a full tone range |
| AK Interactive Deep Shades | Wash | Advanced shading with greater control |
| Citadel Lahmian Medium | Glazing medium | Thinning into a glaze, keeping consistency workable |
| Citadel Contrast Medium | Glazing medium | Glazes made from Contrast paints, organic transitions |
| Abteilung 502 oils | Oil wash | Slow drying, maximum control, vehicles and figures |
Summary — what to remember
- A wash works automatically — flows into recesses on its own, fast and effective
- A glaze goes exactly where you want it — slow, controlled, for transitions
- The base coat must be dry before both washing and glazing — always
- Lahmian Medium instead of water for glazes — water doesn't give smooth transitions
- Washes don't belong on flat surfaces — use a targeted wash or a glaze instead
- More thin glaze layers always beat one heavy one
- Nuln Oil + Leadbelcher is the fastest way to give metal depth — 5 minutes of work
The full range of Shade paints, Army Painter Quickshade, Lahmian Medium, and AK Interactive Deep Shades is available at our shop in Plzeň at Zbrojnická 116/2, open Mon–Fri 1pm–6pm. You can also order online — we ship throughout the Czech Republic and the EU.
obchod@coloursofwarriors.com · +420 737 281 727