After i apply a wash so it will get intomthe lines and bring out details, do i wipe off any or leave it dark and smearry lookng? And if so how much? Any wash info appreciated

Hey Tom,

Depends on what you are trying to achieve. When it comes to panel lines, yes, clean off the excess on the flat surfaces leaving the wash in the creases. When it comes to around objects, this also depends on what is anted..sometime you might want more contrast around certain objects, then you might want to clean up the area only a little...less weathered, more cleaned off.

Enamel and oil washes are more forgiving for starting out. You have time to work them as they take longer to dry. Once they visually dry (or about) you can work the product rather easily with one of the thinning mediums such as white spirits. If you mess up, a clean brush with thinner will remove the wash and you can start over. Typically you can work the finish anytime up to 2 day to even a week later in some cases and the thinner will rejuvenate the wash and effects.

Acrylics work the same but the drying time is much much faster. Acrylics come as washes and you can make you own from any acrylic paints. Water is used as a medium and when light coats of water added to a joint first, when the wash is applied, the water acts as a carrier and uses capillary action to disperse into the lines. With acrylics you don't want to go too far ahead of what you can clean within a few minutes form application as the acrylics dry fast.

As in all cases of weathering, it is best to apply a clear coat to protect your work. While a semi-gloss clear coat works best for manipulating the products after application, the premise is to actually protect the work and any clear coat should work.

Best of luck!

that depends on what you want the total outcome to look like I usualy leave it alone because I wil go back with the airbrush and put an extremely light coat of a lighter color usualy some kind of tan to give a "dusty" look or something to that effect