filters and washes - what's the difference?

[Daf57]

Filters and washes - what's the difference? "Filters" are new to me - what exactly is a filter and/or how does it differ from a wash?

Thanks
Daf

 

[JohnSimmons]

Hey Daf57,
A wash is a technique to bring out the details in a model, say panel line for example. Where as a filter is used to change the tone of the model or certain area of the model.

 

[Daf57]

Got the wash part - could you possibly give an example of a filter in use? I find that very interesting but I don't believe I've ever seen it at work. Do you mean like a stained area for example?

Thanks!

 

[Junkie]

Not so much stained...

A filter is, think camera lens filter, a really, really thin paint that when applied to a large surface shifts the tone of the base coat.

So if you have a green tank and the green is monotonous you can apply a....say yellow filter, and that layer of really thin yellow paint will cause the green color under it to shift a bit, adding subtle variation.

I don't have an example to post at the moment,but that's the basic idea.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

To add to what Scott has said, if you paint a model in three color camouflage those three colors often stand out on the surface. The demarcation lines between each color are very sharp and pronounced, the colors often bright, loud and vivid.

This has a negative effect on the scale look of the model. A filter applied over the entire surface can tone down these colors, soften their effect and give them a much more in scale appearance on the surface. While you want a wash to pool up in the nooks and crannies around raised details, you want the opposite effect with a filter. You don't want it to collect around raised details at all, you want a super thin, translucent color to cover the large surfaces.

Often I see the word depth thrown around in every effect but it really only applies to a couple effects, the filter being one of them and really, the biggest of them. This translucent layer affects the way light hits the model and reflects off it, shifting the underlying color as well as softening and subduing them at the same time. It's these translucent layers that actually give a paint job depth, as the light travels through them before reflecting back, reaching our eye and tricking our brain into seeing the paint job as having scale thickness in miniature, so your model looks like a miniature vehicle and not a small plastic toy.

They aren't always the easiest thing to master and take great practice. You basically take most of the color off your brush and wet the surface with that brush, sometimes a few layers are needed. Taking time to slowly build up the filter usually produces the best results.

 

[Daf57]

I think I got it now, very interesting. Thanks so much for the replies!

 

[McKeever]

Filters are a shade of the base coat applied after the base coat. You can make your own btw, with oils and mineral spirits. I don't see a need to buy filters or washes if you have a stable of basic oil colors, except for colors difficult to create (such as sandgelb).
If you are doing a 43 and after panzer in Dunkelgelb nach munster, use yellow ochre and white artist oils and just a sliver of prussian blue (less than one percent if that). You want a shade slightly lighter than the basecoat. Mix it heavily with mineral spirits or more accurately mix mineral spirits with a small amount of the oil mix, to get a translucent fluid tinted with the color you are after.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

Filters are a shade of the base coat applied after the base coat.

Actually, my filters are completely different colors than the base coat. Using a lighter shade of the base coat will simply lighten the base coat itself. I use filters to shift the base coat to another hue altogether. Or shift a panel slightly to make it stand out against the rest of the vehicle.

When I spray Lifecolor OD and it is very much on the pale green side, I apply a yellowish/brown filter to shift it to a more khaki shade.

See the image below.

 

[hooterville75]

Ken,

Pre taining to washes and filters etc. Should a beginner modeler attempt to learn and apply washes right from the start or should a beginner learn the basics of putting a kit together first and then attempt washes ?

 

[scratchmod]

Ken and Scott are correct and you can see this in the pics posted.
As far as a beginner learning washes from the start, YES. A wash is the basic in weathering. Before all the chipping, streaking and filter techniques the basics were washes and drybrushing. Both these two basic skills/techniques are and can still be used. Not so much the drybrushing by many but washes are very important.
I normally do my filters first for depth, then add only pin washes. I will sometimes go back and add a fliter to some parts of the model. The filters work great for creating highlights and shadow effects, similar to the CM technique.
As Ken has said, filters take lots of practice. Besides oils and enamels for filters I also use acrylics for some fliters, again for effects.

Rob

 

[hooterville75]

Thanks for the reply scratchmod. I was beginning to think for a minute my post was transparent or camoflauged lol. I find the washes and filters interesting. So much about this hobby keeps coming up everyday that I was unaware of that I have tons of interests in.

 

[scratchmod]

There is SOOOO much the hobby has to offer. It is up to the individual modeler to explore new techniques and improve on skills. The one thing I always tell people is to practice and experiment on older or scrap models to find what works best for you. One thing to keep in mind is that the painting and weathering is NOT a by the numbers thing. I don't believe 'first this then that etc'. Every modeler has his or her own style and skill level. What works for me may not work for you so by me saying do this or that might not give you the same results.
The techniques are there for every one to use, and if it's not your thing then that is good too. The most important thing is to enjoy the hobby, learn from others ( and yourself) share what you know....but most important is to have fun. After 35 years of sniffing glue I am still learning with each model.....and having fun too.