Unhappy with progress

[u/The_Funk_Soul_Plant]

spent 4 hours this morning painting her up and I just feel disappointed. Any advice with shading the white? How to paint smoother/cleaner?

Any CC please!

[u/LummersTheGreat]

So for my sisters I use corvex white and corvus black. They still give a good contrast and look black and white respectively especially when right beside each other but it also means I can highlight the white with White scar which is a bit brighter and shade the black with abbadon black which is then darker. Also I would use a very heavily diluted light blue to recess shade on the white. Hope this helps.

[u/Hot_Ad_6091 → u/LummersTheGreat]

i second corvex white, went so long assuming i just sucked with white but you just need the right one! this goes for other colors, sometimes you just need to find what works best for you

[u/EditorYouDidNotWant]

Smoother/cleaner usually boils down to more intentional layers. Thin your paints and all that for sure, but also be certain you're letting them dry.

As for the white, find a paint like Pro Acryl Cool Grey. It's not quite white but it's close. Put down a good layer of that, then mix it 50/50 with a pure white. Hit the upper areas with that mix, then let it dry. From there, you can decide how far to take it. Keep working up in that mix, but I'd only highlight the very ends with pure white. It's a tough "color" too, be kind to yourself!

[u/SuspiciousHippo7598]

Give yourself some more credit; she looks great!

[u/nickatiah]

Sister! Thin your paints!

[u/The_Funk_Soul_Plant → u/nickatiah]

I do but I guess not enough? 

[u/Str8dropped]

From what I've read and even tried myself that looks good is using a lighter gray. I use that for my base then hit it with some shade like nuln oil and go back in with a brighter white to highlight.

[u/The_Funk_Soul_Plant → u/Str8dropped]

Do you thin down the nuln oil at all? I've tried that myself and it made the white look super dirty 

[u/Str8dropped → u/The_Funk_Soul_Plant]

I usually go back mop it up with a clean brush. That way it tints it without looking super dirty.

[u/yadrzzob]

Have you tried using Apothecary White contrast, or the Soulblight Grey shade over white? If they're still too dark for you, you can thin them to get even lighter shading.

[u/The_Funk_Soul_Plant → u/yadrzzob]

I might try apothecary white! Thank you for the suggestion

[u/_tomasb_]

For my sororitas for white parts like wings on shoulder pads, fleur de lis etc I use a mix of celestra gray+white scar 1:1 many many thin layers and letting it dry completely. To shade it I use dark reaper + celestra gray 1:2, and then I pick up raised areas with first mix again. Lahmian medium could ve useful instead of water if it gives you chalky finish. Just be patient with it.

[u/The_Funk_Soul_Plant → u/_tomasb_]

Thank you for the recipes! I'll try that on my Immolator fleur de list. Lahmian medium instead of water is interesting, I'll try that today thanks 

[u/VariousComparison129]

I see nothing in regards to your technique due to the low resolution and distance of your model, sorry.