Good Morning.

I undercoat all my figures with Tamiya white primer and then paint with Vallejo colours mixed with Josonja mat finish and thinned with distilled water.

My results at the end look a bit "plasticy" for want of a better term. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Also are there any tips for dust finishes on figures. All my attempts seem to be too wet like mud.

Thanks in advance.

David,

Try using Vallejo matte finish, sometimes the brands don't want to mix well together. I have had it happen with AK flat and Vallejo thinner.

David....to echo Scott's advice. Unlike the old days, L have a strong sense most products nowadays are proprietary. Safe to stick to Mig with Mig, Vallejo with Vallejo, etc

Hi David

I use artists pastels to create dust and dirt effects on figures and AFVs. I apply them with a cropped flat brush (so it is stiff), brushing straight off the pastel stick onto the model. You can mix them too to get different colour effects. Works well for me.

Phil

Try drop of Vallejo glaze medium..and very thin layers....all acrylics are essentially the same so long as water based vs say tamiya lacquer based acrylics- designed for airbrushing..Vallejo isn’t the most matte out there these days, and have roots in cartoon cell paints..

Hi David!

I use Vallejo paints and for getting a real matt finish I always add a simple drop of Tamiya flat base. It works very good.
I hope it help you.

Cheers,

Francisco

Thank you all. I will follow your advice.

Mix Vallejo bottles throughly : you want the matting agent to really mix with the paint.
some colors no matter what you do will look more satin than matte.

Yeah. Already do that with a paint shaker.

I can second Francisco's advice. Tamiya X-21 Flat Base will give your Vallejo's a very nice matt finish. It's a small jar but a little goes a long way, just take a toothpick and dab it into the flat base. Don't bother to mix the X-21, tilt the jar and dab into the whitish gunk and then mix well with your paint. A toothpick's worth of X-21 is enough for a 54mm greatcoat's worth of paint. As you can see, I am quite scientific with my proportions.

Even when well-shaken Vallejo colours can still give you a satin finish which looks horrible. It makes you want to strip the paint. Persevere, do your lights and shades on the shiney paint and when you're finished, apply a wash of the base colour with the X-21 mixed in. This tones down the contrasts and gives you a matt finish. I used to use the Vallejo Glaze Medium to mix the wash and it worked fine. I finished the bottle and tried Liquitex Ultra Matt Medium which is just as good. Bigger bottle and better value. Do not use Liquitex Glaze Medium because it dries to a glossy finish (it's supposed to!) or Liquitex Matt Medium which dries to a satin finish. You want Liquitex Ultra Matt Medium. Phew!

For dusty finishes, have you tried the Tamiya Weathering sets? They look like a ladies' eye make-up set and you apply them with cotton buds or make-up brushes. I think they're really good and the missus always gives me a funny look. It helps if you mince a little bit...