# white paint - always chalky ?



## DijnsK

Hey everybody! 

i would like to start a discussion on how to properly use white paint.
i have noticed that, besides it being a difficult color to paint properly, it also gets chalky.

ive used Citadel skull white paint along side other white modeling paints, but i always get the same result.
tried using different shades of light undercoats (astromomican grey and dhenep stone) which provide a smooth layer of paint, but still the white kind of messes up.
i always dilute it with water, also tried thinner, ive tried using in on a wet palette, it keeps looking chalky on my models...

when looking at other peoples models, i always see that the white looks a bit chalky.

so, have you encountered this problem yourself? how did you deal with it? how do you prevent it from getting chalky if you do, or how do you clean it up?

there must be a way to get a nice, even coat of white (not counting the white primer, that is a smooth layer of paint, same as when airbrushing it)


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## JB Mallus

I noticed this, too. I attempt to get around it by building up layers of paint starting with brown and working up to white. Sometimes it even works.


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## bitsandkits

not really sure what you mean by chalky, that sugests its dusty? personally i use Citadel and its always smooth when i paint it on, do you have a photo of what you mean by chalky? might be easier to solve if we can see your problem.


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## DijnsK

its like it get chunky... and i only have it with white citadel paints... first time i though the pot just dried or had gone bad, but the new pot had the same problem...

i also watched a Beasts of War video tutorial, where the guy painting mentioned the same thing!


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## Reported

What I do;

if the model is base coated black,

do a super thin coat of dark grey, followed by super thin coat of light grey,

now water down your skull white to the point that it is basically a milky texture, do 5-10 coats until you can no longer see the grey.


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## DijnsK

thats good advice, but if you happen to have textured details, there is a chance that you drown those during the process of 5-13 layers of paint.

but you know what im talking about when i say chalky right?


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## Reported

I assume you mean it's not smooth to the touch? like bumpy?

Or do you mean it's almost gritty, like kind of rough like sand paper?


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## normtheunsavoury

If your white paint is going chalky you need to thin it down more. 
I don't now what it is about the white paint but it does clump up a lot worse than other paints but the trick is to thin it down like mad and apply lots and lots of very thin coats.
When you do it like this use a piece of kitchen paper and take off the excess paint, the brush should look like there's almost nothing on it. This will mean the paint will stay where you put it instead of pooling on the details. 

It is a pain in the arse but that's why a lot of painters hate painting with white, it's hard work.


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## lav25gunner

Reported said:


> I assume you mean it's not smooth to the touch? like bumpy?
> 
> Or do you mean it's almost gritty, like kind of rough like sand paper?


If it's what I think he means, imagine sprinkling baby powder/baking soda over wet paint. It has a sort of gritty/sandy/chalky look to it. Bumpy would acutally probably be the opposite of what he's talking about. Bumpy usually happens when you don't water your paint enough.
I had this problem when I Painted yellow. This can happen if you water your paint too much. This is because the paint pigments tend to attract each other which causes a clumping effect that causes a gritty look.
Try using a little less water or add some flow aid to prevent pigment cohesion and smoother flow of paint pigment across the medium.


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## bitsandkits

Its difficult to solve the problem if we dont have a definitive idea of what the problem is,but here goes

reasons why your paint hasnt gone on right

dirty water
dirty brush
water with particles in it,minerals or grit etc
dusty atmosphere
dusty model
bad primer coat
paint too thick
poor quality brush
wrong size brush
artificial bristles 
too slow application of paint
chemical reaction to primer

ok some solutions


dirty water if i have to tell you you shouldnt be painting
dirty brush as above
water with particles in it,minerals or grit etc use bottled or deionised and a little soap to break surface tension
dusty atmosphere move to some place were dust is minimal, dont paint outdoors
dusty model blow the model or use a duster before you start painting,even over night a fine layer of dust can land on a model
bad primer coatsome primers are not for models and may be much grainer than model primers
paint too thickthin with water on a dust free pallete
poor quality brushuse kolinsky sable bristles they are fine and will leave less bush marks 
wrong size brush use a big brush large enough to hold enough paint to paint the enire area without having to reload several times,one smooth fluid coat per stroke with enough paint on your brush, every time you have to load your brush and paint you will cause the paint to part dry and stay wet which will cause the paint to get streaks and go chunky or lumpy
artificial bristles cause streaks and chunks because they tend to be wider
too slow application of paintno point thinning your paint and taking ages to put it on, as soon as you add water the clock is ticking,thin less paint more, dont over mix too much paint and generally avoid mixing and over working the paint
chemical reaction to primeruse primers designed for models some primers can react with acylics if they are not 100% dry 

also i know this may sound obvious but if your model will have alot of white or bright colours then prime it white, i often prime the entire model white then paint the darker sections or deep areas with chaos black, that way i get the best of both worlds, bright white for my bright colours and deep shadow were its needed or a dark base to start with.
Dont be a slave to black primer.


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## Hammer49

Sounds like the paint hasnt been thinned enough, and using too thick a coak of paint possibly.


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## DijnsK

lav25gunner said:


> If it's what I think he means, imagine sprinkling baby powder/baking soda over wet paint. It has a sort of gritty/sandy/chalky look to it.


yep thats what im talking about


lav25gunner said:


> Try using a little less water or add some flow aid to prevent pigment cohesion and smoother flow of paint pigment across the medium.


i think this is good advice, i will try this for sure 

what bitsandkits said could also be very true, being a slave of black primer...
i will buy myself a white primer, see if that makes a difference 

@ Hammer49
thanks for the reply, but that was not the case.

@ normtheunsavoury
thats what i try to do, but it still becomes chalky within a few layers


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## DijnsK

wow, white primer is much better then black primer 

for painting white, it always saves you a layer or two, so that reduces the chance of it getting chalky.

it also helps painting other colors like yellow or green, and saves paint because the diluted paint will cover nicely in one run


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## bitsandkits

your welcome


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