Acrylic Ink Opaque- Brown

Brown for wood, earth and straps

Brown is the hardest-working color on a model. It turns up in a plank, in a beaten track, in a strap, in a rifle stock, in the mud on wheels and in the transition between vegetation and terrain. That is exactly why it pays to have it in a form that can be laid on quickly and evenly with no visible brush marks.

Wood: lay the tone on in one thin coat and, before it dries, run a dry bristle over the surface along the grain. The fine streaking that results gives the wood its figure. A lighter stroke along the edge of a plank then gives the surface volume.

Terrain: the medium runs between the pebbles and around the tufts by itself, so it leaves a natural shadow exactly where it belongs. Loose scatter material is lightly tinted at the same time and stops looking like foreign matter stuck onto a base.

Equipment: on ammo pouches, straps and boots it works as a quick base that you fine-tune once dry with a lighter shade on the edges. Its covering power is high enough to handle even light castings with no primer beforehand.

Mixing: with ocher it lightens into a dusty track, with black it darkens into soaked earth. Because the medium is thin, add any admixture drop by drop and keep testing on an offcut rather than straight on the model.

When to reach for something else: this tone is meant to cover an area. If you only need to bring out an engraved seam or outline a rivet, a thin shading paint suits better, because a covering medium leaves a visible edge in a hollow.

Drying: a liquid coat dries quickly, but on a large area give the model enough time before you lay the next one on. A premature stroke softens the coat underneath and the surface wrinkles.