GLAZE MEDIUM

A translucent layer instead of mixing a shade

Glazing rests on a simple idea. Instead of changing a tone by mixing another color into it, a layer is laid over it so thin that what is underneath shows through. The final impression comes from the sum of the two layers rather than from their mixture, and that is why it looks deeper than a flat coat. This medium is meant for exactly that: it gives the paint the greatest transparency achievable and adds to its brightness.

The container holds 60 ml and the product is intended for acrylic paints. Its key property is that it lowers the richness without shifting the shade. Thanks to that, several thin translucent layers can be applied one after another without the color starting to break into a different tone, as it would after being thinned with white or with a medium that has a color of its own.

Building up layers has one more advantage that is often forgotten. A mistake in a thin glaze is never fatal, because the shift of tone after a single application is tiny and can be stopped at any moment. The modeler therefore leads the shade gradually, checks it after each layer and stops exactly where he wants, instead of having to find the target color on the palette in advance.

Where it pays off most

On the skin of figures, where the shadow under the cheekbone has to stay warm. On metal, where it should be visible that a polished base lies under the paint. On glass and lights, to which a glaze gives an impression of depth. And on old vehicles where rust is to show through from under the finish without covering it.

Compared with simply thinning with water, the difference shows above all in how the layer behaves as it dries. Water weakens the binder, the paint then settles unevenly into the recesses and leaves edges behind. The medium, by contrast, keeps the binder, so a thin layer lies down evenly and takes a further coat without the layer underneath dissolving.