UMS "Agram" : Quest for my new favourite washes < Articles < Hobby

Quest for my new favourite washes

Ana Polanšćak, 22nd January 2025

Note from the editor: This is an article published on Ana’s blog that she kindly agreed to share on our club web pages. If you like the article, go for more on her site Gardens of Hecate!

Sometime in November I had reached the end of my stock of old formula Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil, and cracked open the new ones (I say new, but they’re a few years old by now). I was disappointed with the currently standing product… I’ve been steadily using Citadel washes since they were first introduced. Originally it was Badab Black and Devlan Mud, and they were fantastic (yes, there were inks before that - but I never used those). At some point they got replaced by Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade, respectively. Frankly I don’t recall how big of a change that was; it was a fairly long time ago. However, I know that I’ve gradually phased out most Citadel paints from my arsenal in favour of other brands (predominantly Scale 75, but there are several others represented) - while still continuing to use and recommend Citadel’s black and brown wash. However, now they’ve changed too far for the worse that I decided it’s time to look elsewhere.

I asked my Instagram audience for viable alternatives on the market and I got 60+ responses with suggestions. Based on that I purchased a variety of options for brown and black washes and inks to test. Additionally, a significant number of commenters expressed they were in the same predicament, so I promised to share my findings in a blog post. This is it.

Since making the purchases I’ve made swatches, tests in controlled conditions, and tried them out in real situations on whatever painting projects I was working on at the time.

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with the manufacturers of any of these products. They were purchased with funds contributed by my Patreon supporters (thank you!). I’m honestly looking for a better alternative for myself and taking you along for the ride.

I’d also like to thank @noe.hammer and @hinter_light for sending me bottles of unused old Agrax Earthshade they had lying around.

What am I even looking for in a wash?

I use brown and black washes frequently. It’s normally for shading things such as leather, armour, fabrics, wood, human skin, and more.

My ideal wash would be well pigmented acrylic, usable out of the pot but dilutable with water if I want a less stark shade, reliably matte when dry, and not brazenly overpriced.

INTENSITY and HUE

Of the above, the current Citadel washes only fulfill the first thing on my list. They do still provide a good shade to those recesses and details on the sculpt. I also like the colour of the brown. Not too intense to be used as is, but often I want to dilute them slightly. I expected some brands of washes would be less intense, and if I wanted something stronger there are inks.

Inks definitely need to be combined with a medium for two reasons: they’re glossy and they’re too highly pigmented to be used straight out of the pot. I have the following three inks: AK Wood Brown, Vallejo Sepia, and Scale75 Inktense Wood. They all behaved as predicted, working nicely with Lahmian Medium. A little ink goes a long way and the medium successfully mattes out the ink’s original gloss. Each has its own hue, my favourite of the three being Vallejo’s.

Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone, Strong Tone, and Dark Tone are overall the most similar to Citadel’s washes, including the intensity. ProAcryl and Two Thin Coats are the least intense, but ultimately they’re all acceptable.

Each brown wash has a slightly different hue, as you can see on the tombstone swatches basecoated white. They all work fine and the difference was less apparent when I applied on a brown basecoat.

ACRYLIC

Some of my Instagram friends recommended oils to me. I do occasionally use oil and enamel washes when I paint scenery. They’re effective and cool to play with. However, they don’t get along with other paints I use - meaning varnishing in between and thinking several steps ahead. They also have annoyingly long drying times. This is ok for terrain, but simply doesn’t work for the way I paint miniatures and I don’t want to drastically change my process right now. I like how it is. Same reason my airbrush sits in the drawer seldom used. Their time may come, it’s just not today.

That’s why there are no oils or enamels in this story.

BEHAVIOUR WITH WATER

Mixing a wash with water can leave a cloudy/chalky residue in the recesses (see image below for examples). Of the washes I've tried, most experienced the chalky residue when mixed with water at some point. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. I hear hard water makes this worse. In any case, it’s safer to use an acrylic medium rather than water. With older Citadel Washes I usually used water and it would occasionally result in a nasty surprise. With the new formula the clouding happened most times I did it.

I can absolutely live with using medium instead of water to make sure the results are consistent. This is the part of my ideal wash I’m ready to forfeit easiest. Any matte medium will be more expensive than water, but there are way more affordable options than Citadel’s Lahmian Medium I currently use. It’s something to look into next.

MATTE FINISH

New Agrax and Nuln Oil straight out of the pot are glossy and this annoys me to no end. Mixing in Lahmian Medium, which normally does have a matting effect, is a must even if I don’t want to dilute my wash. But often that doesn’t help either. There were times new Agrax Earthshade refused to stop being glossy in the recesses even when I painted matte varnish over it.

Mind you, the shine in the recesses may also happen to other brands if one applies too much undiluted wash, or if not shaken properly before use.

A few people recommended a product called Instar Matte+. It’s a concentrated additive that’s meant to be mixed into paints to turn them matte. I got advice to put several drops directly into my bottle of my Agrax or Nuln. I did just that, and it actually killed the shine. That’s great news, since it means I can save those several bottles of new Citadel washes I stockpiled before I realised they were no good.

When playing around with Matte+ I tried mixing it with inks to see what happens. It does make them matte, but they get a similar residue problem washes get with water. In this case, though, the result looks like a decent rust effect. I’m not sure if it’s worth exploring further, but below is what it looks like.

PRICE

Price is not something I thought about too much before I started crunching these numbers. It was interesting and eye-opening.

Shipping is not included in the prices. Local tax of 25% is included. Keep in mind the price of each product can vary slightly from vendor to vendor. I had to order from multiple webshops depending on availability and stock. They come in different size vials so in order to compare properly I calculated their price per mL (given in brackets).

The most affordable was AK Deep Shade Grime at 4,89€ for a 30mL bottle (0,16€/mL). It’s closely followed by Vallejo washes at 3,10 € for 18 mL (0,17€/mL) and then The Army Painter tone trio at 3,49€ for 18mL (0,19€/mL).

Next tier are Pro Acryl 22mL for 5,99€ (0,27€/mL) and Duncan’s TTC washes at 4,41€ for 15mL (0.29€/mL).

And finally we have Citadel’s 18mL for 6.63€ (0,37€/mL), which makes it double the price of the stuff in the first group. Ugh.

I won’t compare the inks along with the washes because they must to be used with a hefty quantity of medium. A pot of ink will last you drastically longer than a pot of wash, but you need to purchase medium alongside it, complicating the calculation. I didn’t go into it this time. Here are the prices of the inks, though: AK Wood Brown INK was 4,68 € for 30mL (0,16€/mL), Vallejo Sepia Ink 18 ml was 3,10€ (0,17/mL), and S75 Inktense Wood 17mL for 4,04€ (0,24€/mL).

Instar Matte + additive was 2,03€ for their container of 10mL (0,20/mL). It gets cheaper if you buy a larger bottle, but you’re meant to be using it in very small doses anyway.

CONTAINER

This is not a deciding factor for me, but there are differences I can touch on briefly.

To get Citadel out of the way first: pot with a lid. Knocked it over and spilled so many times over the years. One may call that a skill issue. I don’t know. Dipping a brush in the pot rather than squirting it on the palette somehow makes more sense for washes to me, so that’s a point for it. When it comes to Citadel’s other paints I strongly dislike the pots, mostly because their design really helps the paint dry up faster. I’m not sure myself how I feel about it on the washes, though.

AK Pure Grime comes in a bottle with a screw-on cap. I haven’t used it enough to witness how easily it’s knocked over, but since it doesn’t have a lid sticking up my guess is it’s safer from spillage than Citadel.

Army Painter comes in a standard dropper bottle, same as Scale 75 uses. Vallejo used to have something just like it, but these washes and ink come in dropper bottles made of way thinner material. I accidentally squeezed them too hard lots of times, so not a fan. The reason behind it is ecological perhaps?

Two Thin Coats - bottle is fine but something is funky with the cap. The wash always heavily leaks inside it. Perhaps it must be screwed on 100% tight to stop doing that? Not happy about the mess. Again, you may say it’s a skill issue, but I haven’t had that problem with any other brand’s dropper bottle.

PorAcryl’s bottle has a special cap I hadn’t encountered before. It slightly twists off to allow drops to get out of the bottle. I’m pretty sure this is well resistant to clogging (which is an annoyance with dropper bottles) and doesn’t allow any air to get in. But it’s sort of messy to close it since there is always some paint stuck near the tip that has to be wiped off.

Finally, the AK Ink comes in a glass bottle with a dropper cap, and the Matte+ comes in a tiny dropper bottle with a safety cap. Works fine.

CONCLUSIONS

After this I’m definitely saying goodbye to Citadel’s washes. I’ll rescue the pots I already have with Instar Matte+ and never buy another again. The price is severly inflated when compared to any other brand, while the quality is poorer in most aspects and it requires me to spend even more money on third party products to make it work.

TwoThinCoats washes were a very common suggestion. It’s among the pricier options, but doesn’t stand out enought to compensate for that. It’s fine, but won’t be my new brand of choice.

Army Painter washes are a really popular option. They’re on the more affordable end and my LGS stocks them, making them extra accessible. They are also among the least matte ones, but matte medium consistently fixes that. Fine, but not a favourite.

Vallejo washes are high on my tier list. They’re nicely matte out of the pot and I rather like the hue of their Umber wash. The price is also among the best.

ProAcryl is also a good one. Nice flow, matte finish. The hue and price place it beneath Vallejo for me, though.

AK Deep Shades Pure Grime is quite a bit more viscous than the others. It stays where you put it, which usually means it will harder stain the areas you don’t want shaded. It was the least costly. The hue is nice, but the intensity feels lighter. Overall for me it’s mid.

The inks - AK, Vallejo, and S75 all three act the same in my limited experience. When it comes to hue I’m partial to Vallejo’s Umber. I’m actually interested in using them further in combination with matte medium. They are better value for money than an out of the pot wash.

Along similar lines, I tried to mix my own wash by combining Scalecolor Artist Burnt Umber with Lahmian Medium. It was prety good, and once again much cheaper than any out-of-the-pot wash.

If I had to choose which wash was my favourite I’d say Vallejo. But I think my future may be finding a decent but not overpriced matte medium and mixing my own washes. I already have to use a medium if I want to dilute a wash, so I migh as well get my pigment from an ink or a quality acrylic paint in the first place.

I’ll continue to use a selection of these washes further until they run out. If I change my mind about something I may revisit this topic in the future.

Everything in this article is my own opinion based on my experience trying the products.

Što uopće tražim u washevima?

Često koristim smeđu i crnu boju. Obično je za sjenčanje stvari kao što su koža, oklopi, tkanine, drvo, ljudska koža i drugo.

Moj idealan tuš bio bi dobro pigmentirani akril, koji bi se mogao koristiti i iz bočice, ali bi se mogao razrijediti vodom ako želim manje jaku nijansu, pouzdano mat kada se osuši, a ne drsko precijenjen.

INTENZITET i HUE

Od navedenog, trenutni washevi od Citadel ispunjavaju samo prvu uvjet na mom popisu. Još uvijek daju dobru sjenu u udubljenjima i detaljima na skulpturi. Sviđa mi se i smeđa boja. Nisu previše intenzivni da bi se koristili takvi kakvi jesu, ali često ih želim malo razrijediti. Očekivala sam da će neke marke washeva biti manje intenzivna, a ako sam htjela nešto jače tu su tinte.

Tinte svakako treba kombinirati s medijem iz dva razloga: sjajne su i previše su pigmentirane da bi se mogle koristiti izravno iz posude. Imam sljedeće tri tinte: AK Wood Brown, Vallejo Sepia i Scale75 Inktense Wood. Svi su se ponašali prema predviđanjima, dobro surađujući s Lahmian Mediumom. Malo tinte ide daleko i medij uspješno matira izvorni sjaj tinte. Svaka ima svoju nijansu, a meni je od te tri najdraža Vallejova.

Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone, Strong Tone i Dark Tone općenito su najsličniji Citadel washevima, uključujući intenzitet. ProAcryl i Two Thin Coats su najmanje intenzivni, ali u konačnici svi su prihvatljivi.

Svaka smeđa boja ima nešto drugačiju nijansu, kao što možete vidjeti na uzorcima nadgrobnih spomenika s osnovnim bijelim premazom. Svi rade dobro i razlika je bila manje vidljiva kada sam nanijela smeđi bazni lak.

Što uopće tražim u washevima?

Često koristim smeđu i crnu boju. Obično je za sjenčanje stvari kao što su koža, oklopi, tkanine, drvo, ljudska koža i drugo.

INTENZITET i HUE

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We visited: Warhammer World - pt.1

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For any Warhammer hobbyist, a visit to Warhammer World in Nottingham is a pilgrimage of sorts. It is the epicenter of the entire Games Workshop culture - a combination of global corporate headquarters, visitor center, exhibition space, gaming hall, specialty store and themed bar, all gathered in one location. It should also be taken into account that the large gaming hall hosts Grand Tournaments for all games published by Games Workshop, and since our Ivan found himself in WHW on 18.4.2026. there was a WH40k tournament on the schedule, so the experience of the exhibition, Bugman Bar, WHW store, workshops, and gaming hall was also enhanced by the grand tournament that took place that day. This series follows his adventures…

1. Historical Context

1.1. The Founding of Games Workshop

Games Workshop was founded in 1975 in London, at 15 Bolingbroke Road. The founders were John Peake, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson (not to be confused with the American game designer of the same name). Initially, the company was not at all related to miniatures - they produced wooden boards for traditional games such as backgammon, manchala, mill and go. The same year, the Owl and Weasel newsletter was launched, which would later, in June 1977, evolve into the now legendary White Dwarf magazine. During the second half of the 1970s, Games Workshop became the main European distributor of the American role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and by the end of the decade it had also started publishing its own titles. A key turning point came in 1978/1979, when Games Workshop financed the establishment of Citadel Miniatures in Newark-on-Trent (Nottinghamshire). Citadel produced metal figurines used in GW's games, and the "Citadel" brand remains synonymous with Games Workshop miniatures to this day.

1.2. The Move to Nottingham and "Lead Belt"

The move of Games Workshop from London to Nottingham was not a one-off, but a gradual process linked to the person of Bryan Ansell. Ansell became director of Games Workshop in 1985, bought the company from Jackson and Livingstone in the late 1980s, and refocused it from role-playing games to tabletop strategy products. It was he who physically moved the company from London to Nottinghamshire to bring it closer to Citadel Miniatures. The final consolidation took place in October 1997, when all of Games Workshop's UK operations were moved to their current headquarters in Lenton, a suburb of Nottingham. This location still houses the corporate headquarters, design studio, White Dwarf magazine editorial office, European distribution centre and online sales centre. The concentration of miniatures manufacturers in the wider Nottinghamshire area has led to the area now being referred to in hobby circles as the "Lead Belt". Most of the companies that make up that belt today - Warlord Games, Mantic Games, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Foundry and others - were founded by former Games Workshop employees, which speaks of an ecosystem that has developed around one company for decades.

1.3. Warhammer as a product

Warhammer Fantasy Battle was first published in 1983 by Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley and Richard Halliwell. The game literally saved Citadel from stagnation and launched the expansion of ranges of fantasy miniatures.

Warhammer 40,000 (40k) was launched in 1987 under the original title Rogue Trader, with Rick Priestley as the main author. Over six generations of rules, the game has become the leading sci-fi wargaming franchise in the world and is now the core product of Games Workshop. The 10th edition of the rules is currently in circulation.

You can find more photos on our social networks.

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Za svakog hobista koji se bavi Warhammerom, posjet Warhammer Worldu u Nottinghamu predstavlja svojevrsno hodočašće. Riječ je o središnjem mjestu cjelokupne Games Workshop kulture - kombinaciji globalnog korporativnog sjedišta, posjetiteljskog centra, izložbenog prostora, igračke dvorane, specijalizirane trgovine i tematskog bara, sve okupljeno na jednoj lokaciji. Također treba uzeti u obzir da se u velikoj igraćoj dvorani održavaju Grand Turniri za sve igre koje izdaje Games Workshop, a budući da se naš Ivan našao u WHW 18.4.2026. na rasporedu je bio WH40k turnir, pa je samom doživljaju izložbe, Bugman Bara, WHW dućana, radionica, i igraće hale doprinio i veliki turnir koji se odvijao taj dan. Ovaj serijal prati njegove dogodovštine…

1. Povijesni kontekst

1.1. Osnutak Games Workshopa

Games Workshop osnovan je 1975. godine u Londonu, na adresi 15 Bolingbroke Road. Osnivači su bili John Peake, Ian Livingstone i Steve Jackson (ne treba ga miješati s istoimenim američkim game dizajnerom). U početku tvrtka uopće nije bila vezana uz minijature - proizvodili su drvene ploče za tradicionalne igre poput backgammona, manchale, mlina i goa. Iste godine pokrenut je i newsletter Owl and Weasel, koji će kasnije, u lipnju 1977., evoluirati u danas legendarni časopis White Dwarf. Tijekom druge polovice 1970-ih Games Workshop postaje glavni europski distributer američke role-playing igre Dungeons & Dragons, da bi krajem desetljeća počeo izdavati i vlastite naslove. Ključna prekretnica dogodila se 1978./1979. godine, kada Games Workshop financira osnivanje Citadel Miniatures u mjestu Newark-on-Trent (Nottinghamshire). Citadel je proizvodio metalne figurice koje su se koristile u GW-ovim igrama, a brand "Citadel" do danas je ostao sinonim za Games Workshop minijature.

1.2. Preseljenje u Nottingham i "Lead Belt"

Preseljenje Games Workshopa iz Londona u Nottingham nije bilo jednokratno, već postupan proces vezan uz osobu Bryana Ansella. Ansell je 1985. godine postao direktor Games Workshopa, otkupio je tvrtku od Jacksona i Livingstonea krajem 1980-ih, te je preusmjerio s role-playing igara prema proizvodima za stolne strateške igre. Upravo on je tvrtku fizički preselio iz Londona u Nottinghamshire kako bi je približio Citadel Miniatures. Konačna konsolidacija dogodila se u listopadu 1997. godine, kada su sve britanske operacije Games Workshopa premještene u današnje sjedište u Lentonu, predgrađu Nottinghama. Na toj se lokaciji i danas nalaze korporativno sjedište, dizajn studio, redakcija časopisa White Dwarf, distribucijski centar za Europu te online prodajni centar. Koncentracija proizvođača minijatura u širem području Nottinghamshirea dovela je do toga da se čitav kraj danas u hobi krugovima naziva "Lead Belt" (Olovni pojas). Većina tvrtki koje danas čine taj pojas - Warlord Games, Mantic Games, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Foundry i druge - osnovana je od strane bivših zaposlenika Games Workshopa, što govori o ekosustavu koji se desetljećima razvijao oko jedne tvrtke.

1.3. Warhammer kao proizvod

Warhammer Fantasy Battle prvi je put objavljen 1983. godine, a autori su Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley i Richard Halliwell. Igra je doslovno spasila Citadel od stagnacije i pokrenula širenje fantasy linija figurica.

Warhammer 40,000 (40k) lansiran je 1987. godine pod izvornim nazivom Rogue Trader, a glavni autor bio je Rick Priestley. Tijekom šest generacija pravila, igra je postala vodeća sci-fi wargaming franchise na svijetu i danas predstavlja središnji proizvod Games Workshopa. Trenutno je u opticaju 10. izdanje pravila.

Više fotografija možete naći na našim socijalnim mrežama.

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Marko Paunović, 27th April 2026

Back to Basics Workshops in Library Medvescak

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	In April 2026 we held our Back To Basics miniature painting workshops for the youngest in Medveščak Library.

	

	The workshops were completely FREE for all participants!

	

	

	The Back to Basics method is a method of making models and miniatures that focuses on a fun process intended for younger ages, but everyone is welcome! In three separate sessions on Thursdays, participants (aged 7+) painted miniatures of their choice (knight, princess, king, wizard and barbarian). 

	

	

	

	

	

	1st session: Painting miniatures of choice, Thursday, 09.04. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	2nd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 16.04. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	3rd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 23.04. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	

	

	

	

	

	
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	U travnju 2026. održali smo naše Back To Basics radionice za najmlađe u Knjižnici Medveščak.

	

	Radionice su bile BESPLATNE za sve polaznike!

	

	

	Back to Basics metoda je metoda izrade maketa i minijatura kojoj je fokus na zabavnom procesu namjenjenom mlađim uzrastima, ali svi su dobrodošli! U tri zasebna termina četvrtkom, polaznici (od 7+) su bojali minijature po izboru (vitez, princeza, kralj, čarobnjak i barbarin).

	

	

	

	

	

	1. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 09.04. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	2. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 16.04. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	3. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 23.04. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	

	

	

	

	

	
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Krunoslav Belinić, 24th April 2026

Freehand for Sons of Horus Spartana

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This week, our Miha is working on the "Freehand" technique on Spartan for Sons of Horus for the game Horus Heresy.

I'll explain my process a bit and give some tips if you're interested in trying this technique yourself.

The first step is to find some references, something that we will use as inspiration and a guide for the colors later. It is important to emphasize that we are not trying to copy the drawing 1:1, but rather use it as a starting point and then add our own details.

I used a drawing by Richard Bagnall as inspiration, of course you can use your own sketches.

The second step is to define the space and create guides. I recommend using white paint as we will cover these guidelines later. It is important to define the surface we are working with and the important parts of the drawing through the guidelines.

Then we move from the background colors to the foreground colors, in this case reds, then blacks, then golds. Don't worry too much about making it perfect at first, just mark where each color goes and start building a blend from darker to lighter.

After that, the process of adding details where needed and marking the edges of zones to create light begins. Here I started working on the face, which I later changed the most with more detailed eyes and I tried to make the nose stand out more.

The last step is very long and requires a lot of effort. It's about fixing and adding more details where needed, when painting something detailed in such a small area mistakes will happen, just let it dry a bit and fix it. In the picture you can see how the red has transferred to my face, I fixed that later. I also added more details by using lighter shades of paint in certain areas.

This was the final result, I still tried to add some things, but every time I changed something intentionally, something would change by accident. It's important to know when to accept that a freehand is finished. Your first one won't be perfect, but through practice you will get better and better.

One tip I will give you is to always have an object in your photo that can serve to show the viewer the size of your drawing. Most people I have shown the final image to thought it was a much larger drawing. I like to use coins.

Now, to show you how easy it is to start freehand and what can be achieved through practice, I'll give you two pictures, one of the brushes and paints I used for this project, and the other of some of my other freehands. I'm sure you'll notice the progress over time.

Thank you for reading, I hope I have encouraged you to try the freehand technique on your models.

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Naš Miha se ovoga tjedna bavi „Freehand“ tehnikom na Spartanu za Sons of Horus za igru Horus Heresy.

Malo ću objasniti moji proces i dati neke savjete ako ste zainteresirani sami probati ovu tehniku.

Prvi korak je pronaći neki reference, nešto što ćemo koristiti kao inspiraciju i voditelj za boje kasnije. Važno je naglasiti da ne pokušavamo prekopirati crtež 1:1, nego ga koristimo kao početak pa dalje nadodajemo svoje detalje.

Koristio sam crtež od Richard Bagnall-a kao inspiraciju, naravno možete i svoje sketcheve koristiti.

Drugi korak je odrediti prostor i napraviti vodilice. Savjetujem korištenje bijele boje kako ćemo ove vodilice prekriti kasnije. Važno da odredimo površinu s kojom radimo i važne dijelove crteža kroz vodilice.

Nakon toga krećemo od boja u pozadini prema bojama naprijed, u ovom slučaju to su crvene, pa crne, pa zlato. U početku se nemojte previše brinuti da ispadne savršeno, nego samo da označite gdje koje boje idu i da počnete graditi blend od tamnije prema svjetlijoj.

Nakon toga počinje proces dodavanja detalja gdje su potrebni i označavanje rubova zona kako bi stvorili svjetlost. Ovdje sam započeo raditi na licu, koje sam najviše kasnije mijenjao s detaljnijim očima i pokušavao sam više istaknuti nos.

Zadnji korak je jako dugačak i zahtjeva dosta truda. To je popravljanje i dodavanje još detalje gdje je potrebno, kada bojate nešto detaljno na ovako malom prostoru dogodit će se greške, jednostavno pustite da se malo osuši i popravite. U slici možete vidjeti kako mi je crvena prešla na lice, to sam kasnije popravio. Također sam dodao još detalja koristeći svjetlije nijanse boja na određenim dijelovima.

Ovo je bio finalni rezultat, još sam pokušao nadodati neke stvari, ali svaki put kad bi nešto mijenjao namjerno, nešto bi se promijenilo slučajno. Važno je znati kada treba prihvatiti da je freehand gotov. Prvi vam neće biti savršen, ali kroz vježbu ćete postati sve bolji i bolji.

Jedan savjet koji ću vam dati je da uvijek imate neki objekt u fotografiji koji može služiti da se gledatelju prikaže veličina vašeg crteža. Većina kojoj sam pokazao finalu sliku su mislili da je to dosta veći crtež. Ja volim koristiti kovanice.

Sada, da prikažem koliko je lagano krenuti s freehandom i što se može postići kroz vježbu, ću vam dati dvije slike, jedna su kistovi i boje koje sam koristio za ovaj projekt, a druga su neki drugi moji freehandovi. Siguran sam da ćete primjetiti napredak s vremenom.

Hvala vam na čitanju, nadam se da sam vas potaknuo da probate freehand tehniku na svojim modelima.

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Marko Paunović, 20th April 2026

Miniature Painting Workshop in Bjelovar

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	At the end of March and beginning of April, we held our first miniature painting workshop in Bjelovar. We held them in cooperation with the "Petar Preradović" National Library from Bjelovar, to which we would like to once again thank for the opportunity to demonstrate our hobby to young people in this city.

	

	The first, introductory workshop was led by our Dalibor Čavić, the original creator of this series of workshops. He showed the attendees some of his work and explained the theory behind basic miniature painting in an interesting one-hour lecture.

	

	

	

	

	Due to Dalibor's illness, our Dean Vuković stepped in to lead the second workshop. The second session was reserved for the practical application of the acquired knowledge.

	

	

	

	Eight participants had the opportunity to paint miniatures provided by the Association, but some decided to paint their own miniatures, which Dean naturally made possible.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	See you soon again in Bjelovar!
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	Krajem ožujka i početkom travnja održali smo prve radionice bojanja minijatura u Bjelovaru. Održali smo ih u suradnji sa Narodnom knjižnicom "Petar Preradović" iz Bjelovara kojoj se ovim putem još jednom zahvaljujemo na prilici da demonstriramo naš hobi mladima u ovom nama bliskom gradu.

	

	Prvu, uvodnu radionicu je vodio naš Dalibor Čavić, idejni začetnik ovog serijala radionica. Prisutnima je pokazao neke od svojih radova i objasnio teoriju iza osnovnog bojanja minijatura u zanimljivom jednosatnom predavanju.

	

	

	

	

	Za vođenje druge radionice, uskočio je naš Dean Vuković zbog bolesti Dalibora. Drugi termin bio je rezerviran za praktičnu primjenu stečenih znanja.

	

	

	

	Osam polaznika imalo je priliku bojati minijature koje je Udruga osigurala, ali neki su odlučili bojati i vlastite minijature što im je voditelj naravno omogućio.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	Vidimo se uskoro opet u Bjelovaru!
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Dalibor Čavić, 14th April 2026

Hobby Stores in Japan

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Last year our Ili went to Japan and was kind enough to write a short story about the hobby stores she visited while there.

I was 3 weeks in Japan and being a geeky (and admittedly an Otaku), of course I spent most of my time there at the famous Akihabara.

Akihabara Electric Town or simply Akihabara is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronics shops and has also gained recognition as the center of Japan's otaku culture. You can find everything ranging from practical electronics models or parts to gaming and anime merchandise and of course model kits and miniatures.

What my partner and I didn’t expect is that all stores here are at least 5 floors and the most I know have even 10 floors! Above is probably the most famous building in Akihabara, the Akihabara Radio Kaikan. The building is 46.5 m high, is ten levels from the ground floor and has two basement levels. The current building primarily hosts stores selling otaku goods.

While above photos are inside Akihabara Radio Kaikan, but these are how most buildings/stores in Akhabara look like.

Since we are about building and painting miniature models, the place you MUST visit is VOLKS AKIHABARA HOBBY PARADISE 2 (Hobby Paradise 2) - it is a dream destination for every hobbyist. This massive seven-floor store is filled with everything from character goods and figures to model kits, tools, paints, and more.

On the topic of Volks, it began as a small hobby shop in 1972. In the late 1990s they produced the first Dollfie dolls, and in 1999 the first Super Dollfie doll was created by Akihiro Enku. In November 2005, Volks USA opened their first American Tenshi no Sumika store in Los Angeles, California.

We are going to talk a bit about Dollfie. Dollfie dolls were customization tools such as pre-rooted hair and stick-on eye decals. Later, complete dolls were released. There are various body types, male and female, with several forms and skin tones for both as well as a line of child-sized dolls. The company also produces tools and materials to customize and maintain dolls.

Basically they are almost like customising and painting miniature but on a bigger scale. This is a hobby I have had since 2005 (but only become very active in 2017).

Volks store in Osaka - Volks Osaka Showroom.

One place you need to visit if you're into retro gaming is SUPER POTATO! They have 6 stores total, one is in Akihabara, Tokyo and the one in Nipponbashi, Osaka is a lot bigger and has more things to offer. All the photos I shared above are from the Osaka branch. Super Potato had been referred by many as "a museum as much as a shop" based on how visitors serendipitously interact with the games on display.

And a cliche as they say, you always leave Japan with more luggage (or bags). We came to Japan with just one piece of luggage and 2 backpacks on us.

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Prošle godine naša Ili je bila u Japanu i bila je toliko ljubazna da je napisala kratku priču o hobby trgovinama koje je posjetila dok je bila tamo.

Bila sam 3 tjedna u Japanu i, budući da sam geeky (i priznajem otaku), naravno da sam većinu vremena provela tamo u poznatoj Akihabari.

Akihabara Electric Town ili jednostavno Akihabara je četvrt u središnjem Tokiju poznata po brojnim trgovinama elektronikom, a stekla je i priznanje kao središte japanske otaku kulture. Možete pronaći sve, od praktičnih modela ili dijelova elektronike do igraće i anime robe, pa sve do kompleta modela i minijatura.

Ono što moj partner i ja nismo očekivali jest da sve trgovine ovdje imaju barem 5 katova, a većina koje poznajem ima čak 10 katova! Iznad je vjerojatno najpoznatija zgrada u Akihabari, Akihabara Radio Kaikan. Zgrada je visoka 46,5 m, nalazi se na deset katova od prizemlja i ima dva podrumska kata. U sadašnjoj zgradi se uglavnom nalaze trgovine koje prodaju otaku robu.

Iako su gornje fotografije unutar Akihabara Radio Kaikana, ovako izgleda većina zgrada/trgovina u Akhabari.

Budući da se bavimo izradom i bojanjem minijaturnih modela, mjesto koje MORATE posjetiti je VOLKS AKIHABARA HOBBY PARADISE 2 (Hobby Paradise 2) - to je destinacija iz snova za svakog hobista. Ova ogromna trgovina na sedam katova puna je svega, od robe s likovima i figurama do maketa, alata, boja i još mnogo toga.

Što se tiče Volksa, započeo je kao mala hobi trgovina 1972. Krajem 1990-ih proizveli su prve Dollfie lutke, a 1999. Akihiro Enku stvorio je prvu Super Dollfie lutku. U studenom 2005. Volks USA otvorio je svoju prvu američku trgovinu Tenshi no Sumika u Los Angelesu u Kaliforniji.

Pisat ću malo o Dollfieju. Dollfie lutke bile su alati za prilagodbu poput unaprijed ukorijenjene kose i naljepnica za oči koje se samoljepe. Kasnije su izdane i gotove lutke. Postoje različiti tipovi tijela, muški i ženski, s nekoliko oblika i tonova kože za oboje, kao i linija lutaka dječje veličine. Tvrtka također proizvodi alate i materijale za prilagodbu i održavanje lutaka.

U osnovi su gotovo kao prilagodba i bojanje minijatura, ali u većoj skali. Ovo je hobi koji prakticiram od 2005. (ali sam postala vrlo aktivna tek 2017.).

Volks trgovina u Osaki - Volks Osaka Showroom.

Jedno mjesto koje morate posjetiti ako volite retro igre je SUPER POTATO! Imaju ukupno 6 trgovina, jedna je u Akihabari u Tokiju, a ona u Nipponbashiju u Osaki je puno veća i ima više toga za ponuditi. Sve fotografije koje sam podijelila gore su iz podružnice u Osaki. Super Potato su mnogi nazivali "muzejem koliko i trgovinom" na temelju načina na koji posjetitelji slučajno komuniciraju s izloženim igrama.

I klišej kako kažu, uvijek napuštaš Japan s više prtljage (ili torbi). Mi smo u Japan došli samo s jednim komadom prtljage i dva ruksaka.

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Marko Paunović, 8th April 2026

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