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Blacklining There is a painting technique called Blacklining. In this technique, different areas of the model are banded with a black line (wow, where do they come up with these names?) that increases the contrast between the two areas, and if done in recessed areas, will tend to give depth to the model, much like shading. I've seen examples of this technique before, and they typically look fairly classy and a bit understated. In fact, I've noticed that a number of models I like have used it, but I didn't notice it until later, because it's more subtle than some techniques. In my continuing quest to become a better painter, I decided that I wanted to try Blacklining. Since I'm working on some Chaos Knights at the moment, I figured that I'd try it out on them. While it seems fairly easy, I wanted to make sure that I was doing it properly, so I went around to all the superior painting sites that I know of. After a lot of searching I found out that Blacklining was a subject that very few of them covered and essentially none of them covered in any depth. I eventually culled some information out of the different sites and then did some experimentation on my own. First off, I found that there are three ways of doing Blacklining. Okay, paint all the parts of the model that don't look like a Black Line... The first style of Blacklining is to either prime or base the model in Black, then paint the various sections of the model, leaving a little of the Black showing in between. A variation on this theme for those who prime in White has you painting the black lines in, then painting the areas and leaving the black borders untouched. I have seen this done well, but it seems to be a pretty finicky way to do it. When I tried this method, I had a much harder time keeping the black borders even with each other, or, for that matter, straight. It also took me a great deal of time per model to do. (I know, Bobby Wong spends 6 hours on his gaming figures. I'm not in this to be an Artiste, just a better painter.) Don't fence me in. Okay, maybe a little bit. The second style of Blacklining is to prime and base the model as normal, then add the Black lines. Again, I have seen this done well, and it seems distinctly easier to keep straight than the first style. It also seems to be a bit faster than the first technique. It still did take a fair amount of time, and it was hard to keep a straight line going, but it was a major improvement over the first method. This method has real possibilities, but I think it would be even better with a better tool. A Micron Pen is a type of pen that is available at many craft or art stores and will give you a very good tip and make it easier to control the thickness of your Blacklining. I don't have one of these yet, but my previous experience with paint pens suggests that the rigid tip will be a very welcome addition indeed. I think it will be quite helpful in applications like Blacklining. Umm, I've heard of a Whitewash... The Final style of Blacklining is by using an ink or a wash. Again, there are some variations on this style. The ink or wash can be applied over individual sections of the model or the whole thing. Inking or Washing individual sections gives you greater control over where it goes, but it also takes longer. The main advantage to applying over the whole model is speed. Due to it's liquid nature, it will tend to pool in the recesses of the model, so you don't necessarily have to paint it into every crevice, it will find them on it's own. Sometimes, however, you will find that it actually pulls away from the recesses and leaves little rings on the surface. This is due to the surface tension of the water. The best way to avoid this is to add a little bit (just a few drops) of Future Floor Wax to the ink/water mix. I don't know if other floor waxes would work as well, but I've heard it recommended a number of times and it's worked for me, so there you go. Dilution Solution If you use a Citadel ink, you will want to dilute it a little bit, I find that mixing it about ½ or 1/3 with water is pretty effective for giving a little tint to the surface(1 drop of ink for 2 or 3 drops of water.) If you want to just have it color the recesses, with little or no effect on the surfaces, you'll probably want to dilute further, maybe 1/5 or 1/6 with water. Note that you can also make a light Wash from regular paint, you just have to dilute it further. Try diluting it about twice as much as an ink. (So, about 1/6, or 1/10 if you are trying to achieve no tinting on the surface.) Overall, the Ink or Wash seems to be by far the fastest option, though it does have some limitations. The first is that it only goes into the recesses. If you have a surface that will be painted in more than one color (like the half-color marine paintjobs that seem to have been popular in earlier editions of 40k, or some of the Bretonnian Heraldry, to name a couple of examples) and you want lines between those colors, you'll have to paint them yourself. (Or gouge a line down the middle of the surface, but that seems a bit extreme!) Another limitation is that it is difficult to achieve the goal of coloring the recesses without tinting the surfaces. A suitably thin wash to achieve this may take several coats (and very long drying times in between) to give a strong enough color in the recesses. Alternately, you could use a dark wash that tints the surfaces as it fills in the recesses. Afterward, you could paint in a smaller area of the surface with the original color, giving you additional Shading and Highlighting steps in one go! The last limitation is that this option is not as sophisticated as the others. Doing this style won't improve my painting much, if any. (Doing the Shading/Highlighting version might, but I'm already familiar with regular washes, so it's not much of a stretch for me.) Since I am trying to improve my technical skill at painting, this isn't the perfect technique. Ah, Teamwork! Now, I just have to decide which style to use on these Knights. I'm torn between the wash with Highlighting in the original color and the Micron Pen. The wash would get the models done more quickly and would simultaneously do my shading and highlighting, which would be very efficient and I'm sure I'd be pleased with the result. The Micron Pen would be slower, but provide more of an artistic challenge and might produce more pleasing results. Ultimately, I will probably end up with a combination of the two. I might use the Wash/Highlighting style on all the models, then use the Micron Pen over the wash to give Blacklining to my Characters and possibly my Chosen Knights. 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