Oil washing means flowing thinned oil paint into the recesses of a miniature so it settles into the shadows and stains the crevices, while drybrushing means dragging a nearly dry brush across raised edges to catch only the highest points in a lighter color. They solve opposite problems: the wash deepens shadow, the drybrush lifts highlight. Most painters run drybrushing first over a base coat, then apply an oil wash afterward to tie the whole model together and settle grime into the details.
What is an oil wash and how is it different from an acrylic wash
An oil wash uses artist oil paint thinned heavily with an oil-safe thinner or odorless mineral spirits, rather than an acrylic wash like Citadel's shade range. Oil paint dries much slower than acrylic, which gives you a long working window to wipe back excess with a clean brush or cotton swab before it sets. That slow dry time is the whole appeal: you can chase pigment into panel lines and wipe the flat surfaces clean without racing the paint. Acrylic washes from a range like Citadel's shades dry faster and pool less predictably once they're mixed into a wet palette, which is why a lot of painters keep both on the bench for different jobs. Oils suit sharp panel lines and vehicles, acrylic washes suit organic recesses on a model that's already primed and base coated.
How do you drybrush a miniature without wrecking the base coat
Load a stiff, cheap synthetic brush with paint, then wipe almost all of it off on a paper towel until the brush looks nearly dry and pulls no visible color across the paper. Drag the brush lightly across the raised edges of the model in one direction. The paint should only catch on ridges, folds, and edges, never fill in the recesses. If color is landing in the shadows, you loaded too much paint or pressed too hard. A dedicated drybrush set with stiffer, shorter bristles holds up far better than a detail brush pushed into this job, since the scrubbing motion wears out fine sable bristles fast.
What order should washing and drybrushing happen in
The common sequence is: prime, base coat, drybrush a lighter shade to build up the raised highlights, then apply the wash last to settle shadow back into the recesses and tone down anything that got drybrushed too hot. Doing the wash first and drybrushing after tends to scrub color straight back out of the recesses you just filled, undoing the work. If you are using an oil wash specifically, seal the acrylic base coat with a gloss varnish first so the oil solvent does not lift or reactivate the acrylic underneath, then matte varnish again once the oil has fully cured.
Do you need thinner for an oil wash
Yes. Straight oil paint from the tube is too thick and too opaque to flow into recesses; it needs to be cut down to a thin, ink-like consistency with an oil-safe thinner before it will pull itself into the lines by capillary action. Acrylic-thinned washes use an acrylic thinning medium instead, which is a different product and not interchangeable with oil thinner.
Buying starting points
A stiff angled drybrush set is the first purchase most painters make once they outgrow using a normal brush for this job, since the shorter bristles hold their shape under repeated scrubbing: miniature drybrush set(affiliate link). For acrylic washes, a wash and shade paint set covers the basics without buying bottles one at a time: wash and shade paint set(affiliate link). If you are thinning acrylic washes or cleaning an airbrush between wash sessions, an acrylic-safe thinner is worth having on the shelf: acrylic airbrush thinner(affiliate link).
FAQ
Can you use an acrylic wash instead of an oil wash
Yes, and most beginners start there. A dark, near-black acrylic wash like Nuln Oil is built to be used straight from the pot with no separate thinner and no cure-time wait, which makes it a faster first step than learning oil washing.
What are Citadel dry paints used for
They are thick, chalky-textured paints in Citadel's catalog formulated specifically to be applied dry-brush style straight from the pot without extra thinning, aimed at painters who want a fast drybrush highlight without mixing their own consistency.
Does drybrushing ruin recesses if you press too hard
It can. Too much paint on the brush or too much pressure drags color into the shadows and flattens the contrast the technique is meant to create. Wipe the brush drier than feels necessary and build up the highlight in several light passes instead of one heavy one.
Do oil washes smell or need ventilation
Oil-safe thinners and mineral spirits carry a stronger odor than acrylic mediums and are best used with a window open or a fan running. Odorless mineral spirits cut the smell down significantly if ventilation is limited.
Can drybrushing replace edge highlighting
Not entirely. Drybrushing is faster and more forgiving but produces a softer, more textured highlight than hand-painted edge highlighting. Many painters use drybrushing for bulk texture, like fur or rock, and reserve hand highlighting for armor edges and weapon rims.