Is black the best wash colour to use?

Washes are generally used to add shade or grime to a model, whether it be a model train, car or figure, a wash can produce fantastic results. However, if you are considering using a wash to create dirt or shade on your model, black should not be your colour of choice.

Although it's easy to conclude that black would be the best colour choice to add a dark shadow or grime effect to a model, it is often too dark and the effects appear animated. A more realistic effect can be achieved using subtler brown colours for your wash.

That's not to say that black doesn't have its place, many modellers are happy to use black when pre-shading (accentuating panel lines or creases before painting) but the black is significantly merged and diluted by topcoats before the final effect is achieved.