If you're absolutely new, start here for some reference: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/223042-painting-with-sharpies/
Now, I've been seeing a lot of painted stuff in person and videos online with people doing it lately. The one guy locally killed it on some IA minis specifically. That being said, I am not quite ready to step up to that plate, but I saw what a wash could do for ships as well as applying a matte finish to protect the finish. I wanted a piece of the action! So, a detailed how to on painting your squadrons with sharpies, washing them, and then applying a matte finish.
Required materials: (Links for reference, most things I sourced locally)
Ultra Fine Sharpies (Could be any brand, color pallet, ect)
Drink Stirrers OR Plastic Stemmed Q-Tips (Basically something to hold your ships)
A wash paint (Nuln Oil works, I'm sure others do as well)
A Brush to apply said wash (Just about anything will do here, I had an old one lying around)
Piece of Cardboard, think empty pizza box lid or Amazon Box
Tape, masking or otherwise
Utility knife or diagonal cutters
Paper Towels or rags
Optional Materials:
Fine Sandpaper or file. 1000 grit is probably as low as I'd go.
Rubbing Alcohol
Dry Erase marker
I'll preface this by saying you should do a whole squadron in an assembly fashion. So while I focused on one X Wing for the photos, you're best served doing each step to the whole group of three ships, then moving to the next step. If you are doing R&V's, you may want to think about doing a few at a clip.
So, start by getting the ships you're going to paint. If you're really feeling like doing a good job, you're going to look for any excess mold lines and the like. Sandpaper/knife/file/rub with fingernail those imperfections off. If the models are bent, feel free to get some water heated on the stove and warm the model up and bend it straight. If you do this, give your models some time to relax/cool/harden back. So take my X Wing I'm doing. I trimmed the S Foil Guns and bent the nose up flat. This step is up to you. I think it's worth the time spent.
Next, take the stirrers or Q Tips and cut the cotton off (when applicable). You may also want to put a little notch in the stick if you are doing non R&V ships. Those stands are definitely thicker than the R&V ones and may require some...pressure. From there, take your ship and wiggle the sticks onto the stand pegs. Make sure it's on tight... this sucker will remain on through the rest of the process. At this point, I'd recommend using a damp towel/cotton ball/exc with water or rubbing alcohol. Clean models will accept sharpie/paint/ ect better than ones slathered in your greasy fingerprints. Blow/wipe dry or just let them air dry. ultimately it needs to be clean AND dry before continuing.
Now, you get to paint OR wash*. I say this because if you want any details to be really bright through the process, you'll want the wash on first. I found this out after realizing how dark my green got on the X Wing. Let's just assume you don't mind if the colors go dark, and you'll sharpie first. Don't worry about mistakes, you can always use a dry erase marker to remove the sharpie as you go. Say you didn't like the darker green on the squadron. Just apply a dry erase marker to the unwanted color, and wipe off (no need to let it sit too long). Once you get the ship painted, walk away for a good hour or two. It needs time to dry, especially when applied to naked plastic. Remember when I said work in batches? This gives you time to let things dry. Also, try not to touch the ship if you can avoid it.
*- see conclusion notes
Once your ship is dry, you can apply the wash. Sadly, I didn't get a photo of the wash alone on the X Wing (d'oh!). So, you'll have to look at my Y Wings. The process is simple: Nuln oil can be applied as is or diluted. If you're afraid of a really dark ship, use some disposable cups and take a few drops of water and a few drops of the oil and mix it. A group of three squads literally only needs two brush-dips worth of the oil to complete. So don't make a huge batch unless you're going to power through a whole pack of ships or something. Basically you're goal is to coat the whole ship in the stuff, and if you see large pools of it in nooks, work it out of there. You can do this by drying your brush off and brushing the model again or just blowing on the models. A little of the stuff goes a long way. And don't forget the underside of the squad! The photo shows two Y's with the oil applied and one without along with a bag of Peanut MM's with no blue or greens left, an open bag of jelly beans (the wifey was busy for her sister's baby shower), and the bottom half of my wine glass (should have added that to the optional materials list!)
Once your wash has dried (you let them dry for an hour or two, right?), you can do detail touchups, like the red engine glow or the droid colors. Actually, as I messed around, I found lighter colors or things I wanted to remain bright were best applied post wash. Once you are happy, you're ready to lock in your paint job with matte sealant. You can get a matte clearcoat in aerosol in any hobby store. You'll need to mount your ships to a piece of cardboard with some tape to keep them in place. I typically shook the cardboard/blew on them to make sure the aerosol wouldn't move them around. The tip to ANY aerosol paint is to apply lightly in layers. I would spray them from one angle with a pass or two then rotate them and get them from another angle with another pass. If you're unsure, spay a super light coat, give it time to dry, then spray a 2nd light coat. Again, the photo is lousy of the X Wing, but check out those Jumpmasters!
You let them dry for at least 2 hours per the sealant's directions, right? Once they are sealed, assemble your squadrons and enjoy! Helpful things I learned from this are:
-You can cut the wash down a little. I had finished my X Wing and felt it was a little dark. When I tried out my work on a YT-1300 and white Jumpmaster, I tried a cut down wash. It still gets darker, but it keeps the tint closer to the original white plastic. This is super important when you wash something you've painted white and want to keep that color.
-You can apply wash first then color. I'd recommend keeping that for bright colors and highlights. Think engine glow, yellow droids, "metallic" colors. I'm unsure of how well the dry erase works in this case, but it should still work.
-If you want a White Jumpmaster for example, you can always go through the first steps, and before you paint or wash, you can prime with a white aerosol. Rustoleum paint found at your local Home Depot/Lowes works on these ships. The only catch is that once you sharpie, the dry erase trick doesn't work much at all. So if you mess up, clean the model, and re-prime.
-Speaking of cleaning... Simple Green should strip the model down to base with some time and elbow grease. Allegedly. I haven't tried it yet personally.
-You can sharpie over the matte finish. Say, if you don't think the engine glow is enough or want a sharp droid dot. However it will not be protected and can smudge.
-Alton Brown is wise... your patience will be rewarded with nearly every step to the process. The longer things dry between steps, the less likely you are to experience bleeding, specifically with using sharpies and then applying a wash or vice versa.
Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I plan on washing a lot of my old squads and coating all of them with the matte finish. I'm glad I took the next steps to the painting process.
