Glaze vs Ink

So today going to take a look at two different products that I have used for detailing the Dystopian Wars models.

Before Dystopia, I was pretty big into Flames of War, and in fact, still have several armies. One of the great products I found at the time that really brought out the detail of the models was Vellejo's Black Glaze. It comes out in this thick goopy substance, and my first thought was, WTF?? Thankfully though, I was instructed in its use beforehand. Basically, you put a small glob of it on your palette.Then, take your brush, dip it in water, then into the goop, and apply to the model. From there, keep dipping your brush into water and then back to the model until the glaze has been thinned out. It does a fantastic job of black lining all of the crevices on the small scale models. What I really like about it, is that when done correctly, it doesn't color the paint very much. Obviously, if you put it on thick, it will, but if done right, it only fills the lines. Small warning though about the glaze, if you use too much water, it tends to actually white line the areas instead. Don't ask me how, I'm not a scientist, I just know it happens.

I've also used AP's strong tone ink recently. Now it is more of a traditional ink and does indeed color the paint as well as provide the dark detail lines. It too can be thinned down with water, but not nearly the same as with the black glaze. AP's ink is a different product than their strong tone dip. It does not leave a shiny film over the paint like the dip does, and it drys like a normal ink (unlike the 24hrs you typically need for the dip). I also own their normal ink as well (I think..or is it the light ink?). I may try it on one of the next models to see how much it darkens. On small models like these, I think having solid dark lines really brings out the details. I'm a bit worried that a lighter shade of ink will not line as well.

Above are three models nearly ready for the final detail process. The frigate on the left is going to receive the black glaze as I don't want to darken the colors. The other two models will receive the ink in order to tone down the brightness of the red and bone. I should get these done by this evening and will hopefully be able to add an updated image. As it is a holiday weekend though, I make no promises.