Glazing

Glazing uses paint thinned much more than a normal basecoat but less aggressively than a wash, mixed with a glaze medium or plain water so it stays translucent rather than pooling only in recesses. Each thin layer barely changes the color underneath, so painters build up the effect over several coats rather than trying to get it right in one pass.

This technique is used to shift a color's hue without starting over, for example warming a highlight with a thin red-orange glaze, or to soften a harsh line left between two layering steps by blending them together. Because it changes tone gradually and predictably, it gives more control than trying to mix and blend wet paint directly on the model.

Patience and thin paint are the key requirements, glazing with paint that is too thick just recreates a normal, opaque layer and defeats the purpose. A common mistake is applying a glaze before the layer underneath is fully dry, which lifts and drags the existing paint instead of sitting cleanly on top of it.