Xpress Desert Ochre Acrylic

The Desert Ochre shade

Desert Ochre is an ocher tone turned toward sand from the Xpress Color acrylic line by Vallejo. Ocher is a color that does a great deal of work on a figure: a desert cloak, a canvas tent, ropes, a wooden handle and dry soil on a base all move in exactly this band. The shade gets along well with brown and gray tones, so it can be combined without the scene looking motley.

How the Xpress Color line works

The line relies on a single coat. The paint has a low consistency, spreads over the surface and the surplus finds its own way into the hollows. In the folds of cloth, between the strands of a rope and in the grooves of wood more of it therefore stays and the area darkens there, whereas on the raised places only a weak film is left and the paint looks lighter. That difference makes the shadow. The covering is partial, so the color of the ground has a say in the result too.

Application tips

• It does not have to be thinned and can be applied straight from the container.
• Stir the contents of the container before work, as the pigment settles at the bottom.
• It works best on a white or light gray ground.
• Draw the brush briskly and without going back, or the shadow will smear.
• Draw an excess puddle in a hollow off with a dry brush before the paint has dried.

Terms of supply

A container of paint as described is supplied. A figure, brushes, a ground and thinner are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise. For thinning, cleaning the tools and storage, follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging.