why do you add ditergent and glue to ink washes anyone know beacause it would help me
;Y

You add detergent because it breaks the surface tension and discourages pooling. Never heard of adding glue, but I imagine it would be done for the same reason. A great additive for washes is Future Floor Wax. You'll find lots of threads about it if you search the Painting Forum.

As Affe said, it is to lower the surface tension. Both detergent and PVA acheive the same effect.

If you dip a paintbrush in water, and deposit a drop on a non-porous surface, a saucer, tile etc, you will see it forms a droplet. If you repeat the above with water and detergent, you will the water spreads out on the surface. The same happens on your model and the result is a more even coverage, rather than "pooling" in the recesses.

Instead of adding detergent to break surface tension you can use it to your advantage to get into the crevices better. You can then use a second brush that is dry to soak up the excess. Use slow spinning motion and wick away the extra ink. I have found that this technique works great and saves you from making errors when mixing detergent and offers you more control.

Going to close this thread, as the appropriate place to post this thread is in the Painting forum, and you posted a duplicate there. Please don't post duplicate threads in the future; stick to one. :) Thanks.

~Closed.