Review: AK’s new Acrylic Washes

I’m testing the 18 new acrylic washes from AK with the blue cap. Easiest, fastest, and most effective shading – that’s what the marketing promises. Also, loads of realistic brown tones, and you can never have enough brown washes. But can AK’s new washes really do something the others can’t? We’ll find out in this review, with a big comparison of the most popular brands like Citadel and The Army Painter, and of course the old Deep Shade washes from AK that they’re meant to replace.

In this video I’ve got three things for you: First, I walk you through all 18 washes from AK’s new acrylic washes range. I share my experiences and tell you what I liked and what I didn’t. Second, I’ve got a comparison with the most popular brands out there, and the previous generation of Deep Shade washes from AK. Third, you get my conclusion and a recommendation, so you know at the end of the video whether the washes might be an upgrade to your paint collection – or not. Because hobby time is far too precious to waste with subpar paints, right?

What you need to know about AK’s new acrylic washes

Okay, before we start, here are some brief hard facts: The new 2026 acrylic washes in dropper bottles replace the older Deep Shade washes that came in jars (check my review of those here). The bottles contain 18ml like AK’s other miniature paints. The recently released Quick Gen paints had red caps, and the new acrylic washes have blue caps so they’re easy to identify. There are 18 washes in total, there is a little bit of everything but with an emphasis on brown colours. You can buy them in this complete set or individually, they’re the same affordable price as AK 3rd Gen paints.

Testing AK’s black and grey washes

I’m now going through all 18 washes one by one and let you know what I think. Let’s start with the black tones. There are three of them: AK Black Night is a classic black wash, AK Obsidian Holt is somewhat more of a softer grey, and AK Dark Grey is a dark blue-grey wash.

I’ve primed one of my Stahly test models white, and in the video you can see how the washes behave on a model. I’ve applied AK Black Night straight over the white primer. I think the wash flows well into the crevices of the sculpt. The viscosity, meaning the fluidity of the wash, is balanced I’d say. The current Citadel Shade paints and Warpaints Fanatic washes have a somewhat higher surface tension, so they’re a bit runnier.

And here’s the result. The wash has settled nicely into the recesses, bringing out plenty of detail, and the staining on smooth areas is not too bad. The finish is a soft matte, not completely flat, but still quite matte. Actually, the finish is identical to Quick Gen, which is AK’s Contrast and Speedpaint-like “one coat” paint. I’m very certain that the new washes are based on the Quick Gen formula. Quick Gen comes in three intensity levels, and the low intensity Quick Gen paints feel pretty much identical to the new AK washes.

Here you can see a comparison of AK Obsidian Holt wash and Quick Gen Space Grey. Obviously, the colour is different, but finish and intensity are pretty much the same.

AK’s brown washes: Light tones for skin and rust effects

Now we know how the washes perform. But I promised you there would be loads of brown tones, so now we’re looking at those more closely, and I also do a comparison with Citadel, Warpaints Fanatic, and Pro Acryl washes.

Let’s start with the light brown tones. AK Dirtveil is a light beige wash, quite soft but has opaque pigments mixed in. Then we have two rust washes. The lighter one is more of an orange sepia tone like Seraphim Sepia from GW, and then there’s also a darker version.

Here is the AK Standard Rust wash on a model. As you can see, it’s a quite realistic hue of orange and brown. I find this colour perfect for rust effects because while it’s orange, it’s not too orange. Then we have AK Hazel Brown and AK Sepia Filth, two light, medium warm brown washes. These two are almost identical. AK Hazel Brown is only marginally lighter. You probably don’t need both washes, I reckon I’d go for the slightly darker AK Sepia Filth. It’s probably the best option for Caucasian skin in this set, as there is no classic reddish-brown flesh wash like Reikland Fleshshade. AK Crimson Veil might be the closest thing, but it has a stronger red tint so I would rather use it for shading red rather than flesh tones.

Dark brown washes

Then we have three more dark brown washes in the range. First, AK Rotwood Brown. This is supposed to be AK’s answer to Agrax Earthshade, probably the most popular wash in the Citadel range. I’ll compare this on test models for you in a moment. Then there is AK Woodgrain Wash, which is a somewhat more reddish brown, also very well suited for dark skin. Last but not least, AK Pure Grime, which is more of a greenish-brown mud colour.

Now, before we get to the comparison, let me say that pretty much all of the brown AK washes are useful and quite distinctive. For years, I’ve been testing all the new hobby paint releases, and while there are already many brown washes out there, AK has managed to find some new brown hues that other manufacturers don’t have. And you can never have enough brown washes, right. So, if you already have a lot of browns in your collection and are wondering which of the AK washes would be a good addition, take a look at my 11-in-1 acrylic washes chart. There I have professional, hand-painted samples from pretty much all hobby paint brands, including Games Workshop, Army Painter and Vallejo washes. The new AK washes are included in a free update if you already own the chart.

This hand-painted comparison chart is available in my Patreon shop for a small donation (or by becoming an Autarch tier member). I also have swatches for Citadel Colour, Vallejo Game Color, Warpaints Fanatic, and Two Thin Coats – all cross-compatible with each other so you can compare colours across different brands. Check out my shop for details.

I’m also adding the washes to my AK 3rd Gen swatch for free. If you don’t have the charts yet, please have a look at my Patreon. With my swatches you’ll never have to accidentally buy the wrong colours again.

Comparison: AK vs Citadel vs Army Painter vs Pro Acryl

For the comparison, I got AK Rotwood Brown, Agrax Earthshade, WPF Strong Tone Wash from The Army Painter, and Pro Acryl Brown Wash.

We’ll start with AK Rotwood Brown. As with the black wash, the flow properties are great and well-balanced between runniness and control. And there’s Agrax Earthshade from GW. I don’t know, somehow my pot of Agrax is richer and darker than I feel it should be. Is your Agrax Earthshade different? Please write it in the comments for me. In the video, you can see Nuln Oil for comparison, so you know what I mean. I’d say this is more representative of the Citadel Shade range than my pot of Agrax since Games Workshop changed the formula of their Shade paints in 2022. Next for the comparison, I’ve got WPF Strong Tone Wash. The Warpaints Fanatic washes flow almost by themselves into the recesses. Finally, Pro Acryl Brown Wash. I had to work more with the brush to guide the wash into the recesses. Brown Wash has more body and is comparatively thicker.

Here are the results. AK Rotwood Brown has a very similar tone to Agrax Earthshade. I think it’s brilliant how beautifully the wash has settled into the recesses and how smooth and evenly it dried on the flat areas. Agrax left a significantly more intense and somewhat patchy shading. It’s also more satin. But as I mentioned, my pot of Agrax is quite strong and not 100% representative of the entire Citadel Shade range. The Fanatic Strong Tone wash has also done a very good job. The tone is somewhat more yellowish and the finish is as satin as Citadel. Last but not least, Pro Acryl. This has the strongest tint, and despite its thickness it created some nice gradients. I also really like the brown tone, which leans somewhat more towards magenta.

Testing AK’s coloured washes

Now you know how the AK washes compare to the other brands: a more matte finish and a balanced shading profile. So far, so good, but there are still the more colourful washes and the question of how the new AK washes perform compared to the Deep Shade washes they’re replacing.

So for the coloured washes we have a somewhat limited selection. There is AK Carmine Dawn, a bright pink wash, AK Invocation Purple, a purple wash that is somewhat more muted than Druchii Violet; then AK Blue Moon, which is very similar to Drakenhof Nightshade. AK Verdigris is a light blue-grey, rather muted compared to other Verdigris washes on the market like Nihilakh Oxide. AK Putrid Green is a cold green wash. It goes in the direction of Coelia Greenshade, and then there’s a warmer green wash, too.

New vs old: How do AK’s 2026 washes compare to Deep Shade?

Now if you’ve used the old Deep Shade washes from AK, you might have noticed that some colours have been carried over into the new range. I’ll test now whether there are differences between old and new. Let’s start with the old Blue Moon, which was a relatively light, soft blue-grey. And then the old Carmine Dawn, a very intense pink. Now come the new versions. You can already see when applying that the new AK Blue Moon is a much darker blue. And the flow properties of the old washes are different – as I mentioned, the new washes are more like the low intensity Quick Gen paints.

And here they are in their dried state. As you can see, the old and new washes are indeed quite different. This carries through to the other washes with the same names. For example, the old Black Night had a black-brown tone, whilst the new AK Black Night is a pure black. So if you’ve enjoyed using the old Deep Shade washes, you should stock up now whilst there is still remaining stock available. By the way, my 11-in-1 acrylic washes chart and the AK 3rd Gen chart also contain the old Deep Shade washes, so you can compare old and new yourself.

Where to get

You can find the latest hobby products at our 🇬🇧/🇪🇺 partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Firestorm Games, at 🇩🇪 Taschengelddieb and PK-Pro, and at 🇺🇸 Noble Knight Games with a welcome discount of up to 10 – 15% over RRP. Using our links helps to support Tale of Painters at no additional cost to you, so thank you very much for using them!

I hope you found this review helpful, feel free to leave a reaction or comment below, or post your questions here or discuss on our Discord channel.