My Laughable Painting Attempts

[Bison]

Looking good.

Red, yellow, and white are all very translucent colors so they tend to show the colors underneath. I suspect what you are seeing is your "salt and pepper" white/black base coat still showing through your paint. So yes, sometimes it takes three layers especially if you are thinning your paints. Thin your paints. Once you move onto zenithal highlighting, you can use the undercoat as shade/highlight technique.

The key is not to be overly critical and just learn from the process. No matter what they will still be the best painted Oni on your table.

[BanzaiCat]

Thanks guys, I'll do that. 

[Bison]

If I were you, I would invest in some Citadel washes. They are IMHO the best shades on the market. The washes are easier to work with than inks because they are much more forgiving to new painter mistakes. They pop out details with minimal effort. I recommend the following colors: Agrax Earthshade, Rekland Flesh, and Nuln Oil. You can add colors based on your pallet but these cover most situations when starting out. I actually only use the famous Nuln Oil on silver metals and grey colors. It's black and really overly darkens other colors. 

I know a lot of people love the Army Painter "tone" washes but I have never used them and cannot speak to their effectiveness. I have used Vallejo washes and hate them but I do love Vallejo inks.

[Undercovergeek]

Citadel all the way - the 3 mentioned plus seraphim sepia for a lighter brown wash

[BanzaiCat]

I already bought some washes - though they're Vallejo/Game Wash. Got them a couple of weeks ago. Hoping they'll be good enough.

[Bison]

I already bought some washes - though they're Vallejo/Game Wash. Got them a couple of weeks ago. Hoping they'll be good enough.

Hopefully, you have a better experience with them than I did. The washes left drying rings last time I used them. But people do use them all the time without the issues I had.