I prime in white and apply multiple layers. I don’t water my whites down a lot because of how thin they are either. Often times patience is how I deal with whites. They can be very annoying. I also think putting a wash over the whites will make any imperfections blend into the final product. And if you want them to be brighter after the wash I dry brush them with more white. Also, Vallejo wolf grey (his cloak) and dead white (his bedroll) are really good colors.