I’ve just added two videos for how to paint the Aeldar Autarch Death Spinner, as you can see in the photograph above and below. The videos are a little bit different in that the Wraithbone effect is painted first and then I just paint over it with the black shiny effect! I explain a little bit about why this happened in the videos.

If you are logged in and a full member of the website, watch these two videos, here! (You can not be a member and just read the guide, I don’t mind)

Video – Autarch Death Spinner Wraithbone

Materials Needed

• Base Paints: Games Workshop Dryad Bark
• Layer Paints: Games Workshop Baneblade Brown, Karak Stone, Morghast Bone, Ushabti Bone, Screaming Skull
• Highlight Paints: Games Workshop Evil Sunz Scarlet, Sotek Green, Warpstone Glow, P3 Morrow White (or any white paint)
• Brushes: Fine detail brushes for texture and highlight application
• Palette: For mixing and thinning your paints
• Water: For thinning paints to the desired consistency

Step 1: Base Coating

1. Start with a Black Base: Ensure your miniature is primed in black. This will deepen the subsequent layers of paint, adding to the aged effect.
2. Apply Dryad Bark: Cover the entire weapon in a layer of Dryad Bark. This dark brown serves as a rich foundation for the wraithbone texture.

Step 2: Layering

1. First Layer with Baneblade Brown: Apply Baneblade Brown over the Dryad Bark, focusing on the areas that will catch light. Don’t worry about perfect coverage; the slight translucency adds to the texture.
2. Add Karak Stone Highlights: Layer Karak Stone over the Baneblade Brown, enhancing the lighter areas and beginning to define the wraithbone texture. Again, embrace the paint’s translucency to build depth.

Step 3: Texture and Detailing

1. Fine Texture with Morghast Bone: Use Morghast Bone to start adding fine, squiggly textures resembling weathered bone. Use the very tip of your brush and light pressure to create jagged, circular shapes.
2. Enhance Texture with Ushabti Bone: Increase the texture’s visibility by applying Ushabti Bone, focusing on shadowed areas and blending into the lighter sections for a smooth transition.
3. Highlight with Screaming Skull: Apply Screaming Skull sparingly to the most raised areas and edges to simulate light reflecting off the bone’s surface. This layer should be thin and focused.

Step 4: Final Highlights and Corrections

1. Bright Highlights with White: Use P3 Morrow White (or any white paint) diluted with water to add final touches to the texture, focusing on the highest points and sharpest edges. This step brings out the detail and adds a sense of dimension to the wraithbone.
2. Adjust Texture and Contrast: If necessary, go back with previous colours to adjust the texture and contrast. This could mean softening too-bright areas with Screaming Skull or Ushabti Bone or deepening shadows with Morghast Bone.

Step 5: Adding Colour and Detail

1. Apply Evil Sunz Scarlet: For the weapon’s energy filaments, start with a base of Evil Sunz Scarlet. Draw fine lines to mimic lightning or energy crackling from one end to the other.
2. Mix in White for Highlights: Gradually add white to your Evil Sunz Scarlet to lighten the colour for the highlights. Focus these lighter shades towards the base (or top, depending on orientation) of the energy filaments, creating a gradient effect.
3. Incorporate Sotek Green and Warpstone Glow: To add a unique touch and colour variation, introduce Sotek Green and Warpstone Glow sparingly into the wraithbone texture. This can simulate moss or growth, adding to the ancient appearance. Use these greens lightly to avoid overwhelming the bone texture.

Painting a wraithbone texture on your Aeldari Autarch Deathspinner involves a delicate balance of layering, texture creation, and strategic highlighting. By following these steps and adjusting based on your model’s specific details and your personal preference, you can achieve a beautifully aged, textured effect that stands out on the battlefield. Remember, the key to this technique is patience and layering; build your colours gradually for the most natural and detailed result.

Video – How to Paint the Aeldar Autarch Death Spinner (Black)

Materials Needed

• Base Paint: Vallejo Model Color Black
• Highlight Paints: Vallejo Basalt Grey, and any white paint (I’ve used P3 Morrow White, but any white will do)
• Mixing Palette: For creating various shades of grey
• Fine Detail Brushes: For precise application of highlights
• Water: For thinning paints

Step by Step Guide

Step 1: Base Coating

1. Prepare the Miniature: Ensure your Autarch Deathspinner model is clean, primed, and ready for painting. If you’ve previously painted it, as I have, ensure the model is painted over in Vallejo Model Color Black. This provides a flat, non-satin finish that’s perfect as a canvas for our shiny black effect.

Step 2: Planning Your Highlights

1. Observe the Model: Look at the shapes and details of the model. Identify areas that will naturally catch the light, such as edges, raised surfaces, and textures. The Deathspinner has a mix of flat and curved surfaces, which will influence our highlight placement.
2. Create a Gradient Palette: Mix Vallejo Basalt Grey with black to create several shades of grey, from dark to light. Also, prepare a mix with white to create lighter greys. These will be used to build up the highlights gradually.

Step 3: Applying the Highlights

1. Start with Mid-Tones: Begin highlighting with a mid-tone grey, not the darkest shade. This helps in mapping out the highlights clearly without committing to high contrast immediately. Apply this mid-tone grey to areas you’ve identified as natural light catchers.
2. Increase Contrast: Gradually work your way up through the shades of grey you’ve mixed, moving towards the lighter greys and eventually white. Focus on smaller areas within the already highlighted sections to create a sense of light reflecting off a shiny surface.
3. Edge Highlighting: Use fine detail brushes to apply edge highlights meticulously. This step is crucial for defining the shapes and textures of the model, making them stand out against the black base.

Step 4: Refining the Highlights

1. Adjust the Highlights: If any area looks too grey or the contrast isn’t high enough, go back in with your darker greys or black to redefine the shadows. This step is about balancing the overall look to maintain the illusion of a shiny black surface.
2. Glazing: Mix a glaze using Vallejo Model Color Black thinned down with water. Use this to subtly adjust the intensity of your highlights and shadows, smoothing out transitions and ensuring that the black remains the dominant colour.

Step 5: Final Touches

1. Sharpening Highlights: For the brightest points, use white or a very light grey to add final touches. These should be very small, focused on the most prominent areas where light would naturally be most intense.
2. Cleanup: Review your model and clean up any areas where the paint may have overstepped. Use black to correct any mistakes and sharpen the edges.

Watch all the tutorials for my Aeldari Autarch

Aeldari Autarch (Eldritch Omens)

A series of videos on how I painted my Aeldari Autarch (Eldritch Omens). This includes the pearlescent NMM armour, the soulstones, sword and Death Spinner(s).

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