Starting my series of video tutorials on How to Paint a Skaventide Grey Seer! I plan to paint many of the skaven from the box and provide videos for them, with the intention of having a painted army! It will be a challenge!

Don’t worry though, I will be carrying on with Golden Demon entry pieces at the same time. I’ve also just got another Nagash model, which should be exciting….

Video: How to Build a Skaventide Grey Seer

How to Build a Skaventide Grey Seer – Step by Step

Gather Your Tools: You’ll need Godhand clippers (or similar), a scalpel, Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, and sprue glue (Tamiya Extra Thin Cement mixed with plastic sprue bits).
Clean Your Model: Carefully clip out all the model pieces. Use your scalpel to scrape away any mould lines, always angling the blade away from the direction you’re moving to avoid cutting into the model. Take your time with this step.
Remove Push-Fit Connections: Even though the model is push-fit, I cut off the connection points to avoid gaps and make painting easier. This makes for a cleaner fit.

Assembly:

Dry Fit: Before gluing, dry fit the pieces together to make sure everything lines up correctly.
Glue Main Body: Apply a small amount of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement to the connection points and join the pieces together. Use gentle pressure to ensure a tight fit.
Leave the Head: Don’t glue the head yet, as this will make painting easier.

Gap Filling:

Identify Gaps: Look for any gaps or seams in the model where the pieces join.
Apply Sprue Glue: Carefully apply sprue glue to the gaps, being careful not to get any on areas you don’t want to fill. Use the tip of your scalpel to guide the glue and remove any excess.
Smooth Out: Once the sprue glue is dry, use a fine file or sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges.
Your Grey Seer model is now ready for priming and painting!

Additional Tips:

• Work in a well-ventilated area as the glues and paints can be toxic.
• If you accidentally get sprue glue somewhere you don’t want it, you can try to quickly remove it with extra thin cement.
• Take your time and don’t rush the process. The more care you take in the preparation stages, the better the final result will be.
• If you’re painting a whole army, consider cutting some corners to save time, but still aim for a neat and tidy finish.

Video: How to Paint a Skaventide Grey Seer Part One

Paints and Materials

Paints:

• Games Workshop:
  • Rhinox Hide
  • Mournfang Brown
  • XV-88
  • Dechalla Lilac
  • Balor Brown
  • Morghast Bone
  • Troll Slayer Orange
  • Sotek Green
  • Moot Green
  • Khorne Red
  • Sybarite Green
• Two Thin Coats:
  • Dark Sun Yellow
• Vallejo:
  • Model Colour Black
  • Neutral Grey
• P3:
  • Morrow White

Other Materials:

• Airbrush:
  • For applying the initial base coats of Rhinox Hide, Mournfang Brown, and XV-88. If you don’t have an airbrush, a rattle can can be used as a substitute.
• Wet Palette:
  • To keep paints from drying out and for mixing colours.
• Brushes:
  • I use a selection of Artist Opus brushes, such as a size 1 Artis Opus brush for the robes and a smaller brush for details like runes and rivets. Choose brushes that are appropriate for the level of detail you want to achieve.

How to Paint a Skaventide Grey Seer – Step by Step

Base Coating:

1. Prime: Start by priming the entire model black.
2. Airbrush Base Coats: Use an airbrush to apply a coat of Rhinox Hide over the entire model. Then, focus a bit more on the head area with Mournfang Brown. Finally, spray XV-88 towards the head to create a focal point and raise the overall brightness. If you don’t have an airbrush, you can use a rattle can instead.

How to Paint a Skaventide Grey Seer Horns:

1. Paint Transition: Start with Morghast Bone on the tips of the horns, then blend in XV-88, Mournfang Brown, Rhinox Hide, and finally black. Overload your brush with thinned-down paint (1:1 ratio of water to paint) and blend as you go along.
2. Multiple Coats: Apply multiple coats to achieve smooth transitions, especially near the base of the horns.
3. Refine Details (Optional): Once dry, you can go back and pick out details on the horns with a smaller brush.

Skin and Fur:

1. Base Coat: Begin with Neutral Grey, then use a red to paint the nose, blend around the eyes, and fill in any gaps.
2. Highlight: Mix Neutral Grey with increasing amounts of white and apply in layers, starting with a small amount of white and gradually adding more for brighter highlights.
3. Refine Later: Don’t worry about making it perfect at this stage. You can refine the details later.

Eyes:

1. Black Base: Paint the entire eye area black, including the recesses.
2. Moot Green Iris: Paint two-thirds of the eye with Moot Green, leaving the area under the eyebrow black.
3. Black Pupil: If needed, use black paint to create a pupil in the centre of the eye.
4. White Highlight: Add a small dot of white to the top of the iris for a shine. You can also add a small highlight with Morghast Bone in the bottom right of the eye.

Teeth:

1. XV-88 Base (If Needed): If the teeth aren’t already brown, apply XV-88 as a base coat.
2. Morghast Bone Highlight: Paint the upper teeth with Morghast Bone, focusing on the top curve. Paint the very tips of the lower teeth.
3. White Tips (Optional): For extra brightness, add a touch of white to the very tips of the teeth.

• Feel free to experiment with different brush sizes and paint consistencies to achieve the desired effect.
• Remember to work in a well-ventilated area, as the paints and solvents can be toxic.
• Don’t worry if the model doesn’t look perfect at this stage. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to refine it in the next steps.

Robes:

1. Mixes: Create three mixes on your wet palette:
   • Challa Lilac
   • Challa Lilac mixed with P3 Morrow White
   • Challa Lilac mixed with Rhinox Hide
2. Apply Base Coat: Apply the Challa Lilac and Rhinox Hide mix as the base coat for the robes.
3. Highlight: Use the Challa Lilac mix to highlight raised areas, focusing on light placement and texture. You can add more white to the mix for brighter highlights.
4. Layer: Build up layers of the highlight mix, gradually increasing the brightness.
5. Optional Details: For a higher-level finish, spend more time adding texture and refining highlights.

Sword:

1. Highlight Shine: Use a light grey (Neutral Grey mixed with white) to paint a shine spot on the blade.
2. Base Coat the Blade: Cover the rest of the blade with Rhinox Hide, including the areas around the runes.

Metal Details:

1. Glaze Black: Glaze the recesses and darker areas of the metal parts with watered-down black paint to increase contrast.
2. Scratches and Marks: Use a small brush to add scratches and marks with Neutral Grey, focusing on the darker areas.
3. Rivets (Optional): Paint the rivets with metallic colours and add bounce highlights for extra detail.

Rust:

1. Stipple Rust: Stipple Mournfang Brown and Troll Slayer Orange onto the blade of the dagger, avoiding the runes.
2. Rune Base Coat: Paint the runes with Balor Brown or a mix of Two Thin Coats Dark Sun Yellow and Two Thin Coats Scorched Earth.

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