A series showing how to paint a Blood Bowl Vampire from the new Vampire Blood Bowl team, which Games Workshop sent me as an early review copy.

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Video: How to Paint a Blood Bowl Vampire: Part One

This video focuses on the NMM armour and the wing arm.

Materials Needed:

• Primer: Black
• Paints: Games Workshop: Rhinox Hide, Pink Horror, Sotek Green; Vallejo’s Neutral Grey, Ice Yellow
  P3: Morrow White
• Brushes: Various sizes, including a worn-out size two for broader strokes and a finer Artist Opus size 00 for details

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Priming

• Start by priming your Blood Bowl Vampire miniature with a black primer. Ensure an even coat to provide a solid base for your paint layers.

Step 2: Painting the Wing Arm

• Begin with the wing arm, using Sotek Green mixed with Pink Horror. Apply this mix following the direction of the wing’s fingers to create a natural flow and texture.
• Gradually add Ice Yellow to the mix for the middle sections of the wing, enhancing the texture and giving depth to the wing membranes.
• Maintain long, directional brush strokes for a consistent and textured appearance, allowing some of the black primer to show through for natural shadows.

Step 3: Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) Armor

• Mix Neutral Grey with a small amount of Rhinox Hide to start creating the base for the NMM effect on the armour.
• Apply this mix to the armor plates, focusing on creating light volumes and highlights. Use a worn-out brush for a more natural, scratchy texture.
• Enhance the NMM effect by adding more Rhinox Hide to the mix for deeper shades and Ice Yellow for brighter highlights. Focus these highlights on areas where light naturally hits the armour, such as the top of the shoulder pads and helmet.
• Use finer brushes for detailed scratch marks and edge highlights to define the armor plates further.

Step 4: Refining Details

• Go back to areas that need more definition or contrast. Use your lighter and darker mixes to refine the textures and highlights on both the wings and armour.
• Pay special attention to edges and areas that would naturally catch more light, increasing contrast and depth.

Step 5: Final Touches

• For the final touches, use Morrow White to add extreme highlights where the light would be strongest, such as the edges of armor plates and the tips of the wings.
• Keep refining until you are satisfied with the contrast and depth.

Video: How to Paint a Blood Bowl Vampire: Part Two

The video focuses on the rest of the model, including the wing, skin, dress shirt etc.

Materials Needed:

• Brushes: Various sizes for different details
• Paints (Games Workshop): Rhinox Hide, Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Wild Rider Red, Sotek Green, Pink Horror, Mournfang Brown, XV-88, Balor Brown, Kislev Flesh
• Paints (Vallejo): Neutral Grey, Ice Yellow
• Paint (P3): Morrow White

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Cloak and Red Details

• Start by blocking in the cloak and other red details using Mephiston Red. For a darker base, mix Mephiston Red with Rhinox Hide.
• Focus on creating a vibrant red, remembering that areas under shadows or covered by other parts (like wings) will have less visible bright highlights.
• For a consistent look across the model, consider painting all red elements (cloak, necktie, etc.) in similar shades.

Step 2: Armour Panels

• The armour panels are painted to appear weathered. Use Neutral Grey as a base, then layer with lighter greys and whites to create a worn look.
• Avoid bright, shiny finishes, aiming for a contrast between the smoothness of the cloak and the ruggedness of the armour.

Step 3: Skin Tones

• Mix Sotek Green with Pink Horror for the base skin colour, aiming for a slightly greyish tone.
• Layer with increasing amounts of Pink Horror and Ice Yellow for highlights, ensuring a gradual transition for a natural look.

Step 4: Dress Shirt

• Use Demonet Hide as a base for the dress shirt, covering all visible parts.
• Progressively lighten the shirt using Ice Yellow mixed with Demonet Hide, finishing with pure Ice Yellow and Morrow White for the brightest highlights.
• Ensure all recesses are filled with Demonet Hide to avoid harsh contrasts.

Step 5: Wing Membranes

• Initially, create a textured effect on the wings using Pink Horror mixed with Ice Yellow. Apply in parallel lines, paying attention to the curvature of the wings.
• For a smoother finish, blend over these lines with a mix of the base vampire skin colour, softening the texture.
• Paint the wing membranes with Sotek Green, adding patterns in a loose, random fashion for a chaotic look.

Step 6: Ball

• Start with a base of Rhinox Hide, followed by stippling Mournfang Brown and XV-88 for texture. Finish with lighter highlights in XV-88 mixed with Ice Yellow and finally pure Ice Yellow.
• Add a bounce highlight on the underside to add depth and realism.

Step 7: Metallic Rings

• Paint the metallic rings starting with Mournfang Brown, followed by XV-88 for the primary highlight.
• Use a mix of Balor Brown and Ice Yellow for subsequent highlights, finishing with Morrow White for the brightest points.
• Pay attention to edge highlights and add small details on the spikes and rivets for added realism.

Video: How to Paint a Blood Bowl Vampire: Part Three

This video looks at how to paint his red cloak.

Materials Needed:

• Brushes: Size 3 Artist Opus M brush or similar
• Paints (Games Workshop): Rhinox Hide, Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Wild Rider Red

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Base Coat

• Begin with a base coat of Mephiston Red mixed 50/50 with Rhinox Hide. This creates a deep, dark red that will serve as both a shadow and a base for building highlights.
• Apply this mix over the entire cloak. Note that while it appears vividly red when wet, it dries to a darker, more desaturated shade.

Step 2: Highlighting

• After the base coat dries, apply Mephiston Red to highlight the raised areas of the cloak. This paint appears bright when wet but dulls as it dries.
• Aim for a smooth finish with no texture, contrasting nicely against any textured armour on the model.
• Use multiple coats for an opaque finish, ensuring a solid base for further highlights.

Step 3: Blending

• For a seamless transition, blend Mephiston Red into the shadowed areas, gradually merging into the darker base.
• Use slightly thinner paint for this step, allowing for smooth transitions.
• Focus on maintaining a balance between the bright highlights and darker base.

Step 4: Deepening Shadows

• Enhance the shadows by applying Rhinox Hide to the deepest parts of the cloak, increasing contrast.
• Avoid using straight black for shadows, as it can appear too harsh.

Step 5: Further Highlighting with Evil Sunz Scarlet

• Apply Evil Sunz Scarlet to the brightest parts of the cloak, using a 50/50 water to paint mix initially.
• Increase the opacity with additional layers, focusing on the top of the cloak where light naturally hits.
• Blend this brighter red into the Mephiston Red for smooth transitions.

Step 6: Finishing Touches

• If desired, take the highlights further with Wild Rider Red, applying it sparingly to the sharpest creases and edges for emphasis.
• Avoid using Wild Rider Red on large, smooth areas to prevent the cloak from appearing pink.

More Vampires and Undead Tutorials to Explore!

Vampires and Undead

How to Paint a Skeleton with Glowing Eyes

April 17, 2024This is another video looking at Sekhar the vampire, this time focusing on how to paint a skeleton with glowing eyes for the model on her base. This video looks at the skeleton, how to paint his glowing eyes, sword and bones etc. The whole model is covered! Video: How to Paint a Skeleton with Glowing Eyes Materials needed: Skeleton ModelPriming spray (I’ve used black!) Brushes:I use the Artist Opus range of brushesFine detail brushMedium-sized brushLarge brush (optional, for basecoating larger areas) Wet Palette (for mixing and thinning paints)Varnish (to protect the finished paint job) Paints:All paints mentioned are from Games Workshop’s Citadel range. Yriel Yellow Moot Green Balor Brown Morghast Bone Screaming Skull Mournfang Brown XV-88 Rhinox Hide Other Materials: Rocks or pebblesFoliage (such as static grass or miniature leaves)Sand or texture paste (for ground texture)Super glue (for attaching basing materials)Water (for thinning paints)Paper towels or cloth to ensure your brushes are totally clean! How to Paint a Skeleton with Glowing Eyes – Step 1: Priming Prime your model with a suitable undercoat. Black is recommended as it provides a good base for both the glowing effects and the shadowed recesses of the skeleton. Step 2: Base Coating Skeleton: Apply a thin base coat of XV-88 over the entire skeleton. Ensure the paint is thinned with water to maintain detail. Eyes: Start by painting the eye sockets with Kimera White. Given the deep recesses, apply multiple thin layers to build up a solid white base. Patience is key here to avoid a textured look. Step 3: Adding Depth to Eyes Mix Yriel Yellow with Kimera White to create a pale yellow. Carefully fill in the eye sockets, leaving the deepest part still white to simulate glow. Gradually add more Yriel Yellow towards the front of the eye sockets, intensifying the colour as you move forwards. Define the edges of the sockets with Moot Green to enhance the glow effect, blending it slightly into the yellow for a smooth transition. Step 4: Skeletal Detailing General Bone Texture: Lightly dry brush the skeleton with a mixture of Mournfang Brown and XV-88 to bring out the texture. Enhanced Details: Use Morghast Bone to highlight edges and raised details across the bones. Deepening Shadows: Mix Rhinox Hide with a small amount of black to create shadows in the deeper recesses and under the bones for added depth. Step 5: Sword and Metallic Effects Base Coat: Apply Neutral Grey as a base for the sword and any metallic elements. Weathering: Add scratch effects using Troll Slayer Orange mixed with Mournfang Brown to simulate rust and age. Highlights: Use Screaming Skull to pick out edges and features, giving the impression of worn, yet still sharp, metal. Step 6: Final Touches Refining Glows: Go back to the eyes, adding pure Yriel Yellow to the centres and intensifying the green at the edges if necessary. Blending and Smoothing: Use glazes of the base colours to smooth out transitions and unify the appearance, particularly around the eye sockets and on the sword to blend the rust effects. Contrasting Details: For a final layer of detail, use Screaming Skull to highlight teeth, knuckles, and other small bone protrusions, adding a subtle layer of Rhinox Hide for ageing. Step 7: Sealing the Model Once fully satisfied with your painting, seal the model with a matte varnish to protect your work and reduce any unwanted shininess, ensuring the skeletal figure looks as haunting in the display case as it does on the battlefield. Explore more of my Golden Demon entry tutorials If you don’t have an account here on my website, please sign up here! I have over 350 video tutorials in addition to my How to Paint a Skeleton with Glowing Eyes, with steps and tips, plus a selection of PDFs. If you are not sure about joining, you can explore my free videos with a free membership, or take the plunge and become a full subscriber for full access. If you’d prefer to support me on Patreon, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/RichardGray [...] Read more...

How to Paint the Nagash Helmet

April 8, 2024My detailed how to paint the Nagash helmet tutorials, with videos plus step by step guide and tips with full paints used. Video – How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Part OnePaints and Materials UsedPaintsBrushesOther MaterialsSteps and Tips on How to Paint the Nagash HelmetVideo – How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Part TwoPaintsSteps and Tips on How to Paint the Nagash Helmet (Part Two)Video – How to Paint the Nagash Freehand Swirls/FiligreePaintsTips for the Freehand FiligreeVideo – How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Leather Strips and RunesPaintsStep and Tips on How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Leather Strips and RunesFor all of my Nagash Tutorials in one place, go hereExplore More Nagash Technique Tutorials Video – How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Part One In this tutorial, we’ll focus on painting the metallic areas of Nagash, specifically the head. The colours used for this tutorial are a bit different from the standard, and in the video I discuss techniques in more detail to achieve a textured, refined finish. Paints and Materials Used Paints Vallejo: English Uniform (VX-88) Golden Olive (Elysian Green mixed with Yriel Yellow) Yellow Green (Dorn Yellow mixed with Moot Green) Ice Yellow (Dorn Yellow) Ivory (Screaming Skull) Games Workshop: Rhinox Hide Abaddon Black Naggaroth Night (for future use) Brushes Fine detail brush (suitable for intricate work and small highlights) Medium-sized brush (for larger areas and base coating) Wet palette (to keep paints fresh and workable) Other Materials Wet palette Green stuff (for sculpting additional details, if desired) Painting lamp (for consistent lighting during the painting process) Miniature holder (for ease of handling and painting) Steps and Tips on How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Prepare the Model: Ensure your miniature is assembled and primed appropriately for painting. I’ve used a black primer for my Nagash. Block in the Base Colour: Start by blocking in the main highlights using Vallejo’s English Uniform (VX-88). Apply this colour where you want the primary light source to hit, focusing on a top-left orientation.Be mindful not to make the colour too opaque; a slight texture is desirable for the metallic effect. Understanding Colour Choices: The choice of metallic colours doesn’t have to be conventional. For this model, I went for a dark and moody theme inspired by the artwork of Nagash.My chosen metallic shades include Golden Olive, Yellow Green, and Ice Yellow from Vallejo, along with Rhinox Hide and Abaddon Black from Games Workshop. Building Layers of Colour: Use Golden Olive to build layers on top of the English Uniform, focusing on areas that require additional depth and shading.The opacity of Vallejo paints allows for strong, defined marks, ideal for creating small details and textures. Creating Texture and Depth: With each layer, gradually introduce lighter shades such as Yellow Green and Ice Yellow to enhance highlights and add dimension to the metallic surfaces.Keep in mind the direction of light and focus on maintaining a balance between light and shadow. Understanding Volume and Light: Highlighting metallic surfaces requires understanding how light interacts with volume. Unlike standard blending techniques, aim for distinct contrasts between light and shadow. Make sure you consider how light reflects off different surfaces, creating highlights and shadows of varying intensities. I like to use lots of real-life references of metal to study as I paint. Achieving a Moody Atmosphere: For an undead character like Nagash, aim for a dark, desaturated overall appearance. Use strong, small highlights strategically to draw attention to focal points. Avoid smooth blending; purposefully textured painting adds depth and character to the model. Experimenting with Glazing TechniquesExperiment with glazing techniques to blend colours seamlessly and soften transitions between different areas of the model.Glazing allows for subtle colour adjustments and can help unify the overall color scheme, creating a harmonious visual effect. Video – How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Part Two In this part, we’ll focus on painting the skull face, hair, and bone structures atop the hat. Paints Vallejo Model Colour: English Uniform (VX-88), Golden Olive (Elysian Green mixed with Yriel Yellow), Yellow Green (Dorn Yellow mixed with Moot Green), Ice Yellow (Dorn Yellow), Ivory (Screaming Skull), Neutral Grey (Mechanicus Standard Grey), Pale Grey Blue (Grey Seer mixed with Blue Horror) Games Workshop: Rhinox Hide, Warpstone Green Contrast, Deathclaw Brown P3: Morrow White Steps and Tips on How to Paint the Nagash Helmet (Part Two) Paint the Bone Structures: Using Vallejo’s English Uniform (VX-88), begin by painting the bone structures on top of the hat. Focus on picking out the highlights, keeping in mind the top-left orientation of the light source. Apply the paint carefully to emphasize the edges and contours of the bones.Enhance the Bone Texture: Utilise Golden Olive (a mix of Elysian Green and Yriel Yellow) to add depth and shading to the bone structures. Concentrate on areas that require additional definition, such as the joints and sockets. Remember to maintain a balance between light and shadow to create a realistic, textured effect.Add Highlights: With Yellow Green (a mix of Dorn Yellow and Moot Green), further highlight the bone structures, focusing on the areas where light would naturally hit. Pay attention to the left-hand side of the model to create a stronger contrast and emphasise the lighting direction.Refine the Highlights: Using Ice Yellow (Dorn Yellow), continue to build up the highlights on the bone structures, especially on the left-hand side. Gradually increase the brightness of the highlights towards the center of the model to draw attention to focal points.Adjusting with Rhinox Hide: If necessary, use Rhinox Hide to refine any areas where you’ve made mistakes or to add depth to the shadows. The translucency of this paint allows for easy blending and adjustment while maintaining a natural look.Painting the Skull Face: For the skull face, start with Deathclaw Brown, focusing on creating a weathered, textured appearance. Apply the paint in a rough, uneven manner to mimic the natural wear and tear of ancient bones.Highlighting the Skull: Gradually add highlights to the skull using Morghast Bone. Concentrate the highlights towards the left-hand side of the face to maintain consistency with the overall lighting scheme. Ensure the highlights stand out against the darker base colour to create depth and dimension.Adding Detail to the Eyes: Use a small amount of Morghast Bone to pick out the details around the eyes, emphasising the cheekbones and brow ridge. Be mindful of the sculpted eye sockets and adjust the highlights accordingly to enhance the overall appearance.Painting the Hair: Begin painting the hair with Neutral Grey, focusing on the large, clumpy strands. Keep the highlights towards the top side of the hair to simulate light hitting the surface. Apply the paint in a rough, textured manner to achieve a realistic look.Adding Texture to the Hair: Continue to build up the texture of the hair using Pale Grey Blue. Emphasize the highlights on the top side of the hair while leaving the underside darker to create depth and volume.Refining the Highlights: Using Morrow White sparingly, refine the highlights on the hair strands to add contrast and dimension. Focus on the areas closest to the face to draw attention to the focal points. Video – How to Paint the Nagash Freehand Swirls/Filigree Paints Vallejo: English Uniform (VX-88), Golden Olive (Elysian Green mixed with Yriel Yellow), Yellow Green (Dorn Yellow mixed with Moot Green), Ivory (Screaming Skull), Neutral Grey (Mechanicus Standard Grey), Pale Grey Blue (Grey Seer mixed with Blue Horror)Games Workshop: Warpstone Green Contrast, Abaddon BlackP3: Morrow White Tips for the Freehand Filigree Base Coat: Apply a base coat of Vallejo English Uniform (VX-88) to start the filigree on the Nagash hat. Ensure even coverage and allow it to dry completely. Highlighting with Yellow-Green: Mix Vallejo Yellow Green (Dorn Yellow mixed with Moot Green) with a small amount of white to increase opacity. Use a fine tip brush to apply highlights to what would be the raised areas of the filigree. Focus on creating sharp lines and highlights to enhance the detail. Adding Ivory Highlight Dots: Using Vallejo Ivory (Screaming Skull), create small highlight dots on the filigree. These dots should be strategically placed on curves and extreme curve points to simulate shine and reflectivity. Ensure consistency in placement for a cohesive look. Enhancing Contrast with Black: With Games Workshop Abaddon Black, carefully outline the filigree details to enhance contrast and definition. Use a fine tip brush and steady hand to create clean lines and borders. Glazing with Warpstone Green Contrast: Thin Games Workshop Warpstone Green Contrast with water (about two parts water to one part paint) to create a glaze. Apply the glaze over the filigree to enhance shading and highlights. Final Touches: Use P3 Morrow White to add final highlights to the filigree, focusing on the most raised and reflective areas. Ensure consistency and restraint with the white highlights to avoid overpowering the overall effect. Video – How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Leather Strips and Runes By following these steps and techniques, you can effectively paint leather strips and runes on your Nagash (or any other model, really!) adding depth, texture, and character. Paints Games Workshop: Rhinox Hide, Mournfang Brown, Cadian Fleshtone, Temple Guard Blue, Barroth Blue. Step and Tips on How to Paint the Nagash Helmet Leather Strips and Runes Base Coat: Ensure that the leather strips on the Nagash helmet are properly primed with black primer. Once primed, apply a base coat of Games Workshop Mournfang Brown to the leather strips. This will serve as the foundation for the leather texture. Highlighting with Mournfang Brown: Using Games Workshop Mournfang Brown, begin highlighting the curves and raised areas of the leather strips. Apply the paint in a textured manner, focusing on creating depth and dimension to simulate the appearance of weathered leather. Don’t worry about perfect blending; imperfections add to the realism. Layering with Cadian Fleshtone: Next, switch to Games Workshop Cadian Fleshtone and continue highlighting the leather strips. Apply this paint more sparingly, focusing on the most raised areas and curves to enhance the texture. The tonal contrast between Mournfang Brown and Cadian Fleshtone will create depth and visual interest. Glazing with Rhinox Hide: Thin Games Workshop Rhinox Hide with water to create a glaze. Apply the glaze over the highlighted areas to tone down the highlights and add depth to the leather texture. Focus on applying the glaze in the shadowed areas and along the edges of the leather strips for a realistic look. Painting Runes: Using Games Workshop Temple Guard Blue and Barroth Blue, paint the runes onto the leather strips. Ensure that the runes are clearly visible and neatly painted. Use a fine tip brush and steady hand to create clean lines and shapes. Less is more; avoid overcrowding the leather strips with too many runes to maintain balance. Touching Up: Review the painted leather strips and runes, making any necessary touch-ups or adjustments. Ensure consistency in highlighting placement and rune design throughout the miniature model. For all of my Nagash Tutorials in one place, go here Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead is the father of necromancy.  I created a series of detailed tutorials on how I painted him. Watch Now Explore More Nagash Technique Tutorials If you don’t have an account here on my website, please sign up here! I have over 350 video tutorials with steps and tips, plus a selection of PDFs. If you are not sure about joining, you can explore my free videos with a free membership, or take the plunge and become a full subscriber for full access. If you’d prefer to support me on Patreon, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/RichardGray [...] Read more...

How to Paint Sekhar the Blood Queen – Non-Metallic Metal Sword

March 13, 2024Creating a Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) texture on a sword for a miniature model requires patience, precision, and a good understanding of light and shadow. This guide is designed to walk you through the process of painting the weapon blade of Sekhar The Vampire, focusing on achieving a weathered, high-contrast, NMM effect. Video: Non Metallic Metal Texture Sword Materials Required Paints: Vallejo Neutral Grey, Ice Yellow; Games Workshop Mournfang Brown, Rhinox Hide; P3 Morrow White; Two Thin Coats Dark Sun Yellow. Brushes: Fine detail brushes capable of making very thin lines. Palette: A wet palette to ensure your paints remain workable. Water or Thinner: For diluting your paints to the desired consistency. Step-by-Step Guide to the Non Metallic Metal Texture Sword Preparing the Blade: Begin with a clean, primed miniature. Ensure Sekhar’s blade is smooth and free from any debris or fingerprints. Base Coating: Apply a base coat of Neutral Grey on the blade. This serves as your midpoint for building up highlights and deepening shadows. Establishing Light Points: Identify the main light points on the blade using a lamp. Typically, the flat back section of the blade and the curved edges will catch the most light. Mark these areas mentally as points where the highest highlights will be placed. Initial Highlights and Shadows: Create a gradient on your palette ranging from Neutral Grey to Ice Yellow, progressively adding Ice Yellow to lighten the mixture. Include a separate mix with Mournfang Brown and Neutral Grey for warmer tones, and pure white for the brightest highlights. Begin adding these mixtures to the blade, focusing on the predetermined light points. Use a scratchy, controlled technique with the very tip of your brush for texture. Refining the Texture: As the paint on your palette dries slightly, it will naturally become thicker. Use this to your advantage to add textured highlights and shadows, adjusting the water content as necessary for softer transitions or more pronounced scratches. Correcting and Sharpening Details: Utilise black to correct any oversteps or to sharpen the divisions between different sections of the blade. This step is crucial for defining the shape and enhancing the contrast of your NMM effect. Adding Depth with Glazes: Mix highly diluted glazes of Mournfang Brown (and variations with Neutral Grey) to apply to the lower sections of the blade. This creates a sense of depth and simulates a subtle reflection from the environment. Final Highlights: Use the brightest mixtures, including pure white, to add the final highlights to the top light points. This step might require going back to reinforce the contrast between the brightest highlights and the adjacent shadows. Weathering Effects: To add a weathered look, incorporate fine scratches across the blade’s surface with a very thin brush and lighter paint mixes. These should traverse both the light and dark areas to create a unified texture across the blade. Bounce Light: For a more advanced NMM effect, paint a bounce light on the cutting edge of the blade. This is a subtle highlight that simulates light reflecting off the ground, adding to the realism of your metal effect. Finishing Touches: Reassess the overall effect from multiple angles, ensuring that the blade looks good from all perspectives. Additional Tips Patience is Key: Achieving a convincing NMM effect is time-consuming. Work slowly and carefully. Lighting: Understanding how light interacts with metal is crucial for NMM. Study real-life examples if possible. More Soulblight, Undead and Vampire Tutorials! If you don’t have an account, please sign up here! The website currently has over 350 video tutorials with steps and tips, plus a selection of PDFs. If you are not sure about joining, you can explore my free videos with a free membership, or take the plunge and become a full subscriber for full access. If you’d prefer to support me on Patreon, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/RichardGray [...] Read more...

Sekhar the Blood Queen Face and Eyes

February 27, 2024How to paint the skin, face, and eyes of Sekhar the Blood Queen, highlighting common pitfalls when painting tiny faces like hers, and how to rectify them. We’ll use a specific set of paints from Games Workshop, Vallejo, and P3 to achieve our desired effects. Video Part Three: Sekhar the Blood Queen Face with Eyes, and Skin Paints Needed Games Workshop: Bugman’s Glow, Sotek Green, Yriel Yellow, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Morghast Bone Vallejo: Ice Yellow, Neutral Grey, Black P3: Morrow White (or any white paint) Step-by-Step Guide to Sekhar the Blood Queen Face, Eyes and Skin Preparing the Base Mixture for Skin: Mix a 50/50 blend of Sotek Green and Bugman’s Glow to create the base skin tone. This unique combination provides a natural, yet distinctly fantastical, skin colour for our vampire queen. Adding Highlights to the Skin: Gradually incorporate Ice Yellow into the base mixture for highlights. Start with small quantities and increase the Ice Yellow for each successive highlight layer. This technique helps achieve a smooth gradient in the skin tone, offering a more lifelike appearance. Advanced Skin Highlights: For a creamy and realistic skin tone, mix Bugman’s Glow with Ice Yellow, carefully adjusting the blend to prevent the colours from becoming overly vibrant. Add a tiny amount of white to this mixture for the lightest highlights, aiming for an off-white shade that retains a hint of the base tones. Painting Contrast and Metallic Elements: Apply a grey base to the collar, preparing it for a metallic silver finish. This step is crucial for setting up the contrast between the metallic textures and the skin, ensuring that both elements stand out without competing for attention. Achieving Skin Texture and Smooth Transitions: Use thin layers for the skin, starting with a mix of approximately 1.5 parts water to 1 part paint, and adjust as necessary for smoother finishes. Ensure each layer is completely dry before applying the next to avoid any unwanted textures. Highlighting Techniques: Focus on painting towards the highlights, lifting the brush at the brightest points for precise application. This method ensures that the highlights are sharp and well-defined, enhancing the model’s dimensional details. Painting Facial Features: Pay particular attention to the face, adjusting features like the nose with shading and highlighting to ensure it fits naturally under any headgear. Avoid relying solely on box art for colour references, as this can mislead your perception of how facial features should be represented. Painting the Eyes: Start with a solid base colour for the eyes, using black or a deep brown. Paint the iris in a striking colour, adding a small dot of white to each eye to simulate light reflection. This detail adds life and intensity to the figure’s gaze. Enhancing the Lips: Choose a vibrant red for the lips, applying it carefully to add depth and dimension. This colour choice should complement the vampire theme, adding an element of allure and danger to the figure. Overall Facial Harmony: Revisit the entire face to ensure all elements work together harmoniously. Adjust shadows, highlights, and colour intensity to achieve a balanced and realistic facial expression that suits the character’s persona. More Soulblight, Undead and Vampire Tutorials! If you don’t have an account, please sign up here! The website currently has over 350 video tutorials with steps and tips, plus a selection of PDFs. If you are not sure about joining, you can explore my free videos with a free membership, or take the plunge and become a full subscriber for full access. If you’d prefer to support me on Patreon, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/RichardGray [...] Read more...

How to Paint Sekhar Fang of Nulahmia

February 6, 2024I was lucky enough to be sent Sekhar, Fang of Nulahmia by Games Workshop as an early review copy and couldn’t wait to paint her up for you. I’ve gone for an aged bronze look for her. Read on for my tutorials so far on how to paint her, with paints and step-by-step guide. Sekhar, Fang of Nulahmia, stands as a formidable agent of Neferata, wielding hypnotic powers to enthrall her foes. Accompanied by the serpent Ouboroth (although not in my version, sorry!) and leading packs of Dire Wolves and Fell Bats into battle, she embodies the deadly elegance of Nulahmia’s dark majesty. This set introduces Sekhar, her loyal Dire Wolves, and swooping Fell Bats, ready to bring terror to the Soulblight Gravelord armies! First Video Tutorial: Sekhar, Fang of NulahmiaMaterials NeededPreparationPainting the ArmourAdditional TipsVideo Part Two: Red Satin Cloak and Bronze HelmetPaintsPainting the Bronze HelmetPainting the Satin Red CloakVideo Part Three: Sekhar Fang of Nulahmia Face with Eyes, and SkinPaints NeededStep-by-Step Guide to her Face, Eyes and SkinVideo Part Four: Non Metallic Metal Texture SwordMaterials RequiredStep-by-Step Guide to the Non Metallic Metal Texture SwordAdditional TipsVideo Part Five: How to Paint a Skeleton with Glowing EyesMaterials needed:More Soulblight, Undead and Vampire Tutorials! First Video Tutorial: Sekhar, Fang of Nulahmia Welcome to this step-by-step painting guide for Sekhar, a new vampire model from the Soulblight Gravelords range by Games Workshop. In this tutorial, we will focus on achieving a bronzed armour effect using a non-metallic metal (NMM) technique and subtly applying verdigris for an aged look. Materials Needed Primer: Black Base Paints: Mournfang Brown, Mephiston Red (for the cloak) Main Paints: Mournfang Brown, Sybarite Green, Rhinox Hide, Dark Sun Yellow (or Balor Brown with a bit of yellow), Morrow White Tools: Airbrush (optional), brushes (sizes 1 or 2 and a finer 00 for details), wet palette, super glue, and plastic glue. Preparation Prime the Model: Begin with a black primer. If desired, airbrush the cloak with Mephiston Red. Allow the primer to fully cure to avoid rubbing off the paint. Assembly: Attach all parts with plastic glue, except for the head, which you should temporarily attach with a tiny bit of super glue for easy removal and precise painting. Painting the Armour Base Layer: Apply a solid base layer of Mournfang Brown over the armour. The coverage doesn’t need to be perfect due to the textured look we’re aiming for. Highlight Preparation: Mix your highlights on a wet palette. Start with Mournfang Brown and progressively mix in Dark Sun Yellow and Morrow White to create a gradient of shades from dark brown to light yellow, finishing with white for the brightest highlights. Applying Highlights: Start with a mid-tone mix of Mournfang Brown and Dark Sun Yellow, then progressively lighten the highlights by adding more Dark Sun Yellow and eventually white. Map out the highlights, focusing on the armour’s raised areas and edges. Texture Effect: Use a scratchy technique to add texture to the highlights, simulating wear and tear. Combine this with stippling for denser highlights. Ensure the texture is consistent across the armour to maintain a cohesive look. Verdigris Effect: Thin down Sybarite Green with water (approximately 70:30 water to paint ratio) for a heavy glaze. Apply this to mid-tones and shadows, avoiding the highest highlights to maintain the metallic sheen. For a more subtle verdigris, mix a small amount of Rhinox Hide into Sybarite Green. Avoid using the mix of Sybarite Green and white, as this may look too bright and unnatural. Additional Tips Brush Selection: Use larger brushes for broad highlights and switch to a finer brush (like a 00) for detailed texture work and smaller areas. Glazing: Use glazes to smooth transitions or adjust the intensity of colours. This is especially useful for blending the verdigris into the surrounding areas. Reflections and Details: For areas like the silver collar necklace, consider how it will reflect its surroundings. This includes colours from the helmet, the sky, and possibly the red cloak. Use lighter, desaturated colours to simulate reflection. Evaluating Your Work: Frequently step back and review your progress. Adjust highlights, shadows, and textures as needed to ensure a balanced and cohesive look. Video Part Two: Red Satin Cloak and Bronze Helmet Paints Mournfang Brown (Games Workshop) Sybarite Green (Games Workshop) Rhinox Hide (Games Workshop) Mephiston Red (Games Workshop) Morrow White (P3; any white will do) Dark Sun Yellow (Two Thin Coats; Balor Brown can be substituted with added yellow) White (Kimera Colours; any white optional) Painting the Bronze Helmet Base Layer: Start with a base layer of Mournfang Brown on the helmet. Ensure even coverage for a solid foundation. Mixing for Bronze: Prepare a mix of Mournfang Brown and a small amount of Dark Sun Yellow (or Balor Brown with added yellow) to create the bronze shade. This mix should be applied in two thin coats to ensure smooth coverage without obscuring details. Highlighting: Gradually add white to the bronze mix to create highlights. Focus these lighter shades on areas where light would naturally hit the helmet, enhancing the non-metallic metal effect. For very high highlights, use a mix predominantly of white with a touch of the bronze mixture. Verdigris Effect: Mix Sybarite Green and Rhinox Hide to create the verdigris shade. Apply this sparingly in recesses and areas where weathering would naturally accumulate. This step is optional and can be adjusted based on personal preference for the weathered look. Texture and Final Highlights: For added texture and to simulate wear, apply very fine dots and scratches using the lighter bronze mix. These should be concentrated around edges and high points where wear would be most apparent. Painting the Satin Red Cloak Base Layer: Apply a base coat of Mephiston Red over the cloak. Ensure smooth, even coverage as this will be the foundation for subsequent layers. Shadows: Create a shadow mix by combining Mephiston Red with Rhinox Hide. Apply this mixture in areas that would naturally be in shadow, such as under folds or lower parts of the cloak. Highlighting: Begin highlighting by adding white to Mephiston Red for a brighter red mix. Apply this to areas where light would naturally strike the cloak, such as the top of folds and raised areas. Gradually increase the amount of white in the mix for higher highlights, but avoid going up to pure white to maintain a satin finish. Glazing for Smoothness: Use glazes (thin, transparent layers) of your red mixes to smooth out transitions between shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. This step is crucial for achieving the smooth, satin look of the cloak. Final Adjustments: Revisit both the helmet and cloak for any final adjustments. Add more highlights or shadows as needed to enhance contrast and detail. Pay special attention to maintaining the balance between detailed texture on the helmet and the smooth finish of the cloak. Video Part Three: Sekhar Fang of Nulahmia Face with Eyes, and Skin Paints Needed Games Workshop: Bugman’s Glow, Sotek Green, Yriel Yellow, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Morghast Bone Vallejo: Ice Yellow, Neutral Grey, Black P3: Morrow White (or any white paint) Step-by-Step Guide to her Face, Eyes and Skin Preparing the Base Mixture for Skin: Mix a 50/50 blend of Sotek Green and Bugman’s Glow to create the base skin tone. This unique combination provides a natural, yet distinctly fantastical, skin colour for our vampire queen. Adding Highlights to the Skin: Gradually incorporate Ice Yellow into the base mixture for highlights. Start with small quantities and increase the Ice Yellow for each successive highlight layer. This technique helps achieve a smooth gradient in the skin tone, offering a more lifelike appearance. Advanced Skin Highlights: For a creamy and realistic skin tone, mix Bugman’s Glow with Ice Yellow, carefully adjusting the blend to prevent the colours from becoming overly vibrant. Add a tiny amount of white to this mixture for the lightest highlights, aiming for an off-white shade that retains a hint of the base tones. Painting Contrast and Metallic Elements: Apply a grey base to the collar, preparing it for a metallic silver finish. This step is crucial for setting up the contrast between the metallic textures and the skin, ensuring that both elements stand out without competing for attention. Achieving Skin Texture and Smooth Transitions: Use thin layers for the skin, starting with a mix of approximately 1.5 parts water to 1 part paint, and adjust as necessary for smoother finishes. Ensure each layer is completely dry before applying the next to avoid any unwanted textures. Highlighting Techniques: Focus on painting towards the highlights, lifting the brush at the brightest points for precise application. This method ensures that the highlights are sharp and well-defined, enhancing the model’s dimensional details. Painting Facial Features: Pay particular attention to the face, adjusting features like the nose with shading and highlighting to ensure it fits naturally under any headgear. Avoid relying solely on box art for colour references, as this can mislead your perception of how facial features should be represented. Painting the Eyes: Start with a solid base colour for the eyes, using black or a deep brown. Paint the iris in a striking colour, adding a small dot of white to each eye to simulate light reflection. This detail adds life and intensity to the figure’s gaze. Enhancing the Lips: Choose a vibrant red for the lips, applying it carefully to add depth and dimension. This colour choice should complement the vampire theme, adding an element of allure and danger to the figure. Overall Facial Harmony: Revisit the entire face to ensure all elements work together harmoniously. Adjust shadows, highlights, and colour intensity to achieve a balanced and realistic facial expression that suits the character’s persona. Video Part Four: Non Metallic Metal Texture Sword Creating a Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) texture on a sword for a miniature model requires patience, precision, and a good understanding of light and shadow. This guide is designed to walk you through the process of painting the weapon blade of Sekhar The Vampire, focusing on achieving a weathered, high-contrast, NMM effect. Materials Required Paints: Vallejo Neutral Grey, Ice Yellow; Games Workshop Mournfang Brown, Rhinox Hide; P3 Morrow White; Two Thin Coats Dark Sun Yellow. Brushes: Fine detail brushes capable of making very thin lines. Palette: A wet palette to ensure your paints remain workable. Water or Thinner: For diluting your paints to the desired consistency. Step-by-Step Guide to the Non Metallic Metal Texture Sword Preparing the Blade: Begin with a clean, primed miniature. Ensure Sekhar’s blade is smooth and free from any debris or fingerprints. Base Coating: Apply a base coat of Neutral Grey on the blade. This serves as your midpoint for building up highlights and deepening shadows. Establishing Light Points: Identify the main light points on the blade using a lamp. Typically, the flat back section of the blade and the curved edges will catch the most light. Mark these areas mentally as points where the highest highlights will be placed. Initial Highlights and Shadows: Create a gradient on your palette ranging from Neutral Grey to Ice Yellow, progressively adding Ice Yellow to lighten the mixture. Include a separate mix with Mournfang Brown and Neutral Grey for warmer tones, and pure white for the brightest highlights. Begin adding these mixtures to the blade, focusing on the predetermined light points. Use a scratchy, controlled technique with the very tip of your brush for texture. Refining the Texture: As the paint on your palette dries slightly, it will naturally become thicker. Use this to your advantage to add textured highlights and shadows, adjusting the water content as necessary for softer transitions or more pronounced scratches. Correcting and Sharpening Details: Utilise black to correct any oversteps or to sharpen the divisions between different sections of the blade. This step is crucial for defining the shape and enhancing the contrast of your NMM effect. Adding Depth with Glazes: Mix highly diluted glazes of Mournfang Brown (and variations with Neutral Grey) to apply to the lower sections of the blade. This creates a sense of depth and simulates a subtle reflection from the environment. Final Highlights: Use the brightest mixtures, including pure white, to add the final highlights to the top light points. This step might require going back to reinforce the contrast between the brightest highlights and the adjacent shadows. Weathering Effects: To add a weathered look, incorporate fine scratches across the blade’s surface with a very thin brush and lighter paint mixes. These should traverse both the light and dark areas to create a unified texture across the blade. Bounce Light: For a more advanced NMM effect, paint a bounce light on the cutting edge of the blade. This is a subtle highlight that simulates light reflecting off the ground, adding to the realism of your metal effect. Finishing Touches: Reassess the overall effect from multiple angles, ensuring that the blade looks good from all perspectives. Additional Tips Patience is Key: Achieving a convincing NMM effect is time-consuming. Work slowly and carefully. Lighting: Understanding how light interacts with metal is crucial for NMM. Study real-life examples if possible. Video Part Five: How to Paint a Skeleton with Glowing Eyes This is another video looking at Sekhar the vampire, this time focusing on how to paint a skeleton with glowing eyes for the model on her base. This video looks at the skeleton, how to paint his glowing eyes, sword and bones etc. The whole model is covered! Materials needed: Skeleton ModelPriming spray (I’ve used black!) Brushes:I use the Artis Opus range of brushesFine detail brushMedium-sized brushLarge brush (optional, for basecoating larger areas) Wet Palette (for mixing and thinning paints)Varnish (to protect the finished paint job) Paints:All paints mentioned are from Games Workshop’s Citadel range. Yriel Yellow Moot Green Balor Brown Morghast Bone Screaming Skull Mournfang Brown XV-88 Rhinox Hide Other Materials: Rocks or pebblesFoliage (such as static grass or miniature leaves)Sand or texture paste (for ground texture)Super glue (for attaching basing materials)Water (for thinning paints)Paper towels or cloth to ensure your brushes are totally clean! More Soulblight, Undead and Vampire Tutorials! If you don’t have an account here on my website, please sign up here! I have over 350 video tutorials with steps and tips, plus a selection of PDFs. If you are not sure about joining, you can explore my free videos with a free membership, or take the plunge and become a full subscriber for full access. If you’d prefer to support me on Patreon, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/RichardGray [...] Read more...

If you don’t have an account, please sign up here! The website currently has over 350 video tutorials with steps and tips, plus a selection of PDFs. If you are not sure about joining, you can explore my free videos with a free “freebies” membership, or take the plunge and become a full subscriber for full access.

If you’d prefer to support me on Patreon, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/RichardGray