Learn how to paint Melusai Blood Sisters (the Daughters of Khaine!) in my step by step video guides.
The Melusai Blood Sister are formidable warriors in service to Morathi, the High Oracle of Khaine. Born from a concoction of enchantments, shadow magic, and Morathi’s own blood, these serpentine beings are the trusted handmaidens and guardians of the goddess herself. Clad in terrifying kragath war-masks resembling the visage of Khaine, the Melusai Blood Sisters possess a deadly prowess on the battlefield.
With their intricate details, dynamic poses, and rich lore, the Melusai Blood Sisters were great fun to paint, with lots of techniques to explore (the gore dripping heart was a favourite!). Click the headers below to explore by part of technique, or scroll to watch in order.
- Video Part One – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Gold NMM Armour)
- Video Part Two – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Shiny Scales)
- Video Part Three – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Hair and Skin)
- Video Part Four – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Blood Drops, Heart and Halberd Staff)
Video Part One – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Gold NMM Armour)
Materials needed
Fine detail brush (suitable for precise painting) – I use the Artist Opus range of brushes.
Medium-sized brush (for larger areas and blending)
Wet palette (for mixing and thinning paints)
Paints
Games Workshop:
Moot Green
Balor Brown
Mournfang Brown
XV-88
Firedragon Bright
P3 (Privateer Press):
Morrow White (or Ceramite White)
Vallejo:
Ice Yellow (or Dorn Yellow)
Step by Step and Tips How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters Gold NMM Armour
Prime the Model – Apply a primer – I used black for this model.
Allow the primer to dry completely before proceeding.
Base Coat – Start by applying a base coat of XV-88 or a similar brown colour to the armour areas of the model. Use thin layers of paint to achieve smooth coverage, allowing each layer to dry before applying the next.
Establish Highlights – Begin adding highlights using Balor Brown, focusing on raised areas and edges of the armour. Build up the highlights gradually, using the tip of your brush and thin layers of paint for precision.
Add Secondary Reflections – Apply secondary reflections using Mournfang Brown or a darker shade of brown, focusing on areas where light would not directly hit. Keep these reflections subtle to avoid overpowering the main highlights.
Refine the Highlights – Continue refining the highlights by adding brighter shades like Firedragon Bright or Ice Yellow to create a more metallic appearance. Concentrate these brighter highlights on the most reflective areas, such as the tops of curves and edges.
Blend Colours – Use a wet palette to blend colours seamlessly and achieve smooth transitions between different shades. Adjust the intensity and placement of highlights as needed to maintain realism and visual interest.
Detail Work– For gemstones or intricate patterns, use contrasting colours like red or green to really stand out!!
Video Part Two – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Shiny Scales)
This video shows how to paint the shiny scales with realistic lighting on the Gorgai Blood Sister from Games Workshop
Paints
Games Workshop: Stegadon Scale Green, Ahriman Blue, Temple Guard Blue, Squig Orange, Ratskin Flesh, Lugganath Orange
P3 (Privateer Press): Morrow White (Ceramite White)
Step by Step and Tips How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters Shiny Scales
Base Coating – Begin by applying a base coat of Stegadon Scale Green to the scales on the belly area of the miniature. Use thin layers to ensure smooth coverage over the black primer.
Adding Highlights – With Ahriman Blue, start picking out the lighter areas of the scales facing upward. These areas will catch more light, so focus on the top edges and curves. Build up the highlights gradually with thin layers.
Blending Transitions – Mix Ahriman Blue with Temple Guard Blue to create a lighter shade. Use this mixture to blend the transitions between the darker and lighter areas of the scales. Work quickly while the paint is still wet to achieve smooth transitions.
Introducing Warmth – Incorporate warm tones by applying Squig Orange to small dots on the scales. Vary the size and placement of the dots for visual interest. These dots will add a contrasting element to the cool blue tones.
Adjusting the Approach – Evaluate the effect of the orange dots and consider the overall look. If desired, use Ratskin Flesh to glaze over the orange dots and adjust their intensity. This step adds depth to the scales without overpowering the blue tones.
Enhancing Highlights – Create a glaze by mixing Morrow White with a small amount of water. Apply this glaze to the scales, focusing on the areas where light would hit most directly. Use thin layers and build up the intensity gradually to achieve a shiny effect.
Final Touches – Use Lugganath Orange to accentuate the orange dots on the scales, ensuring they remain visible but subtle. This step adds a final layer of detail to enhance the overall appearance of your Melusai Blood Sister!
Video Part Three – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Hair and Skin)
This video shows how to paint the hair and skin of the Gorgai Sister of Blood.
All videos are recorded in HD 1080p or higher – use full screen for the full effect and let the video load completely.
Paints
Citadel Paints: Naggaroth Night, Daemonette Hide, Dechala Lilac, Ceramite White, Slaanesh Grey
P3 Paints: Mauro White (or any preferred white paint)
Citadel Contrast Paint: Magos Purple
Step by Step and Tips How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters Hair and Skin
Painting the Hair
Begin by applying Naggaroth Night, a base colour from Citadel, to the hair of the model using a medium brush.
Apply multiple thin layers of Naggaroth Night to achieve good coverage, as it may initially appear translucent.
Leave the recesses black to create shading effects.
Next, mix Daemonette Hide with some water to thin it down and apply it to the highlighted areas of the hair to create depth and dimension.
Use Dechala Lilac to highlight specific strands of hair, ensuring that the brush strokes follow the natural flow of the hair.
Mix Ceramite White with water to create a thin glaze and apply it to the highest points of the hair for additional highlights.
Finally, use Magos Purple Contrast Paint, thinned down with water, to glaze over the highlighted areas of the hair to enhance its vibrancy and depth.
Painting the Skin
For the skin, start by using Slaanesh Grey to paint the base coat onto the model’s skin.
Apply multiple thin coats of Slaanesh Grey to achieve solid coverage, as black primer may cause the paint to appear patchy.
Mix Kislev Flesh with Ceramite White to create a lighter tone, approximately a 50/50 mixture, and thin it down with water to create a glaze-like consistency.
Carefully apply the thinned Kislev Flesh mixture to the raised areas of the skin to create highlights, paying close attention to the direction of light.
Ensure that the highlights are consistent with the overall lighting scheme of the model.
Pay attention to details such as elbow creases, where highlights may naturally occur due to light reflection.
Use watered-down Magos Purple Contrast Paint to glaze over the highlighted areas of the skin to enhance vibrancy and depth, similar to the technique used for the hair.
Video Part Four – How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters (Blood Drops, Heart and Halberd Staff)
This video shows how to paint the heat and create the blood drip effect. It also shows how to paint the NMM staff.
Paints and Materials Needed
- Games Workshop paints: Mephiston Red, Wraithbone, XV-88, Balor Brown, Dorn Yellow, Ceramite White, Blood For The Blood God, Ahriman Blue, Rhinox Hide
- Vallejo paint: Neutral Grey (alternatively, Mechanicus Standard Grey)
- Superglue
- Fine hair (preferably from your own head)
- Gloss varnish (pink lab coat or any gloss varnish)
- Paintbrushes
- Water and palette for mixing paints
Step by Step and Tips on How to Paint Melusai Blood Sisters Dripping Heart and Halberd
Preparing the Heart
Start by applying a base coat of Mephiston Red to the heart held by the Melusai Blood Sister. Ensure thorough coverage and allow it to dry completely before proceeding.
Once the red base coat is dry, apply a coat of Wraithbone or bone-coloured paint to certain areas of the heart. Leave some areas of red in the recesses to create depth and realism.
Use a fine detail brush to pick out specific details on the heart, such as striations and tubing. These details will add texture and visual interest to the finished piece.
Creating Realistic Blood Drips
After applying gloss varnish to the hair, allow it to dry completely between coats to ensure stability and durability.
When painting the heart with Wraithbone or bone-coloured paint, focus on leaving some areas of red in the recesses to create depth and realism.
Utilize the Blood For The Blood God paint to add the blood drips. This paint has a translucent quality, mimicking the appearance of real blood.
Start by applying small droplets of the Blood For The Blood God paint at the bottom of the heart, where the hair strands meet the surface. This will simulate the blood dripping effect realistically.
Gradually build up the size of the blood drips by applying additional layers of the paint. This will create the illusion of thicker blood droplets as they descend from the heart.
As you add more layers of the paint, focus on varying the size and shape of the drips to achieve a natural and organic appearance. Remember that blood doesn’t flow in uniform lines, so irregular shapes and sizes are key to realism.
Allow each layer of paint to dry completely before adding the next layer. This will prevent smudging and ensure a clean and crisp finish to your blood drips.
Once satisfied with the appearance of the blood drips, allow the entire model to dry thoroughly before handling or applying any additional layers of paint. This will ensure that the blood drips remain intact and vibrant on your miniature model.
Painting the Halberd Staff
Start by determining the primary light source and angle on the model. This will dictate where the highlights and shadows should be placed on the halberd staff.
Use XV-88 to establish the main highlight line on the staff, focusing on the areas that would catch the most light.
Apply multiple layers of XV-88 to gradually build up the highlights, ensuring smooth transitions and depth.
Use Ice Yellow or Dorn Yellow to add secondary highlights to the staff, focusing on areas that would catch reflected light or have a slightly warmer tone.
Blend the highlights together using thin layers of paint and subtle transitions, ensuring a natural and cohesive appearance.
Use Balor Brown to add darker tones and shadows to the staff, focusing on areas that would be in shadow or less exposed to light.
Apply Neutral Grey or Mechanicus Standard Grey to create additional contrast and definition on the staff, paying attention to details and textures.
Use Ahriman Blue to add accents and details to the staff, such as rivets or embellishments, to enhance its overall appearance.
Finish by adding highlights with Ceramite White or another white paint, focusing on sharp edges and raised details to create a sense of depth and dimension.
Allow the paint to dry completely before handling or applying any additional layers, ensuring a clean and professional finish.
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