A series of video tutorials on how to paint Marneus Calgar up to a point – unfortunately, and my apologies, my third video had some processing issues, however, there are lots of techniques you can follow from these two videos!

Video: How to Paint Marneus Calgar – Part One

This guide focuses on laying down the base colours and preparing the groundwork for further detailing.

Paints and Materials:

Vallejo Game Colour

• Heavy Blue (Alternative for Alaitoc Blue from Games Workshop)
• Heavy Blue Grey (Alternative for Celestra Grey from Games Workshop)

Vallejo Model Colour

• Ivory (Alternative for a mix of Flayed One Flesh with a touch of white from Games Workshop)

Games Workshop (Citadel)

• Lothern Blue
• Mournfang Brown
• Xereus Purple (for Part 2 preparation)
• Abaddon Black (for Part 2 preparation)

Brushes

• A medium-sized brush (Size 1 or 2) for base coating and larger areas. A brush that holds a good point but has a decent belly for paint loading is ideal.
• A fine detail brush (Size 0 or 00) for smaller areas and initial detailing. This brush should have a sharp point to allow for precise paint application.
• Brush soap or cleaner for maintaining the brushes.

Additional Materials

• Black Primer (spray or airbrush) for priming the model. A smooth, matte finish primer is preferred.
• Blue tack or similar repositionable adhesive for temporarily attaching the head and backpack, allowing for separate painting.
• A wet palette to keep your paints hydrated and workable for longer periods. This is especially helpful for blending and achieving the right paint consistency.
• Water cup or container for rinsing brushes.
• Paper towels or a rag for brush cleaning and drying.
• Mixing palette or a spare tile/plastic palette for mixing paints and adjusting consistency.

Optional

• A model holder or painting handle to comfortably hold and rotate the model while painting. This prevents smudging the paint with your fingers and allows for better control and accessibility to different angles of the model. I use the Rathcore model holders.

How to Paint Marneus Calgar Step-by-Step Guide

1. Model Assembly: Assemble Marneus Calgar, leaving the backpack and head separate for ease of painting. Use a little blue tack to temporarily position the head, allowing for its removal and detailed painting separately.
2. Priming: Prime the model with a black primer, ensuring a smooth and even coat. This dark base is crucial for the contrast and depth we’ll be building upon.

Choosing Your Palette

3. Base Colours: For the base layer, select Vallejo Game Colour Heavy Blue and Heavy Blue Grey, along with Vallejo Model Colour Ivory and Games Workshop Lothern Blue. These will form the primary colours for Marneus’s armour.
4. Paint Consistency: Aim for a consistency that’s not too thin but allows for opaque coverage (I say “like single cream” but I know that reference is a little British!) Adjust with water as needed, bearing in mind the unique properties of each paint.

Applying the Base Colours

5. Armour Base Coat: Start with Heavy Blue, applying it to areas that will catch the most light. While this step may appear rough, it’s the foundation for texture and depth. Allow some of the black primer to show through for natural shadows.
6. Refining the Base: Enhance the base coat with touches of Lothern Blue and Heavy Blue Grey for mid-tones, focusing on raised areas and edges to simulate light reflection.
7. Bright Highlights: Use Ivory sparingly to highlight the highest points on the armour, where light would naturally be most intense.

Detailing Begins

8. Non-Armour Elements: Begin blocking in colours for the non-armour elements, like the leather parts using Mournfang Brown, ensuring these have a distinct texture from the metallic and armour parts.
9. Preliminary Metallics: For areas you intend to have a metallic look without using metallic paints, start layering in darker tones like Xereus Purple mixed with Abaddon Black, planning for brighter highlights to be added later.
10. Texture and Depth: The goal of this stage is to create a varied and visually interesting base to build upon, not perfection. The roughness adds character and prepares for the detailed work to follow.

Video: How to Paint Marneus Calgar – Part Two

Welcome to the second part of my guide on painting Marneus Calgar for the Ultramarines, where we refine and enhance the base colours established in the first part. This tutorial focuses on developing a textured and worn effect on the armour, using controlled brushwork to build up the layers and details.

Paints Used:

Vallejo Game Colour

• Heavy Blue (Alternative for Alaitoc Blue from Games Workshop)
• Heavy Blue Grey (Alternative for Celestra Grey from Games Workshop)
• Ivory (Vallejo Model Color, alternative for Flayed One Flesh with a touch of white from Games Workshop)

Games Workshop (Citadel)

• Lothern Blue
• Mournfang Brown
• Xereus Purple
• Abaddon Black

Vallejo Model Colour

• Pale Grey Blue (For highlighting and adding finer details to the armor and metallic parts)
• Neutral Grey (Used for additional shading and detail work on weapons and armor)
• Japanese Uniform (For gold non-metallic metal parts)

Building Upon the Base

1. Introduction: We begin with a model that has its base colours applied in a rough manner, allowing the black primer to show through, which will contribute to a worn battle effect.
2. Paint Selection: Prepare Vallejo Game Colour Heavy Blue, Vallejo Game Colour Heavy Blue Grey, Vallejo Model Colour Ivory, and Games Workshop Lothern Blue on your palette. These colours will refine the armour’s highlights and shadows.

Techniques for Depth and Texture

3. Paint Application: The paint consistency should be between single and double cream. Apply with controlled, intentional strokes, focusing on natural light points on the model. Use a lamp to guide initial highlights but ensure the blue remains the dominant colour through exaggeration of these light areas.
4. Highlighting Armour: Use Lothern Blue to add highlights to areas catching the most light, such as edges and details. This step enhances dimensionality.
5. Mid-tone Highlights: Apply Heavy Blue Grey for mid-tone highlights, blending into brighter areas. Despite its appearance, this colour is a light grey, perfect for smooth transitions.
6. Sharp Highlights with Ivory: For the highest points of light reflection, use Ivory, concentrating on prominent edges and details to create contrast and focus.

Detailing and Final Touches

7. Non-Armour Elements: Use Mournfang Brown for leather parts, ensuring a solid base coat that differs in texture from the armour.
8. Metallics Without Metal: For metallic and gold areas, combine Xereus Purple and Abaddon Black to simulate reflective surfaces, building up from dark shadows to bright highlights without using metallic paints.
9. Refining Details: Employ a fine brush for details like purity seals and the Ultramarines symbol, using contrasting colours sparingly to make these features stand out.

This tutorial does not cover the entire painting process but provides a foundation for developing a detailed and textured appearance for Marneus Calgar’s armour.

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