If you haven't read Blacnhitsu: Part 1, you can read that here. It is not a tutorial, merely just the beginnings of this journey.
Okay! Time for part 2: The Tutorial! I'm going to try to keep this as straightforward as possible, essentially treating this as a checklist. I'll include some photos as well, that way you can see my process as we move along. So, with that out of the way - let's go!
Materials:
Black primer
Games Workshop Agrellan Earth texture paint
Games Workshop Wraithbone (potted and/or spray can)
Games Workshop Aggaros Dunes
Games Workshop Snakebite Leather
Games Workshop Gore-Grunta Fur
Games Workshop Darkoath Flesh
Games Workshop Contrast Medium
Games Workshop Squig Orange
Games Workshop Typhus Corrosion
Silver metallic paint of choice
Burnt Umber oil paint
Q-tips
Mineral spirits (non-scented if available)
A well palette
A wet palette (optional)
Hair dryer (optional)
Red/Rust dry pigments (optional)
Step One: Assembly.
This goes without saying, but assemble your model as far as you would like. Luckily for me, my Darkshards are basically a giant triangle shape and the only attachments are their arms. For this, I did very minimal sub-assembly, basically so I don't have to try to paint behind their crossbows and arms. It may take a moment longer to do this, but while you're painting it will save a lot of time and frustration.
After you assemble your model, this is where you break out your texture paint. I use Games Workshop Agrellan Earth, but any crackle paint will work. Experiment with thickness and put it on wherever you think it will look good. Generally, I use this on the metal and armor to get some cool variation on texture and also give them a more beat-up, battle-damaged look. Once that's dry, we can move on to step two.
Step Two: Priming
If you're at all familiar with miniature painting, then you've likely heard the term "Zenithal Highlighting." This basically is a method of priming that gives you a rough idea of values — that is, shadows and highlights — that inform you on how to better paint your models. Since the paints we're using are mostly transparent, this is a great way to get some free shading.
So, start with a full coat of black primer all over. Then, once that's dry, go from the top with Wraithbone from Games Workshop. I use the potted version of this primer through my airbrush (thinned, of course), but you can use the spray can version as well. Go from the top down, to maybe a 30 degree angle, maintaining all your black primer in the recesses and hidden spots, and a good off-white coat on the raised surface areas. Once that's dry, we can move to step 3!
Step Three: Acrylic Painting (most of it)
For painting these models, you won't need anything fancy. We'll be doing some wet blending, but the trick is to keep moving fast. For this, I also use a wet palette, but you can also paint straight from the pot or use a dry palette as well. If you're doing more than four or five models at a time, a wet palette will probably come of use, but contrast paints that stay on it for too long tend to glob up and coagulate (at least for me), so be cautious of that.
The Contrast Paints You'll Need for This Step:
Aggaros Dunes (brightest tone/highlights)
Snakebite Leather (mid-ones)
Gore-Grunta Fur (Shadows and reccesses)
Darkoath Flesh (skin-tone)
Contrast Medium
Time to prepare your palette! Dilute your paints with the Contrast Medium 1:1 or 2:1 medium to paint and ensure they're well mixed. The more you dilute your paint, the more your undercoat will show through — experiment and see what looks best to you!. Make sure to have a clean rinse cup of water and a dry paper towel nearby, as you'll be moving quickly and preparation is key to efficiency!
Now that you're ready, start painting. Start with your lightest tones, applying Aggaros Dunes on essentially the whole model. Once you start moving toward the darker parts where more black primer is present, you can move to your Snakebite Leather, and finally Gore-Grunta Fur for the deepest recesses. You don't need to thoroughly clean your brush between these colors so long as you're going from your lightest paint to your darkest paint. Having a bit of your lighter tone on the brush will even help with your wet blending. You do not need to be meticulous at this step. The idea is to paint and paint quickly, moving from one color to the next so that the paints naturally blend together, giving you a better blend with literally zero effort. I find it easiest to paint one model at a time to ensure that the paint is properly fluid.
*Do Not Paint the Cloth at this Time*
Our John Blanche white/stained cloth needs some special treatment, which we'll get to in a minute.
Don't overload your brush, try to avoid pooling, and use your Zenithal Highlights as a guide for where your colors should go and it should turn out great!
Once (almost) everything is painted, I use Darkoath Flesh on the skin. This is a great tone that can either act as your darkest tone for skin to highlight up, or a great mid-tone where you can wash later for a darker skin-tone as well, but you can use whatever skin-tones you like on your models. Just keep your paints thin to preserve that beautiful undercoat.
At the same time as the skin, I put on another coat or two of Wraithbone from the pot on all the cloth areas that I'm going to stain with oils. John Blanche's artwork has those great off-white colors stained with streaks of burnt umber, and these areas are where we're going to highlight that aspect of Blanche's work.
Once all your contrast paints are dry, you can build up your metallic paints. For my models, I'm essentially dry-brushing a silver paint on the chainmail skirts, and leaving the bulk of the armor those yellow-ochre colors. This just adds a little bit of variety. You could also add rust, or sponge on some silver here and there if you like to represent some chipping, but I would advise keeping that minimal and maybe sponging on some black beforehand to give the silver a bit of contrast to really show through. Experiment, keep it simple and loose, and it'll turn out fine!
Next I tackle the trim on the skirts. Again I'm looking at Blanche's artwork and I notice he's using a kind of orange-red in select areas. For that, I'm going to use Squig Orange. Nothing crazy in this step, just paint it how your normally would until you're happy with the levels of brightness and saturation. Let's finish the painting in step four.
Step Four Part 1: Oil Painting
This is probably an intimidating step for a lot of people but I promise you there's no need to be scared. Oils have a slow drying time, can be erased with mineral spirits, and are incredibly easy to work with. Just remember, don't mix them with water (only use mineral spirits), protect yourself from fumes in a well-ventilated room or with a mask, and don't put your acrylic paints on top of oil paints until you've sealed it.
So, all our acrylic paints are dry and now we're ready for the oils. The only color we need here is Burnt Umber. Any oil brand will do; I use Windsor & Newton, but you can get a cheap one that will be just fine. You'll also need some mineral spirits, which is what you'll use to dilute your oils and also clean your brush.
I would recommend using a palette with small wells, or dips in it to make pools of washes. Get a little bit of your Burnt Umber oil paint, put it in the well, and add a little bit of mineral spirits at a time until you get a consistency of Contrast Medium, or a thick wash. Then take your brush (preferably one you just use for oils, though that's not entirely necessary), and put it on all the white cloth of your model. It should flow beautifully, staying on the parts of the model you want it to stay on and flowing into the crevices like the best wash you've ever used. You can also put it on the extreme recesses or shadows, underneath arms and the like, to give your miniatures warm and exciting shadows.
As mentioned earlier, oils take some time to dry, so if you're in a time crunch, bust out your hair dryer and hit your model with some high heat. Don't burn yourself or melt your model, and be careful of your oil wash as the force of the air could force the paint in places you don't want it to go. You don't need the oil fully dry, and really 20 minutes of standing time is probably enough to leave a good stain, so you could just go grab a cup of coffee or eat a sandwich and be ready for the next step.
Step Four Part 2: Mineral Spirits
Once your oils have set for a minute, it's time to go grab a Q-tip and some mineral spirits. Wet the Q-tip just slightly in the mineral spirits and hold it perpendicular to your model. The idea here is to wipe in a downward motion, keeping the Q-tip out of the recesses of the miniature's cloth areas, while wiping away the oil paints. This will leave some streaking marks, stains, and of course, the oils will remain in the recesses, giving a wonderful effect of once-pure cloth now dirty and stained from a life of war and hardship.
If you mess up, just go back in with more oils and try again. This process can be repeated as many times as you like; just be careful with the amount of pressure you put on your Q-tip. You really need almost no pressure at at all to remove oils with mineral spirits. A gentle wipe is all you need.
Step Five: The Rest of It!
Now we're at a crucial stage. It's time to seal your model with a matte varnish, just like you normally would. Once it's sealed in this way, you can add whatever final embellishments you desire to your model. You can even paint acrylics on top of your oils now that it's properly sealed. For extra Blanchitsu Points, I would recommend dry-brushing some red/rust colored dry pigments on the bottom of the model where dirt and grime collect — around the skirt, feet, etc.
I take this time to add technical paints as well. I use Typhus Corrosion (or streaking grime if you have it), and paint vertical, camouflage type-streaks, focusing around the parts of the model featuring Agrellan Earth from our earlier steps. Don't fill all those wonderful cracks, but a drip of oil wash will darken them up, and grimy texture around it can boost the corroded effect. This is also a great time to go back over the corroded areas with dabs of silver paint if you like, making sketchy silver edge highlights, or whatever final steps you think you need to take!
I am generally fairly reserved when it comes to technical paints, as too many of them can derail the paint job and add too much visual interest, distracting your eye from where it should be and pulling it to areas that are not necessarily the focal-point of the model.
Once you're done on this step, I recommend a final matte varnish which will make everything nice and sturdy and keep your model looking great for years to come!
That's it!
When painting these models (not counting assembly or priming), I usually finish one in under an hour. The process is fast, fun, and involves a bunch of really interesting and easy steps.
I hope you found this tutorial interesting and easy to follow! If you did, please hit the little heart or leave a comment below — I love reading them and always try to reply to them! You can also hit me up on twitter @HeyGMKenny and ask me questions there as well as see my current painting progress!
Thanks again, and I'll see you soon!
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