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untitled_musketeer · 08-12-2010 09:37 PM

As requested by Boo, here is my first CN painting guide.

Painting skin can sometimes be a tricky business, particularly when it comes the ghoulish delights that the Vampire Counts have to offer. A model’s skin is often a big focal point, so getting it right can make the world of difference to the overall appearance of the miniature. Where normal mortal skin (the pink stuff) can easily look warm and living, getting the skin of the dead to look alive is often quite hard. In this tutorial, I’m going to try and show you how monstrous skins can look as alive, and as real, as the skins of those in the mortal realm.

For the purposes of this guide I’m going to use my Winged Vampire Lord, which I’m sure, some of you are sick to the back of seeing, but that’s pride for you! I’ll also used GW Paints so I shall be referring to these as colours. Whilst I can’t show you any WIP (my bad for not taking any pictures), I hope you can see how I achieved the colour.
Firstly, I started with the membrane, as this is the largest area and the primary focal point of the model. To keep the blends looking as seamless as possible I kept my paints very thin.

I began by giving the wing a basecoat of Homoguant purple
from the foundation range. I chose purple because I wanted to use the red in it (blue+red=purple) to give the skin a feeling of warmth that would make it seem alive despite being dead.
Keeping the tones fleshlike, I added some Tallarn flesh to the Homoguant Purple at about a 1:2 ratio and began my first highlight. I’d like to just point out that whilst I jot down rough mixes, I tend go with a mix that looks and feels right. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to mixing.
To this, I began to add progressive amounts of Elf Flesh into the mix for each highlight and worked it up to pure elf flesh at the tips. While painting the membrane I kept my brush strokes light and followed the contours of each wing cell.
The wing was then given a watered down wash of Gryphonne Sepia to help smooth out the blends.

[Image: Picture4.png]

I then shaded around the base and the bony “fingers” using a 1:1:1 heavily watered mix of Homoguant Purple, Tallarn Flesh and Charadon Granite. A tight shade of Badab Black was then applied to the very edges. Finally, the veining was done with Leviathan Purple and a little bit watered down Dark Flesh.

[Image: Picture5.png]

For the skin on the body, I wanted to keep this a little less ‘red’. Like the wing, this was given a first highlight of Homogaunt Purple and Tallarn Flesh at a 2:1 ratio. This was followed by a 1:1 mix of Homogaunt Purple and Elf Flesh with small amounts of Dheneb Stone being added for successive highlight. A final highlight of Dheneb stone was added to prominent areas. The shading was done with Leviathan purple and this was washed around the eyes, nose, ears and any other recesses. A darker tone of Leviathan Purple with a smidge of watered down Chaos Black was applied to heavily shaded areas and kept quite tight.

[Image: Picture6.png]

Finally the teeth were painted with a base of Khemri Brown. This was followed by a highlight of Bleached bone and a final highlight of Dheneb Stone. It was the given a shading wash of Badab Black to give it some definition.

So that is it really. On a final note, when using cool colours for skin it’s important to inject life into it with warm colours.
For purple: use purple and red washes.
For green: use purples or browns or reds.
For blue: use purple and red.

I hope this is informative and not too dreary. It’s the first serious paint guide I’ve written. Nex time, realistic Snow basing.

**Malochai** · 08-12-2010 09:42 PM

I'm grateful that you put this together; since I saw your paint job on the mini I admired it. Thumbs Up

Santawraith · 08-12-2010 09:45 PM

I think im gonna need to try this on some i have awaiting skin thanks for a wonderful little tutoiral.

**Disciple of Nagash** · 08-12-2010 09:59 PM

Great tutorial! Any chance you could put it word document for me? I can then convert it to a PDF and upload it to CN's article section. Thumbs Up

**Malochai** · 08-12-2010 10:04 PM

DoN, could you tell us if/when you do that? (I've downloaded all the CN articles, I find them a great inspiration and, when painting the appropriate models, I'll be sure to use them)

untitled_musketeer · 08-12-2010 10:55 PM

Glad you guys like it. If you find it useful or you want any more doing I'll always try to find a technique to focus on. I've already got a NMM and Snow base "How to" requested so any others just let me know.