Give your miniatures realistic, ancient armor. Learn to paint worn metallics and rust with this step-by-step tutorial.
This tutorial was originally featured in Carpe Noctem's Invocation Magazine.
The names of the paints used have been replaced with newer citadel paint equivalents, with old paint names referenced in brackets.
As an army, our minions use all sorts of weapons, many of them are med of steel and others of metal. Unlike our living enemies, many of the weapons that our forces use have seen centuries of corrosion and wear and tear.
In this article I’ll give you a tutorial about creating this effect in seven easy steps! Meet Steve. Steve’s been a farmer for most of his life and has quite the affinity for using his old scythe.
Recently though, Steve has been laughed at by many of his counterparts. Let’s help Steve out…
This may take you a few coats, but the result will give you a nice smooth surface to work on. As a tip, I usually paint the metallic parts of the model first as you can always cover them up with opaque paint later one.
Also, be sure to rinse your brush and change your water once you’re done painting with the actual metallic paint. This will ensure that you don’t get the metallic flecks in your other colors.
The names of the paints used have been replaced with newer citadel paint equivalents, with old paint names referenced in brackets.
As an army, our minions use all sorts of weapons, many of them are med of steel and others of metal. Unlike our living enemies, many of the weapons that our forces use have seen centuries of corrosion and wear and tear.
In this article I’ll give you a tutorial about creating this effect in seven easy steps! Meet Steve. Steve’s been a farmer for most of his life and has quite the affinity for using his old scythe.
Recently though, Steve has been laughed at by many of his counterparts. Let’s help Steve out…
Step 1
Take some black primer and apply two thin coats over the model, making sure not to obscure detail. Fix any missed spots with some thin coats of Abbadon Black (Chaos Black).
Step 2
Mix a little bit of water and some Ironbreaker (Chainmail) and apply it to the metallic portions of the weapon. You’ll want to keep the paint thin so that it applies to the model smoothly.This may take you a few coats, but the result will give you a nice smooth surface to work on. As a tip, I usually paint the metallic parts of the model first as you can always cover them up with opaque paint later one.
Also, be sure to rinse your brush and change your water once you’re done painting with the actual metallic paint. This will ensure that you don’t get the metallic flecks in your other colors.
Step 3
Take some blue, like Caledor Sky (Cygnar Blue by P3), and mix it with 8 parts water to one part paint. This will turn it into a glaze. You’ll apply this into three thin coats. This will create a bit of depth to the metal and will also give it the blued steel look.
Step 4
Now we begin the corrosion stage. Take some Agrax Earthshade (Devlan Mud) and apply it evenly to the piece. You’ll want to thin it a bit with water and apply it in two applications. Make sure to brush into the creases where the most amount of grime would collect over time.
Step 5
Take a dark flesh, like Ratskin Flesh (Idrian Flesh by P3), and stipple it onto the metal. Keep it sporadic and away from the edges of the metal. This is the foundation for the patches of rust.
Step 6
Take a deep red-brown, like Skrag Brown (Bloodstone by P3), and stipple it onto the areas you built your first rust foundation on. Keep it light so you don’t completely cover up the work you had just done.
Step 7
Mix some orange with your deep red-brown to create a brighter orange-brown. Lightly stipple this onto your rust to give it your final touch.
Step 8
Add some final touches and that’s it! You’re all done.
