Hey guys, Cavalier checking in, commission painter for Frontline Gaming and co-host of Splintermind: The Dark Eldar Podcast back again with the another painting tutorial this time featuring Pox Walkers!
So man I always hated Nurgle models… before I started painting for this client! I just did not get the appeal of them (perhaps my Eldar bias) but this project has been a lot of fun, especially these Pox Walkers. While there may be faster techniques out there, this is a pretty quick one and produces suitably grotesque results. Lets dive in!
So to begin with I start priming the model Army Painter Skeleton (bone) as a base. I also primed others Corax White from GW and the results are almost identical. So either works!
After that I give a nice healthy Nuln Oil wash. Dont go too crazy with this stuff, because a lot of washes are going on these models. Apply to the entire model, even the cloth.
Next up apply a nice layer of everybody’s best friend Agrax Earthshade. Again apply everywhere including the cloth. When it dries apply Seraphim Sepia to the whole model as well. This will really transform the bone and cloth to a rich brownish yellow with a great decayed look to it. Dont let it pool too much though because we’re not done with those shades!
Now here comes one of my secret weapons: Druchii Violet. This really starts to amp up the corpse like appearance of this hideous servant of Nurgle. At this point you have to more carefully apply and avoid the cloth and bone. Dont worry though, the clean up and highlight colors for the bone go over the shades super easy.
Now for the final secret weapon Carroburgh Crimson. The first time I did this I thought I was taking a real gamble, as it struck me on a whim, but luckily this returning client loved it. Its a fantastic touch that gives a “wormy” bruised flesh color to these Slaves to Darkness, and jives so well with the Druchii Violet. It really makes these guys stand out from the drab green of your Plague Marines, Plague Burst Crawlers etc while still having a truly grotesque vibe.
Now for some detailing! First up highlight the flesh with a combo of edge highlighting and dry brushing with Slaanesh Grey. You’ll wanna pick out the big boils and stuff with standard highlighting, while a dry brush will do for all the other areas. Rinse and repeat with Pallid Wych flesh to truly give a corpse vibe to these guys. For the pants edge and drybrush Baneblade Brown, then Rakarth Flesh and a bit of Pallid Wych. For the bones I go with a dry brush of Rakarth Flesh, Pallid Wych Flesh then a combo of edge/drybrush of Ceramite White to make it stand out from the cloth.
Finally pickout those eyes with Moot Green and Ogryn Camo to give that Nurgle possessed look!
There you go! Not that fastest technique but very quick nonetheless and gives really nice results on a set of very cool sculpts. Anyway hope that you guys picked up some tips and tricks. Let me know your own in the comments section below!
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Awesome tutorial. When I *finally* get around to painting mine, I’ll give this a go. Looks quick but good!
Yeah, I can attest to how awesome painting with washes is, and how fast! I try to do it whenever possible, saves so much time.
@Reece- Absolutely. Its something I just recently got into doing, but it really is an excellent tool thats pretty unique. I like how its less controlled then say an airbrush, with gravity and the shape of the model makes really interesting patterns and tones. Add a little traditional highlighting and shading and it can look really good
I agree. It works especially well on organic moxels like Pox Walkers and such. I do it on Bloodletters, Drayds, Tyranids, etc. and it looks great.
Thanks Charlie! Appreciate it man. Glad you’ll give it a go. I’m sure it wont disappoint. Thanks bud
Excellent! Makes me wish I hadn’t already primed all of mine black 😉
Using a green wash on some areas instead of the purple/red can also add a little more variety if you like, and it still works fine if they overlap. Hitting some of the open sores with Blood for the Blood God or Nurgle’s Rot can also be a nice little extra touch.