Step by step on how I painted Ghazghkull Thraka and Makari.
I started the flesh by basing the skin in with Skarsnik Green in a couple coats for the best coverage. I glazed in Waaagh! Flesh , followed by Caliban Green to the recesses to add some depth, before highlighting up with Skarsnik Green and Flayed One Flesh (Mixed 1:1), then pure Flayed One Flesh . I washed Druchii Violet around the eyes and cheeks for a bit of life.
The lips, nose and ear tips were based with a few glazes of Bugman's Glow to make the transition a bit less stark, then highlighted up with Cadian Fleshtone and lastly Kislev Flesh .
The inside of the mouth was based super carefully with Screamer Pink and washed with Druchii Violet . They were highlighted with Pink Horror , then Kislev Flesh .
The scar around his head was washed with well thinned Bugman's Glow to get some skintone around it. I then based the stitches around his head with Rakarth Flesh and highlighted them with Pallid Wych Flesh .
His teeth were also based with Rakarth Flesh before being washed over generously with Agrax Earthshade . I then highlighted them up with Pallid Wych Flesh , painting in lines to make some growth striation patterns.
The silver sections were based with Iron Warriors and washed back with Nuln Oil . I then highlighted with Ironbreaker and Stormhost Silver , adding faint scratching to the metal in this step. To finish, I heavily watered down Skrag Brown and washed around recesses and onto anything I wanted to look rusty.
To break up the silver I added some copper with a Balthasar Gold base, washing back with Agrax Earthshade . I relayered with Gehenna's Gold , then highlighted with a 1:1 mix of Gehenna's Gold and Stormhost Silver . Finally, a touch or two of Nihilakh Oxide to oxidise the copper and give it some age.
For his eyes I used the same red colours, just applied differently. For his 'good' eye, I based the whole eyeball with Khorne Red before touching a brighter pupil on with Evil Sunz Scarlet .
The cables coming out of his head were done a in different ways: The black cables were done with a basecoat of Corax White , layered over completely with Gryph-charger Grey and Black Templar , then highlighted with Thunderhawk Blue , Fenrisian Grey and Ulthuan Grey . The other cables were based in Averland Sunset and Mephiston Red and washed with Agrax Earthshade . The red cable was highlighted with Evil Sunz Scarlet and Wild Rider Red , and the yellow cable was relalyered with Yriel Yellow and highlighted with Pallid Wych Flesh . I then freehanded the hazard stripes on with Doom Death Black and highlighted those with Dawnstone and Administratum Grey . Head done!
The body I wanted to have a more lively skin tone, so based with Elysian Green . I applied Kabalite Green and Caliban Green to the recesses to add depth, before highlighting up with Elysian Green and Ogryn Camo mixed 1:1, and Ogryn Camo and Flayed One Flesh mixed 1:1.
Ghaz's pants were based with Baneblade Brown , washing back with Agrax Earthshade a couple times for depth, then relayered with Baneblade Brown , and finally stippled and highlighted with Karak Stone . Be careful of the holes in the pants, you don't want to mess up the little spots of skin showing through.
The black armour panels were carefully based with Doom Death Black . I then applied very thin Rhinox Hide to the recesses to add some interest and weathering, as we can't wash black after all. The black is all then highlighted with edge highlights and glazes where necessary, first with Dark Reaper , then Thunderhawk Blue and finally Fenrisian Grey .
I started by basing all the silver areas with Leadbelcher - Both the bare silver and the black metallic areas.
I varied up parts in the metals by basing some areas with Balthasar Gold and Runelord Brass .
The black metallic areas were then relayered with a couple coats of Black Templar and Contrast Medium 1:1. I thinned the Contrast here to have full control over how opaque the end result is - I want a little metallic shimmer still there.
Now's the time to clean up any overspill, then wash -all- of the metallic areas with Agrax Earthshade . I went quite heavy to give the metals a grimy look.
When it was dry, I drybrushed, edge highlighted and added scuffs into the metallics:
White areas were based with Celestra Grey , relayered all over with Ulthuan Grey , washed with Agrax Earthshade , carefully relayered with Ulthuan Grey again while trying to keep some of the Agrax around, and edge highlighted with White .
I used the same colour scale to freehand the check pattern on the Gob, drawing a grid with thinned Celestra Grey and filling in alternating squares, relayering those with Ulthuan Grey , washing with Agrax Earthshade and highlighting around the edges with White . I also cut back into some of the squares with Doom Death Black to scuff them up a bit, make them look worn.
Red areas were based with Khorne Red , washed a couple times with Agrax Earthshade , glazed towards the top of panels with Khorne Red to get a gradient, then again with Evil Sunz Scarlet , once more plus an edge highlight with Wild Rider Red and a last point highlight with Fire Dragon Bright .
Yellow areas were based with Averland Sunset , washed back with Agrax Earthshade , glazed towards the top of panels with Averland Sunset to get a gradient, then again plus an edge highlight with Yriel Yellow and a last point highlight with Ushabti Bone .
I cut a corner off of a kitchen sponge, dip it in Leadbelcher and remove the excess so it leaves a small random pattern, then dab around the areas I want to chip some paint away from. Nothing too excessive, just a dab here and there for some interest on the flatter areas.
I did the same with Runefang Steel , hitting the same areas to add some shine. I also used a brush to pad out some of the finer sponged patterns, just to vary it up.
The silvers were then rusted up with very watered down Skrag Brown , washing into recesses and dabbing onto flatter areas at random.
Any larger gaps made with the sponging I added a highlight along the bottom with the relevant colour to give it the appearance of chipping paint:Time for a quick pass over what I've got to make sure I didn't miss anything. Spoiler: I did.
I missed the belt fan on the engine, so gave it a quick, careful basecoat of Doom Death Black and a highlight of Dawnstone .
There was also a chain or two that I skipped so as not to mess them up with other colours, so just used the same silver paints and wash to hit those.
The lamps in the Gob I'd wanted to be casting a yellow light, but didn't manage to catch the effect I wanted. Regardless, I painted the metal housing in the same way as the other silvers - Leadbelcher , Agrax Earthshade , Runefang Steel and Skrag Brown .
There's also a light on the engine, which I did with Khorne Red , Agrax Earthshade a relayer of Khorne Red making a gradient from shaded red to brighter red. I left it there to look like it wasn't on, just adding some reflected light with White .
I picked out the couple of leather sections with a 1:1 mix of Rhinox Hide and Doom Death Black . This was relayered with straight Rhinox Hide , leaving some of the base tone towards the recesses. A couple highlights of Mournfang Brown , Skrag Brown and XV-88 were added, before neatening up with Rhinox Hide and washing towards the recesses with a 1:1 mix of Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade .
The soft red details were based with Khorne Red and washed back with Nuln Oil . These were brought back up with Khorne Red , Wazdakka Red and Squig Orange . The cable housings were simple glazes and edge highlights, the loincloth I took more time over to try and make it look like material - I used my desk light to show were the light falls and highlighted there, and painted small scratches as I went to add texture.
I went after the stitches in the pants, any twine and the rags tying the cables together next, painting them in the same was the stitches around his head: Basing them with Rakarth Flesh , washing back with Agrax Earthshade , relayering with Rakarth Flesh and highlighting with Pallid Wych Flesh
The remaining cables were hit next. I used the same colours as on the head - Black, red and yellow with hazard stripes. To break up what might be big bundles of red cables though I also introduced blue and purple cables, using Ahriman Blue and Temple Guard Blue for the blue ones and Genestealer Purple and Dechala Lilac for the purple ones.
I based the bone trophies littered around the mini with Zandri Dust , with the exception of one of the teeth which I based with Mournfang Brown . They all get a wash of Agrax Earthshade , relayered with Zandri Dust , and highlighted with Ushabti Bone , Screaming Skull and Pallid Wych Flesh . I try to paint in lines on the tusks to mimic bone growth, and when done I wash towards the tip with thinned Agrax Earthshade to make them look aged. A last wash of Nuln Oil at the very tip really darkens the tip.
The final thing to do was the smoke billowing out of Mork's Roar, which I built onto my Ghaz - If you've not, you can skip this! Went simple on this, basing with Mechanicus Standard Grey , washing with Nuln Oil and drybrushing up with Mechanicus Standard Grey , Dawnstone and Administratum Grey .
Once the base was finished I used crushed up pastels like weathering powders to dust him up. I used browns that matched my main textures and grey for around the concrete bits. I tried black for around the exhaust and guns, but it wouldn't stick, so used Corvus Black and stippled those areas instead.
Makari's skin I painted differently - In my head Grot green skin is different to Ork green skin, I guess! I based the flesh all over with a 1:1 mix of Skarsnik Green and Averland Sunset to get a yellower skin tone than Ghaz's. I washed into the recesses with Waaagh! Flesh and Incubi Darkness to add depth, before highlighting up with Skarsnik Green and Averland Sunset 1:1 again, then adding 1 part of Screaming Skull to that mix, and lastly with just pure Screaming Skull .
The bright reds, whites and black and white checks on the front were all done the same as on Ghaz. I added a cream colour for the bone ( Wraithbone , Agrax Earthshade , Wraithbone , Pallid Wych Flesh ), a vibrant green ( Caliban Green , Agrax Earthshade , thin Warpstone Glow , Moot Green , 1:1 Moot Green and Yriel Yellow ) and a bright yellow ( Averland Sunset , Agrax Earthshade , Averland Sunset , Yriel Yellow , Flash Gitz Yellow , Ushabti Bone ) to the dangling plates. Then I freehanded the symbols (Gor, Waagh! and Mor) with the same reds and whites, before weathering all the banner metallics the same as on Ghaz (Sponge chipping with Rhinox Hide and Runefang Steel , rust wash with Skrag Brown and oxide with Nihilakh Oxide ).
I'm a casual mini painter who's fallen into the tutorial space. Documenting my progress and recipes as I go!