How to paint Games Workshop miniatures? In this tutorial, we will show you a number of basic painting techniques for decorating all of your Citadel miniatures
Welcome to the guide dedicated to the basic techniques of ours Painting workshop! Painting exceptionally detailed miniatures is one of the most interesting aspects of RPGs, which is why in this guide we will help you develop your skills with colors. Citadel.
Before showing you how to combine all the basic techniques to paint your miniatures Games Workshop (eg Warhammer or Lord of the Rings), we remind you that the numerous colors and different types of brushes are available on the website www.games-workshop.com.
Basic Technique 1: Solid Color - How to Paint Games Workshop (Citadel) Miniatures
When you paint solid colors on your miniatures you have to be very careful about the evenness of the brushstroke. If after a first pass the color appears patchy, don't worry because just go over it again, but be careful not to overdo it: in some cases the excessive painting could cover some details of the model.
Apply enough layers to create a solid, even color without streaks that would ruin the look of your miniature.
It may happen that the Citadel paint is a bit dense; in this case just dilute it slightly on the palette, adding a drop of water.
For this technique we recommend using a Citadel “Base” brush available in sizes S, L and XL on the website. The choice of the latter must be made in proportion to the size of your miniature; it would be inconvenient to use a small brush on a large model or vice versa.
Basic Technique 2: Dry Brush - How to Paint Games Workshop (Citadel) Miniatures
The dry brush technique consists in unloading most of the color so that only a small amount remains on the bristles of the brush and then pass it on the affected areas of the model; to remove the color from the brush you can use common kitchen paper.
The goal is to bring out all the raised parts, such as hair, animal fur, chain mail and weapons.
This technique can smudge your Games Workshop miniature, which is why we recommend that you use it initially in the case of large affected areas and then you can cover any smudges with the appropriate colors. This does not mean that you cannot use it later, the important thing is to always take great care when performing it.
To apply the dry brush technique we recommend the Citadel “Dry” brush, available online in different sizes.
Basic Technique 3: Washing - How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
The washing technique consists in applying a color, usually dark, very diluted with water to the point of depositing itself in the innermost parts of your miniatures. This is a fundamental method for painting your models, as it allows you to create shadows in the grooves, increasing the level of detail.
We recommend that you use this technique before dry brushing to get a light and shadow effect. Uses a Citadel “Shade” type brush.
Basic Technique 4: Linescreen - How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
The ruling technique creates a shadow effect similar to that of washing and consists of leaving a very fine dark line in the recesses of your models.
There are two ways to achieve it: in the first case, after having applied the basic black color (Chaos Black if you used the spray or Abaddon Black if you used the brush) leave a line in each groove and paint the rest of the miniature, while as a second option you can very well use a high precision “XS Artificer Layer” brush with a very fine tip and apply a suitable dark color at a later time.
Basic Technique 5: Edging - How to Paint Games Workshop (Citadel) Miniatures
This technique consists of applying color only on the edges of the many parts of the model and all you need is a very fine tip brush, as well as a steady hand. Edging is very effective for highlighting the outer parts of armor, shields and clothing thus creating just the right contrast with the rest of the darker areas of the model and adding lots of detail to your miniature.
We recommend applying this technique after a wash and typically using a slightly lighter shade than the base color.
Basic Technique 6: Layering - How to Paint Games Workshop (Citadel) Miniatures
The layering technique is very useful in decorating clothes, such as elven robes and cloaks. This technique involves a dark base color followed by increasingly lighter shades, usually two or three, applied progressively towards the ends as different layers of highlighting.
Basic Technique 7: Mottling - How to Paint Games Workshop (Citadel) Miniatures
The mottling technique is useful for making the pommel coat of a horse, the skin of reptiles and some fabrics, such as curly velvet. An example is the belly of the Winged Beasts from The Lord of the Rings. This is a similar technique to layering, but in this case the layers of paint are spread with the tip of the brush, in order to make the color appear in dots, at the same time lightening the hue after each layer. The final result is a pomellato effect.
Basic Technique 8: Bulk Painting - How to Paint Games Workshop (Citadel) Miniatures
Compared to individually decorated miniatures, such as heroes, when you need to paint a group of similar models, you can perform each painting step on all Citadel characters, then move on to the next. This way you will work all your miniatures in parallel and complete them together.
Basic Technique 9: Decorating the Base - How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
Refining the basics of your Games Workshop miniatures is a key aspect as it adds value to your models by making them more realistic.
First, paint the base green with Moot Green or brown using Mournfang Brown.
Once dry, you can add tufts of grass or pebbles to increase the level of detail. Various basing materials are available on the website such as "Mordheim Clods" and "Middenland Clods".
How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures: basic painting techniques
This Techigames Painting Workshop guide for decorating Games Workshop miniatures (eg Warhammer or Lord of the Rings) ends here. For any questions or requests we are available via the comments box below!
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