How to paint Games Workshop miniatures? In this tutorial, we will show you a number of painting techniques for decorating your Citadel miniatures. In this new guide we will see which steps to follow to paint your own models of the Knights of Rohan!
Welcome back to Painting workshop by techigames! In the previous tutorial, which you can view on this page, we analyzed how to decorate horses of Rohan, while in this new guide we will see how to paint the knights of Rohan, so that you can complete your models and thus be able to expand your collection of miniatures Games Workshop to undertake the Strategic Battle Game in Middle-earth. To do all this, we will use very simple techniques with colors as always Citadel.
We remind you that the miniatures, the colors and all the tools for modeling are available on the website www.games-workshop.com.
Tutorial 27: Knights of Rohan - How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
I knights of Rohan, also called Rohirrim, are strong and valiant warriors who have always defended their lands from all enemy incursions. One of their strengths is represented by the mighty horses reared in Rohan, which is why it is nicknamed "Land of the Horse Lords". In the past, the Rohirrim have fought in defense of Gondor and their own kingdom, achieving numerous victories thanks to their strength and skill in battle that characterize them. During the Third Age of Middle-earth, under the leadership of their Marshal Éomer, nephew of King Theoden, they leave Rohan in exile due to the overwhelming power of Saruman the White and his spy Grima Wormtongue, but soon Gandalf brings them back to home just in time to fend off the evil Uruk-hai in the battle at Helm's Deep.
If you are interested in more information on the knights of Rohan we refer you to the Wikipedia page.
To know the different basic painting techniques, useful for all Games Workshop miniatures, we recommend that you visit this page.
Box Games Workshop containing 6 knights of Rohan
Phase 1: Cleaning and Assembling the Knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
As already seen in the previous tutorial, the first thing to do before starting to paint your knights of Rohan miniatures is to prepare the models by carefully removing them from the frame. Use a wire cutter for this, and then remove any excess burrs that remain after the casting process with a classic utility knife. Be very careful during this phase, as they are not very resistant miniatures, being made of plastic. In addition, further assembly is required for a warrior, as his right arm with the spear is separated from the rest of his body: apply a small amount of plastic glue and, if necessary, fill the cavities with green matter. Once this is done, your models are primed ready.
Plastic mold with 6 knights of Rohan
Practical tip: if you prefer, you can temporarily leave the Rohirrim on the frame, so that you have them all close and stationary when you use the spray in phase 2. In this case, leave the models bound only by the attachments present under the feet, so to have them at the same time almost totally cleaned, but firmly in place for the primer.
Example of a knight of Rohan at the end of phase 1
Phase 2: Basic Color of the Knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
Once you have separated the models of your knights of Rohan from their plastic mold, you will need to give a base color to have a base color to work on and to adhere well the shades that you will apply in the next steps. Always remember that the important thing is to completely cover the material your miniatures are made of. To get a uniform layer of color use Citadel Chaos Black spray, as the Rohirrim are characterized by rather dark shades. Be very careful when using the spray and be sure to use this technique in well-ventilated areas.
Citadel Chaos Black spray ideal for primer
Practical tip: to spread the black primer with the spray, you can fix your miniatures on a piece of cardboard with a little paper tape, in order to color a whole part of it; when they are dry, turn them over to be able to paint them on the other as well.
Alternative: if you don't have Chaos Black spray available, use Citadel Abaddon Black in a bottle; shake the jar well to mix the color correctly, then use the brush to put a drop on the palette and add a little water to dilute it slightly, as too thick a color would be difficult to apply and ruin your miniatures, covering the details . If the color is too liquid, add a little more to thicken it.
Knights of Rohan after the black primer
Phase 3: painting the armor of the knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
Not all Rohirrim are alike, as some wear all-metal dragon scale armor, while others wear chain mail with a leather overlay. In both cases, the goal at this stage is to decorate the metallic areas, so apply Leadbelcher as a base color on them, then apply Citadel Shade Nuln Oil evenly to create a shading effect. When this is dry, use the dry brush technique decorating with the Ironbreaker, to bring out the raised details and then repeat the operation with Runefang Steel for an extreme highlight. In the case of the crush, you can also apply the Brass Scorpion to give a brass effect.
Citadel paints recommended for decorating the armor of the Knights of Rohan
Step 4: Paint the fabric and leather parts of the Knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
The knights of Rohan have some parts in cloth and leather. To decorate the areas characterized by the fabric, you can use shades of green or brown, taking into account in the second case not to use the same colors that you will apply for the leather parts. An example would be to apply Deathworld Forest to clothing, shade with Agrax Earthshade and highlight first with Straken Green and finally with Nurgling Green. Alternatively, you can use Dryad Bark as a base and then, after making the shadows, lighten with Gorthor Brown and Baneblade Brown.
Citadel shades suggested for leather and cloth parts of the Rohirrim
The leather areas can be painted with Rhinox Hide as a base, shaded with Nuln Oil and highlighted with a lighter shade of brown, to be chosen from Doombull Brown, Skrag Brown and Gorthor Brown. Our advice is to use fantasy, since the models are numerous and by doing so you will create diversity between them, obtaining a more realistic effect. To lighten, use the techniques of ruling on the folds and edging on the ends. Finally, perform an extreme highlight with Tuskgor Fur, XV-88 and Baneblade Brown respectively. To decorate the edges of the greaves, you can use Gehenna's Gold or Brass Scorpion.
Knights of Rohan at the end of stage 4
Step 5: painting the cloaks of the knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
To decorate the cloaks of the knights of Rohan you can use Castellan Green as a background of color, then create the shadows by applying the Nuln Oil and let it dry well. Once this is done, restore the base color on the large raised areas, then use the ruling technique with a mix consisting of 50% Castellan Green and 50% Loren Forest and spread this color on all the external folds to lighten them. Now you can create an additional light effect by applying an equal mix of Loren Forest and Straken Green. Finally, use edging with Nurgling Green only.
To decorate the brooch use the Brass Scorpion, shade with the black wash and highlight the details with the Auric Armor Gold with the XS Artificer Layer brush.
Rohirrim with the finished cloaks
Step 6: Paint the Weapons and Helmets of the Knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
To decorate the swords of the knights of Rohan, you can evenly apply the Leadbelcher. Then do a black wash with Nuln Oil and then highlight each blade with Runefang Steel using the ruling technique to make it appear shiny and sharp. Use Brass Scorpion for the metal areas of the hilt, then highlight them with an equal mix of it and Auric Armor gold, then use Gorthor Brown for the central grip.
For each sheath you can apply Rhinox Hide as a base color and then apply a black wash with Nuln Oil. For the decorative metal parts use the Brass Scorpion and then lighten the edges with the compound obtained previously for the swords by adding the Auric Armor Gold.
Each warrior's bow can be painted entirely with Dryad Bark, then faded to a lighter shade using Gorthor Brown and then Baneblade Brown with the ruling technique on the most exposed parts.
To paint the quivers, use XV-88, shade everything with Agrax Earthshade, then apply the ruling technique by spreading Baneblade Brown on the outer areas. Use Gorthor Brown for the wood of the arrows. Finally, the fletching must first be painted with Doombull Brown as a base, and then shaded with Nuln Oil and then drybrushed with Tuskgor Fur.
Citadel colors for the different weapons of the Rohirrim
In the case of knights with axes, to paint the wood you can use the same operations described for the bow, while for the metal part follow the same steps as for the swords.
As for the helmets, some parts are in leather, others in metal. You can paint the first ones following step 4, and then finish the details in gold and silver respectively with Brass Scorpion and Ironbreaker as the base and with Gehenna's Gold and Runefang Steel for the highlights.
The Rohirrim shields can be decorated with the Loren Forest for the background and the Screaming Skull for the different badges, then apply an even wash with the Nuln Oil and then lighten the raised details with the Straken Green and restore the Screaming Skull with the precision brush. For the central gold area use Gehenna's Gold. As an alternative to green, you can use shades of brown, such as Dryad Bark and Gorthor Brown, so you will create all different models.
Knights of Rohan at the end of stage 6
Step 7: painting the face and hair of the knights of Rohan | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
The face of your knights of Rohan should first be painted with Cadian Fleshtone as the base color. When the flesh color is dry, apply a very light wash of Reikland Fleshshade to darken the grooves of the miniatures and thus create a shading effect. Finally, apply Kislev Flesh with the ruling technique to highlight all the raised parts such as cheekbones, nose and forehead.
Citadel Shade to shade the face, hair and beard of your models
To decorate the eyes you can use different colors, such as Rhinox Hide, Caliban Green, Hoeth Blue, all on a white base, while for the eyebrows Baneblade Brown or XV-88. At this stage use the XS Artificer Layer brush.
XS Artificer Layer brush for the smallest details
To paint the hair and beard, apply XV-88 as a primer, then apply a wash with Agrax Earthshade. At this point, lighten the external strands with a dry brush with the Zamesi Desert and then with a mix consisting of 50% of Zamesi Desert and 50% of Ushabti Bone.
Citadel Face and Hair Colors
Once this is complete, mount your Rohan knights on their mighty steeds and lead them into battle against Saruman's army!
Your knights of Rohan are ready!
Extra step: painting the bases of the Rohan warriors on foot | How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures
The knights of Rohan are identical models to the warriors on foot, but in the second case they are of course miniatures with their own bases and without the horses. If you have such models, you can decorate their bases as illustrated in the previous guides. For example you can apply a Citadel Texture such as Stirland Mud or Astrogranite to create a rocky brown or gray effect. Whichever you choose, paint the edges of the base with XV-88 or Mechanicus Standard Gray accordingly. When the Texture is dry, gently drybrush a lighter color to highlight, such as Karak Stone in the first case or Adminatum Gray in the second. Finally, to complete, you can add the Mordheim or Middenland Clods, in order to enrich the base with tufts of grass.
Citadel Texture Stirland Mud e Astrogranite
Clods of Middenland and Mordheim
Alternatively, you can also completely paint each Mournfang Brown base and apply after a little static grass or modeling flock with vinyl glue, in order to recreate a turf. Finally, you can add a small amount of pebbles to give it a classy effect.
Static modeling grass
Practical tip: to apply the static grass or flock, first spread the glue on the upper part of the base, then immerse it in a jar containing the grass, so that it adheres perfectly.
Set Games Workshop of the Rohan Warriors on foot
How to paint Games Workshop (Citadel) miniatures - Tutorial 27: Knights of Rohan
This tutorial from the Techigames Painting Workshop dedicated to decorating Games Workshop miniatures (eg Warhammer or Lord of the Rings) also ends here. For any questions or requests we are available via the comments box below!
Appointment to next Saturday with a new tutorial!
