Sunday, May 30, 2010

Skaven Clanrat Painting

Following my post yesterday of my first 15 Clanrats, I thought I would post a few more pictures and some specifics on the process I used.

First, the finished product. 


























This is a fairly typical example of  an assembled 4th generation Clanrat model. (See here for my feelings about these older models...). I would say that this is what people would call "Tabletop" quality - so it looks fine on the gaming table but deliberately hasn't had lots of detail or attention that would make it good enough to enter a painting competition. (Of course, I don't know how to do that well enough anyway! haha!)

EDIT: Following the launch of the latest Citadel Paint range in 2012, please note that the colours listed below are from the previous range. I hope to have time to rewrite in the future, but for the time being, you can use the conversion chart/ list I made here or use the official Citadel Conversion chart here.

The  process followed was:
A.) Undercoat and layering:
  1. After assembly, liberally apply PVA glue to base and dip in modelling sand.
  2. Wait until dry, then undercoat. (I use Chaos Black spraypaint.)
  3. Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown.
  4. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Tallarn Flesh.
  5. Cloth: Ice Blue.
  6. Metal: Boltgun metal. (Weapons, belt buckle)
  7. Leathers: Snakebite leather. (Belt, wristband, armour crosspiece on the back of the Clanrat.)
B.) Apply Washes: Liberally apply Devlan Mud Wash all over.

C.) Reapply base colours: Layered up lighter shades/ colours: 


  1. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Dwarf Flesh on raised areas. (Being careful to leave some Tallarn flesh areas and the shadows created by the Devlan Mud wash and the black undercoat - especially on the tail.)
  2. Cloth: Ice Blue on raised areas of cloth.
  3. Leathers: Snakebite leather/ Skull white (50/50 mix). 
D.) Final Drybrushing:
  1. Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown/ Skull White (50/50).
  2. Metal: Drybrush Mithril silver (Weapon edges) buttons etc. (e.g. Rivets if the model has a shield etc.) or just apply as an "Extreme Highlight" on the edge of the weapon.
  3. Base: Drybrush Calthan brown, then drybrush Tallarn Flesh.
E.) Final Basing:
  1. Apply dabs of PVA glue onto the base and dip into green flock.
  2. Paint base sides Knarloc Green.
Looking at this model now, some final observations and self-criticism would be:
  • I need to pay more attention to the feet. I should really do something with the nails/ toes so that they are visible...but I just hate the feet on these models so much I can't motivate myself to do it. (I'll get around to it sometime.)
  • I'm still undecided on the Ice Blue colour. As some people have noted, it is just too bright to really be very "Skavenish". On the other hand, if I like it, who cares? I could try toning it down a bit OR go to another colour.
  • Skaven weapons that have rust on them look absolutely great. I haven't tried that yet so the weapons on these Clanrats look too well-cared for, and definitely not from the scavenge pile.
  • Could I make the flesh areas stand out even more by using a further highlight or drybrushing of Elf flesh? Would it be worth it?
  • Applying the modelling sand BEFORE undercoating is fine, but unfortunately it gets on the feet of the model and makes it harder to paint later. I might go back to applying the modelling sand after finishing the paint job.
Only a hundred more models to go and then I'm done!
;-)

3 comments:

  1. Think your right about the weapons,rusty looks great for skaven. However i'm a fan of the blue for some reason!

    When it comes to the base why not pencil a line around the foot(and glue sand to the base) before attatching the model.

    Been after a skaven scheme i like for the last few days, just got the beginings of an army.

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  2. Thanks for your comments. I'm going to try doing more serious rust on another Clanrat unit (I just got the IOB set) and trying decent weathering on the Doomwheel I am working on. Glad you like the blue! It have now decided I do like it! It works I think because of the Devlan Mud washes.
    I'm going to post an updated Clanrats step-by-step for the newer Clanrat sculpts soon I hope.
    Good luck with your army!

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  3. cool blog.keep it up man.

    ReplyDelete