Grey Seer Stage-by-Stage Painting Guide

*Squeek*

Having completed my first Grey Seer, I posted a few pictures, but wanted to put up a stage-by-stage guide that I hope other new Skaven players will find useful. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all the stages (one example being after layers but before washes...) but I think you'll get the general idea!

So here we go... (scroll down for finished pics at the end...)



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.

1. Assembly.

• File down or carefully cut away any flash from the model.
• Glue to base.

2. 1st Basing.

• Paint watered-down PVA glue to the base.
• Dip base into modelling sand
• Shake away excess and leave to dry

3. Undercoat.

• Undercoat whole model Chaos Black (I use GW Spray paint.) 

NOTE: I was given this Grey Seer model by a gaming buddy, and it came without the original symbol on the staff, so I added the staff head from my bitz box...

4. Drybrush base.

• Calthan Brown.
• Snakebite Leather

5. Basecoat.

Apply base colours to all parts of the model.

• Boltgun Metal: Sword, helmet, base of staff.
• Tallarn Flesh: Hands, tail, feet.
• Dwarf Bronze: Staff symbol, guard on sword, talisman on chain, and chain.
• Bleached Bone: Skull on staff, horns on helmet, nails on hands/ feet, scrolls.
• Dark Angels Green: Sigil on sword, warpstone studs on robes.
• Fortress Grey: Fur.
• Bestial Brown: Staff, belt.
• Snakebite Leather: Leather pouch on belt, leather pouch on staff.
• Chainmail: Bolts on staff symbol.

6. Layers. (Before washes)

• Robes: Codex Grey/ Fortress Grey(50/50 Mix), then Codex Grey Fortress Grey (25/75 mix) and finally Fortress Grey with some Skull White (75/15 mix).
• Leather/ Leather Pouches: Snakehide Leather/ Skull White (50/50 mix)
• Skulls: Skull White over Bleached Bone.

7. Washes.

• Skin, Tail/ Ears: Ogryn Flesh.
• Everything else(!): Devlan Mud.

8. Highlights. (After washes)

• Armour/ weapon edges (e.g. Helmet): Chainmail.
• Nails on staff symbol: Mithril Silver.
• Skull: Bleached Bone/ Skull White (50/50 mix)
• Skin/ Tail/ Ears: Tallarn Flesh/ Dwarf Flesh (50/50 mix)
• Warpstone: Snot Green/ Skull White (75/25 mix) then building up...Snot Green/ Skull White (50/50 mix), Snot Green/ Skull White (25/75)
• Skin (Hands, Feet etc.): Dwarf Flesh/ Tallarn Flesh (50/50 mix) and/ or Dwarf Flesh/ Elf Flesh (50/50 mix)

7. Drybrushing.

• Staff symbol: Dwarf Bronze. 
• Robes: Fortress Grey. 
• Staff: Bestial Brown/ Skull White (75/25 mix)

8. Final Basing

In this case, I decided not to add anything to the base other than the colours added previously, but if you wanted to...

• Dab on a couple of spots of PVA glue.
• Dip in flock.
• Shake away excess and leave to dry.

Done!

...or not QUITE done, because following advice and comments on other models, I decided to have a go at adding some verdigris to the Dwarf Bronze staff symbol. I had tried this before and so followed the same method.

9. Verdigris Wash.

• Heavily water down ICE BLUE (10 parts water to 1 part Ice Blue.) You'll need to experiment to find the right balance of water/ paint...
• Paint or dab onto the bronze symbol, so wash gathers in recesses or raised areas. Feel free to apply quite heavily, but be careful it doesn't drip down the staff.
• Using a rolled up piece of tissue paper (so it has a point) carefully dab or drain away wash from flat surfaces, leaving the wash gathered around raised areas or in recesses.

NOTE: Don't totally drain away from smooth surfaces...leave a thin film of wash if you can so it dulls down the overall metallic effect.

The finished product. 

Let me know what you think - all comments and suggestions welcome!

;-)

*Squeek*