How to Paint Deathmaster Snikch

*Squeek*

"The candle, just for a moment, guttered. To one engrossed in his studies, such as Master Evan Redwood of the Esteemed College of Engineers, such a movement would have passed unnoticed. Even to a man who was not a scholar (and therefore even at the best of times disinterested in the mundane) it would prompt 
no raising of the head.
No renewed focus on the immediate environment.
No inkling of the arrival of an assassin nearly unequaled in skill by any other living practitioner (and few undead or Daemonic)..."

How to Paint Deathmaster Snikch
Please note that I think that this process is good enough for "tabletop quality" (I.e. acceptable when viewed from a couple of feet away) I make no claim to be a good painter, but I still hope this will be useful.
Also, I don't write anything down as I am painting, (being an amateur I have a hard time just painting!) so all mixes are approximate - please experiment and adjust as you wish!

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.

Step 1: Preparation.

1. Remove the model from its sprue.
2. Carefully file or trim any excess flash from the model. (If the latter, use caution!)
3. Glue model to base.

Step 2: First basing.
I like to get the application of materials to my base done at this point to save trouble later. Doing it now allows you to correct any troublesome issues with sand it glue without worrying about any painting you might have done...

1. Sand or trim any flash from around the edge of the base. (It really shows up when you paint it...)
2. Paint PVA glue, optionally watered-down, onto the base, carefully avoiding getting excess glue onto feet or shoes (also claws, paws, bottom of robes etc. Etc)
3. Sprinkle a few pieces of crushed coral onto the base. (Obtained at the aquatic section of any pet shop) I find that 2-3 is enough.
4. Sprinkle sand over the base, so all remaining areas are covered.
5. Allow to dry.

Step 3: Priming/ Undercoat.

1. Prime the whole model. I use Citadel Chaos Black spray. Black is ideal for a model that will overall be darker in tone (and more forgiving for beginners like me as if you miss painting anything in hard to reach places it just looks like shadow.)
2. Allow to dry.

Step 4: Basecoat.
In this step you will add the basic colours to the model. I used the following colours from Games Workshop (I haven't tried any other brands simply due to not having easy access to them.)

• Chaos Black: Back of cape
• Chaos Black/ Mordian Blue mix: Inside of cape. (Chaos Black/ Mordian Blue mix 2:10) I felt pure Mordian blue to be too bright for Snikch, but that is just me! 
• Mordian Blue (pure) on the cross on the breastplate on the base.
• Boltgun Metal: Weapons, including throwing stars on belt, breastplate on base, tip of hood (looks like a small mace head)
• Dwarf Bronze: Crosspiece on swords, rim of breastplate on base, Bracers on wrists
• Tallarn Flesh: Skin
• Bleached Bone: Skeleton on base, teeth, nails, bandages on feet/ face
• Blood Red: Eyes
• Snakebite Leather: belt
• Dark Angels Green: Jewel on clasp, poison on blades
• Calthan Brown: Rats on base

Here is what I ended up with after basecoats:

Note: For this model, I actually went straight to highlights (step 6) and then did washes. However, at this point I would usually do washes and then highlights. Your choice! 

Step 5: Washes. 
This step adds shadow and depth to what (at the moment) will look like a very "flat" model. 
I use Games Workshop washes, again only because these are a known quantity for me. In this case I also made my own wash too... 

• Devlan Mud: Outside of cape. Weapons. Breastplate on base. Rats. 
• Ogryn Flesh: Skin, tail, feet etc 
• Gryphonne Sepia: Bandages on feet/ face, skeleton on base. 
• Mordian Blue/ Black ink wash: Very watered down mix, applied to the deep folds of the inside of the cape and on the hood. 

Step 6: Highlights. 
In this step, we build up the colours ("layering") in progressively lighter shades to achieve more greater variation between light and shadow. This could be using progressively lighter,but separate colours (Tallarn Flesh>Dwarf Flesh>Elf Flesh) OR by adding Skull White in ever-increasing amounts to a single colour. 
I'm not great at it yet, but you can find a good guide at "How to Paint Miniatures".

• Chaos Black/ Mordian Blue mix: Inside of cape. First use a slightly lighter mix of Chaos Black/ Mordian Blue (mix 1:10) than you used as a basecoat. Then one more (slightly lighter shade) on the tops of the ridges and folds. 
• Mordian Blue/ Skull White mix. (10:2) on the cross of the breastplate on the base.
• Boltgun Metal: Reapply to edges of weapons, including throwing stars on belt, breastplate on base, tip of hood (loos like a small mace head) etc, but leaving the wash in areas where shadows should be.
• Dwarf Bronze/ Shining Gold mix (1:1): Edges of crosspiece on swords, rim of breastplate on base, Bracers on wrists etc.
• Tallarn Flesh/ Dwarf Flesh mix: (1:1) Skin, feet, tail etc. then...
• Dwarf Flesh/ Elf Flesh mix: (1:1) on the same areas, leaving some of the previous darker shade.
• Bleached Bone/ Skull White mix: (2:1) Skeleton on base, teeth, nails, bandages on feet/ face
• Snakebite Leather/ Skull White mix: (2:1) belt
• Dark Angels Green/Goblin Green mix: (1:1) mix for the Jewel on clasp and poison on blades. Follow this with Goblin Green, and then Goblin Green/ Skull White mix (2/1). For the poison, have the lighter colours at the top of the poison, on the blade, and leave the "drops" of poison darker.
• Calthan Brown/ Vermin Brown: (1:1) Rats on base

Although taken after completion, this detail shows highlights on the hands, cape, poison etc.

Step 7: Drybrushing.

Another step that adds highlights. 

Put some of your highlight colour on your brush.Run your brush over kitchen paper (or a tissue is OK) until there is almost no paint on the brush. Then run the brush very lightly across the raised areas of the model to which you want to add the highlight colour. This should leave the highlight colour only on the raised edges. (Again, information on How To Paint Miniatures is a good guide!)

• Codex Grey/ Chaos Black: (5:1 mix) Trousers, on raised folds, and back of cape, on raised folds.
• Chainmail: Weapon edges

You can just see the folds of the cape have been drybrushed Codex Grey

Step 8: Final Basing.

The last step (phew!) adding colours to the base.

1. Calthan Brown drybrush across the sand (not the rocks/ crushed Coral)
2. Calthan Brown/ Skull white mix (3/1) drybrush across the sand.
3. Codex Grey: drybrush across the sand. Paint onto the rocks.
4. Codex Grey/ Fortress Grey mix (1:1). drybrush across sand and edges of rocks.
5. Fortress Grey: Drybrush across sand and edges of rocks.

Base detail.

Step 9: Collapse!

(_ _')

 All comment and criticism welcome!

Cheers,

*Squeek*

How to paint a Plagueclaw Catapult/ Warplightning Cannon. Step-by-Step Guide.

*Squeek*
Below you will find a (long!) step-by-step guide to painting a Skaven Plagueclaw Catapult to what I reckon would be "Tabletop quality". This is the Games Workshop plastic kit that can usually be assembled as either a Plagueclaw catapult or a Warplightning cannon. (For a step-by-step guide to painting the metal Warplightning Cannon kit click here.)

Note: this guide focuses on painting, rather than assembly. The kit comes with instructions for several variations to suit different tastes. For my model (as you can see if you look closely) this is actually a simple conversion of the kit that allows me to use it as either a PCC or a WLC.

Before you start:
1. Don't glue the body of the unit to the base until after you have finished painting the whole thing main structure.
2. If you want to make the item "Dual-use" at time of assembly DON'T glue the barrel or axle in place. The barrel/ central structure should be free to rotate. (Friction should be enough to hold the whole thing together.)
3. For ease of painting, you may want to keep the 3 main pieces of the unit separate until after painting (left frame, right frame, and catapult/ cannon.) This will make it much easier to paint the frame. (Trust me, it is MUCH harder to do if you glue it all together first. I suffered...so you don't have to!) I didn't glue the model to the base until everything was painted up.

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.

Step 1: Assembly and Undercoat.
1. Prepare the model by filing away any mould lines. On this model, you may find quite a few on the beams of the catapult frame and the barrel of the cannon. They may not look big, but they will show up even more when you paint the model, so take the time to remove them now!
2. Paint PVA glue onto the base, and dip in modelling sand. Allow to dry, and then tap the base to remove any loose sand.
3. Undercoat all parts using Citadel Chaos Black undercoat spray (or equivalent.)
4. At this point, I drybrush Calthan Brown onto the bases of the crew and the catapult followed by a second drybrush of Calthan Brown/ Skull white 80/20. I then paint the base edges with Snakebite Leather. (I just prefer to do this at the beginning of a project, rather than at the end.)

Chaos Black Undercoat.

Step 2: Basecoat(s).
Apply thin layers of colour (better to reapply a colour than have a layer that is too thick and obscures detail.)
a.) Catapult:
Calthan Brown: Wooden frame.
Boltgun Metal: PCC Claw, metal parts, wheel rims, nails, blades, spikes on frame.
Dwarf Bronze: WLC barrel runes, cannon assembly.
Mechrite Red: Wires/ tubes on frame and on the warpstone boulder.
Bleached Bone/ Sunburst Yellow: 80/20 mix on the PGC "Payload" (the "gunk"!)
Dark Angels Green: Warpstone, WLC "barrel".

b.) Crew:
Tallarn Flesh: Skin, Tail, Face, feet.
Boltgun Metal: Armour, tools, weapons.
Snakebite Leather: belt, gloves.
Bleached Bone: Teeth.
Blood Red: Eyes
Ice Blue: Cloth.
Regal Blue: Lenses on engineer's rangefinder (if using that part.)

After basecoats, before washes etc. (Note how "Shiny" the metal is.)

Step 3: Washes.
a.) Catapult:
Devlan Mud. (simple eh!)

b.) Catapult payload:
Bleached Bone/ Sunburst Yellow: 80/20 mix, with Thrakka Green (not TOO much. Just enough so you get a runny green/ yellow.)
Thrakka Green. (between the bubbles. )

c.) Crew:
Devlan Mud: Armour, weapons, cloth.
Ogryn Flesh: Skin.

Step 4: Drybrushing
Now that you have added some depth and shadow to the model by using washes, drybrushing will help to give contrast by adding highlights so the whole thing doesn't look too dark . In this case, to keep things simple and fast, drybrushing will be as simple as using the exact same colours that we did before and done only once. To get more contrast, or for a better effect, add a little bit of white to the colour. If you want an even better effect, do 2-3 gentle layers of drybrushing, each time adding a little more white. (You can find a great guide here: Guide to Drybrushing on How to Paint Miniatures)

Detail of drybrushing - Calthan Brown

You don't have to drybrush all colours for a model that is just for tabletop play...
a.) Catapult.
Calthan Brown. (Wood frame.)
Boltgun Metal.
Dwarfbronze.
Mechrite Red.
Bleached Bone/ Sunburst Yellow.
Dark Angels Green/ Snot Green. (70/30 mix) (On the warpstone. Then a further drybrushing with 60/40 mix.


b.) Catapult payload:
Bleached Bone/ Sunburst Yellow: 80/20 mix.

c.) Crew:

Boltgun Metal: Armour, tools, weapons.
Ice Blue: Cloth.
(If you havn't already drybrushed the bases on the crew, do it now. Calthan Brown, then Calthan Brown/ Skull White 80/20 mix)

Step 5: Highlights
Highlights add more realism and visual interest to the model, and make the detail of the model stand out more, especially when viewed from a distance. This is as easy as adding a tiny dot of a brighter colour to a point, or "edge highlighting" where you use a brighter colour on edges.

a.) Catapult:
Chainmail: Spikes, nails, edge highlights on the barrel.
Shining Gold: edges of any Dwarfbronze area on the WLC.

b.) Catapult payload:
Bleached Bone/ Sunburst Yellow: 70/30 mix.

c.) Crew:
Chainmail: edges of armour etc.
Shining Gold: edges of engineer's rangefinder.
Snakebite Leather/ skull white: 80/20 mix. Leather gloves, belts etc.
Dwarf Flesh/ Elf Flesh: 70/30 mix (on skin, arms etc.)

Dwarf Flesh/ Elf Flesh highlights

Step 6: Details
a.) Rust.
Rust wash on nails, bolts, blades etc. (VERY watered down Solar Macharius Orange, dabbed on, and then quickly dabbed off with a tissue so it stays in cracks etc.) You can also paint thin streaks of rust onto the model where rusty streaks might occur, such as metal that would be immobile - nuts, nails etc.

Rust on blades at the front of the frame.

Rust on nails and metal fittings, with streaks painted on.

b.) Warpstone Glow.
Using the same shade as used when drybrushing the warpstone, gently drybrush areas of metal near the warpstone chunks, where the glow of the warpstone might be reflected.

Warpstone glow added to Bronze assembly.

c.) Lenses on the Engineer's Rangefinder.
On the lower edge of the lens, apply 2-3 progressively lighter shades of Regal Blue towards the lower rim of the lens, and the same shade at the top of the lens, topped off with a dot of Skull White. (A great tutorial for painting a lens can be found over at Advanced Tau Tactica.)

Blue lens on rangefinder.

Step 7: Final Basing.
At the beginning of the project, I prepped the bases by drybrushing them. Now I want to add some grass/ flock.
1. Paint on areas of PVA glue to the base.
2. Dip in modelling flock and allow to dry.
3. Once dry, glue the model to the base.

Voila!

NOTE: You never really finish a model, as there is stuff you can always add. In this case, next steps might be:
- Add some bronze patina to "age" the bronze.
- Add some detail to the base to make it more interesting (grass, rocks, arrows embedded in the mud etc.)

Thanks for looking!

*SQUEEK*

Skaven Warpfire Thrower Step-by-Step Painting Guide

*Squeek*

I'm probably not the only Skaven Warlord that decided to start a Skaven army based on the access the minions of the Great Horned Rat have to weird and wacky war machines! See below for a guide and more pics...

One of the (many) excellent things about our hordes are the supporting vehicles and almost "Steampunk" home-brew weapons that can be found in almost any force...

...massive engines of destruction?
Check!
Deafen and madden your enemies with the Screaming Bell or stink them out or putrify them with the Plague Furnace or Plague Claw catapult.

...fast moving vehicles that slice, dice and "electri-fry?"
Check!
Courtesy of randomized greenish bolts of warplightning from your fast-moving, rodent-powered Doomwheel.

Now, as cool as those things are, let's not forget one more really cool thing the Skaven have...

...core-unit support?  

Check!

One Doomflayer sized serving of whirling chopping death comin' up (OR burn and gas'em with your Warpfire Throwers or Poison Wind Mortars.)

Now of course, all these items also have one glaring caveat...

...frequent failure due to poor build quality? (or sabotage?) 

Check...

:-(

But that is something that many people think adds to the dark humor of playing Skaven in the first place!

Onto the guide, which has taken some time to get done due to other things. Below you will find a simple Skaven Warpfire Thrower stage-by-stage guide with some big photos at the bottom (I'll post a guide to the Poison Wind Mortar in the next few days or so.) It is a while so I painted this, so this may not be exact, but you'll get the idea!

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.)

4. Drybrush base.

• Calthan Brown.
• Snakebite Leather

5. Basecoat.

Apply base colours to all parts of the model:

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.

• Boltgun Metal: Condenser pipes on Warpfire backpack. Nozzle and handle on warpfire thrower.
• Red Gore: Robes, flames on small rat that is on fire on the base.
• Tallarn Flesh: Skin, tail etc.
• Dwarf Bronze: Warpfire backpack top, chimney, skaven symbol. Bands on warpfire thrower.
• Dark Angels Green: Warpstone smoke.
• Codex Grey: Weapon team hoods.
• Bestial Brown or Calthan Brown: Wooden parts of Warpfire backpack.
• Vermin Brown or Bestial Brown: Fur.
• Snakebite Leather: Leather shoulder straps on backpack, weapon team gloves, belts.
• Bleached Bone: Nails on feet.

6. Layers.

• Robes: Red Gore/ Blood Red (50/50 Mix), then Red Gore/ Blood Red (25/75 mix) and finally Blood Red.
• Warpstone Smoke: Snot Green/ Dark Angels Green 50/50 mix, then progressively lighter mixes, working through Snot Green/ Skull White (50/50 then 50/25) and finally almost pure Skull White.
• Flames on Rat: Red Gore/ Blazing Orange Mix (75/25 then 50/50) Then add some yellow to that mix to get the tip of the flames.

7. Washes.

• Skin, Tail/ Ears, feet: Ogryn Flesh.
• Robes: Devlan Mud.
• Warpfire backpack: Devlan Mud
• Warpstone smoke: Thrakka Green

8. Drybrushing.

• Warpfire backpack (Wood parts): Drybrush slighter lighter shade of the basecoat brown (above)
• Warpfire backpack (Bronzed parts): Light drybrushing of Dwarf Bronze
• Warpfire thrower hose: Light drybrushing of Chainmail (just to bring out raised areas on hose.)
• Fur: Light drybrushing of lighter shade of the brown you used as a basecoat. 

9. Highlights.

• Edges of any parts done in Boltgun Metal: Boltgun Metal OR Chainmail
• Edge of warpfire weapon barrel: Chainmail OR Dwarf Bronze as appropriate
• Warpfire backpack edges of Bronzed parts: Dwarf Bronze
• Nails: Bleached Bone
• Skin/ Tail/ Ears: Tallarn Flesh/ Dwarf Flesh (50/50 mix)

10. Verdigris (Optional)

This is the light blue patina that you see on old statues or layers of bronze in museums or exposed to the elements. Having this will add an additional sense of age to any bronze parts. Please note, if you haven't done this before, experiment first, as if you get it wrong this is the last stage of the model, so it may be difficult to correct...

• Heavily water down GW Ice Blue. You'll have to experiment to find the right consistency, but I would say 1 part paint to between 7 and 10 parts water. It should be watery enough that you can wipe away WITHOUT leaving a stain. (Very important so you can correct mistakes if necessary!)
• Carefully paint onto any bronze parts where Verdigris would naturally appear so that it gathers. See "bluish" areas on photos below on the warpfire backpack and thrower nozzle. (recessed areas, around nails, buttons and joins between bronze parts.)
• Quickly take a tissue, fold to a point, and dab away any excess, so it is left gathered around the parts mentioned above.
• Leave remainder to dry. (Be patient!)
• HINT: Only add Verdigris to one area at a time so you have time to wick or dab away excess before it dries. Don't add to ALL bronze parts on the whole model at the same time! E.g. Do the Bronze top of the backpack, then wipe away. Then do the pipes, then wipe away. Then do the - you get the picture!

11. Final Basing

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

Done!

Here's the finished Warpfire Thrower...

The observant among you will notice that the guide above closely follows those of the other Clan Skryre units I have done to date as the basic clan colours remain the same. (Warlock Engineer, Warplightning Cannon, Jezzails and Doomwheel.)

Hope you like it. Let me know what you think!

*Squeek*

How to Paint a Skaven Warlock Engineer

*Squeek*

At the moment, I haven't even managed to get a game of WFB in, so I don't have any experience of using Warlock Engineers, but from what I gather from reading around these guys make an excellent addition to any force.

1. Decent magic - Warplightning coupled with a Condenser pumps out the pain...
2. Fun - Skitterleap next to the enemy flank and launch a Doomrocket along their line of assault.
3. Cheap - basic unit costs 15 points?? (although adding the fun bits above may not be cheap...)

But as the man says:

"That's not important right now."

'coz the purpose of this post is to look at painting up one of these guys. In particular, this is the sculpt from the new Island of Blood set. Looking around at other WE models on the net, I actually think this is one of the best. It's got some nice detail (posing on a High Elf shield) and yet pretty clean looking. (Unlike the current Ikit Claw model, which looks too "busy" for my taste.)

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.)

4. Drybrush base.

• Calthan Brown.
• Snakebite Leather

5. Basecoat.

Apply base colours to all parts of the model.

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.

• Boltgun Metal: Armour, glaive blade, warplock weapon barrel, telescopic site, band around warp energy condenser etc.
• Red Gore: Robes.
• Tallarn Flesh: Skin, tail etc.
• Dwarf Bronze: Warp Energy condenser, Skaven charm, armour details
• Bleached Bone: Skull, Glaive handle.
• Dark Angels Green: Warpstone, condenser and weapon pipes/ hoses.
• Regal Blue: High Elf Shield (under his feet)
• Skull White: High Elf Shield
• Blood Red: High Elf Shield

6. Layers.

• Robes: Red Gore/ Blood Red (50/50 Mix), then Red Gore/ Blood Red (25/75 mix) and finally Blood Red.
• Condenser Pipes/ Hoses: Snot Green
• Warpstone: Snot Green
• Skull: Skull White/ Bleached Bone (50/ 50 mix)

7. Washes.

• Skin, Tail/ Ears: Ogryn Flesh.
• Robes: Devlan Mud (example at left above) OR Gryphonne Sepia (example at right above.)
• Armour/ Glaive Blade/ Warplock weapon barrel: Devlan Mud
• Glaive handle: Gryphonne Sepia
• Skull: Gryphonne Sepia
• Elf Shield: Devlan Mud
• Warpstone: Thrakka Green

8. Highlights.

• Armour edges: Boltgun Metal/ Chainmail
• Edge of Glaive blade/ warplock weapon barrel: Chainmail
• Warp Energy Condenser: Dwarf Bronze
• Nails: Bleached Bone
• Skull: Bleached Bone/ Skull White (50/50 mix)
• Skin/ Tail/ Ears: Tallarn Flesh/ Dwarf Flesh (50/50 mix)
• Warpstone/ Pipes/ Hose: Snot Green/ Skull White (75/25 mix)
• Telescopic Sight lens: Snot Green/ Skull White (75/25 mix) then (50/50 mix). Finally a dab of skull white at the top of the lens

7. Final Basing

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

Done!

Here's the finished Warlock Engineer...

Hope this is useful!

*Squeek*

How to Paint Giant Rats

*Squeek*

After finishing a couple of Rat Ogres I thought I would tackle something that looked as though it wouldn't take much time and that would be pretty simple to do. Giant Rats probably fit into that category (along with Rat Swarms) more than many other troop types in the Skaven army:

1. They don't demand too much detailed painting to look OK on the tabletop
2. They are small models.
3. A unit can be anything from 5 on upwards (I think), so you can get them up and running quickly. (The unit of 12 here took me a few hours (I'm a slow painter so this is pretty quick for me!)

Below you'll find a few more pics, followed by a (rough) step-by-step guide that looks OK to me for the tabletop.

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.

A.) Undercoat

• After assembly, liberally apply PVA glue to base and dip in modelling sand. 
• Wait until dry, then undercoat. (I use Chaos Black spraypaint.) 

B.) Basecoat(s)

• Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown OR Bestial Brown OR Codex Grey. (Note, I usually use all three colours on different models in a Giant Rat unit to achieve a bit of visual interest in the colours, otherwise the whole unit looks just brown...)
• Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Tallarn Flesh. 
• Metal: Boltgun metal and Dwarf Bronze. (Trinkets, machine parts etc.) 
• Bandages: Skull White OR Bleached Bone
• Buboes/ Boils: Elf Flesh Bone
• Exposed bone: Skull White OR Bleached Bone
• Warpstone: Dark Angels Green, then Scorpion Green. 

C.) Apply Washes: 

• Apply Devlan Mud Wash all over.

D.) Reapply base colours: Layered up lighter shades/ colours:  Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Dwarf Flesh on raised areas. (Try to leave some Tallarn flesh areas and the shadows created by the Devlan Mud wash and the black undercoat - especially on the tail)

Metal: Chainmail on edges

Bone: Skull White or Bleached Bone on edges.

• 
  

• E.) Drybrushing

• Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown/ Skull White (50/50 mix) OR Bestial Brown/ Skull White (50/50 mix) OR Codex Grey/ Skull White (50/50 mix). I find that unless I drybrush this lighter shade then all the fur ends up looking very similar in a unit.

• 
  

F.) Base:

• Drybrush Calthan Brown, then Tallarn Flesh, finally a very light brush of Codex Grey. 
• Apply dabs of PVA glue onto the base and dip into green flock. 
• Paint base sides Knarloc Green. (Many, many people have told me they prefer to paint their based edges Calthan Brown or another brown rather than green.)

Now I'm going to have to do some Clan Moulder Pack Masters. Until then these guys are just going to have to run wild!

*Squeek*

How to Paint Rat Ogres

* Squeek*

"Are you telling me those FOOLS at Clan Moulder have only sent TWO Rat Ogres to join my ranks??!!
...AND the slaves they promised as food have not arrived?
...Surely the paltry number of fake warptokens I sent mingled with the down-payment wouldn't have anything to do with this?"

I got my first ever ROgres done. I don't think they look too bad for a first attempt. What follows is a rough guide (I may have forgotten a step or two) to the process, including the washes etc. Some notes follow the guide that I hope you'll find useful.

First, a couple lots of pics...

Rat Ogres!

Base Details...

The  process followed was:

A.) Undercoat

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.)

B.) Basecoat(s)

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. Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown OR Bestial Brown.
2. Skin/ Tail/ Feet: Tallarn Flesh.
3. Cloth: Ice Blue.
4. Metal: Boltgun metal and Dwarf Bronze. (Weapons, belt buckles etc.)
5. Bandages: Skull White
6. Buboes/ Boils: Elf Flesh
7. Bone: Skull White
8. Exposed arteries: Red gore then Blood Red.
9. Warpstone: Dark Angels Green, then Scorpion Green.

C.) Apply Washes: Liberally apply Devlan Mud Wash all over.

D.) 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/ Skull White (50/50 mix) on raised areas/ edges of cloth.
3. Metal: Chainmail edge highlights on metallic parts.
4. Bandages: Skull White highlights on edges.
5. Buboes/ Boils: VERY watered down Blood Red around rim of the boil
6. Bone: Skull White highlights
7. Exposed arteries: Blood Red highlights
8. Warpstone:Scorpion Green/ Skull White highlights.
9. Blades: Add Red Gore along blade edge, then highlight/ fill with Blood Red.

E.) Final Drybrushing:

1. Fur: Drybrush Calthan Brown/ Skull White (50/50) OR Bestial Brown/ Skull White (50/50)
2. Metal: Drybrush Mithril silver (Weapon edges) buttons etc.

F.) Base:

1. Base: Drybrush Calthan Brown, then Tallarn Flesh, finally a very light brush of Codex Grey.
2. Apply dabs of PVA glue onto the base and dip into green flock.
3. Paint base sides Knarloc Green.

G.) Extra Base Details:

NOTE: At this point, the size of the bases meant that they felt very empty, and the green flock looked very bland, so I decided to add a couple of visual highlights that I thought would draw the eye and keep things interesting. I would definitely recommend spicing up these bases with something! I raided my bits box and came up with a plastic Axe, a shield, and some giant rats.

I thought that if if I was lucky, I could make these weapons look and feel as though they had been abandoned in the face of these onrushing Rat Ogres. I don't know if it worked, but it was interesting to try it!

Since completing these two Ogres I've been working on a full unit of giant rats, and I hope to get some pics of those and a guide up in the next day or so. In the meantime, I'd better go and round up some slaves to feed these ravenous rat ogres!

Let me know if you have any questions. 

*Squeek*