Dark Vengeance Dark Angels painting tutuorials part 3 - Deathwing

Third and final in the series of Dark vengeance painting tutorials is the Deathwing sergeant, which should demonstrate how I paint both deathwing armour, green robes and DA power swords. The format Is a little different this time in that I hope to demonstrate how to paint a model to tabletop standard first before going for the higher finished standard that I normally paint to. There are less step-by-step pictures as a result but it should be apparent from the descriptions and finished pictures how to get from A to Z.

Armour:

1.       Start with the model basecoated in white spray primer. If not, paint a layer of ulthuan grey on before painting several thinned layers of ceramite white over it. (spray advised)

2.       Paint a layer or two of ushabti bone on the armoured sections.

3.       Slightly thin some seraphim sepia with water (or preferably lahmian medium) and wash it over the armour sections ensuring enough reaches into the recesses. (if you are only going for a tabletop finish then skip steps 4+5 and move on to the next section)

4.       When the wash is dry, mix some ceramite white 50:50 with ushabti bone and edge highlight the armour.

5.       For sharp edges and corners consider using a little thinned ceramite white to add extra contrast.

Tabletop details:

1.       Paint the fang and fenrisian grey (50:50) onto the crest feathers.

2.       Paint two layers of caliban green onto the chest eagle, right leg bas-relief and robe.

3.       Paint the metal areas with leadbelcher

4.       Paint the gun, jewels, lenses and scabbard mephiston red

5.       Paint the sword abaddon black

6.       Paint the cords and deathwing symbol khorne red.

7.       Paint the crux terminates with two layers of eshin grey

8.       Paint the iron halo motif, sword hilt and other detailing balthasar gold.

9.       Paint the feathers behind the iron halo motif ceramite white

10.   Paint the dagger and sword handle doombull brown

11.   Paint the purity seal and scrollwork rakarth flesh

 

 So there you go, eleven easy steps to take the model from being base coated with armour to being fully tabletop ready. This should take about 45 mins not including drying times and just requires some small brushes and patience. The next section is for higher standard painting and assumes that you have followed the above steps, thus the base coat for all the colours should have been done and is not included. 

Robes:

1.       Paint 50:50 caliban green and warpstone glow onto the robes.

2.       Paint the raised areas warpstone glow

3.       Wash with biel-tan green

Green Deathwing iconography:

1.       Wash with nuln oil

2.       When dry, drybrush with caliban green 50:50 with ushabti bone.

Red cord:

1.       Wash with agrax earthshade

2.       Highlight with a light drybrush of khorne red and screamer pink 50:50

Crest feathers:

1.       Carefully paint the individual feathers with fenrisian grey, leaving the basecoat in the recesses

2.       Paint the edges of the feathers with ceramite white.

Note, this is tricky and requires a steady hand, fine brush and patience but is worth it for the result.

Lenses/jewels:

1.       Wash with agrax earthshade

2.       Paint over with mephiston red.

3.       Add a small notch to the bottom of the object with squig orange

4.       Paint a dot of light with ceramite white towards the top of the object.

Note, this is a brief description – there are many better jewel painting tutorials out there.

Metal areas:

1.       Wash with nuln oil

2.       Drybrush runefang steel

Feathers

1.       Wash with thinned nuln oil

2.       Drybrush over with ceramite white

Scrolls:

1.       Wash with seraphim sepia

2.       Edge highlight with ushabti bone when dry

3.       Add abaddon black linework for text.

Deathwing company symbol:

1.       Wash agrax earthshade

2.       Paint khorne red

3.       Highlight mephiston red

Gold areas:

1.       Wash agrax earthshade

2.       Paint over auric armour gold

Gun casing:

1.       Highlight squig orange

2.       Wash carroburg crimson

Crux:

1.       Wash agrax earthsahde

2.       Drybrush eshin grey

3.       Drybrush dawnstone

Sword:

This is a complex bit of paintwork involving wet blending. Start with a mix of abaddon black and xereus purple 1/3 of the way up the sword and gradually increase the purple ratio until at 2/3 of the way up it is pure purple. Then, start mixing the purple with ushabti bone until at the very top you have about 50:50. Then add even more ushabti bone to the mix and highlight the edges at the top. Use pure xereus purple to highlight the edge of the shaft. Then just do a few crackling energy arcs from the base using thinned ceramite white. I will do a tutorial on grey knight nemesis weapons in a few weeks which makes things clearer. 

 

So that’s it, the end of the tutorials. I have enjoyed making them and so may do more again in future – I will take requests so contact me if there’s something you need help with. Hope they have been useful and enjoyable. 

 Shopping list:

·         Mephiston red

·         Khorne red

·         Ceramite white

·         Rakarth flesh

·         Abaddon black

·         Caliban green

·         Mournfang brown

·         Leadbelcher

·         Balthasar gold

·         Doombull brown

·         Agrax earthshade

·         Carroburg crimson

·         Seraphim sepia

·         Biel tan green

·         Nuln oil

·         Auric armour gold

·         Runefang steel

·         Squig orange

·         Xereus purple

·         Warpstone glow

·         Fenrisian grey

·         The fang

·         Screamer pink

·         Dawnstone

·         Eshin grey