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Hello All,

A lot of people on Dakka,WarpShadow and Tyranid Hive have been asking me how I paint my stuff and get the ‘cell shaded’ effect and black lines. I have been promising to create a tutorial to show how I do this for many months and have produced nothing thus far. I have finally pulled my finger out and I am going to run a step by step guide on how to paint the pink colour of doom……or any colour you like for that matter (imperial space marines in pink would be a crime and would need rectification by exterminatus).

Experienced painters may think my methods are time consuming and laborious (especially with the developments in washes). The bottom line is that you might want to give my painting style a go or you might not. You may think it’s a bit daft but its how I like to paint and the main reason I enjoy the hobby. There is also no trick to my painting style. It is an old school style which many painters used/still use.

The model I will be running this tutorial/painting log on is the forge world Scythed Hierodule. I will be painting it using the same technique I used to paint my Hierophant and Harridan and so if you liked them read on.

Firstly you need to stick the model together and spray it black………I wont dwell on this.

You then need a good pallet. I use non stick plastic take away carton lids; see below (note the colour gradient which is the aftermath of painting the scything talon below).



I am going to start by painting the talons as they are one of the most interesting parts of the model to paint.

Firstly paint your talon with a mix of scorched brown and bleached bone. I usually start with a 35/65 mix of brown/bone. Once this is dry add more S brown to the mix and paint the recesses darker (see below).



Once this is dry mix another batch of brown/bone adding more bone to create a lighter colour than the previous (say about 40/60 brown/bone). Add this next coat to the talon over the previous coat leaving a 1mm gap between the recess areas and the new coat. The previous coat will still be visible within this 1mm gap and thus the gradient will start to develop. When applying the new coat ensure that you wet your brush and rub it gently over the edge of the coat (while still wet). This will blend the new coat into the previous (see below).



Repeat this effect and keep adding more bone to the mix each time you add a new coat. This layering will finish when your final coat is bleached bone. It normally takes about 7 coats (see below).






Once this is finished highlight the edges of the talon with skull white (see below).





To be continued

Looking foward too this. I love your Nids makes me want too make another army.

I can't wait until the tutorial is complete, I love what you did with your nid army, I really want to see how you did it.

Great start. Loved your nids, I'll be watching for more too.

Subscribed to this one, very interested to see how you achieve such interesting results.

Oooh...

So using this for my nids...

Except with white, bright green, and yellow.

Nard, how long on average does it take you to finish a model (assuming all things being equal)?
Say a Termagant, Warrior, Trygon?

I. LOVE. YOUR. NIDS. NARD!!!! xD *subscribed* I can't wait to try this on some minis! Paitently awaiting next part...

Love it. Subscribed.

Jumping on the bandwagon for updates as well.

Hello All,

I have been a bit side tracked with work recently but now I’m back in the game.

Step 2: Pink Skin.

Paint the arm sections purple (below). You will notice that I have also painted the carapace section of the arm. I have not explained how this is done as it was completed using the same technique used to paint the claws (without the white lining).



Mix a batch of warlock purple/skull white (25/75) to create the desired pink colour (aka tentacle pink before it was axed). Then mix this colour with liche purple (60/40) and apply to the purple surface of the arm. Here is the trick, leave the undercoat visible in the areas where you wish to create shade. In the picture below you will see that all the purple lines are the undercoat left visible.



Once this is dry add a coat of your mixed tentacle pink (replacement) as a highlight to the entire surface ensuring that you leave the purple lines visible as well as the previous coat surrounding the purple lines (see below).



Once this is dry mix up some goblin green and sunburst yellow (50/50) and add to the gill areas. Also paint the extra bits of claw in the same way the scything talons were painted (see below).



Finished arms.



To be continued 

Truly amazing! MUST HAVE MOAR!!! In a more serious manner though, the effect is truly amazing and I can't wait for the next part.

Worth every time consuming minute i'd say! the results speak for themselves, and this now puts into perspective exactly how long it would have taken you to paint the amount of Tyranids that you have done! truly a labor of love! but thank you for having the patience to produce such a visually spectacular army for us to enjoy!

Oh My God !I wish I wasn't so cheap and unwilling to buy new paints unless needed! That looks so cool, but probably way beyond my abilities. It has veins! Real alien gills! And scything talons that actually look natural! I bet the Swarm Lord is feeling embarrassed at his new Hive Fleet Leviathan skin. Long live the Pink Swarm o' bugs!

This is amazing, I am truly excited for the finished tutorial.

Neat. I have a few nids lying around, i may have to try this.

This tutorial is just pure awesomeness! Feels like I have to buy some nids just to try it out. GIEF MORE!! :O

Thank you Nard for explaining to us how you manage to achieve that awesome effect...

I will probably will never try it, but it deserves some attention!!

Thanks for the trouble!

Next Step.

Paint all the flesh areas on the main body section as specified above. I have also made some eyes out of green stuff as the eyes featured on the model are tiny. In all honesty I really do not link this model. It is getting a bit………dated. Maybe GW will revamp it in plastic………Tervigon/Tyrannofex/Hierodual kit 

WOOOOOOOOH!!!!! UPDATE!!!!! It really is starting look very good! I can't wait for the rest of the tutorial!

Next Step, Carapace.

The carapace is achieved using the same technique as the scything talon without the white line edging. See below. Once faded to bleached bone I add the recess lines.

Wow! It really is starting to look good, Nard! This tutorial makes me want to buy the biggest nid model i can find!

Some Progress 

Update Time.

I said in a previous post that I do not like this model. I have since changed my mind…… I love this model.

With the model finished I have turned my attention to the base. The base supplied with the kit is no good for making swamp slime so I have cut a 5” diameter disk out of MDF to use instead. I covered the disk with sand and rocks and stuck on some slime bubbles made out of green stuff.



I then sprayed the base brown and dry brushed the sand with bleached bone.



Once this was dry I painted the large rocks using the same technique used to paint the carapace and I added some crack lines (please note the colour variant in the rocks where I used skull white instead of bleached bone).

Once this was complete I painted the slime areas by layering from liche purple to tentacle pink (made using warlock purple 25/75 skull white).




Once this was dry I coated the slime pool with GW water effect and added some grass and bushes.









Automatically Appended Next Post:
Hierodule Done.

Please follow this link
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/376036.page

Truelly amazing....
Lots of work if I want to do you're painting style on 60 Hormagaunts...

this is truely amasing i applaude you sheer painting talent

This is real art.

It warms my heart to see people trying things besides photorealism. This shows serious talent.

Rented Tritium wrote:This is real art.

It warms my heart to see people trying things besides photorealism. This shows serious talent.

I totally agree with you. NARD you style is amazing looking. I will attempt to try it( different colors) on my dark eldar extras I have. I am waiting for more and when that comes it will bring me a school girl like delight.

Bump for a great thread!

keep it coming!

Beautiful, just beautiful! What is the theme of this army? Fungus? Cough syrup?