There have been many requests for a step-by-step on how to paint the black and gold of the Abyssal Cohort. In fact, Ásgeir Helgi Hjaltalín, A.K.A., “Ace,” of Iceland requested in person I tell the world how I paint the black and gold Skorne. So, Ace, here you go.

Whenever I start a new unit I always paint a single control model. This control mini is a single figure from the unit that I completely paint to my liking before I commit to the entire unit. To ensure I achieved the composition I wanted, I had to paint some smaller areas on this Venator Slinger several times before I was pleased with it. I tried a number of different approaches when painting the sling pouch, the ropes, and other smaller supporting areas. The major areas (black, gold, skin, and brown) are always painted the same way.

1. Starting with a black undercoat, drybrush all the metal areas with Rhulic Gold. Drybrush on a few coats to ensure coverage. On bigger models I will paint the gold directly on areas that need more coverage after drybrushing. Next, lightly drybrush Quick Silver over the gold. Brush downward so only the upper edges get the subtle silver highlight.



2. Blacken everything you don’t want to appear gold with Thamar Black. I have found this method much faster than directly painting the gold on the model. This step still takes time, but it’s faster this way.



3. Layer Umbral Umber for the brown areas while leaving some of the black as a shadow. Then use Cold Steel for the sling chain, Coal black for the sling pouch, and a 70/30 mix of Menoth White Highlight/Hammerfall Khaki for the skin tone.



4. Highlight the brown with an equal mix of Bootstrap Leather and Rucksack Tan. Use this same color as a base for the lighter color straps and rope. Wash the skin by adding Thornwood Green and mixing medium to the same skin tone base color. Add the second highlight to the sling pouch by adding Hammerfall Khaki to Coal Black. Use Armor Wash on the sling chain to shade that area.




5. The final highlight for the brown is Rucksack Tan. Rucksack is also used as the first highlight for the lighter-colored straps and ropes. The final highlight for the sling pouch is more Hammerfall Khaki added to Coal Black. Add more Thornwood Green to the skin wash to make a darker wash, and brush this into the deeper recesses of the skin. Blacken out the eyes.



6. The first highlight for the skin tone is the same color I used to base the skin. Washes darken the skin; therefore, the base color is in now a highlight. A mix of Rucksack Tan and Menoth White Highlight is the final highlight for the straps and ropes.



7. Menoth White Highlight is the final highlight for the skin tone. Use Thamar black for the lips and Thornwood Green as the lip’s highlight. Use a glaze of Skorne Red for the eye sockets. I painted thin black lines on the ropes to make the segments pop. The final effect is to gloss the black.



8. Done!

I will be covering skin tone for beasts and the pearls in another blog.

Ron