With Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood now on pre-order, we sent the Sons of Velmorn to noted Nagashi acolyte Tyler Mengel, to see what he could do with these bony boys.
And after his necromantic painting workshop, we’ve also got the latest rules updates, designers’ commentaries, and Rivals, Nemesis, and Relic rules for the new season.
Tyler: The Sons of Velmorn are here to claim glory in the Gnarlwood – and do it in style. Just look at that confidence – the commanding pose, the flawless drip. I matched them to my existing Soulblight Gravelords colour scheme, meaning lots of purple, with bases matching the rest of my undead.
The Inner Cloak
The model is primed with Mechanicus Standard Grey, with any patchy areas touched up using the same colour from the pot.
The inner cloak is base coated with Warpfiend Grey, then given an all-over wash of a 50/50 mix of Druchii Violet and Lahmian Medium.
Since this model is a character, I went back with Warpfiend Grey and touched up some of the raised areas with a thinned-down mix. I also retouched some of the shadows, either with pure Druchii Violet or a mix with added Warpfiend Grey, then darkened the ends of the cloak a bit with a few glazes of the Lahmian Medium mix, so I had a gradient getting darker towards the ends.
Then I went back with pure Warpfiend Grey and picked out all of the edges, before repeating a finer highlight by mixing in a little White Scar.
Finally, I mixed in even more White Scar and picked out the most prominent edges. I skipped this last step on the other models in the warband, as they’re not quite as important as their leader.
The Dark Purple
All of the robes, the back of the cape, and the shields on the other models were base coated with Naggaroth Night.
The king’s robes were then given an all-over wash of a 50/50 Nuln Oil and Lahmian Medium mix – the other models got straight Nuln Oil. This is because the king features more large, flat areas, and we’ll be pushing him to a higher standard.
To get a bit of a smoother look on the king, I then went back with Naggaroth Night and tidied up. I also used a 50/50 mix of Naggaroth Night and Abaddon Black in the recesses to push the shadows darker and create a gradient on the bottom of the robes. The other models in the warband just got some Naggaroth Night to clean up the raised areas of the purple, leaving Nuln Oil in the recesses.
I highlighted all of the edges and the tops of the folds with Xereus Purple, followed by a 50/50 mix of Xereus Purple and Dechala Lilac. I also added minor scratches and scuffs here using little lines and dots, focusing mostly on the bottom edges. Remember, less is more.
Finally, I used pure Dechala Lilac to pick out the most prominent areas. Use this sparingly!
Here you can see how the finished purple looks on one of Velmorn’s sons. Since all the areas are smaller, with fewer flat areas, you can get away with doing less – I did no blending on him and tried to keep it much quicker.
The Bone
All of the bone was base coated with Morghast Bone. Don’t forget the skulls on the king’s base.
I then gave this an all-over wash of Seraphim Sepia before going in with Agrax Earthshade and darkening the most recessed areas. This was mostly just the eyes on the base skulls, the noses, between fingers, and the teeth.
Next, I went in with Morghast Bone and tidied up all the raised areas, followed by a final edge highlight with White Scar. Make sure to pick out the teeth at this point too.
The Eyes
The eyes on the model were base coated with Sotek Green, thined with water so it flowed into the sockets easier. You want to make sure you get the entirety of the inside of the eye sockets with this colour, including the sides. This may require two layers, depending on how much you thin it.
This is then repeated with straight Nihilakh Oxide. You want this to sit at the back of the eye socket, so don’t worry about the sides.
Lastly, I mixed a bit of White Scar with the Nihilakh Oxide and got the very middle of the eye.
The Metallics
All of the silver areas, including the armour and weapons, were base coated with Leadbelcher, while all of the gold areas were base coated with Retributor Armour. On the other models, this includes the rims of their shields.
The silver and gold are then given an all-over wash of Agrax Earthshade thinned with water. If you feel certain areas need to be darker, wait for this to dry completely, then add a second layer in only those areas.
The very edges of the gold areas were then highlighted with Liberator Gold before both the gold and silver got a final edge highlight of Stormhost Silver. I also added small scratches to the armour and weapons at this point. Again, less is more.
The silver areas were then weathered by painting heavily watered down Skragg Brown into the recesses. I also did a few random splotches of this in places. It’s better to start out with a thinner mix than you think you might need – if it ends up being too faint, you can just go back and add more, or thicken up the mix a bit.
Similarly, the gold was then weathered with a 50/50 mix of Caliban Green and Sotek Green.
The Black Leather and Wood
All of the black areas, including the leather, the wood of the shields, and weapons on some of the other models are base coated with Abaddon Black.
Next this all received an edge highlight of Dawnstone.
It was then finished off with a final highlight of Grey Seer. This was mostly just used to pick out corners and the most prominent areas.
The Fur
The fur on the models is base coated with Rhinox Hide, then highlighted with Gorthor Brown. I picked out each strand, but if you want a faster method you can just drybrush it.
This was then finished off with a final highlight of Baneblade Brown, sticking to the ends of each piece of fur.
The Stone
King Velmorn is standing on the remains of a staircase, so I base coated it with Incubi Darkness and gave it an all-over wash of Nuln Oil.
Next, I edge-highlighted it with Sons of Horus Green.
Finally, I mixed a little bit of Grey Seer into the Sons of Horus Green and picked out all of the corners. Now finish the base however you want, and you’re done.
I went with a base that matches the rest of my Death collection so I can use them more seamlessly in games of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. If I were to paint the bases they came with, I probably would have done a simpler grey stone.
While I only painted up the king and one of his sons, the colours and steps outlined here work for the entire warband. They’re now equally ready to plunder the depths of the Gnarlwood or lead the forces of Nagash on the battlefields of Shyish!
Thanks, Tyler! Whether you’re painting the Sons of Velmorn or the Gnarlspirit Pack, share your progress on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #WarhammerCommunity.
Warhammer Underworlds Rules Updates
Make sure you’re ready for Warhammer Underworlds: Gnarlwood, which hits shelves tomorrow, with the latest rules updates, designers’ commentaries, and Rivals, Nemesis, and Relic rules. These include minor rules clarifications, certain cards and boards being cycled out, and an updated list of Forbidden and Restricted cards.
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