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PAINTING·WHITE DWARF 507

The Beginner’s Guide to Faces

December 2024·p. 31

THE SHORT VERSION

Two detached heads demonstrate the complete process for light and dark skin. After a black undercoat, their base colours receive different flesh washes, followed by increasingly selective glaze highlights. Final translucent pin highlights define noses and brows before eyes are added, preserving a natural transition instead of stark facial lines.

AT THE PAINTING DESK

Paints in this article

Every named colour below is searchable across the archive.

Chaos BlackCatachan FleshCadian FleshtoneReikland FleshshadeGuilliman FleshBloodreaver FleshKnight-Questor FleshKislev FleshFlayed One Flesh

Only explicitly named paints and recipe ingredients are indexed.

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faces dark skin light skin beginner painting

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Find this article in White Dwarf 507, p. 31.

This is an original summary. Refer to your magazine for the complete article, rules, images and painting steps.

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PaintingWD 507 · pp. 14–15

Iron Hands Strike Force Quaesitor-3

James’s detachment from Clan Company Raukaan combines contemporary troops with older armour details and breaching shields. The recipe establishes black armour with controlled grey highlights, bright cold metal and clearly defined white details. Warm rusty bases offset those restrained colours while supporting the strike force’s industrial appearance.

Warhammer 40,000Iron Hands13 paint colours
December 2024Read summary
PaintingWD 507 · pp. 14–15

Gorgit’s Bad Krumpany

Wade’s Orks wear muted green armour and fatigues that echo the Blood Axes’ interest in human military practice. Skin is brighter than the uniforms, keeping the faces readable against the camouflage colours. A dark metal base, black wash and successive metallic drybrushes finish the guns responsible for the warband’s campaign reputation.

Warhammer 40,000Orks14 paint colours
December 2024Read summary
PaintingWD 507 · pp. 30–33

Hobby Hangout: How to Get A-head When Painting Faces

Emily explains facial painting through mid-tones, shadows and raised areas beneath an imagined overhead light. Thin glaze highlights create softer transitions than armour-style edges, and spare heads make useful practice pieces. The worked examples progress from simple skin to varied complexions, subtle colour changes and scars, with the same principles applied to larger areas of exposed flesh.

December 2024Read summary