How to Paint Bone on Miniatures – Skeletons, Skulls & Aged Bone Tutorial
How to Paint Bone on Miniatures – Skeletons, Skulls & Aged Bone Tutorial
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Bone is something you’ll end up painting again and again across Warhammer miniatures, whether it’s skulls, skeletons, trophies, or terrain details.
In this guide, I hope to show you the method I use to paint aged, weathered bone, suitable for skeletons, large skulls, terrain pieces, and bases. It’s a simple, repeatable process that gives a natural, slightly desaturated finish. I have been using this, or at least a very similar method, for painting my undead armies for the past 35 years!
Brushes and Paints Used
- Wight Bone Spray (Amazon affiliate link))
- Zandri Dust (optional)
- Morghast Bone
- Cassandora Yellow
- Agrax Earthshade
- Karak Stone
- Screaming Skull
- Pallid Wych Flesh
- Lahmian Medium
Brushes and tools used
Core brushes (detail and highlights):
- Raphael 8404 Size 1 (Amazon affiliate link)
- Winsor & Newton Series 7 Size 0 (Amazon affiliate link)
Everyday brushes (basecoating and washes):
- Citadel Medium Layer Brush
- Citadel Small Drybrush
The Citadel synthetic brushes are reliable and inexpensive, making them ideal for basecoating and shading. For highlights and fine detail, I switch to higher-quality brushes for better control.
Brush care:
- Masters Brush Cleaner (Amazon affiliate link)
Once I’ve finished painting, I always clean my brushes with this to keep them in good condition.
Finished Result
The Method
1. Prime the model using Desert Sand spray. The bone was then given a basecoat of Morghast Bone. This normally takes two coats to achieve a smooth, consistent basecoat.
If the bone is part of a base already primed black, start with Zandri Dust followed by Morghast Bone.
2. Apply a wash of a 3:2 mix of Agrax Earthshade and Cassandora Yellow over all the bone.
You can also add a little Agrax Earthshade into deeper recesses such as eye sockets and the mouth.
3. Larger, flatter portions of the bone were then painted with thinned Karak Stone. I used Lahmian Medium to thin the paint to prevent it from becoming chalky.
Once dry, give the model a light drybrush of Karak Stone.
[Insert highlight stage image]
4. Repeat the process with Screaming Skull, focusing on raised areas and leaving previous layers visible.
5. Apply a very light drybrush of Pallid Wych Flesh.
6. Apply a thin glaze made from a 3:1 mix of Lahmian Medium and Agrax Earthshade.
The bone should now look natural and slightly weathered.
Key Points
- Do not let the washes overly pool. Wick excess paint away with a damp, clean brush.
- When heavily thinning the paint, you are aiming for a milk-like consistency.
- Don't overdo the drybrushing keep it controlled, you can always add more.
- Build highlights gradually
- Use Agrax Earthshade selectively to add depth to the miniature.
Variations
- For dirtier bone use Agrax Earthshade without adding Cassandora Yellow
- For older, weather-worn bone, which has been exposed to the elements, use Athonian Camoshade.
- You could try using Skeleton Horde instead of the washes.
Related Guides
This guide is part of my Miniature Painting Guides collection.
Discussion
How did you find this method?
Have you tried a different approach or adjusted it for your own models?
Let me know in the comments, I’d be interested to hear what’s worked for you.
Happy hobbying!
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