How to Paint Human Skin Tones
How I Paint Human Flesh
As soon as you begin painting Warhammer miniatures, you quickly realise that painting convincing skin is an essential skill. Almost every army will include exposed flesh at some point, and getting it right helps bring your miniatures to life.
New to painting Warhammer Miniatures → Start here: Warhammer Painting Made Simple
For other miniature painting guides → Faction Painting Hubs
In this guide, I will show you some of the approaches that I use for painting different human skin tones. These methods all follow the same basic principles of layering and glazing, making them easy to learn and adapt, and easy to expand upon as you develop your own techniques.
As soon as you begin painting Warhammer miniatures, you quickly realise that painting convincing skin is an essential skill. Almost every army will include exposed flesh at some point, and getting it right helps bring your miniatures to life.
New to painting Warhammer Miniatures → Start here: Warhammer Painting Made Simple
For other miniature painting guides → Faction Painting Hubs
In this guide, I will show you some of the approaches that I use for painting different human skin tones. These methods all follow the same basic principles of layering and glazing, making them easy to learn and adapt, and easy to expand upon as you develop your own techniques.
Light Skin Tone – Classic Fleshtone
The flesh was basecoated with Bugman’s Glow. This provides a warm and solid base to work from.
The first highlight was applied using Cadian Fleshtone, leaving the Bugman’s Glow visible in the recesses. A second highlight of Kislev Flesh was then applied to the raised areas, again taking care to leave some of the previous layer showing.
A final highlight of Flayed One Flesh was applied sparingly to key details such as knuckles and facial features.
To finish, the highlights were brought together using a 1:1 mix of Reikland Fleshshade and Lahmian Medium. This softens the transitions and helps unify the colours.
The flesh was basecoated with Bugman’s Glow. This provides a warm and solid base to work from.
The first highlight was applied using Cadian Fleshtone, leaving the Bugman’s Glow visible in the recesses. A second highlight of Kislev Flesh was then applied to the raised areas, again taking care to leave some of the previous layer showing.
A final highlight of Flayed One Flesh was applied sparingly to key details such as knuckles and facial features.
To finish, the highlights were brought together using a 1:1 mix of Reikland Fleshshade and Lahmian Medium. This softens the transitions and helps unify the colours.
Medium Skin Tone
The flesh was basecoated with a 4:1 mix of Steel Legion Drab and Xerus Purple. This creates a more muted, natural-looking tone. Two thin coats were used to achieve a smooth finish.
The first highlight was a 1:1 mix of Steel Legion Drab and Cadian Fleshtone, applied to the raised areas. This was followed by a highlight of Cadian Fleshtone, and then a final highlight of Cadian Fleshtone mixed with Ushabti Bone.
Each layer was applied to a smaller area than the previous one to build up a smooth transition.
The highlights were then unified with a 1:1 glaze of Reikland Fleshshade and Lahmian Medium. If needed, this glaze can be thinned further to make it easier to control.
You can see the steps I took to paint this skin tone, with pictures, on my Kairic Acolyte guide.
The flesh was basecoated with a 4:1 mix of Steel Legion Drab and Xerus Purple. This creates a more muted, natural-looking tone. Two thin coats were used to achieve a smooth finish.
The first highlight was a 1:1 mix of Steel Legion Drab and Cadian Fleshtone, applied to the raised areas. This was followed by a highlight of Cadian Fleshtone, and then a final highlight of Cadian Fleshtone mixed with Ushabti Bone.
Each layer was applied to a smaller area than the previous one to build up a smooth transition.
The highlights were then unified with a 1:1 glaze of Reikland Fleshshade and Lahmian Medium. If needed, this glaze can be thinned further to make it easier to control.
You can see the steps I took to paint this skin tone, with pictures, on my Kairic Acolyte guide.
Dark Skin Tone
The flesh was basecoated with a 4:1 mix of Rhinox Hide and Xerus Purple, creating a deep and slightly desaturated base.
The first highlight was applied using Doombull Brown, keeping the basecoat in the recesses. This was followed by a second highlight of a 1:1 mix of Doombull Brown and Steel Legion Drab.
For the final highlight, a small amount of Ushabti Bone was added to the previous mix and applied to key areas such as knuckles and facial features.
To bring everything together, a 1:1 glaze of Druchii Violet and Lahmian Medium was applied. This helps deepen the tone and smooth the transitions.
The flesh was basecoated with a 4:1 mix of Rhinox Hide and Xerus Purple, creating a deep and slightly desaturated base.
The first highlight was applied using Doombull Brown, keeping the basecoat in the recesses. This was followed by a second highlight of a 1:1 mix of Doombull Brown and Steel Legion Drab.
For the final highlight, a small amount of Ushabti Bone was added to the previous mix and applied to key areas such as knuckles and facial features.
To bring everything together, a 1:1 glaze of Druchii Violet and Lahmian Medium was applied. This helps deepen the tone and smooth the transitions.
Final Thoughts
All of these methods follow the same approach: start with a solid basecoat, build highlights in controlled layers, and finish with a glaze to tie everything together.
By adjusting your base mixes and highlight colours, you can create a wide range of skin tones to suit your miniatures. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and more variations can easily be added depending on the look you are aiming for.
All of these methods follow the same approach: start with a solid basecoat, build highlights in controlled layers, and finish with a glaze to tie everything together.
By adjusting your base mixes and highlight colours, you can create a wide range of skin tones to suit your miniatures. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and more variations can easily be added depending on the look you are aiming for.
Related Articles
For more painting guides → Start here
Discussion
How do you paint skin on your miniatures?
Do you prefer warmer tones, or do you like to desaturate your colours for a more realistic look?
Let me know in the comments.
Happy hobbying!
If you’re enjoying the content, feel free to follow the blog, it really helps and keeps you updated with new tutorials.
Return to my home page.
How do you paint skin on your miniatures?
Do you prefer warmer tones, or do you like to desaturate your colours for a more realistic look?
Let me know in the comments.
Happy hobbying!
If you’re enjoying the content, feel free to follow the blog, it really helps and keeps you updated with new tutorials.
Return to my home page.
Comments
Post a Comment