How to Paint Skaven - Complete Guide

 

How to Paint Skaven

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Skaven are one of the most characterful factions to paint. They combine fur, skin, rusted metal, dirty cloth, and glowing warpstone, often all on the same model.

This page brings together my Skaven painting guides in one place. It is designed as a reference hub so you can quickly find the techniques needed to build a cohesive Skaven force.

The methods used throughout these guides are simple and repeatable, and can be applied across different units, warbands, and characters.

Brushes and tools used

• Raphael Brush Series 8404 Size 1 (Amazon Associate link)
• Winsor & Newton Sable Series 7 Brush No 0 (Amazon Associate link)
• Citadel Medium Layer Brush - Synthetic
• Citadel Small Layer Brush - Synthetic
• Citadel Small Drybrush - Synthetic (Amazon Associate link)

The Citadel (synthetic) brushes are good relatively inexpensive brushes that I use for most of my basecoat and shading work. When I move onto highlights and detail and then switch to the more expensive Raphael and Windsor & Newton brushes. 

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.

Priming Sprays:

• Matt Black Spray (Amazon Affiliate link)

I prime Skaven models in black. This helps keep the overall tone dark and supports the dirty, muted aesthetic that suits the army.

Painting a Cohesive Skaven Force

Skaven armies are at their best when they look unified but still chaotic. This comes from repeating a few key elements across the army.

• Fur should vary slightly between models but stay within a natural range
• Cloth works best when kept muted and dirty rather than bright
• Metal should look worn, rusted, and poorly maintained
• Details like bone and skulls help tie units together

Keeping these elements consistent will help even very different units feel like part of the same force.

Core Materials and Techniques

These guides cover the key materials that appear across most Skaven models.

Bone, Skulls, and Trophies

Bone details appear throughout Skaven armies in weapons, decorations, and basing. Keeping these consistent across your force helps unify the army visually.

• How to Paint Skulls

Worn and Weathered Metal

Skaven equipment is rarely clean. Weapons and armour should look worn and poorly maintained.

• Weather Beaten Armour Guide

Clan Colour Schemes

These guides focus on painting specific Skaven clans. Each one shows how to apply colour choices while still keeping a consistent overall feel.

Clan Eshin

Clan Eshin uses darker tones and muted colours to reflect their stealth focused nature.

• How to Paint Clan Eshin

Skittershank's Clawpack, Clan Eshin warband from Warhammer Underworlds

Clan Pestilens

Clan Pestilens introduces diseased tones, dirty cloth, and more extreme contrasts.

• How to Paint Clan Pestilens

Skabbik's Plaguepack, Clan Pestilens warband for Warhammer Underworlds

Characters and Warbands

These guides show how to apply Skaven techniques to individual models where there is more room for detail and variation.

• How to Paint Warlord Skritch

Character models are a good place to push contrast slightly further while still staying within the overall look of the army.

Growing Your Skaven Collection

As you expand a Skaven force, the focus should be on repeating key textures and effects rather than matching exact colours.

• Use similar bone tones across all models
• Keep metals consistently worn and dark
• Limit bright colours to key focal points

This approach helps the army feel cohesive while still allowing variety between units.

Final Thoughts

Skaven are a rewarding army to paint because of their mix of textures and materials. They allow for variation while still benefiting from a consistent approach across the force.

This hub will grow over time as more guides are added, including additional techniques such as fur, warpstone, and cloth. These will expand the range of effects while fitting into the same overall style.

Related Painting Hubs

• How to Paint Blades of Khorne
• How to Paint Nighthaunts
• How to Paint Gloomspite Gitz

More of my Miniature Painting Guides can be found here. 

Discussion

Are there any guides you would like me to add to this hub?

Let me know in the comments, I’d be interested to hear what’s worked for you.

Happy hobbying!

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