How To Paint Giant Spiders - Natural Brown Scheme
How I Paint Giant Spiders - Natural Brown Scheme
Giant Spiders are a staple of fantasy literature, whether they are chasing Bilbo through Mirkwood, lurking in the Forbidden Forest or confronting Conan in The Tower of the Elephant. Whatever the setting, Giant Spiders are often portrayed as dangerous and terrifying creatures, making them a popular addition to many fantasy miniature armies.
This painting guide shows how I painted a Wargames Atlantic Giant Spider using a simple Natural Brown colour scheme inspired by real spiders and concept artwork from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
If you prefer a darker and more sinister appearance, you may also be interested in my guide to painting Giant Spiders using a Black Widow inspired colour scheme.
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The miniature used for this guide is a Giant Spider from Wargames Atlantic.
Spider Anatomy and Painting Considerations
The anatomy of a spider naturally divides into three main sections; the head and thorax, the abdomen and the legs.
When painting the miniature, I found it looked best when the head and thorax remained the darkest part of the model, the abdomen was the lightest area and the legs sat somewhere between the two. This created a natural transition across the miniature and helped break up the large surfaces of the model.
Required Paints for the Spider
- Matt Black Spray
- Abaddon Black
- Thondia Brown
- Skrag Brown
- Deathclaw Brown
- Baneblade Brown
- Karak Stone
- Black Templar
- Grey Seer
- Eshin Grey
Priming
The miniature was primed using Matt Black spray.
1. Once dry, the entire miniature was painted with a thin coat of Abaddon Black.
Adding Colour
2. Thondia Brown was used to highlight the head and thorax, to provide a solid basecoat for the abdomen and to paint each section of the jointed legs. Care was taken to leave the black showing in the joints and around the feet.
At this stage I had no intention of highlighting the head and thorax further. I wanted this area of the spider to remain the darkest part of the miniature.
3. Skrag Brown was then applied to the abdomen, leaving the Thondia Brown visible in the recesses. The leg sections were also painted, leaving a little of the darker brown visible to create a natural transition between colours.
4a. The abdomen was highlighted with Deathclaw Brown.
4b. Baneblade Brown was applied to the legs. Rather than painting sharp edge highlights, I painted small vertical lines around each leg section. This created a much more natural appearance and avoided the legs looking heavily segmented. I used the same technique when applying the previous layer of brown.
5. The abdomen was given a light drybrush of Karak Stone to brighten it further.
Thin highlights of Karak Stone, slightly thinned with water, were then applied to each leg section. If a lighter finish is desired, Ushabti Bone or Screaming Skull would work equally well, although both have a more yellow tone than Karak Stone.
Final Details
6. The eyes and fangs were painted using Black Templar.
7. Each eye was given a tiny dot of Grey Seer.
8. The fangs were highlighted with a thin line of Eshin Grey .
Basing
The base was decorated with a few small stones and a couple of short sections of twig before the remaining surface was covered in fine sand.
Once dry, the stones were painted Abaddon Black, whilst the twigs were painted Skavenblight Dinge and then washed with Agrax Earthshade. The sand was painted Rhinox Hide .
The stones were drybrushed with Mechanicum Standard Grey, followed by Dawnstone and finally Administratum Grey.
The twigs were drybrushed with Baneblade Brown and then Rakarth Flesh before receiving a thinned wash of Seraphim Sepia.
The sand was lightly drybrushed with Karak Stone.
Patches of static grass were then applied. Once dry, both the static grass and surrounding ground received a light drybrush of Screaming Skull.
Finally, bushes were added using Woodland Scenic Olive Green Bushes. To create spider webs, I teased apart small pieces of dry baby wipe and attached the resulting strands to the bushes.
Alternative Colours
If you wish to create a similar effect using different paints, the following colours can be substituted.
- Step 1 - Black Base: Abaddon Black, Rhinox Hide
- Step 2 - Dark Brown: Thondia Brown, Doombull Brown, Rhinox Hide
- Step 3 - Mid Brown: Skrag Brown, XV-88, Gorthor Brown
- Step 4 - Highlights: Deathclaw Brown, Zamesi Desert, Balor Brown, Baneblade Brown
- Step 5 - Light Highlights: Karak Stone, Ushabti Bone, Screaming Skull
Final Thoughts
I was very pleased with how these spiders turned out. The gradual transition from black through brown to tan creates a natural appearance whilst still looking at home in a fantasy setting.
More importantly, they fit perfectly alongside my Oathmark Orcs and Goblins. Ever since reading The Hobbit, I have associated Goblins with Giant Spiders and I suspect that combination will continue to appear in my fantasy armies for many years to come.
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Discussion
What do you think of this Giant Spider colour scheme? Have you painted any Giant Spiders recently?
Happy Hobbying!
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