How to Paint Sneaky Snufflers
How I Paint Gloomspite Gitz Sneaky Snufflers
This is my guide to painting the Gloomspite Gitz Sneaky Snufflers, with a particular focus on the spider basket and its fungal cargo. It uses a combination of techniques from several of my other painting guides to complete these detailed miniatures.
These are not quick models to paint and can become quite frustrating at times. In fact, I found them to be amongst the more challenging Gloomspite Gitz miniatures I have painted.
When painting my Sneaky Snufflers, I discovered that the real challenge was not the grot or the Snuffle Squig. Both could be painted using recipes I had already developed for Moonclan Grots and Squigs. The difficult part was the spider basket and its cargo of fungi. I struggled to find any useful painting guides for Sneaky Snufflers online, so this article focuses on the area that caused me the most difficulty: the fungal cargo and the spider carrying it.
This guide follows two important principles. Firstly, I paint one area of the miniature at a time before moving on to the next. Secondly, I always begin with the deepest, hardest-to-reach details before working outwards towards the outer layers. This approach relies on careful brush control and patience.
The grot and Snuffle Squig were painted before beginning work on the spider basket and its fungal cargo.
- For the grot, I followed the same recipe as my Moonclan Grot painting guide.
- For the Snuffle Squig, I followed the same recipe as my Squig painting guide.
Paints Used
- Rakarth Flesh
- Corax White
- XV-88
- Seraphim Sepia
- Agrax Earthshade
- Tau Light Ochre
- Kantor Blue
- Thousand Sons Blue
- Ahriman Blue
- Temple Guard Blue
- Khorne Red
- Mephiston Red
- Evil Sunz Scarlet
- Wild Rider Red
- Abaddon Black
- Naggaroth Night
- Xereus Purple
- Daemonette Hide
- Slaanesh Grey
- Lahmian Medium
- Druchii Violet
- Eshin Grey
- Dawnstone
Painting the Fungal Cargo
I began by applying a basecoat to the fungal cargo using a 1:1 mix of Corax White and Rakarth Flesh. I tried to keep this confined to the mushrooms, although I did not worry too much if paint strayed onto the spider as this would be tidied up later.
A few mushrooms, particularly the bracket fungi around the edges of the basket, were painted with XV-88 instead.
In both cases I aimed for a smooth, even coverage. At this stage the miniature looks rather messy, but that is perfectly normal.
For a few mushroom caps that were easier to reach, I left them black as these would later be painted different colours to add variety.
Shading
Once the basecoats had fully dried, I shaded the mushrooms with a 2:1 mix of Seraphim Sepia and Agrax Earthshade.
The bracket fungi painted with XV-88 were shaded with pure Agrax Earthshade.
These dark shades help blend the lower edges of the mushrooms into the spider's body. This is especially important as some of these areas become almost impossible to reach later in the process.
Highlighting the Fungal Cargo
The mushrooms were lightly drybrushed with the same 1:1 mix of Corax White and Rakarth Flesh. I did not worry about reaching every surface, as the aim was simply to brighten the raised details.
A few mushrooms that were easier to access were carefully layered with the same Corax White and Rakarth Flesh mix rather than drybrushed, helping to brighten the fungus and add extra variety.
The bracket fungi were highlighted first with XV-88 and then with Tau Light Ochre.
I then selected several mushroom caps and painted them either Kantor Blue or Khorne Red, ready for the next stage.
Basecoating the Spider
The spider itself was tidied up using Abaddon Black. From this point onwards I aimed to be far more careful, as many of the surrounding details had already been completed.
Painting the Mushrooms
Blue Mushrooms
I began highlighting the blue mushroom caps. Unlike other surfaces, the darkest colour should remain at the tip of the cap while the lightest colours should be applied towards the lower rim.
First, I applied Thousand Sons Blue, leaving only the tip of the cap Kantor Blue. Next, I painted Ahriman Blue onto the lower half of the cap, always pulling the brush towards the rim. Finally, I applied Temple Guard Blue to the bottom third of the cap and around the rim.
Red Mushrooms
The red mushrooms followed the same process. I started with Mephiston Red, followed by Evil Suns Scarlet and then a final highlight of Wild Rider Red.
On a few mushrooms I added white spots using the same Corax White and Rakarth Flesh mix used earlier. It is important not to overdo this effect. In most cases, three spots are enough to create a convincing appearance.
With the mushrooms complete, all that remained was to paint the spider itself.
Painting the Spider
I began by tidying the spider with Abaddon Black before applying a basecoat of Naggoroth Night. I left the black visible within the recesses between the leg joints.
I then began to build up the highlights. First, I applied a 2:1 mix of Xereus Purple and Daemonette Hide to the upper two-thirds of each section of leg and across the abdomen. Next, I applied a 1:2 mix of Xereus Purple and Daemonette Hide to roughly the upper half of each leg section and the upper surfaces of the abdomen.
With the main highlights established, I applied pure Daemonette Hide to smaller areas towards the tops of the legs and across the highest points of the abdomen.
Finally, I used Slaanesh Grey to paint a thin line highlight along each section of leg. I also used this colour to pick out the markings and spots on the abdomen.
To tie the colours together, I applied a glaze made from a 2:1 mix of Lahmian Medium and Druchii Violet. When creating this glaze, err on the side of caution and use less Druchii Violet rather than too much.
Finally, the fangs were painted Abaddon Black before being highlighted with Eshin Grey . A small dot of Dawnstone was added to the tip of each fang to finish them off.
Final Thoughts
The Sneaky Snufflers are one of the most characterful units in the Gloomspite Gitz range, but the fungal basket makes them surprisingly challenging to paint. By working from the deepest details outwards and tackling the mushrooms before the spider, the process becomes far more manageable.
If you would like further inspiration for painting the spider itself, take a look at my How I Paint Giant Spiders guide.
Related Guides
- How I Paint Moonclan Grots
- How I Paint Squigs
- How I Paint Rockgut Troggoths
- How I Paint Giant Spider
- How to Paint Gloomspite Gitz: Complete Guide
Discussion
How did you paint your Sneaky Snufflers? Did you use a similar approach for the fungal cargo, or did you choose a completely different scheme? Let me know in the comments below.
Happy Hobbying!
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