Genestealer Hybrid Step-by-Step

Yarg! Last time I listed out a bunch of projects I wanted to finish up before tackling a larger project like Burning of Prospero, and instead I've gotten sidetracked painting more Genestealer Hybrids for a small cult. The minions of the 4 Armed Emperor have insidiously woven their tendrils into my painting queue  and now my entire desk is over-run with them. Thankfully, I really REALLY like these models so the painting has gone quick, but I managed to take photos for a step-by-step of how I tackle doing so many so quickly.

These techniques are designed to paint ARMIES to high standards quickly. As much as I like seeing an individual model painted nicely, its legions of them that thrill me; ergo my painting style has evolved to reflect this. I don't come to the table with unpainted miniatures, and the ones I bring are nicely done with extra time spent on centerpiece models. For troops, I want something that gets them done quickly and to good standard. Quantity has a quality all its own.

STEP 1.
The model is assembled and primed White with a spray.
Base colors are laid in:
Flesh - VGC Dwarf Flesh
Jump Suit - GW Trollslayer Orange
Gun/Gloves/Boots/Tubes - P3 Greatcoat Grey
Tongue - VGC Pink
Lights - GW Yriel Yellow and/or Lothern Blue
Metals - GW Leadbelcher
Neatness is helpful here but not 100% critical.

STEP 2.
The whole model is washed with Army Painter Strong Tone Ink.
I use a brush to make sure that the ink is spread evenly, otherwise it can pool and dry
in big dark patches.
My technique is very similar to a "Dip Technique" except
that the shading isn't the final step. We'll be going back in and
working our color up so we don't have a muddy looking figure.

STEP 3.
After the first ink wash has dried, I go back and apply
a wash of Army Painter Dark Tone ink over all the areas that were grey.
This will result in a dark, almost black, grey on these items later.
The features of the face and the tongue were also given a thin wash of GW Druchii Violet.

Step 4.
With all our washes dry, I use GW Trollslayer Orange to work the raised areas of
the jumpsuit back up in color. I also then use a thin amount of VGC Dead White to highlight the
edges and broad areas of the armor/respirator.

Step 5.
The skin is painted VGC Dwarf Flesh, leaving the recessed areas in as much shadow as possible.
The tip of the tongue is also painted VGC Pink again, leaving the area towards the mouth alone.

STEP 6.
The metals are highlighted with GW Runefang Steel.
The cheekbones, eyebrows, nose, forehead ridges and cranium are all highlighted
with a 50/50 mix of VGC Dwarf Flesh and GW Ushabti Bone.
A stripe is added to the gun by painting a line of GW Trollslayer Orange and then another
over it in GW Yriel Yellow when the first stripe is dry.
After this, the model will be taken off its pedestal and pinned onto a resin base.

And that's it. I tend to paint models in batches of 3-5, working on one step on multiple models at a time. I know of people who work in larger batches, but the smaller number makes me feel like I'm making progress as I add finished models to existing units. Over 3 days off during my winter break, I managed to get 14 of these guys done with plenty of breaks for bad movies, trips to the dog park and visiting friends. The key here is remember that you are painting troops who will take a single hit and be off the table in no time. Reserve techniques like blending, picking out eyes, freehand designs, ect. for models like heroes or monsters or tanks that will stick around for most of the game.

I've got a handful of models to finish before calling the army done, and this arrived on my doorstep yesterday:

Vroom.

So I guess you can figure out what you'll see next on this blog.

Cheers!