Having problems getting the faces on your minis to turn out right? Want to take the next step in improving the look of the most characterful part of your figure? Well this article will take you step-by-step through how some of our leading painters do their faces. These articles come from a number of Warhammer-Empire miniatures, and will encompass all skill levels.

his series is dedicated to making the faces of your models look terrific. After all, the face is what gives a model it’s character, and is usually one of the first things people look at when they see your models. So how do you go about making your faces really stand out? We are going to present how some of our members paint faces on their minis. This series will contain tips and hints for a wide variety of painting skill levels, from the beginner to the experienced.

For clarity, all paints used in this tutorial will be assumed to be Games Workshop paints, unless otherwise specified. Other brands will be recognized by a label: VMC for Vallejo Model Color, VGC for Vallejo Game Color, and so on.

FP Face Painting Guide

Colors Used:
Skin tones: Black Primer, Scorched Brown, White, Tanned Flesh, Dwarf Flesh, Elf Flesh
Hair: Black, Codex Gray, White

1. From a Black base coat, paint the face in Scorched brown, leaving a bit of black around the eyes.

2. Next, let’s start the eyes by painting them white, leaving a bit of the black countour around them.

3. Carefully dot a black pupil into each eye.

4. Build up the face highlights by painting a Tanned Flesh layer, leaving the deepest recesses dark.

5. The next layer is Dwarf Flesh. Again, leave some of the previous layer showing. 3 distinct colors should be visible after this step.

6. Elf flesh is used as the final layer, hitting just the highest points of the facial features.

7. Paint gray hair by starting with a black basecoat, followed by layers of a mix of black/codex gray, straight Codex Gray, and a mix of Codex Gray/White, in the same way as you highlighted the skin.

There you have it! Faces painted the fp way. – article posted 05/2005

Bigrin42 Face Painting Guide

Colors Used:
Skin tones: Black, Tanned Flesh, Terracotta, Sunny Skintone (VMC), Basic Skintone (VMC), and Light Flesh (VMC)

1. From a White base coat, paint the face with a couple of thin layers of Tanned Flesh.

2. A light wash of Terracotta over that.

3. Tanned Flesh again, leaving the deepest recesses dark.

4. Let’s go ahead and paint the eyes. Start with a bit of black in the entire eye area. Don’t worry too much if it goes a bit outside the eye socket itself.

5. Now, paint the eyeballs white, making sure to leave a bit of black around the white to add definition and shading.

6. Now, add a stripe of black back into the eyes, making the pupils. Concentrate on making sure both eyes are looking in the right direction.

7. A 50/50 mix of Tanned Flesh and Sunny Skintone is the next layer.

8. Now a layer of pure Sunny Skintone.

9. 50/50 Sunny Skintone and Basic Skintone.

10. Now, add strong highlights with pure Basic Skintone.

11. A Tanned Flesh glaze smooths out the layers, blending them together.

12. A 50/50 mix of Basic Skintone and Light Flesh is used to add subtle highlights to the cheekbones, chin, and nose. Viola!

There you have it! Faces painted the bigrin42 way. – article posted 06/2005

Bloodbawler & Feldmarshal Face Painting Guide

Colors Used:
Skin tones: Black Primer, Dark Flesh, Vomit Brown, Bronzed Flesh, Flesh Wash, Elf Flesh
Eyes, teeth, and tongue: Skull White, Chaos Black, Scab Red

1. From a Black base coat, paint the whole face with Dark Flesh, leaving the mouth and eyes black.

2. Paint the higher parts of the face with Vomit Brown. The paint must not be too dense so it can be easily applied.

3. The parts that were before painted with Vomit Brown now paint with Bronzed Flesh (around 90% of Vomit Brown painted surfaces). Paint only the lower eyelids with Bronzed Flesh. Again it’s important that the paint is not too dense.

4. Paint the face with Flesh Wash, mixed with at least 3-times more water (1:3 , Flesh Wash must be very thin, otherwise the skin will become too dark). Then highlight the highest parts of the face with Elf Flesh. Again it’s important the paint is dense.

5. Paint the teeth and eyes with Skull White, but make sure there is a thin line of black above and beneath Skull White. On the model C, paint the tongue with Scab Red. Then highlight it with a mixture of Scab Red and Skull White (1:1).

6. Dot a black (Chaos Black) pupil into each eye, but make sure it touches the upper and lower black line, otherwise it looks like the model is gazing.

There you have it! Faces painted the Bloodbawler & Feldmarshal way. – article posted 07/2005