What colors for these skins?

[ErikB]

I just ordered the "family" of these delightfully awful monsters from Heresy.

http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/images/large/undead014.jpg

I cannot quite discern what colors are being used as base, layers, and highlights.  I am slightly colorblind and have a hard time figuring these out sometimes.

Can anyone suggest a pallet for them, either Vallejo or GW paints?  Thanks!

[Too Bo Coo]

Hoi Fellow Erik!

The baby looks to me like they did a very pale color, either a white or slightly off white and then maybe did a light wash of purple all over and then went back and used a stronger version for the shadows.

The adults look more or less the same technique, but with a greenish 'rotting flesh' color.

It is very likely that FAR more talented painters than I can give you something more exacting!

[Westfalia Chris]

I guess it depends on your technique - do you prefer to layer opaque (or only slightly translucent) coats of paint to work from dark to light, or would you rather apply a wash to an intermediate tone, then add lighter highlights?

For the former, I would suggest a base coat of Vallejo Model Color Middlestone with just a hint of black or dark grey mixed in to dull it down a bit, followed by highlight layers of VMC Khaki and VMC Khaki mixed either with VMC Buff or White, white resulting in starker contrasts.

After you've finished, I'd suggest putting on a very, very thin wash of the base colour to tie in all the highlights, but it should be a really thin mix.

For the latter, I would start with a base coat of VMC Khaki, then wash with a very thin "warm grey" or maybe VMC "Russian Uniform" (which is a brownish green). From that, use Khaki mixed with Buff or White as above.

The "Baby Zombie" would work well with a light gray basecoat (e.g. VMC Deck Tan) followed by a mix of purple (strong component) and dark grey (just a hint again, to dull it down) applied as a wash, then highlight using the wash mixed with some lighter colour. Alternatively, use very thin washes only, strategically applied as Too Bo Coo suggests.

[ErikB]

Bedank and danke, Burschen!  Thanks for the great advice.

I am wondering, though, Chris, if khaki + gray are really the right colors for pale, pallid zombie-flesh.

How about those gray, slightly green zombie flesh tones that we see, like in these examples?

This one looks like gray with some green washes, but I cannot quite tell.  I don't see khaki in there.
http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/images/large/undead015.jpg

I cannot quite discern the colors in these guys but I like the effect.  Looks like a warm gray.  Is that stone over khaki?
http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/3/31/204048_md-Dungeons%20And%20Dragons,%20Ghoul,%20Heresy,%20Omega,%20Orcus,%20Warhammer%20Fantasy.jpg

Same with these: http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/images/large/undead013.jpg

And is this a green worked up to stone gray?  Or are they the same minis as above?  I can't quite tell.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee53/Nsminis/Heresy/IMG_1387.jpg?t=1233694824

By the way, my technique is generally a dark basecoat, a layer, a wash, same layer, and a highlight.  I don't mind trying new things, though, and am open to trying what you suggested.  I like what you wrote about a very, very light wash.  The GW ones are too heavy and the Vallejo ones leave a muddy surface if I dilute them too much.  Frustrating.

[beefcake]

I love these minis.
Here's how I painted mine.
Got the whole set too. Nice muller sculpts.


I think it was a blue grey colour and lots of muddy washes and blood

[Too Bo Coo]

As I said, FAR more talented painters could give far better answers than mine!  This site is such a wealth of knowledge!!!

[ErikB]

Beefcake - your Tunnel Dwellers are EXACTLY the color I'm looking for (also ordered a set of those guys with the huge maggots... ew!)

I like your green but I'm looking for a more pallid, very slightly green.

Awesome job on that big group there!

As for you, Erik, I'm learning, too! 

[Westfalia Chris]

Bedank and danke, Burschen!  Thanks for the great advice.

I am wondering, though, Chris, if khaki + gray are really the right colors for pale, pallid zombie-flesh.

It may be a personal preference, but I consider the VMC Khaki to have a pleasing, very slight green tinge to it, but it is much more of a brown than, say, VMC Russian Uniform.

How about those gray, slightly green zombie flesh tones that we see, like in these examples?

This one looks like gray with some green washes, but I cannot quite tell.  I don't see khaki in there.
http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/images/large/undead015.jpg

My interpretation of the above would be khaki in the deepest recesses. Possibly a Khaki base with a black-grey, very thin wash on top, then highlighted using many layers, working to almost white or bone-white; possibly bone-white, as it is less stark and more "natural" (although if "natural" is a key factor in painting zombies is another matter).

I cannot quite discern the colors in these guys but I like the effect.  Looks like a warm gray.  Is that stone over khaki?
http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/3/31/204048_md-Dungeons%20And%20Dragons,%20Ghoul,%20Heresy,%20Omega,%20Orcus,%20Warhammer%20Fantasy.jpg

These look a bit colder to me - I would suspect a grey basecoat, possibly VMC Sea Gray (which is a bit blueish-green) or London Grey (which is a "purer" grey) with a possible light wash of dark blue mixed with an anthracite tone.

Same with these: http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/images/large/undead013.jpg

Those look much warmer to me. An effect like this could be achieved by mixing a light skintone (VMC Basic Skintone) with a medium to dark grey (Green Grey or Black Gray, the latter for starker, darker contrasts); alternatively, paint a VMC Green Grey or VMC Grey Green base and wash with a thin, but dark grey/brown mix, then highlight using a light, cold skintone (VMC Basic Skintone) up to almost pure Basic Skintone.

And is this a green worked up to stone gray?  Or are they the same minis as above?  I can't quite tell.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee53/Nsminis/Heresy/IMG_1387.jpg?t=1233694824

Those look very similar, maybe even identical to the Heresy figures (in your first and third link). High probability that those are the same figures.

By the way, my technique is generally a dark basecoat, a layer, a wash, same layer, and a highlight.  I don't mind trying new things, though, and am open to trying what you suggested.  I like what you wrote about a very, very light wash.  The GW ones are too heavy and the Vallejo ones leave a muddy surface if I dilute them too much.  Frustrating.

Your approach should work quite well. I still think Khaki or maybe Grey Green/Green Grey as a base shade would work, then layer using a mix of the base shade with Basic Skin Tone (66/33 or 50/50 if you aim for starker contrasts); wash with a mix of the base shade with a trickle of Black Grey; layer again with your first mix, then highlight using 20/80 base shade/Basic Skin Tone. I am really sorry I don't have figures to back up my recommendations; I actually painted a couple of those figures a couple of years back, but the picture is a bit too dark and of poor overall quality. These zombies used pretty much the above method using VMC Khaki as a base and Grey Green/Black Grey as a wash, with Sunny Skintone and Basic Skintone for the lighter layers, but the shadows in the image are too crass to allow for proper interpretation. I don't paint that many zombies, sadly enough.

As a final thought, you could use the above, but use Khaki mixed with Deck Tan (which has a definitive, if slight brown tinge in a very light, yet warm grey) to have it more pallid (maybe 60/40). I am very strongly in the Khaki camp on this one, as IMHO it gives a pleasant, organic tone compared to more synthetic, colder greys. This very much depends on personal preference, though.

[ErikB]

Vielen Dank, Chris!

I'll try a Vallejo khaki base when I get home.  I just don't see a green in it when I look at it.  My color perception is not quite right so maybe I'll just have to make some test panels and see how they look.

I cannot imagine, right now, that khaki tying in with a gray green layering sequence.  I'll have to see for real.

Do you ever use German Camo Beige?  It's almost the same as the khaki color.  I cannot tell a difference unless I paint one over the other.

[Westfalia Chris]

Vielen Dank, Chris!

I'll try a Vallejo khaki base when I get home.  I just don't see a green in it when I look at it.  My color perception is not quite right so maybe I'll just have to make some test panels and see how they look.

If you want a stronger tone, I would recommend the Grey Green, which is greener than Khaki, as the name implies. As far as I know, my colour perception is working all right (getting me ridiculed repeatedly for being able to tell the difference between salmon and apricot ), and most of the above show up on my screen (which might be another issue, although I do run a Gamma correction software on my PC) with a distinct brownish tint.

I cannot imagine, right now, that khaki tying in with a gray green layering sequence.  I'll have to see for real.

As said, I think the gist would be that it only sits in the deepest recesses, creating "warm" shadows as opposed to the colder grey variety, or the very stark black.

Do you ever use German Camo Beige?  It's almost the same as the khaki color.  I cannot tell a difference unless I paint one over the other.

I don't own that one, but I looked it up on the colour chart, and it looks very good! In fact, it might even be a better base than Khaki, as it is paler and duller, but still carries a certain organic quality.

If pressed, I'd say try the Camo Beige first as a base, layering and highlighting up using a light, pale skintone and/or bone white.

Are you generally reluctant to mix shades for layers (I suspect it can be quite an issue if there is a colour perception problem involved), or would you just prefer to use ready-made shades for ease of application and consistency of tone? I must admit that I never gave this much thought and do a lot of mixing to get some minor tonal variety, so my original advice might have come across a bit insensitive, in which case I'd like to apologise.

[ErikB]

Kein Stress, Chris!  Deine Hilfe ist super!

I tend to try to purchase the right colors instead of mix them up.  If it is for a small area, I'll mix, but for consistency among 9 ghouls I would prefer to buy the right colors and use them out-of-the-tube.  My mixes would never be the right amount, consistency, or consistent colors... I just cannot see color like a *real* artist can.

When I look at a painting, I see the figure but I am somehow blind to the purple and gray in the shadows.  I have to make a fist and look through the little hole to isolate the color and them I am very surprised by what I see.  I don't know how to explain it better than this.  It is very odd.

[Westfalia Chris]

I see. A peculiar condition, indeed, which, at the risk of sounding insensitive, must make life in general and a hobby like ours tricky.

Anyway, I took another look at the VMC Colour Chart, and for a "set" to paint these skins, I'd suggest the following from base shade to highlight:

Base shade: German Camo Beige 70.821
First layer: Buff 70.976 (warm) or Deck Tan 70.986 (cold)
Wash: Khaki Grey 70.880 (warm, brownish) or Stone Grey 70.884 (colder, greenish)
Second layer: Buff 70.976 (warm) or Deck Tan (cold) 70.986
Highlight: Ivory 70.918 (warm) or Offwhite 70.820 (cold)

I regularly use Khaki and Deck Tan and am very fond of these tones, and I think they would create a rather organic appearance.

[ErikB]

Super Idee, Chris.  Ich probiere mal.

Vielen dank dafuer!

[ErikB]

Alright, I used the German Camo Beige (like khaki) under several layers of grays.  I did not get as much contrast I *thought* I wanted so I washed in some purple and burnt sienna washes thinned with glaze medium and water.

Now, there's a little too much contrast but I still like what came out.

Chris, you were right about the beige/khaki basecoat under cold grays.  I never would have thought of that or seen it myself.  Great advice.  Danke!

Now, trying to get the bases figured out before I apply blood.  I'll have to be careful with that - less is more.

[Westfalia Chris]

Alright, I used the German Camo Beige (like khaki) under several layers of grays.  I did not get as much contrast I *thought* I wanted so I washed in some purple and burnt sienna washes thinned with glaze medium and water.

Now, there's a little too much contrast but I still like what came out.

Chris, you were right about the beige/khaki basecoat under cold grays.  I never would have thought of that or seen it myself.  Great advice.  Danke!

Now, trying to get the bases figured out before I apply blood.  I'll have to be careful with that - less is more.

That's great to hear! I guess the contrast issue is a very fine line to tread, and personally, I'm inclined towards "less is more" as you describe for the blood. Very happy to hear that my suggestion worked for you. One might try using a darker tone as a base since you said it wasn't strong enough for your liking.