How to Paint Undead Warrior Miniatures

Beginner~30 min

Undead hordes are perfect for batch painting -- they look best when they're a little rough and uneven, and the techniques that make them look great are the fastest ones in your toolkit. This guide covers painting a group of skeletal warriors or shambling zombies quickly, using washes and drybrushing to do the heavy lifting.

Supplies Needed

•Black spray primer
•Bone or ivory base paint
•Dark brown wash
•Off-white paint for drybrushing
•Metallic silver or dark iron paint for weapons
•A tattered cloth color (dark green, dark red, or brown)
•Orange-brown paint for rust effects

Step-by-Step Instructions

Batch Prime in Black

Line up all your undead models and prime them black. Black primer is essential for undead because it provides built-in shadow in every skull socket, ribcage gap, and tattered cloth fold. Any area you miss will just look like darkness between bones.

Tip: Batch painting means doing the same step on every model before moving to the next step. Line them up and work through the assembly line.

Basecoat All the Bone

Apply a coat of bone or ivory paint over all exposed skeleton parts -- skulls, ribcages, arms, legs, and spines. Don't worry about being neat or getting full coverage. The black primer showing through in the deepest areas is a feature, not a flaw. One coat is often enough for the effect we want.

Paint the Weapons and Armor

Apply dark metallic paint to all swords, axes, shields, and any armor scraps. Use a dark iron or gunmetal rather than bright silver -- undead weapons should look ancient and neglected. One coat of metallic paint is sufficient.

Tip: For extra speed, you can apply the metallic paint sloppily and let the wash step clean everything up. The messier the metallics look on undead weapons, the more realistic the final result.

Paint the Cloth and Leather

Slap a dark, muted color onto any tattered cloth, cloaks, or leather armor pieces. Dark green, deep maroon, or muddy brown all work well for ancient, decayed fabric. One thin coat over black primer is all you need -- the dark showing through makes the cloth look worn and ragged.

Wash Everything

Apply a generous dark brown wash over every model, covering every surface. Don't be careful or precise -- just flood it on. The wash settles into every gap between ribs, every skull socket, every fold of cloth, and every joint. This is the step that makes undead look properly grimy and aged. Let them dry completely.

Drybrush the Bone Highlights

Once the wash is fully dry, load an old brush with off-white or pale bone paint, wipe off almost all the paint, and drybrush every model. Focus on skulls, raised ribs, shoulder joints, and finger bones. This brings the bone back to life (ironically) and makes the details pop against the dark, washed recesses.

Add Rust to the Weapons

Dab small amounts of orange-brown paint onto weapon edges, shield rims, and armor plates using a stippling motion. This simulates centuries of rust and decay. Don't cover all the metal -- just hit the edges and spots where moisture would collect.

Tip: You can also sponge rust onto weapons by tearing a small piece of foam and dabbing it in orange-brown paint. This creates a more random, natural rust pattern than brushwork.

Base and Finish

Apply texture paint or PVA and sand to the bases. Paint them dark earth brown, drybrush with a lighter tan, and add dead grass tufts if you have them. Paint the rims black. Your undead horde is ready for the battlefield.

Pro Tips

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Speed is the goal with horde units. Resist the urge to spend too long on any single model -- the impact comes from the group, not the individual.
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Inconsistency between models actually looks great for undead. Variation in bone color and cloth suggests each warrior died at a different time.
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If you want even faster results, try a single contrast or speed paint over white primer for the bone areas. One coat does the basecoat, shade, and highlight in a single pass.
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Keep your undead bases dark and barren. Dead grass, cracked earth, and scattered skulls reinforce the theme better than lush green bases.

Related Techniques

Washing Drybrushing Contrast Painting

Paint This With Your Own Paints

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