Painting THE CYCLOPS from The Witcher: Old World

Steps

1. 1 Base-coat all the skin with Harvester Flesh, applying two or three coats for coverage.
2. 2 Base-coat the clothing with a single coat of Snakebite Leather contrast paint.
3. 3 Base-coat the wrist bracer and both ankle wraps with Dusk Red.
4. 4 Base-coat most of the base with Brownish Decay, and give the club an undertone base coat of Warm Grey.
5. 5 Base-coat the hair with Gravelord Grey (to be covered up later), the large stones on the base with Cold Grey, and the skulls with Screaming Skull.
6. 6 Base-coat the ropes around the arms and clothing with Baneblade Brown, and the bony trinkets on the clothing with Screaming Skull.
7. 7 Base-coat the barrel hanging from his hip with Mournfang Brown, the small stone on his belt with Cold Grey, and the leather pouches on his belt with English Uniform.
8. 8 Base-coat the metal belt and the straps around the barrel with Abaddon Black, then paint the rim of the base with the same.
9. 9 Dry-brush the stones on the base and the trinket on his belt with White for a little texture.
10. 10 Repaint the straps around the club with Screaming Skull.
11. 11 Bend the club out of the way with a heat gun to reach the blue stone pendant around his neck, and base-coat it with Raging Sea.
12. 12 Apply Agrax Earthshade over the entire base, and fill in the eyeball with Offwhite.
13. 13 Base-coat all the wooden areas of the club with Desolate Brown.
14. 14 Mix Harvester Flesh with Slimer Green to pick out faint veins under the translucent skin, following the sculpted details without making it too noticeable.
15. 15 Reinforce shadows with Reikland Fleshshade between the fingers and toes, in the deepest recesses, under the arms, and across the back and other spots for variation.
16. 16 Thin Druchii Violet Shade with water and apply it into more of the shadow areas, bringing a bruised color into the translucent skin.
17. 17 Thin Carroburg Crimson with water and add some redness around the knuckles, knees, and face.
18. 18 Wash the straps on the club with Agrax Earthshade again.
19. 19 Highlight the skin with pure Harvester Flesh, starting with the facial creases and forehead, then the upper shoulders and upward-facing muscles, and the knuckles and toes, keeping the blending rough for a dirty, beat-up look.
20. 20 Apply a second highlight by mixing in Miskatonic Grey, muting the saturation to reinforce the translucent look.
21. 21 Dot in the pupil with a Micron pen, then pick out the fingernails and toenails with Zandri Dust.
22. 22 Water down Red into an ink-like glaze and apply it sparingly to the knuckles, elbows, knees, and face to bring some warm color back into the highlights.
23. 23 Shade all the ropes and the barrel with Agrax Earthshade, and add a little more Screaming Skull highlighting to the straps on the club.
24. 24 Base-coat the hair with Abaddon Black, replacing the earlier Gravelord Grey.
25. 25 Highlight the hair by mixing in Silver Grey, picking out the upper sculpted strands and building toward a brighter near-white over progressively smaller areas, then tone it back down with a couple of coats of Nuln Oil.
26. 26 Highlight the metal belt the same way, mixing Abaddon Black with Silver Grey to build dark-to-light transitions for a non-metallic-metal effect, finishing with a light dot on each stud.

Paints used

• Abaddon Black (Citadel)

  Base coat for the metal belt, the straps around the barrel, the base rim, and (replacing the earlier Gravelord Grey) the hair; mixed with Silver Grey for the metal belt's non-metallic-metal highlights

• Agrax Earthshade (Citadel)

  Wash over the entire base, the club's straps, and later the ropes and the barrel

• Baneblade Brown (Citadel)

  Base coat for the ropes around the arms and clothing

• Brownish Decay (Army Painter, Speedpaint 2.0)

  Base coat for most of the base

• Carroburg Crimson (Citadel)

  Thinned with water for redness around the knuckles, knees, and face

• Cold Grey (Vallejo, Game Color)

  Base coat for the large stones on the base and the small stone on his belt

• Desolate Brown (Army Painter, Speedpaint 2.0)

  Base coat for all the wooden areas of the club

• Druchii Violet Shade (Citadel)

  Thinned with water into the shadow areas to give the translucent skin a bruised look

• Dusk Red (Army Painter, Speedpaint 2.0)

  Base coat for the wrist bracer and both ankle wraps

• English Uniform (Vallejo, Model Color)

  Base coat for the leather pouches hanging off his belt

• Gravelord Grey (Army Painter, Speedpaint 2.0)

  Initial base coat for the hair, later covered over with Abaddon Black

• Harvester Flesh (Scale75 Scalecolor)

  Base coat for all the skin; mixed with Slimer Green for subtle veins, and used pure (then with Miskatonic Grey) for the skin highlights

• Miskatonic Grey (Scale75 Scalecolor)

  Mixed into Harvester Flesh for a second, cooler highlight that reinforces the translucent look

• Mournfang Brown (Citadel)

  Base coat for the barrel hanging from his hip

• Nuln Oil (Citadel)

  Applied over the hair highlights to tone the grey back down while keeping the highlights visible

• Offwhite (Vallejo, Model Color)

  Fills in the eyeball

• Raging Sea (Army Painter, Speedpaint 2.0)

  Base coat for the blue stone pendant around his neck

• Red (Vallejo, Model Color)

  Watered down into an ink-like glaze on the knuckles, elbows, knees, and face

• Reikland Fleshshade (Citadel)

  Shadow reinforcement between the fingers and toes, in the deepest recesses, under the arms, and across the back

• Screaming Skull (Citadel)

  The skulls on the base, the bony trinkets on his clothing, and the straps around the club

• Silver Grey (Vallejo, Model Color)

  Mixed into Abaddon Black to highlight the hair and the metal belt

• Slimer Green (Scale75 Scalecolor)

  Mixed into Harvester Flesh to pick out faint veins under the skin

• Snakebite Leather (Citadel, contrast)

  Single-coat base for the clothing

• Warm Grey (AK Interactive, 3rd Generation)

  Undertone base coat for the club before its speed-paint layer

• White (Vallejo, Model Color)

  Dry-brushed over the stones on the base and the trinket on his belt

• Zandri Dust (Citadel)

  Fingernails and toenails