🖌️ How to Paint Dark Skin with Vallejo Game Color

Want to learn how to paint realistic dark skin on your miniatures? 🔥 With the Vallejo Game Color range, you can achieve an incredible result using just a brush and a few simple steps. In this tutorial by Jon Gómez (Pintureando), based on a Cthonian Beserk by Games Workshop, you'll discover how to achieve deep, natural tones with easy and quick blends.

Get all the paints from this tutorial

Download the PDF version at this link

⚫ Step 1: Solid Primer

Start by applying a black base coat to prepare the miniature.

• Hobby Paint Black 28.012
• Primers Black 70.602

💡 Tip: you can take a photo with a light source to use as a reference and decide where the highlights and shadows will go.

🤎 Step 2: Skin Base

Paint all the skin with:

• Game Color Charred Brown 72.045

This tone will serve as a deep, dark base coat.

🌑 Step 3: Shadows and Transitions

To soften the transitions between light and shadow, apply glazes with a mix of:

• Game Color Charred Brown 72.045
• Game Color Dark Flesh 72.044

This unifies the gradients and adds greater realism.

✨ Step 4: First Highlights

Highlight the raised areas with:

• Game Color Dark Flesh 72.044

Leave the deepest areas untouched to maintain contrast.

💡 Step 5: Maximum highlight

Apply a more intense highlight on key areas (forehead, cheekbones, knuckles…) using:

• Game Color Brown Flesh 72.066

🎨 Step 6: Colour details

In areas of maximum shadow, reinforce with a glaze of:

• Game Color Charred Brown 72.045
• Game Color Magenta 72.113

👉 For lips and cheekbones, add a touch of:

• Game Color Magenta 72.113
• Game Color Octopus Pink 72.013

🏁 Final result

And that's it! 🙌 Your miniature will now have a realistic dark skin full of nuance, perfect for standing out on the tabletop. All that's left is to add other details such as eyes, beard or teeth to complete the look.

Download the PDF version at this link

✨¡Happy Printing! 🚀

Thanks to Acrylicos Vallejo andJon Gómez (Pintureando) for the tutorial