Painting

Indigo octopus with lavender suckers

Indigo curves and lavender suckers give the octopus planter a soft, cool palette. Shadows beneath the tentacles and tiny eye glints bring depth to the rounded face.

◉BrushDojoOfficial guide

← Back to guides

Colours on the model

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 6

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Greyvallejo · 70.601

Detailed instructions · 1

Prepare and prime the planter
Remove support marks and dust, taking care around the thin rim and sucker edges. Clean the print as appropriate for its material and let it dry fully; resin must already be washed and cured. Brush on thin coats of Grey Surface Primer, turning the planter to reach beneath the tentacles.
Expected result
The primer forms an even film without filling the eyes or suckers.
Points to watch
Do not paint damp or uncured resin.

Read the complete guide · 6

1. Prepare the model

Prepare and prime the planter
Where to paint: Whole model
Greyvallejo · 70.601
Remove support marks and dust, taking care around the thin rim and sucker edges. Clean the print as appropriate for its material and let it dry fully; resin must already be washed and cured. Brush on thin coats of Grey Surface Primer, turning the planter to reach beneath the tentacles.
Expected result
The primer forms an even film without filling the eyes or suckers.
Points to watch
Do not paint damp or uncured resin.

2. Apply the base colours

Lay in the blue
Where to paint: Blue body, rim and tentacles
Macragge Bluecitadel · 21-08
Cover the outer wall, brows, tentacles and visible inner wall with thin coats of Macragge Blue. Work around the suckers and eye hollows, keeping paint from collecting beneath the curled tentacle.
Expected result
The blue is opaque and the sculpted edges remain clear.
Points to watch
Do not use a thick coat to hide printing lines.
Colour the suckers
Where to paint: Lavender suckers
Genestealer Purplecitadel · 22-10
Paint the inside of each visible sucker with Genestealer Purple. Leave the blue between the cups intact; use the point of the brush where two rims almost meet.
Expected result
Each purple cup is separated by a clean blue border.
Points to watch
Do not join neighbouring suckers with purple paint.
Deepen the eyes
Where to paint: Dark eyes and ivory glints
Kantor Bluecitadel · 21-07
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Mix Kantor Blue with a little Abaddon Black and paint the deepest part of each eye hollow. Keep the mixture inside the oval, leaving the lower blue edge visible.
Expected result
Both eyes are dark but still distinct from their blue rims.
Points to watch
Do not enlarge the eye sockets with black paint.

3. Build the shadows

Add soft shadows
Where to paint: Blue body, rim and tentacles
Kantor Bluecitadel · 21-07
Xereus Purplecitadel · 22-09
Glaze Kantor Blue into the lower sides of the body, beneath the brows and along tentacle overlaps. Add a trace of Xereus Purple near the roots of the front tentacles. Feather the edge with a clean damp brush before it dries.
Expected result
The shadows follow the curved form without hard tide marks.
Points to watch
Do not flood the whole smooth wall with a wash.
Shade inside the suckers
Where to paint: Lavender suckers
Xereus Purplecitadel · 22-09
Thin Xereus Purple to a translucent glaze and deepen the upper inner wall of each sucker. Leave the lower half lighter, so the cups look hollow rather than like solid buttons.
Expected result
All cups have a dark upper recess and a lighter lower curve.
Points to watch
Do not leave a dark puddle at the bottom of a cup.

4. Build the highlights

Soften the blue transitions
Where to paint: Blue body, rim and tentacles
Macragge Bluecitadel · 21-08
Calgar Bluecitadel · 22-16
Mix Macragge Blue with Calgar Blue and build thin overlapping layers on the upper front wall and upper curves of the tentacles. Keep the lower purple shadows visible. Reduce the painted area slightly with each lighter layer.
Expected result
The body shifts gradually from light blue above to indigo below.
Points to watch
Avoid visible stripes around the rounded wall.
Bring out the lit curves
Where to paint: Blue body, rim and tentacles
Calgar Bluecitadel · 22-16
Fenrisian Greycitadel · 22-68
Add a little Fenrisian Grey to Calgar Blue. Apply the mix to the upper left of the body and the crests of the front tentacles, blending it back into the blue. Keep these patches broad and soft, not chalky white.
Expected result
The strongest light falls consistently from the upper left.
Points to watch
Do not highlight every tentacle equally.
Lighten the lower cup rims
Where to paint: Lavender suckers
Fenrisian Greycitadel · 22-68
Genestealer Purplecitadel · 22-10
Add Fenrisian Grey to Genestealer Purple and paint a soft crescent along the lower inside of each cup. Make the crescent widest at the bottom and taper it toward the sides.
Expected result
The lavender curves look smooth and the blue borders remain clean.
Points to watch
Avoid a bright ring around the entire sucker.
Accentuate the rim and brows
Where to paint: Blue body, rim and tentacles
Calgar Bluecitadel · 22-16
Fenrisian Greycitadel · 22-68
Use a pale mix of Calgar Blue and Fenrisian Grey for a fine line on the lit part of the rim. Add a short accent to each brow, keeping the right one weaker. Leave the shaded rear rim dark blue.
Expected result
A few fine accents sharpen the focal area without outlining everything.
Points to watch
Do not thicken the rim with repeated heavy strokes.

5. Paint the details

Add the two eye glints
Where to paint: Dark eyes and ivory glints
Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33
Place one small Screaming Skull dot in the upper-left area of each dark eye. Keep both dots in the same relative position, and make them small enough that the dark centres remain dominant.
Expected result
The paired glints give a friendly expression without changing the sculpt.
Points to watch
Do not add extra pupils or white eyeballs.

6. Finish the model

Check the complete finish
Where to paint: Blue body, rim and tentacles
Macragge Bluecitadel · 21-08
Kantor Bluecitadel · 21-07
Genestealer Purplecitadel · 22-10
Once dry, turn the planter under a soft light and repair missed blue areas inside and beneath the tentacles. Clean any purple overspill at the suckers with Macragge Blue, then restore only the highlights affected by the correction. The decorative paint finish does not make the print waterproof.
Expected result
No primer remains visible and the finish stays smooth from every angle.
Points to watch
Do not add weathering or rough texture to compensate for uneven paint.

All paints and materials (9)

Greyvallejo · 70.601

Macragge Bluecitadel · 21-08

Kantor Bluecitadel · 21-07

Xereus Purplecitadel · 22-09

Calgar Bluecitadel · 22-16

Fenrisian Greycitadel · 22-68

Genestealer Purplecitadel · 22-10

Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25

Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33

Community

Comments …

Loading comments…

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 6

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Greyvallejo · 70.601

Detailed instructions · 1

Prepare and prime the planter
Remove support marks and dust, taking care around the thin rim and sucker edges. Clean the print as appropriate for its material and let it dry fully; resin must already be washed and cured. Brush on thin coats of Grey Surface Primer, turning the planter to reach beneath the tentacles.
Expected result
The primer forms an even film without filling the eyes or suckers.
Points to watch
Do not paint damp or uncured resin.

Indigo octopus with lavender suckers

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prepare and prime the planter

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prepare and prime the planter

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Lay in the blue

Expected result

Points to watch

Colour the suckers

Expected result

Points to watch

Deepen the eyes

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Add soft shadows

Expected result

Points to watch

Shade inside the suckers

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Build the highlights

Soften the blue transitions

Expected result

Points to watch

Bring out the lit curves

Expected result

Points to watch

Lighten the lower cup rims

Expected result

Points to watch

Accentuate the rim and brows

Expected result

Points to watch

5. Paint the details

Add the two eye glints

Expected result

Points to watch

6. Finish the model

Check the complete finish

Expected result

Points to watch

Comments …

Indigo octopus with lavender suckers

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Prepare and prime the planter

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Prepare and prime the planter

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Lay in the blue

Expected result

Points to watch

Colour the suckers

Expected result

Points to watch

Deepen the eyes

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the shadows

Add soft shadows

Expected result

Points to watch

Shade inside the suckers

Expected result

Points to watch