Painting

Ginger coat and ivory horns

A warm ginger coat frames a peach muzzle and horns blended from brown roots to ivory tips. Dark divided hooves and small eye reflections preserve the Highland cow's shaggy character.

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Colours on the model

Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 5

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Greyvallejo · 70.601

Detailed instructions · 1

Clean the miniature and apply primer
Inspect the print and remove support marks without rounding off the fringe, beard or split hooves. Wash a filament print with mild soapy water; for resin, finish the cleaning and curing process specified by its manufacturer. Let it dry completely. Apply Vallejo Grey Surface Primer in thin coats from several directions, reaching under the belly and behind the beard. Let the primer dry before adding colour.
Expected result
The dry primer covers every surface without filling the eyes, nostrils or hair recesses.
Points to watch
Do not paint damp or incompletely cured resin. Keep the horn tips and eyelids sharp.

Read the complete guide · 5

1. Prepare the model

Clean the miniature and apply primer
Where to paint: Whole model
Greyvallejo · 70.601
Inspect the print and remove support marks without rounding off the fringe, beard or split hooves. Wash a filament print with mild soapy water; for resin, finish the cleaning and curing process specified by its manufacturer. Let it dry completely. Apply Vallejo Grey Surface Primer in thin coats from several directions, reaching under the belly and behind the beard. Let the primer dry before adding colour.
Expected result
The dry primer covers every surface without filling the eyes, nostrils or hair recesses.
Points to watch
Do not paint damp or incompletely cured resin. Keep the horn tips and eyelids sharp.

2. Apply the base colours

Build a warm ginger coat
Where to paint: Ginger coat, fringe and beard
Mournfang Browncitadel · 21-20
Troll Slayer Orangecitadel · 22-03
Rhinox Hidecitadel · 21-22
Cover the coat with two thin coats of Mournfang Brown. Mix in a little Troll Slayer Orange and paint the broad surfaces again, leaving the darkest brown beneath the fringe, under the belly and between the legs. Deepen only the narrow gaps between the beard locks with thinned Rhinox Hide. Keep the muzzle, eyes, inner ears, horns and hooves separate.
Expected result
The coat is evenly ginger-brown, with darker recesses and no orange spill onto other materials.
Points to watch
Do not flood the whole coat with a dark wash or draw new individual hairs on its smooth areas.

3. Build the highlights

Blend the horns from brown roots to ivory tips
Where to paint: Ivory horns with brown roots
Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32
Steel Legion Drabcitadel · 21-17
Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33
Paint both horns Steel Legion Drab. Add Ushabti Bone to the mix and build several increasingly pale layers towards the tips, covering a slightly smaller area each time. If a transition looks abrupt, soften it with a very thin mix of those two colours. Use Screaming Skull for the upper tips and a narrow highlight on the side facing the light; leave the roots brown.
Expected result
Both horns share a smooth brown-to-ivory transition and remain distinct from the ginger head.
Points to watch
Avoid white rings, coarse stippling or a uniform bright outline around each horn.
Paint a soft peach muzzle and warm inner ears
Where to paint: Peach muzzle and pink inner ears
Rhinox Hidecitadel · 21-22
Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32
Bugman Glowcitadel · 21-18
Kislev Fleshcitadel · 22-37
Start with Bugman Glow on the muzzle and inner ears. Layer Kislev Flesh over most of the muzzle, keeping the underside and mouth crease darker. Add a little Ushabti Bone for the top of the nose and rounded upper lip, blending the layers while they are thin. Keep the ears a little darker and rosier. Pick out the nostrils with Rhinox Hide, confined to the sculpted openings.
Expected result
The muzzle is peach, the ears softly pink and both nostrils are clean dark recesses.
Points to watch
Do not make the muzzle shiny or draw new pores and freckles.
Keep the hooves dark and clearly divided
Where to paint: Dark split hooves
Steel Legion Drabcitadel · 21-17
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
Eshin Greycitadel · 22-51
Dawnstonecitadel · 22-49
Paint the hooves Abaddon Black. Add Eshin Grey to the upper and front surfaces, leaving the central splits and undersides black. Mix a little Dawnstone into the grey for a few short edge highlights. A very thin touch of Steel Legion Drab near the lower edges gives the muted earthy tint seen in the image; keep it translucent and sparse.
Expected result
The hooves remain charcoal-dark and each split is easy to see.
Points to watch
Do not cover the hooves in pale grey or turn the earthy tint into large mud patches.
Refine the ginger highlights around the face
Where to paint: Ginger coat, fringe and beard
Mournfang Browncitadel · 21-20
Troll Slayer Orangecitadel · 22-03
Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32
Lighten the earlier ginger mix with a small amount of Ushabti Bone. Apply smooth thin layers to the upward-facing locks and the broad areas of the cheeks, shoulders and front legs. Keep the brightest strokes on the fringe above the eyes and a few beard tips. On the body, blend them back with a translucent layer of the original ginger mix so that the face remains the focus.
Expected result
The fringe frames the face with the strongest warm highlights; the body is smoothly shaded and quieter.
Points to watch
Do not outline every lock equally, bleach the ginger colour or add scratch-like fur lines.

4. Paint the details

Paint two clear, matching eyes
Where to paint: White eyes with brown irises
Mournfang Browncitadel · 21-20
Rhinox Hidecitadel · 21-22
Corax Whitecitadel · 21-52
Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25
White Scarcitadel · 22-57
Fill the whites with thin Corax White, keeping the ginger eyelid rims clean. Paint the two irises Mournfang Brown, shade their upper halves with Rhinox Hide and add centred Abaddon Black pupils. Compare their positions before adding a small White Scar reflection at the same upper side of each eye. Keep all painted circles within the existing eye shapes.
Expected result
Both eyes look in the same direction, with tidy white areas and matching small reflections.
Points to watch
Do not enlarge the sculpted eyes or let white paint cross the eyelids.

5. Finish the model

Check the finish and protect the paint
Where to paint: Ginger coat, fringe and beard
Matt Varnishvallejo · 62.062
Gloss Varnishvallejo · 62.064
Turn the cow under a neutral light and correct missed areas behind the horns, beneath the beard and around the back hooves. Once the paint is fully dry, apply a thin protective coat of Matt Varnish according to the product instructions. Let it dry, then add a small amount of Gloss Varnish to the eyes only. Leave the muzzle, horns and coat matte.
Expected result
No primer is showing, the surface sheen is controlled and only the eyes catch a gloss reflection.
Points to watch
Do not flood the recesses with varnish or make the whole cow glossy.

All paints and materials (16)

Greyvallejo · 70.601

Mournfang Browncitadel · 21-20

Troll Slayer Orangecitadel · 22-03

Rhinox Hidecitadel · 21-22

Ushabti Bonecitadel · 22-32

Matt Varnishvallejo · 62.062

Gloss Varnishvallejo · 62.064

Steel Legion Drabcitadel · 21-17

Screaming Skullcitadel · 22-33

Bugman Glowcitadel · 21-18

Kislev Fleshcitadel · 22-37

Corax Whitecitadel · 21-52

Abaddon Blackcitadel · 21-25

White Scarcitadel · 22-57

Eshin Greycitadel · 22-51

Dawnstonecitadel · 22-49

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Painting stages

All stages

Stage 1 of 5

Prepare the model

Where to paintWhole model

For this stage

Greyvallejo · 70.601

Detailed instructions · 1

Clean the miniature and apply primer
Inspect the print and remove support marks without rounding off the fringe, beard or split hooves. Wash a filament print with mild soapy water; for resin, finish the cleaning and curing process specified by its manufacturer. Let it dry completely. Apply Vallejo Grey Surface Primer in thin coats from several directions, reaching under the belly and behind the beard. Let the primer dry before adding colour.
Expected result
The dry primer covers every surface without filling the eyes, nostrils or hair recesses.
Points to watch
Do not paint damp or incompletely cured resin. Keep the horn tips and eyelids sharp.

Ginger coat and ivory horns

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Clean the miniature and apply primer

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Clean the miniature and apply primer

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Build a warm ginger coat

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the highlights

Blend the horns from brown roots to ivory tips

Expected result

Points to watch

Paint a soft peach muzzle and warm inner ears

Expected result

Points to watch

Keep the hooves dark and clearly divided

Expected result

Points to watch

Refine the ginger highlights around the face

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Paint the details

Paint two clear, matching eyes

Expected result

Points to watch

5. Finish the model

Check the finish and protect the paint

Expected result

Points to watch

Comments …

Ginger coat and ivory horns

Colours on the model

Painting stages

Prepare the model

For this stage

Clean the miniature and apply primer

Expected result

Points to watch

1. Prepare the model

Clean the miniature and apply primer

Expected result

Points to watch

2. Apply the base colours

Build a warm ginger coat

Expected result

Points to watch

3. Build the highlights

Blend the horns from brown roots to ivory tips

Expected result

Points to watch

Paint a soft peach muzzle and warm inner ears

Expected result

Points to watch

Keep the hooves dark and clearly divided

Expected result

Points to watch

Refine the ginger highlights around the face

Expected result

Points to watch

4. Paint the details

Paint two clear, matching eyes

Expected result

Points to watch

5. Finish the model

Check the finish and protect the paint

Expected result

Points to watch

Comments …