Step-By-Step Space Wolves

I just put up the Black Legion Step-By-Step, and I spent this weekend painting some Ultramarines ... but you know it's just not enough of a Power-Armoured sausage-fest around here. Let's paint some Space Wolves! :D

Step 1: Basecoat
This is a SW Runepriest. I made a small conversion before starting this. The metal mini comes with a plasma pistol. Since you can't both shoot a pistol AND use a shooting attack psychic power, I decided to give him a Bolt Pistol off the SW sprue.

Step 2: Shadow Grey / Space Wolves Grey
This technique was described on the GW site shortly after the new codex hit. I'm trying it out. The mix is 50/50.

Step 3: Devlan Mud
This was only put in the cracks/crevices of the armour.

Step 4: Space Wolves Grey
Edge and lined the armour. It's a 3 step process, and not too tedious.

Step 5: Charadon Granite
SW guns/equipment tend to be black, so the pistol's getting the granite.

Step 6: Codex Grey
Not only am I edging the pistol, but I've hit the little stone trinket around his neck and covered all fur pelts with it.

Step 7: Skull White
This was drybrushed over the fur pelts and the stone trinket.

Step 8: Boltgun Metal

Step 9: Badab Black
With this I washed the metal, the granite gun casing, the trinket and the pelts.

Step 10: Shining Gold
Lots of lovely gold details

Step 11: Mithril Silver
I'm trying out a new technique I saw online. I drybrushed the gold bits with Mithril Silver. It'll give them a tarnished look. Awesome.

Step 12: Dheneb Stone
All bone, the pelt "skins" and flesh get hit with Dheneb Stone first.

Step 13: Skull White
Two things going on here. First, the flesh (face) was drybrushed in Skull White. This will give us some natural highlighting underneath the wash. Second, I drybrushed the fur pelts again. We're going to hit that with a Devlan Mud wash to bring a bit of variety to the fur.

Step 14: Vermin Brown
This color has been renamed to Vermin Brown, but is still in production. I've based all leather bits with it.

Step 15: Vermin Brown / Bleached Bone
The mix is 50/50. This was drybrushed over the leather bits.

Step 16: Devlan Mud
Ok, this was washed over the leather, the bone bits, the gold, and sporadically through the pelts. I did not wash the entire pelts, so they looked more interesting.

Step 17: Bleached Bone
Drybrushed over all bone

Step 18: Skull White
Drybrushed even lighter over the bone

Step 19: Gryphonne Sepia
Strategically washed on the bone. hit the areas where you still see the Devlan Mud, stay away from the areas that were drybrushed Skull White. Also, this was used liberally on the pelt "skin."

Step 20: Ogryn Flesh
in the face.

Step 21: Fortress Grey
Cover his hair.

Step 22: Skull White
Lightly drybrushed over the hair.

Step 23: Badab Black
Also for the hair.

Step 24: Mechrite Red
I used this on the grenades, but also on his shoulderpad. My wolves are in Harald Deathwolf's company.

Step 25: Iyanden Darksun
I couldn't really find any guideline for what markings go on the right shoulderpad for a Runepriest. The only things I had to go by were in the color section where there was a model or two with yellow on both shoulderpads. I knew the left was for Ragnar, but I went with it anyways.

Step 26: Boltgun Metal
For the runes on his shoulderpad

Step 27: Devlan Mud
Mostly used along the edges of the shoulderpad, and around the runes.

Step 28: Blood Red
Ok, I need to warn you about this. I had this awesome vision in my head that the runes on his Force Weapon would look like they were glowing hot. Hint: it didn't come out right. I'll show you what I did, but I don't think it worked and will be revisiting this at some other point. I'm thinking more orange.

Step 29: Sunburst Yellow

Step 30: Skull White

Step 31: Sunburst Yellow
... because I already thought it looked wrong. I somehow thought bringing out some more yellow would fix it. How? Magic, I don't know. I feel that it's important to share with you guys the things that work as well as the things that don't. You'll get to see for yourself and not make the same mistake. ...also, posting my failures online is a great way to keep my ego in check. :D

Step 32: Chaos Black
Here I'm working on the logo. Break this down, it's just a series of lines. The first line I place is from the nose to the fang. Straight, slanted, and near the middle of the pad. Second line curves from the nose to the corner of the pad. Next, another line branching out from the last one, making the forehead and ear. Bottom jaw, then neck. All the rest is fill in. Easy-peasy.

... I wish I took pictures of each line, now that I think about it. I'll do that for next time, it's really not as complex as it looks.

Step 33: Mechrite Red
Important thing to remember: if you feel a line was placed wrong, just whip out the base color and "erase" it. This was a dot for the eye.

Step 34: Skull White
For the star he's eating. Nomnomnom.

Step 35: Codex Grey
I'm moving on to the base here, so this is for that rock he's standing on.

Step 36: Skull white
This covers the base, and was drybrushed on the rock.

Step 37: Snow!
Sprinkled on a layer of glue, then shaken off.

Step 38: More glue!
As with sand, I'll cover the snow with a layer of watered down glue after it dries.


There we are! Deathwolf's Great Company from start to finish!