The Bark: After undercoating the whole model black, I drybrushed it with the main bark colour. That was an even mix of Chaos Black, Codex Grey, and Scorched Brown. For the highlights, I kept adding in more Codex Grey and Scorched Brown to the original bark mix. The brown keeps the colour from looking too "grey." After several highlights, I went in with one pass of straight Codex Grey. Then, I used an even mix of Codex Grey and Kommando Khaki for another drybrushing, followed by a final highlight of just Kommando Khaki.

Then it was time to tone everything down with washes. I liberally washed the whole body with multiple thin coats of Black Ink, Brown Ink, Dark Green Ink, and Purple Ink (which sounds weird, but it works). The key words there are "thin" and "multiple." You can't just use the ink right out of the pot without it ruining the subtle effects of your drybrushing. Keeping the ink so thin that you can easily see through it will change the underlying colours very subtly.

Vines: I gave the vines a basecoat of Dark Angels Green and then highlighted up in layers. First I used Snot Green, then Scorpion Green, and finally a mix of Scorpion Green and Skull White. Next, I gave all the vines a wash of diluted Dark Green Ink, which I then touched up with straight Scorpion Green.

Bare Wood and Fungus: For the fungus and exposed wood on the branches, I gave them a basecoat of Bestial Brown. I used an even mix of Bleached Bone to Bestial Brown for the next layer, and then I added in more Bleached Bone to make each successive highlight until there was no brown in the mix. For the barkless wood, I then added Skull White for a final highlight. For the fungal growths, I added small spots with a mix of Chaos Black and Scorched Brown.

Branches and Fingertips:Along the tips of the branches and fingers, I went back and actually painted some of the bark with the Codex Grey and Kommando Khaki mix just to lighten up the tips. I highlighted these brushed-on highlights by adding Skull White to the grey/khaki mix.

The Owl: I basecoated the owl with a mix of Scorched Brown and Chaos Black. To this mix, I added more and more Graveyard Earth for several highlight layers. Next, I painted the front and eye patches with Kommando Khaki and then mixed in Skull White for a final highlight of these areas. I basecoated the beak and talons with Golden Yellow and highlighted with Sunburst Yellow. For the eyes, I applied a mix of Scorpion Green and Skull White – this creature isn't really an owl, but a shapeshifted Spite instead (per the Wood Elf background text).

Birch Bark: After quite a bit of time of washing and letting one wash dry and then applying another to the regular bark, I was able to start on the birch bark areas. I basecoated these areas with Codex Grey and then highlighted with Fortress Grey and finally Skull White. Then, I hit it with a very, very diluted 3:1 wash of Dark Green Ink to Brown Ink. That wash really helped bring out the subtle details of the bark while adding a natural tone. I applied this diluted wash was two or three times to get the right colouration.

Moss: Once I finished with the bark, I basecoated the mossy areas with Dark Angels Green. Then, I highlighted it much like the vines, but without any white in the mix. After looking over the model, I realised that he still looked too grey, so I decided to add more moss using Games Workshop Modelling Flock. I glued flock straight onto the model with PVA glue. After the glue dried, I darkened the flock with a watered-down, 2:1:1 mix of Dark Green Ink to Black Ink to Brown Ink. Once that dried, I highlighted the moss with a drybrush of Goblin Green.

Shelf Fungus: I gave the shelf mushrooms a basecoat of Bleached Bone underneath and Scorched Brown on their upward-facing surfaces. I highlighted the bottom with streaks of a mix of Bleached Bone and Skull White. For the topsides, I highlighted with Bestial Brown. For the spots, I used straight Skull White.

Spites: I basecoated the Spites with Shadow Grey, and then applied a mix of Shadow Grey and Space Wolves Grey, followed by straight Space Wolves Grey. Then, I added a layer of Space Wolves Grey mixed with Skull White. Once that dried, I washed the entire Spite with diluted Blue Ink and then touched it up with the same mix of Space Wolves Grey and Skull White. To finish, I gave it a final highlight of Skull White.

The Base: I drybrushed the rocks with varying shades of grey and gave them a diluted Black and Dark Green Ink wash. I finished off the base with more moss, static grass, dark-green lichen, plastic ferns, and birch tree seed pods for leaves. I also added lichen, ferns, and grass to the Treeman to convey a sense of how old he is.

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Wood Elves Miniatures Range | Working With Green Stuff

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