Skaven are the ultimate horde army - you need dozens of ratmen, and they are meant to look scruffy, diseased and improvised. That makes them one of the most forgiving armies to paint, where mess and grime read as character rather than mistakes.
The signature look
A sea of mangy brown or grey fur, dirty cloth, rusty scavenged armour and weapons, pink tails and ears, and the sickly green glow of warpstone. Nothing should look clean or new - this is a verminous underhive horde.
Painting the horde fast
- Fur - basecoat brown or grey, wash heavily, then a quick drybrush up. A fur contrast paint over a light undercoat does it in one pass.
- Skin (tails, ears, hands) - a pink/flesh contrast over the undercoat.
- Metal - dark and rusty: dark metal basecoat, brown wash, stipple orange rust.
- Cloth - muted, dirty tones - olive, dull red, sackcloth.
A zenithal undercoat plus contrast paints will get a whole clanrat regiment table-ready in an evening.
Warpstone glow
The one bright accent: glowing green warpstone on weapons and icons. A bright green over a light base, with a thin green glaze onto the surrounding metal for object-source lighting, ties the army together.
Tips and common mistakes
- Embrace the grime. Heavy washes and rust suit Skaven more than any other army.
- Vary the fur. Slightly different brown/grey tones make a horde look like a swarm, not clones.
- One bright accent. Warpstone green is the only clean colour - let it pop against all the muck.