How To Paint Indian Headdress Feathers

By Drago | February 8th, 2018 | Categories: How To Tutorial, Next Level Painting, Videos

Painting a Native American Sioux War Chief includes some feathers as well. Using different paints and techniques, painting feathers can be really easy to do!

This tutorial uses an airbrush and paintbrush, but all can be used with a paintbrush with a little extra work. To see the entire process, be sure to scroll down and press play on the video below!

First Somber Grey from Vallejo Game Color is mixed with water and applied to all the feathers to establish a base coat on all parts of the model that will have the same white hues.

SFG Special White is added into the mix to brighten the greys and apply thin coats of lighter greys over the feathers. Thin coats are very important over pewter models, as the details can be lost if too much paint is built up. Finally, the white mixed with a tiny amount of the previous grey and thinly applied over the feathers. Don’t worry about getting every part, as the other greys can also help with building shadows.

Airbrush time! SFG Special White mixed with flow improver and applied in extremely thin coats over the white base of the feathers, smoothing out the streaks. If some gets onto the skin, use a paintbrush with a little water to remove the overspray before it dries. Exile Blue and Thamar Black by P3 are mixed together and lightly traced over the designs that are engraved onto the feathers.

Sanguine Base by P3 is brushed onto the tips of the feathers as well, popping out the tips. Mephiston Red is added to the ends, bringing out a highlight.

Time to mute down the color to make it feel more historical. The Army Painter Dark Tone wash and Quickshade Mixing Medium are mixed together to create a light grey wash, using more mixing medium than Dark Tone. The wash is then pushed around the white bits to add a bit of antiquing and realism to the model. The wash also smooths out the color blends and knocks everything into a similar tonal palette. Finally, using a small brush, build up small highlights along the feathers with white very lightly. You can add feather strokes as well over the feathers, adding hash marks and making the feathers feel more realistic.

Once detailed to your liking, the feathers are set and gorgeous! This same type of technique can be used with various colors and by using different types of paint as well. Patience and letting each layer dry in between applications is the key for smooth transitions and beautiful results!