Today Jack of Clubs has a really fun tutorial on how to paint minis with a comic book style in a fast and easy way. Check it out!
Jack of Clubs Painting is a regular here and today he’s giving us some advice on giving your minis that comic-style without taking ages. It’s just a neat little trick to have up your sleeve when you need it!
Follow along with the video for a detailed tutorial to get these minis done right! Or you can use our notes to check out all the highlights.
Learn how to Paint a Comic Book Style: Jack of Clubs
We’ll be painting up one of the new Blood Bowl minis in this style, very similar to the Wolverine he painted.
Painting the Flesh
Before we get into the actual colors, here’s how he does the style. He starts with a mid-tone and paints that flat on. Then, every time he puts a color overtop, he paints a ton of tiny little brush strokes to give it that value painting feel. Just smaller and smaller strokes the lighter he goes. This will create a color contrast, a gradient, and give it that comic feel. The other main tactic he will use is stippling.
He starts by priming the whole thing Brown. Then he takes a mid-tone green and hits all the flesh. Once that is dry, he starts doing the sketch style with a lighter green over the top and leaving the darkest colors only in the deep recesses. Almost think of how you would color something with a crayon.
Then just keep building the layers up lighter and lighter with tons of strokes. To finish it off, he uses Olive Flesh to finish off the look. He thinks this is a great way for someone who started sketching first to move over to mini painting.
Painting the Leather
He uses the same strategy here, but obviously uses brown and tries to highlight where it makes sense. So if something is on a curve or where it should be weathered, that’s where he will hit the most highlights.
Painting the Pants & Shoulder Plate
He wants these to be red, so that means he’s going to start with Dark Purple paint as a base. You need plenty of room to work with red in this style, so you have to start far darker than you think. He uses the same method as before, but just be sure to not add in too much Olive Flesh, so it doesn’t come out pinkish.
Painting the Armor
For the rest of the armor, he’s going to paint it all silver so he can use the same style. He then thins out some black paint and hits all the shadows to give it the same feel as the rest of the mini. Just be sure to think of a light source and keep consistent shading with the black paint.
To finish off, he sketches in the colors with a lighter silver to give it that sketchy look. Nothing crazy here, just make sure it looks good to your eye.
The Brass Parts
He has a darker bronze and just blocks in all the little nick-nacks that need the color. He then does a single highlight layer, nothing crazy just something quick that looks good.
The Tusks
He leaves a lot of the basecoat in near the base and then fills in the rest with the Olive Flesh we’ve been using for the base coat. Then he takes a Dull Ivory as a highlight and tries to bring the colors out the tips of the tusks.
Final Steps
There are some little freehand details he puts on the mini, like his number with ivory and a shadow all around it. Then he darkens up some of the jagged edges and random lines with a black to make the contrast even sharper.
And with that, you have a really great-looking finished mini!
If you want to learn more from Jack Of Clubs insight, watch the full video! And if you love his work, check out another great set of painting tips here.
Follow along with the latest from Jack of Clubs on YouTube or LIVE on Twitch four nights a week!
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
