I got a ton of response lately about the Looted Guard. Everyone seems to want to know how I did the chipped paint.
Guess I’ve procrastinated long enough right? Time to get an article together on it.
So without any further fuss, here’s your how to article on the Chipped Paint Effect!
To start out I just painted my tank silver and gave it a watered down wash of Devil Mud. This forms the base for the paint to go over, and get “chipped off”. The actual chipped effect itself is actually two different techniques used together; stippled paint, and masking fluid.
First off I just used the “Incredible Nib” to apply the masking fluid to areas that would naturally see high wear, either from the elements or from the crew (see “splotchy paint” areas in red above, those actually have masking fluid underneath)
I applied it in both long jagged lines along armor plates, and in random spikey blobs on the body as well, as shown in red. The important thing here is that it should look jagged and rough, not rounded or in a predictable “man-made” pattern.
After that dried I began to stipple GW Mordian Blue over the tank, making sure to not get into recessed details like cracks and such. It’s good to leave a decent amount of metal showing in random areas as well that you didn’t mask because it helps break up the colors a bit. As you can see I used a tore up large flat drybrush for this, and it worked great helping to add to the messy look as well.
Next I highlighted the Mordian blue with enchanted blue, making sure to only hit the higher raised areas of the tank that would be lighter whatever imaginary source of light there would happen to be. I used a smaller tore up flat drybrush for this as well, taking care not to cover any metal I left exposed from the base stipple.
After that I hit just the very tops of the last highlight with a mix of Enchanted and Lightning blue, to bring it on home. I kept this mix a little heavy on the Lightning Blue as I figured the darker blues underneath would soak it up a bit.
Okay so after all the coats of blue are dry, it’s time to have some fun. I grabbed my trusty pickup eraser, and went to town cleaning off the slightly gummy masking fluid from the tank.
Once that comes up, the “bare metal” underneath is revealed leaving a chipped look to the blue paint around it.
As you can see it accents the stippled paint as well, seamlessly blending together to look worn.
So that’s pretty much it. From here you can detail out the tank, or if you need to add Orky Style Warpaint to complete the “looted” look.
Hope this helps! Email or comment if you have any questions! –MBG
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
