If you need some tips on painting horses, check out this tutorial for Death Korps of Krieg cavalry to get your mounts looking tight!
For whatever reason, horses are somewhat of a weird model to paint. If you’re not careful, they could turn out looking like a cheap little plastic mini you’d find in the dollar store. But with a little time and refined technique, you can have these Guardsmen mounts looking beyond ready for the tabletop.
Check out this tutorial using paints from The Army Painter.
Painting Horses Death Korps of Krieg Style
It might look like a lot has gone into this model. But with a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to batch paint your whole squad and have them turn heads on the tabletop! Check out these step-by-step instructions on bringing those horses to life.
Step 1: Base Coat
The Army Painter’s Monster Brown was airbrushed over the horse to lay down a base coat. A similar Leather Brown canned spray could be used instead. Some definition will need to be added later. Using the airbrush, the paint can be applied in various thin layers to create depth.
Step 2: Gloss Coat
Next, you’ll want to spray a varnish of Gloss medium. Model Master’s spray varnish can be sprayed in just about any weather condition. It’s extremely useful if you live in an area where it’s always humid or damp. This will help when washing the model to be sure the wash goes where you want it to go. Apply gloss varnish in a well-ventilated area.
Step 3: Wash
Once dry, mix some Strong Tone with Quickshade Mixing Medium to thin down the wash 50/50. Using a chisel brush, apply the wash over the model from top to bottom. Do not drench the model, and be careful of pooling too heavily. When dry, it will bring out all the details on the model easily.
Step 4: Highlight
Desert Yellow is mixed into the airbrush with flow improver here. Spray over areas that highlights are desired. Use thin coats to trace the muscles and try your best to have a steady hand here. Add in Banshee Brown to the yellow and go back over the highlights once again to bring out the muscles a bit more.
Step 5: Glaze
Using a little Strong Tone and Quickshade Mixing Medium once again, mixing more medium than Strong Tone, create a light glaze. Brush over the surfaces with a thin coat and allow time to dry. Do not let this pool, as it is only to pop shadows and blend in the airbrushed colors more.
Using the Army Painter system, painting calvary riders can be pretty easy. Especially using it on organic models that have way more muscle curvature than models strictly with armor panels. If you want to get even more creative and have a strong blending game, you can add some color fading with the fur on your horse minis as well!
If you want to see a more in-depth look at how to paint your horses, be sure to check out the full video below!
Plus, in case you’re wondering what to do with your horse riders, you can check out this video on Painting Death Korps of Krieg Greys as well.
What’s your method of painting DKoK cavalry? Does your method of painting organic minis vary from painting stuff like Knights and Impulsors?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
