"What Color Do You Prime Your Skellies?" Topic

If you're painting skeletons, what color is your primer coat?

* white
* black
* brown
* tan
* bone
* I don't use primer
etc.

Brown- until I see a reason for a better color- which will no doubt be detailed later in this poll! ha!

Testors Light Earth.

I primed one skelly green-he's still green, never got him painted.

Black.

Dry brush "Bone".

Magic Dip brown.

Burnt umber. Drybrush off white.

Grey like everything else….

Brown or black. Depends on what I have more of.

Used to paint them very brightly, almost cartoony, and used a brownish wash over white.

But after seeing this excellently painted unit, dark and forbidding, I'll be using black!
link

Source: Oldhammer community on FB. So probably not everyone can see it. Apologies. Take my word for it, brilliant paintwork!

I prime them white then use a very heavy light to medium brown wash. I then paint the details, (weapons, shields, armor, etc.)

I have used both white and black – pleased with results either way but used black for mass painting …

White then wash with sepia & dry brush with bone color.

Necrons – Black primer with silver paint and charcoal (as near as black grey that is not black) dry brush

Most organic skellies – Brown prime with off-white paint (mix in a little brown or ochre, possibly leaving a little unmixed) and a black wash after.

"Wet" skellies (recently defleshed) – Red primer with white paint and brown or black wash.

Cartoon skellies – White primer, black wash both sides with the mini laying horizontal.

I have no skellies.

The occasional skull I have primed white, mainly for the sake of the rest of the figure. Then a yellow brown, then a wheat sort of colour, then white again.

Black

Yellow-ish tan, if I need to prime them. If they're plastic, and a yellowish tan color, then I just paint the non-bone bits, as needed. Then I apply the classic Dip Technique, using Royal Walnut stain color. This gives them a just-dug-up, dirty appearance. I do skeletons, as a quick, pick-me-up, to encourage myself to paint other mini's, which are more complex in painting.

Skeletons are a basic, horde-type, monster for fantasy gaming. They are viewed at arm's length, like all the rest of my figures. Difference is, Skeletons are super-simple, super-fast, to paint.

Paint one figure, using simple block painting techniques, followed by the classic Dip Technique. Place them on your table, at normal gaming distances. Look at them, and see how much difference your eyes can really pick up between them. Then…

Ask yourself if it is really worth your time, to do more than simple block painting, followed by the classic Dip Technique. Be honest with yourself, though.

I realized, 20 years ago, that at arm's length, I really could not see the difference in quality, on my 25mm-28mm figures. I was in my 30's, then, now in my 50's. I don't have time for holding myself to a higher standard in my paining. Never have. Never will. Your mileage may vary. Game on! (For me, the play is the thing; painting is just a required step towards playing…) Cheers!

white then brown wash

I've got some on the workbench, will try brown priming this time! Thanks!

Just saw a photo, yesterday, on the news, showing a pile of Human skulls. I believe it was in South America. The skulls were a dark brown color, from weathering.

In short, any shade of white, to dark brown, will be "realistic"… It all depends upon the climate they are exposed to, and for how long. Add to that consideration, a fantasy environment, and the entire color palette opens up! The color wheel is your smorgasbord, Bill. Cheers!

Or try the GW Contrast colour Skeleton Horde (it's beige) with their Wraithbone primer.

It really is quick and easy to use.