How to Paint
Durkar the Sovereign Serpent
Welcome to the next instalment of The Army Painter Academy: a series where we break down how we paint a miniature step-by-step, complete with pictures for every bit of paint applied along the way.
Get ready to unleash your inner dragon master with the monstrous, yet regal Durkar the Sovereign Serpent from Archon Studio. Included as part of the massive Fanatic Wargamers Paint Set, this winged reptile is sure to find a home in many a hobbyist's miniature collection. While there are many ways to tackle a painting project, from the time tested "spray, dip, done" method that is the very bedrock of this company, to lavishly layering and blending every colour to a display level quality, we decided to use a perennial favourite of wargamers the world over - drybrushing! This classic method is a fantastic way to add depth and dynamism to your model in a quick and easy way, giving you more time for gaming.
This tutorial is broken down into easy steps, going from basecoating to finished highlights. If you’re on a desktop, simply click the arrows at the bottom of each section to scroll through the steps or scroll to the side on your mobile phone.
Every colour on this miniature, other than the primer, comes from our the Fanatic Wargamers Paint Set.
Let's get painting!
Durkar the Sovereign Serpent
Step 1
Prime the entire model with Colour Primer Matt White and then basecoat all the red areas with Warpaints Fanatic Moldy Wine thinned with a little Warpaints Fanatic Stabilizer in two coats for nice, even coverage.
Step 2
Next, basecoat the stomach and all of the claws, teeth, and horns with Warpaints Fanatic Skeleton Bone.
Step 3
Now it's time to apply the shading with a wash of Warpaints Fanatic Dark Skin Shade. This goes over the entire model, as the reddish-brown tint to the colour works equally well on the reds and the bones.
Step 4
For the highlights, apply a liberal drybrush of Warpaints Fanatic Dragon Red over all of the red areas, being careful not to get any paint on the bone.
Once this is done, repeat the process on the bone areas with Warpaints Fanatic Pale Sand.
Step 5
Next, basecoat the tongue with Warpaints Fanatic Cultist Purple, followed by a light drybrush of Warpaints Fanatic Warlock Magenta, and finally, a crisp highlight of Warpaints Fanatic Impish Rouge.
Step 6
Finally, paint the gold coins on the base with Warpaints Fanatic Greedy Gold, and shade them with a wash of Warpaints Fanatic Sepia Tone.
With that, your model is done!
If you plan on using your model for gaming, we highly recommend varnishing it with either our Spray, Warpaints Air, or Warpaints Fanatic varnishes.
If you are eager to paint your own magnificent, deadly dragon, check out the Warpaints Fanatic Wargamers Paint Set below. This paint set not only comes with an impressive collection of 102 paints from the fan-favourite Warpaints Fanatic range, but you also get the “Durkar the Sovereign Serpent” miniature from Archon Studio.
Warpaints Fanatic: Wargamers Paint Set
The Warpaints Fanatic Wargamers Paint Set is a comprehensive collection of the fan-favourite Fanatic paints.
- 102 paints: 86 acrylic colours, 6 Metallics, 4 Washes, and 6 Effects.
- Included is “Durkar the Sovereign Serpent” miniature (value: €31.00 / $31.00) and Wargamer: Character Brush
- Unsurpassed coverage, intense pigmentation, and easy to use