Last Update 2/12/05 - 12:28pm

THE ZOMBIE

Paints used

If any of this can't be found, you can either find a similar color from a different brand or you can mix your way to a quality version of it. Later in the Guide, I will suggest other colors to try as well that aren't listed here.

STEP ONE: Wash and Prime

Look at the miniature, and look for any moldlines and odd chunks that don't belong on it. Remove them with an exacto blade. Then take your miniature and wash it with soap and hot water and then dry. This will remove any oils and grime that could have possibly ended up on the figure. It really helps keep the primer on, and makes the miniature last longer.
After washing and drying, setup a newspapered area and begin priming with black or grey primer. Take short quick sprays all over the standing miniature, trying not to make a heavy coat. Do not spray it close, and try not holding one position long when spraying to keep the priming thin. Thick amounts of primer can ruin the detail of the miniature.
Once this first coat is accomplished, let the miniature dry then lay it on its back, front or side, and prime the missed areas. Again, try keeping these to short quick sprays. After it dries, rotate and repeat until the miniature is solid. Underneath the base of the miniature doesn't need to be painted though, as it will eventually scratch away anyway from use. If you miss any small areas with the spray on primer, try using a paint on primer to fix these tiny mistakes.

STEP TWO: Distinguishing The Miniature
If you notice, each miniature for the Doom game is either Blue, Green or Red. To keep this concept, I've painted the rim of the base the matching color. Heres a simple paint guide to match:

STEP THREE: Flesh

Find a midsized brush, and paint all the skin Ecalyptus(Delta). If you have Reaper paints, you might try Gnoll Flesh, or GW you might try Rotting Flesh.

STEP FOUR: Washing the Skin

Washes are somewhat difficult at times. Load your brush with the Flesh Wash, but try to not oversoak the bristles. After a few times, you'll get a feel for how much and how little. Then apply to the skin very sparingly. If you put too much on, take a clean dry brush, and try padding some of the wash away. The Flesh Wash will fill in the detail of the fingers, toes, and face.
Once you are done, take a dab of the Eucalyptus paint on your mixing tray, and add a little bit of white to it. You want a slightly different tone color to work with, but not by much. With the new lighter Eucalyptus, load a drybrush, and try removing as much paint from the bristles as possible on your newspaper. Then apply to the dry Flesh areas, and start to notice that it blends any of the really inked up areas well, but leaves the detail. This really helps the ink from looking too muddy on the flesh.

STEP FIVE: Painting Clothes

This is where you can really make your Zombies look individually different, and not so similar. I'm going to describe my technique using a Blue Scheme for the clothing, but by all means try different colors. Just paint the clothes a darker color, and then highlight by drybrushing a lighter shade of the same or similar color. Examples: Black > Grey , Grey > White, Beige > White, Navy Blue > Light Blue .
For this miniature lets use our Midnight Blue. Take a regular sized brush, and paint on the midnight blue over the clothing. Take your time to get the inside edge of the shirt by the stomach. After the clothes are dry, load up the Bungalow Blue in a drybrush and remove as much paint from the bristles as possible. Start applying over the whole outfit. This will really get the miniature to look a lot more lively. You may have seen a lot of beginner painters merely painting solid colors over the miniature, making it look really flat/two dimensional. Highlighting with the drybrush technique can make your miniatures stand out from the crowd.

STEP SIX: Repainting the Base

Take your detail brush with black paint, and clean up any messes around the feet of the Zombie. Also, double check that the rim color is solid. If not, repeat Step Two.

STEP SEVEN: Blood n' Guts

If you want to you can create a nice blood effect in those gaping wounds on the Zombie's stomach. Take a dab of Terracotta red on your mixing tray, and add a small splash of Red Ink. Mix furiously, and then take a fine detail brush and fill in the wounds. You can try making it look as though its spilling out too, but be sparing. Too much blood really looks lame quick. These are just supposed to be eye catching small details, nothing else.

STEP EIGHT: Varnish

A Varnish is basically a clear hold on the miniature's paint job to ensure there will be less chances of cracking and chipping down the road. There are several Varnishes out there, I use the Delta Matte Varnish. Out of any brand you purchase(Armory, Reaper, GW, Vallejo, Delta) make sure to get a Matte Varnish, not the Gloss. A Gloss varnish can make your miniature look really shiny and ugly. Its not that pretty, trust me. I use a paint-on varnish, but you can try a spray varnish, just use a similar technique as priming, with quick small sprays from a distance. Thin coats are important in this process, because the more it builds, the shinier the miniature can become. Shine equals Bad. After this, your miniature is ready to do some damage in Doom.