Paint marble effects from this week’s Armies of Renown, and get an exclusive look at new animation Adepta Sororitas: Penitence

This week’s roster of Warhammer TV shows is a wonderful mix for hobbyists of all stripes, as we check in with Warhammer collections, Black Library authors, and an exciting biological battle report between the Tyranids and the Death Guard. But before we get onto those, we’ve got something special – an exclusive teaser of the new Warhammer+ animation Adepta Sororitas: Penitence coming soon.

On Armies of Renown we have a chat with Warhammer staffer Darcy about his narrative-focused Adeptus Mechanicus army, which includes some really cool marble details on his Imperial Knights. Lucky for us – and you – he was really keen to talk about those.

Darcy: Chatting with Ed about painting techniques one day, he asked if I would be happy to be a guest on Armies of Renown. Of course I said yes, though perhaps before the reality of actually having to be in front of the camera sank in.

That said, I had a blast. It was great fun to get the chance to speak with passion and at length to a captive audience (sorry, Ed) about my Mars Theta-9 Containment Force.  It’s been an amazing project to work on over the years, and I really hope the episode inspires other hobbyists out there to experiment, to try new things, to build crazy kitbash creations, and to have fun while doing it.

Painting Marble

I thought I’d also expand on the marble technique I talk about in the episode – and that can be seen on my Imperial Knights shoulder pads – so here are the eight stages I use to create that effect.

1) Start with a nice smooth surface, as close to the base colour for the marble as you can.

2) Apply the base colour for your marble. For this example I used Corax White, which will provide a lot of contrast with the marbling lines I will apply later.

3) ‘Paint’ the entire surface with clean water (not dirty paint water, I’ve made that mistake before). The reason will become obvious in step 4.

4) Using a very watered-down paint or Shade – Nuln Oil in this example – swipe a loaded paint brush side-to-side while drawing it in lines across the surface. The water applied in step 3 will help diffuse the edges of the lines.

5) Once the surface is dry, draw on thin lines using a small brush, as randomly as you can, inside the earlier shaded areas. This example was done using several layers of Nuln Oil straight from the pot.

6) This is an optional stage to tidy up any messy bits you’re unhappy with, and to re-apply some of the original base colour if step 4 got slightly out of control.

7) Once you're happy with everything so far, using a colour that contrasts really well with the line colour (White Scar in this example), apply that under some parts of the darker lines.  

8) Finish off by applying a thin layer of Ardcoat gloss varnish to the entire area.

That’s all, really. Making each of the lines look quite rough and irregular is the key to making sure your marble appears natural, and the Ardcoat sheen is a great way of making it catch light differently to the metal trim and other painted surfaces. After you’re done with this, you can just do your trim the normal way, and it’ll stand out great!

Thanks, Darcy! We’ve got plenty to be trying out now, and an awesome episode of Battle Report to have on while we’re tackling a slab of marble or two. This week’s episode sees the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan pounce upon the Daemon Primarch Mortarion in an attempt to end the lord of the Death Guard for good – but can a multitudinous horde really get the better of a Daemon Primarch? 

In Scribes and Scriveners, three Black Library authors – Robbie MacNiven (Carcharodons: Outer Dark), Jonathan D Beer (Dominion Genesis), and Denny Flowers (Above and Beyond) – give their thoughts and advice on the prestigious Black Library Open Submission process. It’s a fascinating look into their writing experiences, what it takes to succeed as an aspiring author, and the unique challenges of a Black Library story, so especially give it a watch if you’ve ever wanted to see your own name on the cover of a Warhammer novel.*

What’s next on Warhammer+?

These are only a few of the episodes you have access to with a Warhammer+ subscription, with hundreds more to see whether you’re looking for battle reports, painting guides, or animations. 

The vast library of Warhammer TV shows is only one part of the whole package, too –  you’ll get to choose one of two beautiful diorama miniatures for free when you subscribe for a year, gain access to unlimited army creation in the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar apps, and indulge your inner historian with access to hundreds of classic Warhammer publications and White Dwarf issues through the Warhammer Vault. 

Once you’re signed up, all you need to do to choose your miniature, redeem codes from Codexes and battletomes, and to enter the Warhammer Vault is log into your My Warhammer account – the same one you use at the Warhammer webstore. Try it out, and we know you’ll find something you love.

* Even if you haven’t, it’s a great watch!