As in the title,I am looking for WIP pics or a video on painting tusks & horns.This area is a weak point for me.I just stripped Gorbad's head of all paint because I was not happy with how it was turning out(the paint had also gotten too thick while trying to fix mistakes).I have yet to paint the tusks on Gnarla,I want this to look good.I can't seem to get it right.I need a visual aid as to how this is done.Here is a pic before I stripped it:

i think the main proble is your trying to go staright over brown with bleached bone, id mix a couple layers between so it ends up covering better, or just do a couple thinner layers rather than1 thick.

after i have a smoothish bleached bone covering tho i usually do a devlan mud wash over the top (pretty heavy) and then highlight the ends (and in your case the spiky bits near the base) with bleached bone again and then add a little white to the bone for a final highlight.


there is much nicer ways but that is a fairly simple way to do it.

I think you starting brown is quite dark.

Another easy method is bestial brown, kommando khaki, then bleached bone. Each layer moving further towards the tip.

I think there's 2 ways to do it depending on how much time and effort you want to put in, a basic method and a more advanced method.

The basic method essentially aims to produce a smooth gradient from dark at the base of the tusk to light at the tip of the tusk. For this method I'd most likely base coat the whole tusk with Bleached Bone, then build up layers of dark gradient from the base of the tusk with several thinned down with water washes of Devlan Mud, Badab Black, and Gryphonne Sepia, (just use the washes that give you the look you like the most).

You need to spread the wash thinly around the tusk from the base about 2/3 of the way to the tip. To get a gradient you need to get the wash to form a thicker "pool" on the surface near to the base with then drag it slightly along the tusk. With the washes being thinned it might take 2 or 3 coats to build up a dark enough coat. If you have a hot lamp you can hold the model under this to help the washes dry faster.

An add on for the basic method once you have you're gradient is to add some simple feathered lines from the base up the tusk. With thinned Scorched brown touch the brush tip at the base of the tusk a tiny little droplet might appear on the surface, you then drag this up the tusk as thinly and as straight as you can and it should draw a fine translucent line that fades out. Do several of these around the tusk and it should give a nice effect. If they look too red go over them with some thinned black wash to tone it down.

The more advanced method involves adding more feathered lines along the length of the tusk. Other colours that are good to use for tusk lines are, Chaos Black, Graveyard Earth, Khemri Brown, Dheneb Stone and Skull White.

I'm currently painting Gorbad (in my blog), and haven't started his helmet yet, I'll try and take some step by step pictures of painting the tusks.

Ahh,now I see! Base coat brown too dark *facepalm*
Thanks for the tips,this helps out a lot.Well,time to do it again! Here he is all new & shiny:

Try to water down your colours a bit more I´d suggest. On your first picture the "bleached bone" looks very thick. Besides that go with the other tips posted above. :)

I concur.I have base coated the body & the boar and it doesn't look near as thick.I took my time with those parts and thinned and did multiple coats.It was just that I had a lot of problems with his head and ended up doing more coats than I actually wanted.

Stripped and primed again.I went by the "paint from the inside out" rule this time.I glued the lower tusks on after painting the face,which was so much easier this time around.I am much more happy with the results.I still have the horns & tusks to do,all in good time ;)

That already looks loads better than you're first attempt, I'm looking forward to seeing how you come on with the horns.