Project Nurgle part 17. Painting Gutrot’s Boat - The Wood.

Step 1 – Basecoat

The choice of a grey basecoat is informed by a search for reference material. I looked up a lot of pictures of old and wrecked wooden boats and this sort of weathered wood has a predominantly grey tone. 
Grey will also play well into my overall colour scheme as I plan to use colours from the same palette that I used on Gutrot to paint the base. This will help to tie the elements of the piece together. Grey is featured on Gutrot but in a very minor role. Having it as a dominant colour on the base will help to give the base definition and separation from the mini while still making it feel a part of the overall scheme. 

Step 2 – Shading

I’ve applied the shading with a series of washes followed by some controlled glazing. The shading acts as a sort of under painting to the later stages it also gives definition and separation to the elements of the boat. 
I’ve used Scalecolour Black Leather for this step. This is the same colour I’ve used in the shadows and shading on Gutrot and will further help to tie the mini and the base together. The pinkish look to the shadows is a little odd at this stage but, as the later (and greener) layers go on, it will contribute to the overall depth and contrast of the colour scheme. 

Step 3 – Enhancing the Shading

This is pretty much a cautious repeat of the previous stage but this time using Scalecolour Boreal Green. Overall this stage doesn’t add anything very dramatic but it serves to work a little of the cool green colour from Gutrot’s armour into the base, and it further enriches the shadows. 

Step 4 – Algae

A lot of the pictures I looked at showed bright green algae growing on the side of the boats. This is a great way to introduce some spots of vibrant colour and extra texture. To create the algae I used my new best friend baking soda mixed with Scalecolour Sherwood Green and Vallejo Matt varnish. Sherwood Green is the dominant green in Gutrot’s flesh tones. The yellow green of Sherwood Green contrasts with the pinkish and cool green tones previously used and starts the process of balancing out all the colours used on the wood. 

Step 5 – Soggy Rotten Wood

This is the stage that pulls all the previous ones together. Using a mix of Scalecolour inks (Inktense Green, Yellow and Chesnut) I built up glazes of a dirty yellow/green. 
The ink builds up a layer of shiny saturated colour. This adds significantly to the wet and rotten look of the wood and ties the algae effect into the rest of the paintjob.