Tutorial: How to Paint Azog the Defiler

In this detailed tutorial I’ll show you how I painted the mounted Azog the Defiler. You can of course use this guide from steps 11 onwards to paint Azog on foot. Please show your support for these tutorials by sharing this tutorial. 

This tutorial assumes you have a basic understanding of how to paint. For the beginners, I will explain the techniques as I go along. Each picture below shows four chronological steps. Underneath each picture are the corresponding instructions. Each step shows the paint I used during that step. It’s good to have reference material close to hand to check colours. I used google images for film stills and Games Workshop’s 360º pictures on their website were a great help.

Paints you will need for this tutorial:

White Undercoat

Karak Stone (layer)

Stormvermin Fur (layer)

Ulthuan Grey (layer)

Ceramite White (base)

Bugman’s Glow (base)

Khorne Red (base)

Rhinox Hide (base)

Zandri Dust (base)

Ushabti Bone (layer)

Screaming Skull (layer)

Pallid Wych Flesh (layer)

Cadian Fleshtone (layer)

Carrouburg Crimson (shade)

Leadbelcher (base)

Gorthor Brown (layer)

Agrax Earthshade (shade)

Runefang Steel (layer)

Stirland Mud (texture)

XV88 (base)

In case you need to expand your paint collection, head over to Wayland Games or Slave to Painting, which both stock a huge selection of paints at competitive prices.

Firstly, if you’re having trouble assembling your Azog, please read this review of the Azog the Defilerwhere I offer advice on assembling the model. 

1. Undercoat the model with white primer. Then water down Ceramite White and paint a couple of coats over the model to ensure a nice smooth, bright finish. 

2. Create a wash by mixing Karak Stone (25%) with Lahmian Medium (75%). Apply the mix to the whole Warg.

3. Create a wash by mixing Stormvermin Fur (25%) with Lahmian Medium (75%). Apply it to the areas you want to shade like behind the head, underneath the creature and in the creases of the legs. 

4. Dry brush the fur with Ulthuan Grey. If you’re unfamiliar with dry brushing take a large brush, dip it into some paint and then brush all of the paint off on to a tissue, then drag the brush across the raised areas of the model. Once you dry brushed the fur, then highlight the legs and face with Ulthuan Grey.

5. Dry brush the fur with Ceramite White. Highlight the legs and face with the same colour. 

6. Mix Bugman’s Glow (50%) with Lahmian Medium (50%) paint it around and in the wounds on the fur. Paint the underneath of the paws. Paint the nose, gums, tongue and ears with mix. The mix is deliberately thin. Apply it thinly so you can see through it. 

7. Paint the wounds with Khorne Red. Also paint the tongue.

8. Use Rhinox Hide to paint the teeth, claws and eyes. At this point I also painted the base. 

9. Paint the Warg’s teeth and claws with Zandri Dust. Paint the Warg’s eyes using Zandri Dust.

10 Highlight the teeth and claws with Ushabti Bone.

11. Create a wash by mixing Bugman’s Glow (25%) with Lahmian Medium (75%). Apply the mix to the Azog’s skin.

12. Highlight the skin with Screaming Skull

13. Use Bugman’s Glow to paint the lines in the wounds and shade the muscle tone in the skin. 

14. Highlight Azog’s skin with Pallid Wych Flesh.

15. Add the final highlights to the skin using Ceramite White. 

16. Paint the flesh like meat on the bone belt with Bugman’s Glow.

17. Highlight the flesh belt with Cadian Fleshtone.

18. Add some thin highlights to the flesh belt with Screaming Skull.

19. Wash the flesh belt with Carroburg Crimson.

20. Paint the remaining areas left to be painted with Rhinox Hide. 

21. Paint the shin and feet guards with Leadbelcher. Then paint the claw arm and the weapon head with Leadbelcher.

22. Paint the leather with Gorthor Brown. Leave some Rhinox Hide showing through in the creases as shading. 

23. Highlight the leather areas with Baneblade Brown.

24. Wash the leather and the metal areas with Agraz Earthshade.

25. Add some highlights and scratch marks to the metal areas using Runefang Steel.

26. Use Ushabti Bone to paint Azog’s teeth and eyes. 

27 and 28. Finally base the model in a way which fits in with your collection. I used Stirland Mud texture paint highlighted with Karak Stone and the base edge was painted with XV-88. Static grass and scrub were glued on in small clumps.

Tale of Painters has a whole host of Hobbit tutorials for you to check out.

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