In this post, I’ll show you how to paint Vargskyr from Warhammer Quest Cursed City in 19 easy to follow steps. You’ll learn how I layer Contrast paints to paint the fur, use glazes to create purple skin and more. Find out how in this tutorial.

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This tutorial assumes you have a good understanding of how to paint Warhammer miniatures. With each picture is the corresponding instruction. Each step shows the Citadel paint(s) I used. You’ll find a list of all the paints used in this tutorial at the end of the post.

How to paint Vargskyr.

Undercoat the model with Wraithbone spray. 

Basecoat the ruins, base and mouth with Chaos Black. Be careful not to get any black anywhere else on the model. if you do you can paint over it with some Corax White and then Wraithbone paint.

Basecoat the ruins completely with Sons of Horus Green. I added some rocks to my base and painted those too.

Wash the ruins and rocks with a thick coat of Agrax Earthshade. 

Paint the ruins with Dawnstone leaving some of the previous layer showing through.

Edge highlight the ruins with Celestra Grey thinned with a touch of water.

Wash the skin, fur and claws with 50:50 mix of Skeleton Horde and Lahmian Medium. If the paint pools in one place use a spare brush to wick the paint away.

Lightly wash the fur and claws with thinned 50:50 Snakebite Leather and Lahmian Medium. Just paint the outer fur of the tail.

Paint Gore-Grunta Fur on the fur. Make sure you leave some of the Snakebite Leather showing through.

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Apply Wyldwood to the fur making sure you leave Gore-Grunta Fur showing through.

Highlight the fur with Baneblade Brown. Small controlled lines on the raised hairs of the fur.

Highlight the torso, arms, head, teeth and claws with Wraithbone. You can also pick out some fur highlights with Wraithbone.

Paint a 50:50 mix of Carroburg Crimson and Lahmian Medium around the eyes, nose and in the ears, on the vestigial wings and on the legs and hands.

Edge highlight the torso, arms and head skin with Pallid Wych Flesh.

Create a mix of 3 parts Lahmian Medium with 1 part Druchii Violet and wash the feet and hands.

Use Druchii Violet straight from the pot and wash the feet and finger tips to increase the intensity. 


Create a mix of 3 parts Lahmian Medium and 1 part Bugman’s Glow and paint the webbing on the arms.

Highlight the purple limbs with thin lines of Fulgrim Pink.

Dot the eyes with Flash Gitz Yellow.


To paint the base I painted the rubble Sons of Horus Green, washed with Agrax Earthshade, drybrushed Dawnstone and edge highlighted Celestra Grey. The sand is painted with Dryad Bark, drybrushed with Steel Legion and then final drybrushed with Karak Stone. To paint the rat follow my guide for painting Corpse Rats here.


Paints you will need for this tutorial:

Paints you’ll need for the base:

If you need to expand your paint collection to follow the tutorial, check out our partner stores Wayland Games and Element Games, which offer an amazing range of paints at a discount.

Check out my previous tutorials on How to Paint Corpse Rats and Bat Swarms, Ulfenwatch Skeletons, Deadwalker Zombies and Kosargi Nightguard. Want to learn more about painting Warhammer Quest Cursed City models, stay tuned for more tutorials, in the mean time you can check out my review of Warhammer Quest Cursed City.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If so, leave a comment or reaction below, and if you got any questions, leave them here so I can answer them for you.

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