Warhammer’s Cities of Sigmar are here, so brush up on your cloth skills

The launch of Warhammer 40,000’s 8th edition, I’ve gotten back into the hobby of painting miniatures. Seven years in and I’ve painted plenty of Space Marines, all hard edges and shining armor, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it if I do say so myself. You mean muscled orks, right? It’s no sweat. Ancient Necrons? You’ve got it. What about the tortured, fleshy agents of Chaos? Can I handle it? The latest release is for Warhammer Age of SigmarThe much anticipated The Cities of SigmarWhat is a boxed-set? It’s got me absolutely terrified.

Why do I feel so afraid of miniatures like these? Because many of the tiny little soldiers are wearing a lot of capes, cloaks, and other cloth accessories — big, smooth sections of a model that the painter is expected to fill in with texture, shadow, and volume. Painting textiles is a skill that I have yet to master, and one that I’ll need to start practicing for quite a while to get just right — especially with Warhammer Fantasy’s Old World setting primed to make a comeback.

Why is it so difficult to paint textiles? There are many products and techniques available for other materials. Have a lot of chainmail to work with? It will shine with the metallic paint that contains mica flakes. It can be dulled down by a wash that settles in the crevices of your wall and adds depth. Drybrush another layer of paint on to restore some of the shine. You can do similar things with armor, weapons, vehicles and more — really anything with a modeled texture or a sharp edge has a cheat or a hack associated with it, and often more than one.

Fabrics are usually just large blank areas on the model. It is possible to find folds and wrinkles that can help the artist by providing a guideline for highlights. In medieval models, capes and tunics like these are the main focus. These are their defining characteristics that make them pop on the table and they deserve a bit of extra attention.

The launch of the new The Cities of Sigmar line this weekend — which includes a new rulebook and a few extra models outside of the big boxed set — there’s a lot more cloth than ever before to paint in Age of Sigmar.

One approach that I’ve toyed with is called wet blending, and it uses a full palette of similarly colored paints to create a nuanced look. Vince Venturella’s YouTube video library is a great resource for all painters.

A second important painting skill is the stippling technique, where tiny paint dots are used to mimic a surface texture. Painters like Artis Opus will use stippling as a basecoat. The larger brushes used for makeup are ideal to achieve a large amount of coverage, while keeping the shadows of your model. Angel Hiraldez is one artist who uses traditional brushes to create different textures.

However you choose to paint your cloth, these techniques should come in tremendously handy for your next army — and especially when the Old World finally breaks cover.