Nurgle guys from a swamp? One of my big things is Nurgle guys from swamps! Naturally I have been wanting to paint these guys for a long time. Once I did get my hands on them I had to bide my time before I could build them. I wanted to give them some proper swampy bases, especially as a couple of them are on stilts, and the flat bases that come in the box weren’t going to cut it. So I ordered some hollow bases from Greenstuff World, although annoyingly they use three different base sizes and Greenstuff World only sells them in sets of ten. At least I’ll have spares for other projects. 

In any case I got the models assembled as per the instructions as I would need to know where they stood on the bases before I could build said bases. By way of options, I gave the Bloated One two Raker Claws, one of the Carrion Catchers has a Snatcher-hook and one has an Impaler and for the Mirefolk Outcasts I gave them all Bilewood Weapons. I have no idea if these are good options or not, I don’t play Warcry, they do however look cool. 

Switching to the bases I used torn up bits of cork sheet for the ground, making sure to leave plenty of space between the bits for swamp. I also made sure to line up the bits of ground with the models’ feet, for those not on stilts at any rate. With the landforms sort I embellished the bases with some reeds and mushrooms from Epic Basing, and some Citadel Skulls. I then attached the models to the bases, for those that sit on top of cork I used a short length of brass rod to pin them down. I used Vallejo Thick Brown Mud in the hollow of the bases to provide a bed for the swamp and to blend the cork and base of the stilts in with the rest of the base. I then did something similar with Vallejo Red Oxide texture paste on top of the cork to provide some texture. 

With that done I primed the models with Colour Forge Standard Grey, tidying up any areas I missed with Two Thin Coats Dungeon Grey. This was particularly important for getting into the nooks and crannies of the cork. I then went around picking out all the skin with Two Thin Coats Dwarven Skin and any bone details with Army Painter Skeleton Bone. Except for the Witherlord, as a little experiment I painted the skulls on his trophy rack with Rhinox Hide. I also painted the three-eyed frog on his shoulder with Vallejo Russian Uniform. With the base coats done the models were then given a zenithal highlight with Liquitex Titanium White acrylic ink. 

Now that my lights and shadows are set I could then use contrast paints and washes to complete the remaining details. I started with the skin and gave that a wash of Kroak Green, which tints it to a nice sickly colour as befitting the followers of Nurgle. I then picked out the sores with Army Painter Speedpaint Familiar Pink. Any boils I painted with Vallejo Heavy Goldbrown, and then to make them look more sore I painted a thin ring of Guilliman Flesh around them. To finish things off I painted Scale75 Instant Colours Acrane Purple in the eye sockets to give them a sunken appearance. 

Moving onto the clothing, I painted these in much the same way that I do for my other Nurgle cultists. I painted their tops and ponchos with Army Painter Speedpaint Desolate Brown, a kind of drab green colour. The trousers and hoods meanwhile I painted with Garaghak’s Sewer, the rich brown contrasting nicely with the Desolate Brown. Any leather details, such as pouches, I painted with Gore Grunta Fur and any flasks with Militarum Green. I picked out any skulls, both on the models and the bases with Skeleton Horde. The ones on the Witherlord’s trophy rack that I have base coated with Rhinox Hide hadn’t turned out too badly, shadows were a little darker than I would have liked however. The bamboo and rope meanwhile I painted with Snakebite Leather, the yellow-brown providing the ideal tone for dried bamboo. Lastly I painted any wood with Wyldwood. 

Rotating back to the bases again, I picked out any plants like reeds with Creed Camo. The caps of the mushrooms I painted with Blood Angels Red or Iyanden Yellow, The spots on the red mushroom caps I carefully picked out with Army Painter Matt White, and the stems with Basilicanum Grey. The remainder of the base was then given a coat of Cygor Brown, a rich earthy brown. 

With all the main colours done I could then add some highlights to really make things pop. To get things started I edge highlighted all the tops and ponchos with AK Interactive Pastel Green. The trousers and hood meanwhile, I highlighted with Army Painter Urban Buff. Rather than try to edge highlight all the rounded wooden parts, I decided instead to drybrush the tips of the spikes with Army Painter Urban Buff which produced a more gradual transition. I tried something similar with the bamboo, drybrushing them with Army Painter Pale Sand but it didn’t look good and I ended up going over these areas with some Seraphim Sepia to darken it back down. 

For the last time I then switched back to the bases. I had learned previously that using AK Interactive Swamp Water Gel isn’t all that great because it doesn’t take a particularly thick layer of it to turn opaque. To get around this whilst also keeping a swampy feel, I used Greenstuff World UV Resin to build up the depth that I needed. As it is also completely clear it wouldn’t obscure any of the details below the surface of the water. At this stage I quick primed some Greenstuff World lilies with a light grey primer before giving them a coat of Creed Camo. I then stuck these to the surface of the water with a small drop of UV resin. Next I added a thin layer of AK Interactive Swamp Water Gel to the surface, which had the effect of tinting it a nice swampy green. Lastly, and I should have done this before pouring any resin, I painted the rims of the bases with Warboss Green.

I’m really pleased with how these have turned out. I feel that I’m starting to really get a handle on my slapchop adjacent painting style and it’s starting to yield some really good results.