How to paint Mortarion

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Death Guard Green (spray) or Chaos Black if you prefer a darker base

Prep and assembly

Dry-fit the wings and scythe before glue. Many painters assemble the body first, paint the wings separately, then pin them on. Leave the Nurgling and hanging chains off until the end so they do not block brush access. Fill mould lines on the cloth folds. They catch light on a model this large.

• +Sub-assemblies for wings save hours of awkward brush angles.
• +Prime the wings and body the same colour so joins do not flash a different hue.

Armour (tabletop Contrast path)

If you primed Death Guard Green, wash the recesses with Agrax Earthshade, then drybrush Ogryn Camo on raised plates. Spot-glaze Militarum Green or Mortarion Grime into deeper pits for a sicker tone. Edge a few panels with Nurgling Green. Keep edges scratchy. Clean Marine edge highlights look wrong on Death Guard.

• +Batch the same armour recipe on Plague Marines so Mortarion matches the army.
• +Leave some panels darker. Uneven weathering sells Nurgle better than perfect blends.

Armour (layer path)

Prime black or Castellan Green. Base Castellan Green, layer Deathworld Forest, then Death Guard Green, then Ogryn Camo on the highest planes. Recess wash Agrax Earthshade. Re-establish midtones with Death Guard Green. This is slower than Contrast but gives more control on a Primarch-sized canvas.

Wings

The wings carry the model. Base the membrane Rakarth Flesh or Wraithbone. Shade Agrax Earthshade in the webs. Drybrush Ushabti Bone toward the tips. Paint the bone spars Incubi Darkness, then drybrush Administratum Grey. Freehand thin Druchii Violet veins from the root outward. Tint the lower edges with Ogryn Camo, then glaze Nurgle's Rot where slime would drip. Gloss the wettest membrane with 'Ardcoat so it reads slimy next to matte armour.

• +Work light to dark on the membrane, then add veins last.
• +Keep slime toward the trailing edge. Gravity sells the effect.

Cloth and hood

Death Guard cloth is usually cold purple or warm pink-purple. Base Naggaroth Night or Screamer Pink. Shade Nuln Oil or Druchii Violet in the folds. Drybrush Xereus Purple, then a light Screamer Pink or Emperor's Children on the highest ridges. Keep the texture rough. Smooth silk looks out of place on Mortarion.

Metals, brass, and corrosion

Base metals Leadbelcher. Wash Nuln Oil, then Agrax Earthshade in pits. Stipple Typhus Corrosion, drybrush Ryza Rust when dry. Brass and trim: Balthasar Gold or Retributor Armour, shade Agrax Earthshade, spot Nihilakh Oxide in recesses for verdigris. Edge a few points with Liberator Gold or Runefang Steel.

Flesh, sores, and poison gas

Pale flesh: Rakarth Flesh or Pallid Wych Flesh, shade Reikland Fleshshade or Carroburg Crimson in sores. Contrast Plaguebearer Flesh over Wraithbone works for hanging guts and gas clouds. Push sores with Volupus Pink, then a thin Carroburg Crimson. Gloss the wettest wounds with Nurgle's Rot or 'Ardcoat.

Base

Stirland Mud or Astrogranite for broken ground. Drybrush Administratum Grey on rubble. Add Nurgle's Rot pools and a few Typhus Corrosion stains so the base matches the model. Keep the rim neat. A clean rim frames a messy Primarch.

Paints for Mortarion

Colour chips are approximate. Buy links open live marketplace search for that Citadel paint across Shopify catalog stores and other sources.

• Death Guard Green
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• Agrax Earthshade
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• Ogryn Camo
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• Militarum Green
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• Nurgling Green
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• Rakarth Flesh
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• Incubi Darkness
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• Druchii Violet
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• Nurgle's Rot
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• Naggaroth Night
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• Screamer Pink
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• Leadbelcher
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• Typhus Corrosion
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• Ryza Rust
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• Balthasar Gold
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• Retributor Armour
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YouTube tutorials

External videos. We link creators whose techniques match this kit. Watch on YouTube. Support the painter if you use their method.

• Contrast Painting Tutorial: Death Guard / Plague Marines
  Tom's Painting

  Fast Contrast recipe you can scale up to Mortarion's armour.

• How to Paint Death Guard
  YouTube

  Armour weathering and corrosion that transfers to a Primarch.

• Contrast+ How to Paint: Lord of Poxes
  The War Hipster

  Modern Death Guard character Contrast workflow.

Other painters

• How to Paint Everything: Mortarion (Tabletop Battles)

  Deep dive on wings, cloth, and TheChirurgeon's method. Link out for another painter's take.

• Richard Gray Creations: Mortarion course

  Display-level armour, NMM trim, cloth, and wing freehand. Paid / creator content.

Match the rest of the force

Death Guard plague (Contrast)Death Guard (Layer weathering)

Common questions