Painting Checkers Tutorial

Painting Checkers

I just wanted to go through my process for painting the checker pattern for my Orks.  There might be some other Ork players out there that haven't given this a go.  It's dead simple and it can really set off a model.  Here we go then.

1.  Base the area that you want checks in a very light grey.  Don't go full white as it looks a bit too bright and white typically covers poorly.  If you want full-on white, you still want to build up from a light grey.  If you have an airbrush, use it here after masking off the area you want using the proper low-tack tape. If not, then just use thin layers to build up coverage such that it stays relatively smooth.

2.  Using a pencil, very lightly sketch out a grid pattern on the light grey/white area.  This doesn't need to be laser precise as this will just be a guide for you.  If you can use panels lines like I have in the following picture to help guide your grid, it makes things much easier.

 3. Using straight black or black mixed with dark grey (50/50) you can start to fill in the squares.  I usually start by painting the outline of the square, then fill in.  Paint consistency is very important here.  Thin is good, but if you go too thin, you lose control of your paint.  I would recommend practicing a small square before applying the dark color to the model.

4. Clean-up the checks by using either the light grey or the black to even out the boxes.  Don't become too concerned about perfection here.  Just get them such that at arms length they look acceptable.  The more time you spend in this last step, the better they can look, but remember to take a break and look at the model at normal viewing range from time to time.  Often times we focus on the details of things that disappear completely when you pull your head back from the model.

5. (Optional) Use a sepia wash to dirty up the checks, dulling the white.  This helps tie the pattern back into the model.  Weathering the checks is another great option.  You can use a medium grey shade to show chipped paint or even just the base coat of the rest of the model.  Apply these colors using a bit of sponge to achieve an irregular pattern.

That's it.  Nothing fancy but this looks great on the table.  If you have an airbrush you can also mask off the white squares and spray black over the strip.  This gives a very precise look, but not everyone has access to an airbrush so I wanted to go through the steps assuming you didn't.  If you have any questions, just post below.