Mastering Underpainting & Overlapping Layers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Painting the Hive Colossus + STL - Part Two

Dear Craftworldians,


Welcome to Part Two of the Hive Colossus Painting Series!
Also, a standalone lesson on Underpainting and Overlapping Layers!

In this new lesson, we continue our journey into painting the Hive Colossus Umber Hulk miniature by Artisan Guild, diving deeper into the Underpainting & Overlapping Layers technique.

"At first, we planned to create a simple tutorial to kick off the year. But then, we realized it would be much better to offer something more complex yet insightful—something you can apply not only to this mini but to many others as well."

Don't be intimidated—there are only a few steps, and the level of complexity can be adjusted to your preference. You can simplify the process or push it further, depending on your comfort level and creative vision!

If you followed along in Part One, you already have a strong foundation—now, it's time to push things further with color shifts, textures, and refined highlights.

See PART ONE, HERE!



This tutorial is designed to help you develop a rich, dynamic surface by layering transparent tones, creating natural gradients, and enhancing depth and contrast in your miniatures.
Don't worry about your skill level, these techniques will give your work a new level of complexity and harmony. You can set up the difficulty by adjusting your palettes.

To make this even more exciting, we’ve provided the STL file of the Hive Colossus by Artisan Guild, so you can paint along with me! You’ll find it attached in this post alongside this tutorial. . You can print and paint it yourself, or if you don’t have access to a 3D printer, check with local printing services or AG licensed merchants for a physical copy.

Grab your brushes, mix your colors, work on those paint dilutions, and let’s bring this beast to life!



We can’t wait to see your creations—share your progress with us on Discord and social media!

P.S. If you're wondering, there's also a PDF tutorial for achieving a vibrant and ruddy skin tone from another Artisan Guild mini featured in this picture.

Check out the PDF booklet HERE!


Cheers!

From Aleksandra Cvetanovski, and I, Marko Miladinović