Preparing for the Underway: Part III
Painting Miners Quickly

In anticipation of the underground Dwarf campaign coming in a few months to the pages of Black Gobbo, we have decided to help all interested players prepare for this set of scenarios well in advance. While all the details of this online mini-campaign have not been ironed out, the plot revolves around a hearty group of Dwarfs journeying into the Undgrin Anrok, the shattered underground system of highways that once linked the Dwarfen holds.

An expedition to a fallen hold is no simple matter and should not be undertaken with just any rag-tag band of Dwarfs. No, you need experience when venturing into these dark, foe-infested tunnels. Only Ironbreakers and Miners have the underground fighting expertise to make up the core of your Underway force, and as such, we present step-by-step painting instructions and tactics for both these Dwarf troop types.

ESSENTIAL CITADEL PAINTS: Codex Grey Fortress Grey Skull White Scorched Brown Bestial Brown Snakebite Leather Chainmail Burnished Gold Black Ink Dark Angels Green

1	Once you've removed all the flash and glued the model to the base, use white glue to add fine or medium stones. Once the model is undercoated black, get busy with either Boltgun Metal or Chainmail (my choice here). Apply paint directly to the helmet, pick head, tankard, and gem hammer on the Miner's belt. Drybrush the metal shirt the same colour. Don't worry about getting paint on other parts of the model: it is quicker to be sloppy and clean up afterwards. Working with four to five models at a time will give the paint time to dry and get the group growing quickly.
2	Once the paint has dried, use Chaos Black to cover all of the areas that you accidentally painted with Chainmail. Once this is done, it's time to break out the Scorched Brown. The base, boots, pick handle, belt, and all the various bags and pouches should all get a thorough coat. The pantaloons and gloves are the parts of the model that follow the army colour scheme, so they get a few coats of Dark Angel Green (for my army's scheme).
3	Drybrush all the Scorched Brown parts with Bestial Brown. Once this is done, you will probably need to clean up the pants with Dark Angels Green and the mail shirt with strategically applied Chainmail. Paint the face with a watered-down Bestial Brown so that the skin tone will apply in fewer coats.
4	Still concentrating on the brown parts of the Miner, very lightly drybrush Snakebite Leather (Vomit Brown or any other light brown will do) onto the brown parts that you want a lighter shade. Using Chainmail and Dark Angels Green, again clean the areas you did not intend to drybrush. Drybrush the gloves and pants with Snot Green. Add slightly watered-down coats of Bronzed Flesh to the face until it's quite pale. Paint the candle Skull White and give the flame many coats of Sunburst Yellow. The belt buckle, pick ornament, and suspender buckle get a treatment of Burnished Gold.
5	Almost done! Basecoat the beard and hair with Fortress Grey. Once this dries, you can drybrush with different mixes of Fortress Grey/Skull White or you can just jump to a Skull White drybrush like I did. Paint the bottom two-thirds of the flame with a few coats of Fiery Orange and then the bottom third with a few coats of Blood Red. Apply watered-down Chestnut Ink (or Flesh Wash) to the face before drybrushing with Bronzed Flesh and then Bleached Bone. Finally, lightly drybrush the gloves and pants with a lighter version of Snot Green (add just a touch of Skull White). I used watered-down Black Ink to bring out the layers and bolts on the Miner's helmet, but this is a quick detail step that can be added later when your entire unit is done.

Now that you've begun painting your Miners, why not check out this Miner tactics article.

Painting Ironbreakers | Ironbreaker Tactics | Painting Miners | Miner Tactics