Hobby Cheating 92 - How to Paint Black Hair

In this Hobby Cheating Tutorial I take you through the process for creating realistic black hair. Black hair can be tricky because it has to stay dark while creating variation and light catches that matches the natural sheen of hair. I show you one method of achieving that and discuss how you could vary it for your own purposes. Hope you enjoy!
Twitter: @warhammerweekly
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[@alexelsasser4904]

Using hair dye boxes for reference is genius. I love outside the box ideas in the hobby and that's something most people wouldn't think of

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, it's really the first thing I google when doing hair and I really try to look at where the highlights are and the way the colors flow over the hair strands.

[@skynetpuma]

14:10 to 14:34 is an amazing advice, its practically the Gestalt theory on the mind, the mind always try to make a whole picture of incomplete parts. Glad to know that this also applies to miniature painting :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Indeed, it's so much a part of it yes. The best minis often trick your mind into seeing not only what is there, but what's not there. ;)

[@mikeljokinecheveste1287]

A great one, probably the best tutorial I've ever seen on the matter. As usual, you don't only are giving a "must to use" recipe, but you give the knowledge of the technique to built your own recipe accordingly to each miniature's circumstances.Bravo!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you sir, very much appreciated and that is always my goal, empower people to make their own choices to achieve their ends. Thanks for watching and commenting as always sir.

[@Clidefride007]

Every time you say 'don't do this' I find that's exactly what I do. The first thing I do when painting black hair is give it a coat of abbadon black, then use a bit of grey.

[@VinceVenturella]

It's okay, it makes sense - black hair, black paint. The issue is, black hair isn't really black because the world is full of light. So by starting with something slightly lighter than black, you give yourself room to actually create shadows and it feel more realistic. Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@TheSilverSkeejee]

No, thank you! Your videos have help me come a huge long way, in technique and craft. I found your stuff when the Tabletop Minions interviewed fellow pro painters and your responses struck me for some reason. Came over to your channel and basically struck gold in your Hobby Cheating. Can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve!

[@maxbrandt6]

This is what I'm struggling with right now! It really is not easy, rather tricky in 30mm scale, thanks for the advice!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help!

[@andrewobrigewitsh]

I've loving your videos. Would be nice if you could list the paints you use in the description.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, I do list the paints now in all the videos, but glad they are helpful. :)

[@robv.johnson6360]

Shoot I commented on the PMP about adding shine and stuff. Sorry I didn't see that the new vid was out, obviously I didn't mean anything by it! Great vid as always.

[@VinceVenturella]

Oh, no issue at all sir, I understand as I don't think the angles in the PMP captured the shine super well, but hopefully you see here what we were going for :) - thanks for watching as always sir.

[@robv.johnson6360]

Vince Venturella Yes absolutely, I was going to say I don't think that it captured the shine either but I was afraid of putting my foot in my mouth again. I have that disease. You seem to really appreciate feedback and I was thinking I don't give enough but yes, well, I'm just glad you didn't take offense. :-)

[@VinceVenturella]

Not possible sir, I always welcome feedback :)

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

This seems like a good place to use a contrast paint and wipe dry the outer, raised areas to start. Curious what Vince thinks, and if I try that, could I start with black contrast paint, or just do a dark blue-grey-blackish contrast? Then put in the reflections afterward?

[@VinceVenturella]

Oh, absolutely, that could certainly work.

[@TheSilverSkeejee]

Oh fantastic - I was waiting for you to demonstrate some other hair colors after your red hair tutorial and this is fab. I wish I'd had this a few weeks' back for a dark haired model I was painting! Will you be looking to do the same for white hair in the future? I've found that a nightmare to tackle (and to find good videos for...) - I kinda played by ear when doing Yvraine and found it pretty unsatisfying in the finish, so the Yncarne is sitting pretty on my desk until I can find something decent!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes I will. I will eventually make my way through all the hair colors as they all have their own nuances. White is a really tricky one for the same reasons as black, but in the opposite direction.

[@bethanygraham427]

I was waiting for this HC and it did not disappoint. Thank you. Now what about white hair? Or would that be the same as your white fur? Also, have you ever considered a "paint along with Vince" type video? I would love to see you paint a mini from start to finish...you know one of your speed paint, palette cleansers :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Well, even those quick minis are like 8 hours, so... but yes, I have thought about it. As to the white hair, I will add it to the list, but yes, many of the same lessons are in play as for the white fur. I should add white/grey hair.

[@questgivercyradis8462]

6 years later, do you still think black hair is the most difficult? I tend to find blonde to be the most challenging. Black/white can just go gray-tones shading and highlighting until it looks right, either super shaded, or super highlighted. But blonde is not-yellow, not-brown, not-red, not-gray... a weird in-between color to work with, on top of the hair reflectivity.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yep, I just think it's the easiest to be boring and the hardest value run.

[@Aki777craft]

Vince you the real MVP

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you sir, much appreciated :)

[@winnebagojones4069]

Vince, your videos are awesome. Thanks for doing these. What size brush are you using for the deep black at 10:00 (15|0, etc.)?

[@VinceVenturella]

00 Winsor & Newton Series 7, it has a razor sharp point and can do very fine detail. (Note, it's the normal brush, NOT the miniature series).

[@winnebagojones4069]

Good deal, thanks for the reply.

[@xenoterracide]

I came to you for "how to paint black" I only found this... was hoping for black armor... (like red corsairs black on the trim/legs)

[@VinceVenturella]

Well, don't tell anyone, but you should be just fine in a few weeks, there may be a video coming. ;)

[@Innojin]

Hi Vince. Do you think VMC German Grey is dark enough for the base colour?

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, I think that would be perfect actually.

[@rubinhomoto]

Great Tips, will help me to paint a North american Indian Hair.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help

[@KoraRubin]

Can we just change the name of black colours to 'it's complicated'? It would be so much easier to have the reminder.

[@VinceVenturella]

THis is true.

[@MaelstromMaster]

whats colors use you??

[@drolsisusej100]

why didnt i think of the hair product thing ...it seems so obvious now lol.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, I always look for what can I see in real life that will show me clearly what I need to aim at. Those are hyper-real, because they are fixed in PS, but they give such a wonderful map.

[@IDICBeer]

Awesome, added to favourites ready for when I paint my Daemonettes, they will all have black hair :D

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, glad to help as always sir. :)

[@patriotfirst]

Hey Vince, would these same steps be used for 1/9, 1/10 scale? Thanks for the video.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, absolutely, you just have to refine with lots more lines. :)

[@belmarduk]

i cannot like this because it would disrupt the weed number but i will boost engagement marginally by commenting on this four year old video, thank you

[@VinceVenturella]

I both respect and apprecaite that. :)

[@jaythomas4536]

Well i guess that solves what color I'm painting the hair on that one reiver in the First Strike box

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help as always :)

[@tomkollatz8812]

I cant find any Negro Grey; do you have any alternatives? (GW, Army Painter, Vallejo)

[@VinceVenturella]

Really anything that is a dark black grey in any color will work.

[@misterPloms]

that's some sweet conversion you did on that raging heroes sister model

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, I was very happy with how she came out :)

[@airakmi1]

You kinda sound like Steve Buschemi

[@VinceVenturella]

I've heard that a few times.

[@saulsmith2939]

How does this video have so few likes

[@VinceVenturella]

The mysteries of YoutTube, but I am glad it was enjoyable. :)

[@zakhoskins6404]

XD You must've got the magic bottle. Every other bottle I've seen in the Shades of Doom set for that color calls it Necro Grey, but there's clearly a 'g' on that label on camera. Woops!

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, no idea, maybe they renamed it, I got them very early when they came out.

[@skynetpuma]

Amazing work Vince , thanks for the video! Love what you did with Ardanna :)

[@stephenspackman5573]

After having watched this, I happened to have a mini with very roughly painted black hair on my table and some gloss varnish/medium in front of me. And I thought, what if I just took ten seconds and brushed some of the varnish onto the raised texture alone, as you do in your highlighting here-could it give me some true-metal-esque hair highlights parallel to your non-metal-hair technique (if you'll pardon my stretching the terminology well past its breaking point)? Well, the first experiment itself isn't anything I'm going to be showing off to anyone (let's say I learned from it), but I think there's a useful idea here-it's a lot more visually interesting than it was, and, to my eye, not any less realistic than when it started. I'm going to try your approach here to black hair next time, I think, but I'm also going to do more experiments with local manipulation of sheen (other than just metal)!

[@VinceVenturella]

It's true, and on the table, it will work assuming normal lighting conditions. One of the challenges there is that as you move the figure, the highlights would move around and change the overall composition (this is why you see display painters paint very matte and place the highlights intentionally), but for TT, it can certainly be valid and look good.

[@stephenspackman5573]

@@VinceVenturella :) The more I watch your channel, the more I appreciate this distinction. Thanks for your great work here!