HOW TO PAINT THOUSAND SONS: A Step-By-Step Guide

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

So, what do you think? Was I right about this beaky being the best 40k helmet? Don’t forget to leave your comments below. I’d also love to hear what you thought of the video, was it helpful, enjoyable, easy to follow? For discount Warhammer minis and paints don’t forget to check out this link bit.ly/2Zmbd3u If you did like this video please Like, Subscribe and Share 🙂

[@maxplam2596]

Well... time to start a thousand sons army. What a fantastic tutorial. You really make some of the most easy to follow and comprehensive tutorials out there!

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you 🙏🏻 I do try and keep things straight forward and easy to follow, so it’s really great to hear that I’m managing to achieve that. Thanks for watching. I’ve loads more planned, so stay tuned 👍🏻

[@mirage809]

He is so smooth, so clean. And that is the most over the top decorated beaky I have ever seen. I love it You've got to be the best advertisement that Scale 75 could've ever asked for. I really need to get my hands om some of their paints, because the finish you're getting with them is something else.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you maybe I’ll get in touch with S75 😉 Seriously though, they are great paints. You should give them a try

[@ruisilva2617]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides l

[@justinkotrba2197]

That is a beautiful color combo with the Blues and Golds you chose for the Thousand Sons.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you 🙏🏻 I’ve always loved the Egyptian vibe of the Thousand Sons, so I wanted something that kept to that style but was also a bit different to the standard GW scheme. Plus this scheme looks amazing on the tabletop and is a real head turner 👍🏻 Thanks for checking out the video and my channel 🙏🏻

[@padwicin01]

Incredible tutorial. Best I've seen on KZbin for TS

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you! That’s amazing feedback. Really glad you enjoyed the video

[@sneakybeak4032]

I'm so pleased you put this video up as i have a commission painted TSons army that I was too scared to try myself and now im inspired to paint up some additional units I've wanted to add whilst referencing this video 😊 Also, loyalist or traitor, beaky helmets are the best 😎

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you! The fact this video has inspired you to paint is all I could ask for. Please send me pics of how you get on 👍🏻 And you are completely right, beakies FTW 🙌🏻

[@SixArmedSweater]

I like how bright the blue you chose was! It gives a friendlier vibe to the miniature.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you I wanted to do something a little different. Really great to hear you liked it too 👍

[@jhoodfysh]

Your color choices were superb. I gathered some more ideas. Thank you.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thanks man Great to hear the videos are still giving you ideas and inspiration 👍🏻

[@thomasdehetre300]

I absolutely love the design of the thousand sons. I got some terminators today! Really helpful video, I just started painting minis the other day and I love it.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

I agree, the ancient Egyptian vibe is very cool. They’re great fun to paint. Really glad you found the video helpful, thanks for watching 👍

[@Shortdwarf11]

This model turned out absolutely gorgeous under your brush. I love your videos so much. I would really be interested to see a full raw footage vidoe of every step for the entire model. No voiceover necessary, I just want to watch the whole model come together. Cant wait for more though!

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you, really glad you enjoyed it. Brushstroke Uncut, hey? interesting idea, you sure it wouldnt be too boring?

[@JUstinDLEntz]

Fantastic work, man. Scale 75 stuff is so flat and smooth. I need more in my life.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you sir I love Scale75 paints and the matte finish they produce Can’t recommend them enough 👍🏻

[@KillyBones]

Super clean mate … another amazing model in the books yewww 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thanks man 🤛🏻

[@banshemornie]

This is indeed the best Thousand Sons helmet!

[@epicsearle123]

I would love to see how you paint an imperial fist as I think your work bloody fantastic

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you. I am planning a video on IF soon as it happens, but in the meantime, I did make a picture guide a few years ago for the process I use which will give you some points if you need them now instagram.com/p/BrjI98VHvXK/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Let me know what you think 👍🏻

[@colinboon6612]

this is such a beautiful paint job. it's so smooth and clean. just out of interest, how much water to paint do you use for your base coats? I thin my paints before applying them, but never sure if I've done them enough or too much.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you I think that’s probably a video on it’s own, now you mention it… how to thin paints. It’s one of those things you need to, sort of, develop and get a feel for to find the sweet spot. The principle is adding enough water so that it settles smoothly without running out of control. A vid will be easier to show the process than write it here

[@colinboon6612]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides that would be amazingly helpful actually. Thinning paint is something that sounds very simple in theory, but the actual process is much more complicated that I initially thought it would be, so a video would be most welcome. 🙂

[@MultiICR]

Lovely style; I would be keen to see a Death Guard guide.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thanks for checking out the video. Glad you enjoyed it. Death Guard is a great shout, I’ll add it to the list 👍🏻

[@Hello-1814]

Your videos are awesome thank you for this!!I think painting the blue first is better because it let you see how the figure will look and it’s easier to visualize adding the rest of it. Adding the gold first it doesn’t seem so much like 1000 sons miniature until later, and I think it’s good to establish what it is Early on by using the primary colors but that’s just me

[@juliancastro9950]

The scale 75 paints are great, but I don’t really have an easy place to access them where I live, is there a decent citadel substitution for the more main colours

[@goldendragon6396]

what do you use to varnish the mini when its done? you mention doing the weathering before you do the final varnish, but im not sure how to tackle it? i intend to do my thousand sons this way and want to varnish them to keep all that hard work safe, but i also hear the vanishes tend to affect the look of minis but i also dont want all that hard work to get a funky sheen or have the metals lose its shine.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

I like a matte varnish to protect my minis. I used to use Testors Dullcote and still think it’s the best varnish but it seems to be nigh on impossible to get hold of now. So, my current alternative is AK ultra matte and I apply it thinly with an airbrush. It takes the shine off the mini but metallics are still reflective. If you find that too matte, then I’d say try a satin finish instead

[@stevious_02]

I was just wondering, do you by chance have a good comparison with army painter paints? I bought the massive set box awhile ago and have been hesitant to start using them since growing up I only ever used GW's paint.. Thanks! Loved this tutorial!!

[@CamouflagedPharmacist]

Would you consider making a Imperial Fist tutorial? Great tutorial, your work is some of the best I've seen!

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you so much, that’s amazingly kind of you. You’re in luck! I’m working on an Imperial Fists video at the moment. It’s for a Horus Heresy terminator but the scheme can be used on all IFs of course. I’ve just finished filming a Sons of Horus guide, which will be posted next, so IF will follow that. Stay tuned 👍🏻

[@CamouflagedPharmacist]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides Absolutely! I've seen some of your stuff on FauxHammer (that's how I found you here). Will the IF tutorial be anything like on there, with the glazing and such?

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Oh cool, welcome to the channel, really glad you managed to find it. Yes, my process for painting yellow is the glazing method, so it will pretty much be a video version of that picture guide 👍🏻

[@joshuadtedd]

I've found painting the gold on first, washing, and then doing the blue is easier than doing it the other way round. The gold is easier to cover up during clean up than the blue if gold got on it.

[@joshuadtedd]

Great job by the way, looks amazing

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thanks man. It’s funny I’ve since painted a few parts the way you suggest and overall if I had to paint an army, I think I agree. Gold and then blue will end up being quicker overall. 👍🏻

[@FauxHammer]

Guilliman is my Favourite 40K Helmet

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Haha 😂 now do you mean he IS a helmet or you like his helmet design best?

[@FauxHammer]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides yes, do I?

[@adamrichardson1302]

Fantastic! Going to be trying this for my thousands sons. What paint could you use as an alternative to the space wolves grey for the shading?

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you Really glad you enjoyed the video. If you can get the space wolves contrast paint I would certainly recommend it, as it makes a lovely shade (nice bluey grey) Alternatives I guess would be to use a heavily thinned blue wash. Something like Drakenhof Nightshade thinned with medium.

[@ObnoxiousOtter8]

Hi, first of all this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with the world, and in a way which is so well articulated and filmed. I’ve just got a question about sub assemblies - namely, how do you do it? At certain points in the video eg. With the cloak you have parts of the mini all connected, then at other points they are separate. How do you temporarily attach them? I always thought sub assembly meant that you paint individual pieces wholly before assembling them at the end as a completely painted mini. Thanks

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you Really glad you’ve enjoyed the video. To answer your question, you are absolutely right. The process of sub assemblies works just as you describe. You paint separate bits and then stick them together at the end. Sometimes though I will put some bits together during the process once I’ve painted hard to reach areas for example because it’s better to add highlights to a complete model so you don’t end up with highlights on the wrong side of something or when it’s behind something and therefore wouldn’t catch the light. In this case though, I think it’s just down to editing. I film as I paint and sometimes that’s not always in the most logical order or sometimes it doesn’t record properly and I have to redo things for the video. That unfortunately means I sometimes have to cobble things together as best I can. Hope that makes sense and doesn’t spoil the video for you 🙂

[@ObnoxiousOtter8]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides ahhhh, yes, I had forgotten that editing existed and it wasn’t a continual flow of absolute time. Got it, thank you very much!

[@paulwolfe6822]

If I buy the paint set out of stock will I be notified when the backorder is filled and shipped? Struggling to find paint for some reason elsewhere

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Element Games are very good, I’m sure they will tell you when they expect to have stock back in and when it has shipped to you 👍🏻 Email them, I’m sure they will help you

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I'm curious about the blue then gold vs gold then blue as regards starting with an air brush. I think with the Vallejo Metal Color for metalics, it will work to do the blue with and air brush, the trim in metal, and then wash the metal and recess shade the blue with oils...that will be my test mode at least. For me the blue will be purple, but still. Also, kudos to you for using Dark star metalics. The colors are beautiful, but that coverage though...I did my first test mode with them and will not be using that other than through an air brush.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Cool, thanks for checking out my video. Please do let me know which way round you find to be most efficient. I suspect gold first and then blue will win out but it’ll be a close thing. I love Darkstar metallics, and as you say they are perfect for airbrush use. I think they have the finest metallic fleck of any paint range.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides yeah. With an Airbrush I think the color first is the way to go if you want easier volumetric highlights and gold first would be easier if you don't care about volumetric highlights as much. With color first, you would need a metalic with good coverage (many Vallejo Metal Color, Pro Acryl, and Sacle75 fit that bill) so you can just one coat the metal trim to start. Starting them next week so will let you know my findings.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

@@johnathanrhoades7751 brilliant, look forward to seeing how you get on 👍🏻

[@Ennomen69]

Not my favourite helmet but def top ten!

[@martinmollers8579]

Very nice

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@parafoxl7619]

I want to use some kind of purple for the robes. What colour would you reccomend for the outside and inside there? (I'm not that familiar with what colour looks how good and all that)

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

The good news is pretty much any purple will work with the scheme because it’s a complementary colour to the others in the scheme. I would simply swap the dark pink (magenta) for a bright purple from Scale75 or ProAcryl ranges. Something like S75 Violet or PA purple

[@parafoxl7619]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides alright! And for the inside of the cloak I stay with bone? Aaaaand the shader for the purple I can also use the same mix right? :)

[@gsxrdave1974]

imo not the best helmet that goes to the space wolf terminators but i have to say that the backpack on this model is by far my favourite

[@lonestar1701]

Love your work. Any plans on doing an Iron Warriors video? I'm getting ready to start one, and would love to see how'd you paint one up.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thank you, very kind of you. I probably won’t be doing a video on Iron Warriors for a while, but I did do a picture based guide a few years back which you may find useful. You can find it here instagram.com/p/B1Of3grI1f9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Let me know if it’s any use 👍🏻

[@lonestar1701]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides thanks. I'll check it out.

[@carlborch1887]

Does weathering powder need to be sealed, or does it stay on fairly well by itself? My understanding of using varnish or sealant is that it interacts with paints differently (even colors of the same brands of paint vary) and varnish/sealant can give your model a look that I personally find unappealing.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

It’s really a question of, will you be handling the model? If it’s a display piece or you won’t handle it a lot, then no, weathering powder doesn’t need to be sealed in order to stay on. If you’re wanting to use the model for gaming and will be handled a lot, then yes, you’re going to need to seal it will a bit of matte varnish or medium. It really doesn’t need to be that much either. If you have an airbrush you have more options, because you can simply apply a thin layer of medium (same brand as paints you’ve used works best) As it won’t upset any of your paints

[@carlborch1887]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides Thanks for answering my question. :)

[@Chris-tw5xj]

This is the best helmet in 40k

[@juaninci]

What do you use to glue when it paint in there

[@waltini1070]

Bro… I’m speechless…

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Thanks man 🤛🏻

[@MiniLegion_Paints]

Grey Knights next?

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Grey Knights are on the list for sure 👍🏻

[@brandonkinchsular6437]

What was used to prime these

[@VickTim85]

what do you use to stick your mini on a handle?

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Paint handle chapter in this video mate kzbin.info/www/bejne/gampaadsoJhsmac

[@VickTim85]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides awesome, thanks amigo.

[@FIRSTNAMELASTNAME-zt4kf]

That's a decent helmet but you can't beat the mark 3 helmet some may call it plain but that's half its charm.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Ah the classic medieval knight look. Is pretty cool to be fair 👍🏻

[@nicholasgrossi8142]

@brushstroke painting guides Is there somewhere I could get the Thousand Sons painting bundle? I live in the USA and Elementgames doesn’t ship to me. Thank you.

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

Sorry, the paint bundles are something Element Games have kindly done for me. I am looking for a hobby store in the US which I can affiliate with and do similar bundles etc So, if you have any recommendations of good online retailers over in US, I would love to hear them? Really need a company who is able to sell GW, Scale 75 and Darkstar paints. In the meantime I'm afraid it's a case of trying to source the paints listed in the description separately So far these the companies I found who list Scale75 and Darkstar Hope it helps a bit impendingduff.com/ www.miniaturemarket.com/accessories/model-paints.html www.nobleknight.com/SC/Paints

[@jay13thstep]

Stunning. Out of interest how long did this take you to do (roughly)?

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

thank you I'd say it was probably 10 hours painting time. I'm not the quickest painter and painting on camera does slow down the process too.

[@jay13thstep]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides Thanks for that - I find it really interesting/useful to know how long the pro's take to do their minis/projects. I'm also now gutted that I didnt sub-assemble my TS army as I think my paint time for these and the rubrics is going to go through the roof! Great work though, I've followed you on Reddit and now subbed here, really look forward to watching the channel grow

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

thank you, really appreciate the sub I think for TS minis at least some sub assembly is a must, unless you're going for a really basic table top finish. They have so much detail on them it's nigh on impossible to reach it fully assembled.

[@ruisilva2617]

The thousand sons terminators came whit a flamer and a big gun and we have to chose one.. can i mount the 2 weapons ??

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

You know, sorry I don’t know the answer. My gut feeling is you can’t but I think I need to defer to others on this one

[@ruisilva2617]

@@BrushstrokePaintingGuides tanks for the replay any way 😄

[@FauxHammer]

First Blood!

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

100 internet points to you sir 👍🏻

[@HunterJE]

Never talk to me or my thousand sons again

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

no good?

[@HunterJE]

Just riffing on the old meme

[@BrushstrokePaintingGuides]

just messing with ya man thanks for watching :)