Kyle's Grimdark Space Wolves Paint Guide — Build Feature
Kyle's Grimdark Space Wolves Paint Guide
Warhammer 40,000 - Space Wolves - Paint Guide
One of the most popular Space Marine chapters - their heavy Viking-inspired aesthetic gives the painter a lot of room to work with. Kyle painted his Space Wolves in their standard colours, but with no chapter decals on hand, all shoulder iconography was freehanded using straight-line Viking inspired designs. The result is more characterful than any transfer sheet.
The whole squad received a complete coverage of Abteilung Sepia oil wash before the final clear coat, unifying the palette and pushing the grim dark tone that the chapter's worn, battle-hardened aesthetic calls for.
Kits used: Primaris Intercessors, Assault Intercessors, and a Bladeguard Veterans arm on the duelling pistol marine.
Kyle's grimdark Space Wolves - commander with freehand mohawk front and centre.
Squad group photo
Squad alternate pose
How Kyle Painted Them
Full step-by-step breakdown. All products in stock at Wheels and Wings.
Black Base
Sombre Grey Armour, Cavalry Brown and Averland Sunset Pauldrons
Sombre Grey over the whole model for the armour. Right shoulder pauldron in Cavalry Brown. Left pauldron in Averland Sunset - the yellow shoulder is a classic Space Wolves distinction and ties back to the company markings.
Abteilung Sepia - Panel Lines, Shoulders and Full Coverage
Abteilung Sepia oil paint thinned with AK White Spirit into a wash for panel lines and weathering throughout. The shoulders receive a particularly heavy sepia wash. Then - at the very end of the painting process, before the clear coat - the entire model is covered in a full sepia wash to unify the palette and push the grimdark tone across the whole squad.
Viking Iconography, Mohawk and Scar
All shoulder iconography freehanded in Vallejo Heavy Charcoal using straight-line Viking inspired designs - no decals needed. The commander's mohawk is also freehanded in Charcoal. The backpack features a single freehand claw in Wolf Grey. The scar over the eye is painted in Wolf Grey, giving it the slightly pale, healed look of old scarring.
Commander right side - freehand Viking shoulder symbol
Commander rear - freehand claw on backpack
Intermediate Blue Highlighted with Wolf Grey
Shoulder trim in AK Intermediate Blue, highlighted with Wolf Grey.
White Line, Yellow Ink Glow
Corax White line painted down the centre of each lens, then Yellow Ink glazed over. The white shows through the ink as a reflection, giving a warm amber glow that suits the Space Wolves perfectly.
Dualist front - chest symbol, weapon detail and eye lenses.
Glorious Gold with Sepia Wash
Leadbelcher with Nuln Oil
Belt Buckle and Scabbard Bases - Custom Metallic Mix
The belt buckle and scabbard bases use a custom Vallejo Metal Color mix: 1 drop Gold to 3 drops Gunmetal Grey. The Metal Color range runs thin straight from the bottle, so Kyle added a small amount of Vallejo Satin Clear to add body and make it easier to brush paint - a purely experimental solution that worked.
Back view - satchel leather, backpack and buckle detail.
Vallejo Metal Color Gold (77725) + Gunmetal Grey (77720)
Khaki Parchment, Purple Wax, Agrax Wash
Commander left side - stalker bolter, yellow shoulder and purity seal detail.
Grim Brown with Stormvermin Fur Highlight
AK Grim Brown base on belts and satchels, highlighted with Stormvermin Fur - aiming for a dark, almost black leather that reads as heavily worn rather than tan or brown.
Russian Thick Mud Texture Paste
Mecha Satin
The Finished Squad
Space Wolves. Grimdark. For Russ and the Allfather.
Full squad - commander mohawk front and centre.
Squad group
Squad alternate
All paints used in this guide are in stock at Wheels and Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.
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