In our How to Paint Everything Series we cover how to paint well, everything, with a look at different methods and techniques from different painters and with an eye for different skill levels. In this article, we’re covering how to paint the Death Guard, the Chaos Space Marines devoted to Nurgle, god of rot and decay.
The Death Guard have been around since the release of the first Realms of Chaos books released for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, where they and their primarch are named and their part in the Horus Heresy outlined. Despite this the legion wouldn’t see much of a real backstory until the publication of Index Astartes nearly a decade later, when Mortarion’s origins and the details of the legion becoming stilled in the warp were first mentioned.
The big break for the Death Guard came with the release of 8th edition Warhammer 40,000, when they became their own faction and received an entirely new range of miniatures, including a plastic kit for their Daemon Primarch, Mortarion. Since then the Death Guard have been one of the most popular factions of Chaos Space Marine, known for their show, inexorable movement and their resilience on the battlefield.
Model-wise, the Death Guard known for being gross and packed with details. However despite having a ton of detail, the fact that they’re supposed to look filthy makes them a more forgiving army to paint than you might first think, with lots of room for error and improvisation. There are a number of ways you can paint them, and if you’ve ever wanted to play around with Technical Paints, the Death Guard will give you plenty of opportunities to use them.
Covered in this Article Series
- The basic elements of Death Guard models and how to paint them – from rusted metal to lenses and vials
- Different schemes for the Death Guard, with different techniques for painting them
- Special units for the faction, such as Poxwalkers and Mortarion
Rusted Metal - click to expand
Lenses and Vials - Click to Expand
Weathering - Click to Expand
Swamp Bases - Click to Expand
The Schemes - Click to Expand
Special Units - click to expand
Where to Find More
The Death Guard are a visually interesting faction, and if you’re looking for more inspiration, we’d recommend taking a look at more guides on weathering or painting horror-themed monsters. The early 8th edition books are filled with cool artwork of marines fighting Death Guard for inspiration, and both the 8th and 9th edition codexes have art and guides for painting different plague companies within the faction.
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