How to Paint Death Guard — Step by Step Guide

Weathering and Battle Damage

Once your base paintwork is complete, adding weathering effects brings your models to life with a sense of battlefield realism that elevates them beyond a clean tabletop standard. Weathering tells a story — every scratch, scorch mark, and rust streak suggests a history of brutal combat across the grimdark battlefields of the 41st millennium.

Start with sponge weathering using a torn piece of blister pack foam. Dab a small amount of dark brown or black paint onto the sponge, remove most of it on a paper towel, then lightly press it against edges, corners, and raised surfaces where paint would naturally chip. Focus on areas that would see the most wear: knee pads, shoulder pad edges, weapon housings, and the leading edges of armour plates. For a more refined look, go back with a fine brush and add small scratches using a light silver or metallic colour inside the larger chips, simulating exposed metal beneath the paint.

Mud and dust effects work wonderfully on legs and lower hull sections. Mix a brown wash with a touch of texture paint and stipple it around feet, tracks, and lower armour panels. Rust streaks can be painted vertically downward from rivets and bolt holes using thinned orange-brown paint, creating the appearance of rainwater carrying oxidised metal particles down the surface. Finish with a matte varnish to unify the weathering effects and protect your work during gaming sessions.

Speed Painting Alternative

Not every model needs hours of painstaking layering. Speed painting techniques using Citadel Contrast paints, Army Painter Speed Paints, or similar one-coat systems can produce impressive results in a fraction of the time, making them ideal for batch painting large squads or getting an army table-ready for an upcoming tournament.

The key to successful speed painting starts with your undercoat. A zenithal prime — spraying black from below and white from above — creates natural shadow and highlight gradients that Contrast paints will follow beautifully. Apply the Contrast paint in a single, confident coat over the zenithal prime, letting the translucent formula do the heavy lifting. The paint naturally pools in recesses and thins on raised surfaces, creating instant depth and definition without any manual shading.

For batch efficiency, work in assembly-line fashion: complete one colour across all models before moving to the next. A squad of ten can be speed-painted to a solid tabletop standard in two to three hours this way. Pick out key details like lenses, weapon casings, and insignia with regular paints for contrast, then apply a quick drybrush highlight to add extra definition. The result is a cohesive, battle-ready force that looks great on the table and holds up well at normal viewing distances.

Display Painting Tips

For painters looking to push their skills beyond tabletop standard, display painting techniques offer the opportunity to create true miniature works of art. These methods require patience and practice but produce stunning results that stand out in competitions and showcases alike.

Edge highlighting is the foundation of display-quality painting. Use the side of a fine-pointed brush rather than the tip, drawing it along armour edges to create clean, consistent lines. Build up highlights in two to three stages, using progressively lighter colours and applying each layer to a smaller area. The final highlight — often a near-white mix — should touch only the sharpest corners and most prominent edges, creating the illusion of light catching polished surfaces.

Non-metallic metal (NMM) painting replaces actual metallic paints with carefully blended regular colours to simulate reflective surfaces. This technique uses stark transitions between dark shadows and bright highlights, placed according to how light would interact with the surface. Wet blending — applying two colours side by side on the model while still wet and blending them together on the surface — creates the smooth, seamless gradients essential for convincing NMM effects. Practice on spare models or test pieces before committing to your display miniature, and reference photographs of real metal objects to understand how reflections behave on different shapes.

Community Showcase

The Warhammer painting community is one of the most welcoming and inspiring creative spaces in the hobby. Platforms like Reddit’s r/minipainting and r/Warhammer40k, Instagram’s thriving minipainting hashtags, and dedicated Discord servers provide endless inspiration and constructive feedback for painters at every skill level. Sharing your own work — even early attempts — is a fantastic way to track your progress, connect with fellow hobbyists, and discover new techniques. Many local gaming stores also host painting competitions and hobby nights where you can learn directly from experienced painters in your area.

Introduction

The Death Guard are one of the most visually striking armies in Warhammer 40,000. Their corroded armour, diseased flesh, and toxic slime effects make them a painter’s dream — especially if you enjoy weathering techniques. This guide walks you through exactly how to paint Death Guard miniatures from start to finish, using the classic pale green and rusty scheme that defines Mortarion’s plague-ridden sons.

Whether you are painting your first Plague Marine or an entire army of Nurgle’s finest, this step-by-step tutorial covers every stage: priming, basecoating, washing, layering, and those signature disgusting effects that make Death Guard stand out on any tabletop.

If you are brand new to painting, check out our Warhammer painting for beginners guide before diving in.

Paints You Will Need

Step 1 — Priming

Start by spraying your Death Guard miniatures with Death Guard Green spray. This is a huge time saver because it doubles as both your primer and your armour basecoat in a single step. Hold the can about 20–25 cm from the model and apply thin, even passes. Two light coats are always better than one heavy one.

Make sure you spray in a well-ventilated area and let the models dry completely — at least 30 minutes — before handling them. If you do not have the spray, you can prime with any grey or white primer and then brush on Death Guard Green base paint, but the spray gives a much smoother finish on power armour.

Step 2 — Basecoating the Armour

If you used the Death Guard Green spray, the armour is already done. Touch up any spots the spray missed with Death Guard Green from the pot using a medium base brush. Make sure the coverage is smooth and consistent across all armour panels.

The beauty of Death Guard is that the armour does not need to be perfect. Small inconsistencies actually add to the grimy, neglected look these Plague Marines are known for.

Step 3 — Basecoating Details

Now work through the remaining areas of the model:

• Trim and decorative elements: Paint with Balthasar Gold. This includes shoulder pad trim, belt buckles, Nurgle icons, and any ornamental details.
• Weapons and metal areas: Paint with Leadbelcher. Cover bolters, plague knives, power packs, and any exposed mechanical parts.
• Cloth and tabards: Paint with Rakarth Flesh. This off-white colour gives a dirty, stained look that suits Death Guard perfectly.
• Exposed flesh and tentacles: Paint with Bugman’s Glow as the base, then add Screamer Pink to any boils, pustules, or particularly nasty-looking mutations.
• Horns and bone: Paint with Zandri Dust, then layer with Ushabti Bone.

Take your time with this step. Use a smaller brush for the fiddly bits and do not worry about being completely neat — the wash in the next step will tie everything together.

Step 4 — Washing

This is where Death Guard models really come to life. The wash stage adds depth, shadow, and that crucial grimy quality.

• Armour: Apply Agrax Earthshade generously over all green armour panels. Let it flow into the recesses and pool in the crevices. Agrax gives a warm, dirty tone that is perfect for Nurgle’s warriors.
• Metals: Wash silver areas with Nuln Oil and gold areas with Reikland Fleshshade.
• Flesh and boils: Wash with Carroburg Crimson to give an angry, infected look.
• Cloth: Wash with Agrax Earthshade to dirty it down.

Let the washes dry completely before moving on. This typically takes 15–20 minutes. Rushing this step will ruin your layering work.

Step 5 — Layering and Highlighting

Once the washes are fully dry, bring the colours back up with careful layering:

• Armour: Layer raised areas and flat panels with Nurgling Green. Leave the Agrax shading visible in all recesses. Then apply thin edge highlights of Ogryn Camo along the sharpest edges of the armour plates.
• Metals: Highlight silver areas with Ironbreaker and gold with Liberator Gold on the raised edges.
• Flesh: Highlight with Kislev Flesh on raised areas, and dab Pink Horror onto the tops of boils and pustules.
• Cloth: Re-layer with Rakarth Flesh, leaving the wash in the folds. Highlight with Pallid Wych Flesh.

Step 6 — Rust Effects

Rust is essential to the Death Guard look. Here is how to achieve convincing corrosion:

1. Apply Typhus Corrosion to areas where rust would naturally form — around rivets, along the bottom edges of armour plates, on weapon casings, and around joints. This paint has a gritty texture that creates realistic corrosion.
2. Once the Typhus Corrosion is dry, lightly drybrush Ryza Rust over the top. Use a small, dry brush and very little paint. Build it up gradually — you can always add more, but you cannot take it away.
3. Focus the heaviest rust around the feet, lower legs, and any area that would see the most wear and exposure to the elements.

The combination of Typhus Corrosion’s texture and Ryza Rust’s bright orange creates incredibly realistic weathering with minimal effort.

Step 7 — Slime and Gore Effects

This is the most satisfying part of painting Death Guard. Time to make them truly disgusting:

• Nurgle’s Rot: Apply this toxic green technical paint anywhere you want slime or ooze. Great spots include weapon vents, between armour joints, around mutations, dripping from belly plates, and pooling at the feet. Apply it generously — the more the better.
• Blood for the Blood God: Add small amounts around wounds, on weapon edges, and splattered across the lower portions of the model. Mix it with a tiny amount of Nurgle’s Rot for infected-looking blood.

These technical paints are glossy when dry, which creates a wet, organic contrast against the matte armour. This contrast is what really sells the Death Guard look.

Step 8 — Basing

Death Guard bases should look as blighted as the models themselves. A muddy, toxic wasteland works best:

1. Apply texture paint such as Stirland Mud or Astrogranite Debris to the base.
2. Wash with Agrax Earthshade.
3. Drybrush with Terminatus Stone or Karak Stone.
4. Add pools of Nurgle’s Rot to create toxic puddles.
5. Finish the rim with Steel Legion Drab or black.

Alternative Death Guard Colour Schemes

While the classic pale green is the most popular, the Death Guard can be painted in several alternative schemes:

• Pre-Heresy Death Guard: Clean white and green armour, representing the Legion before they fell to Nurgle. Use Corax White with Castellan Green shoulders. A striking contrast to the corrupted version.
• The Pallid Hand: A warband that uses bone white armour instead of green. Basecoat with Rakarth Flesh, wash with Seraphim Sepia, and layer with Pallid Wych Flesh. Still add rust and slime effects.
• The Purge: Black and brass armour with green glow effects. A darker, more menacing take on Nurgle worship. Base with Abaddon Black, add Balthasar Gold trim, and use Warpstone Glow for eerie glowing effects.
• Custom Vectorum: Nothing stops you from creating your own plague warband. Deep purple, sickly yellow, or bruised blue can all work — just make sure to include rust and slime effects to tie them into the Nurgle aesthetic.

Tips for Painting Death Guard

• Embrace imperfection. Unlike clean armies like Ultramarines, Death Guard look better with messy, uneven paintwork. Streaks, splotches, and rough transitions add character.
• Layer your weathering. Apply rust, slime, and gore in stages rather than all at once. This creates depth and realism.
• Vary the decay. Not every model needs the same amount of corrosion. Some Plague Marines might be freshly turned while others have been rotting for millennia.
• Use a wet palette. Death Guard require a lot of layering, and a wet palette keeps your paints workable for longer.
• Thin your paints. Even on grimy Death Guard, thin paint layers produce better results than thick, chalky coats.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best primer for Death Guard?

Death Guard Green spray is the best primer because it doubles as your armour basecoat. If unavailable, use a grey primer and brush on Death Guard Green base paint.

How long does it take to paint a Death Guard model?

A single Plague Marine takes roughly 45–90 minutes depending on your experience level and how much detail you add. The technical effects like rust and slime are quick but need drying time between steps.

Can I speed paint Death Guard?

Yes. Spray Death Guard Green, wash everything with Agrax Earthshade, do minimal highlighting, then apply Typhus Corrosion, Ryza Rust, and Nurgle’s Rot. You can produce good-looking results in under 30 minutes per model this way.

Do I need an airbrush to paint Death Guard?

No. Death Guard are one of the most airbrush-optional armies in the game. The spray primer and technical paints do most of the heavy lifting. An airbrush can speed up basecoating large models like Mortarion, but it is not necessary.

What is the best way to paint Mortarion?

Follow the same scheme but work in sub-assemblies. Paint the wings separately, then the body, then the base. Mortarion’s wings benefit from drybrushing Nurgling Green over the membrane for a sickly, veiny look. Add extra Nurgle’s Rot to his censers and around his base.

How do I paint Death Guard vehicles?

Use the same colour recipe but apply the rust and weathering more heavily. Vehicles like the Plagueburst Crawler should have heavy Typhus Corrosion application on the tracks, lower hull, and around rivets. Sponge on Rhinox Hide and Leadbelcher for chipped paint effects before applying rust.

Ready to learn more about the Death Guard as an army? Read our complete Death Guard army guide for rules, tactics, and list building advice.

Related Content

• Death Guard Army Guide — full army overview for Death Guard
• Warhammer Painting for Beginners — start painting with confidence
• Best Paints for Warhammer — our top paint recommendations