How to Paint Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars Legion Tutorial)

Anakin is a deceptively simple model – broad surfaces, dark clothing, and a face that can easily fall flat if you don’t push it.

The goal here is about simplicity and control:

• clean separation
• efficient highlighting
• and a focused finish

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Quick Paint Recipe:

TTC = Two Thin Coats
VMC = Vallejo Model Color
Unmarked = Citadel

Base Colors

• Pants/Tunic: TTC Cuirass Leather
• Vest: VMC Dark Sea Blue
• Boots, Belt, Glove, Hilt: Corvus Black
• Skin: TTC Barbarian Brown
• Hair: Steel Legion Drab
• Eyes: TTC Trooper White + Abaddon Black

Shades

• Body: TTC Oblivion Black Wash
• Face: TTC Flesh Wash

Highlights

• Browns: TTC Boar Hide → TTC Fur Cloak
• Vest: Stegadon Scale Green → TTC Wizard Grey → TTC Carcharadon Grey
• Skin: TTC Dwarven Skin → TTC Elven Skin
• Hair: Tallarn Sand → Zamesi Desert → Averland Sunset

OSL + Saber

• Teclis Blue → Lothern Blue → TTC Trooper White

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Step 1 — Clean Basecoats (Set the Foundation)

All major colors are blocked in and clearly separated.

At this stage:

• The clothing reads, but lacks depth
• The face is visible, but flat
• Dark elements (boots, belt, vest) are very similar in value

I may have used Dark Sea Blue on the leather accessories aside from the vest. Looking back, I would have used the Corvus Black to distinguish them. Although, I may have used the Corvus Black, it’s just that the colors are so similar. We’ll fix that during shading and highlighting.

Why this matters:
You’re not solving contrast yet—you’re setting up for it. Clean basecoats make every later step easier instead of turning into correction.

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Step 2 — Controlled Shading

Apply:

• Oblivion Black Wash to the body
• Flesh Wash to the face

Keep it controlled. Let the wash settle into recesses without flooding flat surfaces.

What you’re doing here:
Creating separation, not staining the model.

If you overdo this step, everything becomes dull—and you spend the rest of the process trying to bring it back. Be especially around the eyes – having to go back and fix mistakes on the face at this point is a headache.

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Step 3 — Drybrush Rebuild (Fast and Effective)

This is where your process really starts to work.

Instead of slow layering, you rebuild the model using drybrush passes:

• Pants/Tunic: TTC Boar Hide → TTC Fur Cloak
• Vest: Stegadon Scale Green → Wizard Grey → Carcharadon Grey
• Black elements: Wizard Grey → Carcharadon Grey

Why this works:
You’re restoring mid-tones quickly while creating natural texture and contrast.

This is efficient, and efficiency matters if you want to paint consistently.

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Step 4 — Face and Hair (The Model Lives Here)

Refine the focal point:

• Skin: Dwarven Skin → Elven Skin
• Hair: Tallarn Sand → Zamesi Desert → Averland Sunset

Focus highlights on:

• Nose
• Cheeks
• Brow

Why this matters:
If the face reads well, the model reads well. Everything else supports this. See the images above for reference.

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Step 5 — Building the OSL on the Vest

Start introducing the glow effect:

• Light drybrush of Teclis Blue
• Sharper highlights with Lothern Blue

Keep this subtle.

Key idea:
OSL works when it’s layered and restrained. If you try to force it all at once, it looks artificial. Notice the back of the model has no OSL from the lightsaber because the saber is to the front and side of Anakin. I tried to hit the point where the glow would hit the most. Even the sleeve of Anakin’s left hand may be a bit too strong because of the distance from the lightsaber blade.

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Step 6 — Lightsaber (Controlled Brightness)

Build the blade in layers:

1. Teclis Blue glaze
2. Lothern Blue toward the center
3. Trooper White applied in layered lines:
   • Full length
   • 2/3 length (centered)
   • 1/3 length (centered)

This creates a compressed, bright core.

Why this works:
You’re simulating light intensity, not just painting a bright color. See images above for reference.

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Step 7 — Final Pass (Where the Model Becomes Finished)

Most painters might call it quits here, but we still need to tie in some final highlights and a light glaze of contrast color paint to push the light and darkness and texture of materials. A simple base will suffice as well. I’ve made a Geonosis style base to match Padme in this case.

• Metallic accents: TTC Mithril Blade
• Unifying glaze: Black Templar + Contrast Medium (50/50)
• Base: texture → wash → drybrush

What this step does:
It ties everything together, softens transitions, and removes the “painted in parts” look.

For the Base:

• Vallejo Brown Earth texture paint (allow to dry thoroughly)
• Shade with Battle Mud Wash (TTC) and Fuegan Orange (Cit) 50/50 mix (allow to dry thoroughly)
• Drybrush using Vallejo Model Color Iraqui Sands and Yellow Ochre

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Final Thoughts

Anakin isn’t a complex model – but he rewards deliberate decisions.

The drybrush rebuild does most of the heavy lifting, but the model only comes together when you:

• refine the face
• control the glow
• and unify everything at the end

This model is a great opportunity to experiment with some OSL techniques and push contrast to bring out the details of this Jedi for the Galactic Republic.