Dead Flesh

Pale flesh for undead figures

Dead Flesh is an acrylic paint from the Vallejo Game Air range and the name already hints at where it belongs: on the skin of characters who are not meant to look healthy. Zombies, wraiths, revived corpses, the sick and the starving, or creatures from underground, a pale tone works better in all of those places than an ordinary pink flesh color. It can also be used away from skin, for example on faded bones, canvas and bandages or on old parchment on a figure base.

How to work with the shade

Pale tones live on contrast. Let the shade cover the whole area of the skin and only then work a darker shadow into the recesses and add light to the raised areas, otherwise the figure will stay flat. Lightening toward an off-white emphasizes the cheekbones and the knuckles, while a darker transition in the eye sockets and under the jaw gives the face expression. The shade can be mixed with other acrylics from the same manufacturer, so you can blend your own transition range.

Application tips

Shake the bottle thoroughly before every use, the pigment settles at the bottom. Apply several thin layers instead of one heavy one so that the fine relief of the face and hands is preserved. Wash and degrease the surface beforehand and use a primer, the paint then holds better. Flush the airbrush and the brushes right after work, while the paint has not yet dried.

• Pale flesh shade from the Vallejo Game Air range
• Suitable for undead, sick and starving figures
• Usable on bones, bandages and canvas as well
• Water-thinnable, mixable with other Vallejo acrylics
• Applied with an airbrush or a brush in thin layers

Who it is for

For painters of figures for tabletop games and dioramas who need a reliable base for pale flesh. The figure, brushes and thinner are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.