This article is copyright © Jason Job
This is how I paint my skeletons. It gives the look I want. Please note that if you want bright white bones, and a generally clean look (perhaps your necromancer is tidier than normal?), then this is not for you.
Two points to note: This technique works only on citadel plastics, and then only because they use an off-white dye for their skeletons instead of the normal grey, and this technique forms the exception to one of my rules of modelling, id est NEVER assemble a model before painting it. This exception is possible only because of the method I use, as you will see.
First, cut the plastic skeletons off the sprue, and clean up the bits left where they joined it. Trim any flash (it REALLY shows up with this method) left from the mould joins.
Now, gather all the bits you want, and put the rest away. Assemble the skeletons in the poses you want - start with the legs, add the torso and head, then the arms. Put the shields on temporarily to make sure that the models rank up.
After the glue or cement has dried, liberally wash the model with black wash or armour wash (whichever you have). Don't drown it, but then don't use too little. Getting the amount right can take some practice. Here's a clue - do an elbow. You should have enough to fill the joint, and stain a little bit of the arm, but no more.
When you apply the wash, it is supposed to cover the raised parts and stain them, so don't worry about being neat. It is up to you whether or not you want to wash undetailed parts of the model, such as the top and back of the skull, or the sides of the legs. A quick wipe over with a small amount of wash, not leaving anything but still changing the colour of the plastic, is good.
Once the wash is dry, paint weapons and armour (if any) black. Paint the shield black, except for the boss (if you are using the new boxed regiment). This black is not limited to the metal parts of the weapons.
Once the black is dry, paint all the metal parts with your chosen metallic paint. This is usually mithril silver or chainmail, but those who are planning a Khemri undead army might like to use Dwarf bronze. Paint the rims of your shields this colour as well.
Once the metallic is dry, you can paint the last part, which the shield boss. Paint it skull white. Wait for the white to dry, then carefully (and I mean as if your life depended upon it) apply the wash to certain details on the boss. These include the eye sockets, between the teeth, the nasal cavities, and the indentations at the ends of the bones. This wash should not spread to any other parts of the boss, because it ruins the contrast effect of the boss if it does.
You might like to fill in the eyes and mouths of your skeletons with chaos black if the wash did not do it well enough.
Paint the base whichever colour you want, and flock if you like.
Et Voila, a regiment of skeletons quickly and easily painted. They look like old bone, unbleached because it's been buried, and suitably messy for a newly raised unit (but not so messy as to look, well, messy, if you see what I mean).
If you want metal command figures to fit this style of painting:
Use the same method for the weapons / armour / standard / instrument. For the bony parts, paint the skull white. Wash them with the wash, but not quite so much as for the plastics. When the wash has dried, drybrush with VERY small amounts of bleached bone. Gradually build this up until the colouring is the same as for the plastic parts. This takes a lot of effort and patience, and may require re-washing and re-drybrushing. Eventually though you will get the colour to match.
This technique works just as well for skeletal horsemen and chariots - just include the hooves with the black bits, and don't forget the eyes and nostrils.
squigger
I do indeed state the obvious - it's always the obvious that's overlooked
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