Green stuff tutorial - Chaos/Nurgle

Introduction

I saw this green stuffing tutorial some time ago, demonstrating how to convert a regular Chaos Terminator to "show" the Mark of Nurgle. I saved the link, and revisited it when working on the Terminator Chaos Lord. By then, the forum I saw this on was drawing its last breath, and the pages were scrambled. I managed to save parts of the page, but I did not think of noting the source.

And so, after using these techniques heavily in my latest conversion works, I decided on posting about it. The author explains a lot of stuff very well, and I didn't feel like repeating it. I'll be adding my own notes here and there. Other than that, anonymous author, whoever you'd be - thank you!

Basic techniques

Rot

1. Place the desired amount of GS on the model.
2. Stretch the GS with a sculpting tool to cover the desired area.
3. Use the point of the tool to stab the GS repeatedly and drag it out toward the edges and/or toward the center as desired to create the look of a corroded pock filled mass.

[Note] I stop at the second stage when creating fleshy growths on my Chaos models. It is also the same technique I use to create custom hair. You can create coarser or finer "rot" by using appropriate tools - sculpting tool, toothpick, hobby knife.

Three Pock Mark Symbol of Nurgle

1. Starts the same as rot.
2. Push the point of the sculpting tool into the GS where you want to create the first pock mark.  And gently spread the opening out with a circular motion of the tool.  
3. Repeat 2 until you have your three holes. Each pock mark you make after the first may distort the previous ones.  This is okay.  Once you have them all started, you can go back and shape them until you’re happy with the orientation and shape.
4. Now just like you do for patches of rot, drag the point of the tool toward the pock mark to create a slope up toward the pock itself and then away from the pock mark to show the rot radiating from the open wound.  Also poke and drag the material between the pocks to create furrows between them to further define them from each other.

Pock marks can be added anywhere you use the rot effect.  Alone or in clusters.  Same goes for the next two techniques.

Intact Abscess

1. Starts out the same as a patch of rot (this should sound familiar now) but with a little extra material in the center.
2. Build up a mound of material in the location that you want the boil.
3. Shape the mound to look like a giant white headed pimple (this is where I typically employ the mini screwdriver) and then spread the edges and detail just like you would for a pock mark.

Skulls

1. Starts out the same as an… abscess (Tricked ya there didn’t I?)
2. Make the eye sockets similar to the way you make a pock mark.
3. Now shape the cranium.  To smooth things out I use the shaft of the pointed tool sideways to roll the material out like a tiny rolling pin.  You can also use the mini screwdriver to do this, by sliding the flat edge around to flatten it out around the top of the noggin. 
4. Shape the upper jaw and cheek bones.  
5. Now use the tip of the pointy tool to make the nose.  On very small skulls the point of a pin or the tip of a hobby knife is a better size to make the nasal hole.
6. Use the Hobby knife to put thin lines for the teeth around the edge of the upper jaw.

Like the pock marks, everything you do will shift what you’ve already made.  In this case, shaping the cranium will typically shift the eye sockets.  Just go back and tweak things back into place after each step.

Ooze

This one is hard for me to make a step by step.  It’s actually one of the more difficult things for me, mostly because it needs to be fairly smooth and very small.

1. Place the GS on your model… But not like you do for rot.  You need to start with a very small amount.  I’ve found that this usually works best if there is a feature on the model that the ooze might be coming from like a wound or a vent.
2. Take the GS and form a rounded teardrop on the lower end and then spread the other end out like rivulets that have oozed together to form the drop.

Combining into advanced creations

Three Skull Shoulder Pad

These start, you guessed it, just like rot.  I scraped off the eye that was on the shoulder to keep it from getting in the way, but I could have just left it.  I then covered it with GS.  Then I made my three mounds of material.  This could easily have become three abscesses instead of skulls at this point, then I followed the same process for a single skull above…  three times.

Complete skull on Axe

I have never tried to make a complete skull before this nor had I tried making a lower jaw.  So this was a stretch.  The main part of the skull went together the same as usual, but then I had to stretch out and shape a lower jaw.  For a first try this came out pretty well.  For the rear of the skull I just made a rounded oval.

Disease Vents

This one works very much like making pock marks only taller.  I started by adding a ridge of GS to each side where the usual trophy racks are supposed to be.  Then I shaped them into three tall mounds and ran the GS together between the ridges.  I hollowed out the tubes the same as if they were just tall pock marks and did the usual rot and random pock marks everywhere else.