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Aka: Painting Mars Attacks Martian Grunt Heads

I recently got into the Mantic Mars Attacks Miniatures Game. Poor timing on my part since the game has been out of production for some time, making much of it difficult to come by. I was able to get my hands on a used copy of the base game, and have been having a lot of fun painting the martian grunts. Here's a look at the process I used to get a look close to the martians in the movie (which are deceptively complicated). 

Step 1: Base Colour

Finish painting the space suit. I think it works best to do the head last since there is so much blending and so many colours. Touchups on the head would be brutal. 
Paint a base colour on the head. I used a pale sort of yellowish tan colour. 

Step 2: BRAIIINNNSSS

Using a thinned purple colour, paint the brain part of the head. Put a bit of extra paint down the middle (between the two lobes of the brain). Blend the purple into the base colour where the brain meets the rest of the head. 

Step 3: Highlight dem brains

Using the same colour as the base colour (or something slightly lighter), give the two lobes of the brain a quick drybrush. Make sure that you remove most of the paint on the brush by rubbing it on a paper towel (or your hand). Gently brush the surface to bring out all the details. 

Step 4: Gotta Get the Green

I used a medium sort of green to add some additional colour to the face. I thinned the paint to make it easier to blend, and put it between the brain and the eyes. 

Step 5: The Devil's Eyes

Using a tiny brush, paint the eyes (and a tiny bit of the skin surrounding the eyes) black. Pick out the nose at the same time. Lastly, I also put a black line where the teeth will be so that they will stand out more against the face. I pulled the mouth up a bit at the ends to accentuate the skull look. 

Step 6: Bug Eyes

Using an off white, paint the eyes. He'll look pretty bizarre right now, but that's to be expected. 

Step 7: Give it a Wash

Give the whole head a wash with something in a brown range. I used Games Workshop's Agrax Earthshade, but any brown wash should do. Let it dry COMPLETELY before moving on to the next step. 

Step 8: Eye-Lights

Hit the middle part of the eyes with white. I also used the smallest brush I had to pick out the teeth. I gave each of my martians 4 teeth on the top, and 4 teeth on the bottom. If you've got a steadier hand, or smaller brush, you may be able to fit more teeth in there. 

Step 9: Mellow Yellow

I used some yellow to tody up the edges. I placed it on the brow first. Then I added yellow above and below the mouth, tidying up the rough edges of the teeth. Make sure to blend that with the other colours. 

Step 10: Eye Balls

Using my smallest brush and some bright red paint, I added the irises. Then I used a sewing needle to dot the eyes. This guy isn't perfect, but he's definitely table-top ready! 

That's all there is to it! If you're feeling fancy, a dot of gloss varnish on the eyes will make them pop, but it'll be less noticeable if you've got the helmet domes for them.