Its not particularly complex, I have no great talent for painting like some folks I have met, but rather it is just learning the techniques and applying them. First thing is your paint, use good high pigment paints like Reapers line, or even citadel paints. I personally prefer P3 paints, but I play a lot of warmachine, so having the colors that that game uses already pre-mixed is a big boon. Anyhow, the paint you use really matters.
For this model I washed it first with soap and dried it before mounting it on the base. Then I used Armory Grey spray primer, as after some investigation I found out that it flexes well and will adhere to the new Bones line of miniatures well. As for my color theory, I like bright but realistic colors. For this mage, he is a Light Wizard from the WFRP 3rd ed game, and they wear white all the time, but he is a travelling adventurer so pristine white robes don't make a lot of sense (at least to me). So for this model I started with Menoth Base (off white) and then inked it with mud brown. I then went back over and layered highlights first with the base color again, and then two more lighter colors of white. That is what gives the shadow effects to the robes.
The beard and the scroll are just bright white with the ink over it, then heavily drybrushed with bright white again. This let the paper have a textured look, while the beard (which I wanted to be shock white) then had some shadow to the crevasses of the sculpt. The blue is a dark blue (midnight blue) with a brighter blue (cygnar blue) painted over the top of it leaving just the fine edges uncovered to give it a layered look. The staff and belt are a leather brown with brown ink over it, while the staff metal bits are covered in blighted gold, highlighted with silver, and washed with watered down blue ink to help it match the blue highlights on the robe and hat.
Then I did up the base and viola! So I guess my method is just a combo of layering and inks. The flesh is just a simple flesh color with a wash, nothing fancy.
