How to Hand-Paint Groot 3D Model: Tutorial

The name of Groot is on the lips of all the Guardians of the Galaxy movie fans. Those who watched the second movie had fallen in love with the baby version of the famous character. The level of cuteness has dangerously increased in the past week in our office as we have witnessed the production of the sweet baby.

Baby language was widely used by all of us whenever we set eyes on the figurine. You just can’t keep yourself from uttering incomprehensible words with a joy that only a mother can experience.

Now we’re back to normal, grown-up language. The Groot love is slowly wearing off and we’re ready to show you how you can paint this cutie with regular paints and tools.

First things first though, you have to 3D print Groot. The 3D printing model that is available for purchase at Gambody features interchangeable hands and whips. There’s also a base for the figurine. We, however, made a base for Groot to keep him in standing position when assembled with his regular hands.

What Do You Need To Paint Groot in Home Conditions?

• Sanding paper
• Nippers
• Primer
• Acrylic paints
• Brushes
• Water
• An artist palette
• Salt
• Super glue
• Glue gun
• Small green faux flower/leaf

Use nippers to remove the support off the 3D model.

As soon as all parts of your 3D model are printed and cleaned of support, smooth the surface with sanding paper. Once you achieve the desired smoothness of the surface, apply several coats of primer on the model and leave it to dry for several hours, or better overnight.

Applying primer also contributes to additional smoothness of the surface of the model, thus decreasing the layer visibility.

The next thing you have to do is play with colors and paint the model as you want. You can take pictures and images of Groot from the movie as a reference. We based the model’s painting scheme on several movie captures of Baby Groot.

Applying black acrylic paint covered with a coat of clear nail polish to achieve the effect of patent leather.

We recreated the moss that grows on Groot’s head with the help of glue, salt, and different shades of green and brown.

Cover the hollow head and the margins with a thin layer of glue and then spread some salt. Leave the glue to dry. When the salt is fixed on the surface start painting it with the brush. Use dark, soft, yellowish and brownish shades of green to imitate the effect of the moss. We also added a small leaf on its head, as if a small plant is starting to grow. We think it adds more reality to the 3D printed Groot.

Use the same technique to imitate moss for the stand base. Also, we have added some glue with the help of the glue pistol modeling small branches that grow from Groot and spread on the earth.

You can watch a time-lapse video of the entire painting process below.

Buy the STL files for Baby Groot here.

See our selection of Groot 3D prints to get inspired and maybe expand your collection by 3D printing one.

We have also put up a list of 15 Guardians of the Galaxy 3D printing models for all those who enjoy the movie and are on the lookout for replicas of one or another character or item.