How can I make my skeleton army look more realistic?

The mistake some people make is to prime and paint their figures using the same or similar colour.

But for the best results, add the shadows first by using a black primer; when dry, add two or three coats of an off-white colour by dry brushing technique. This will leave the black primer in all the recesses and give your figures a far more realistic appearance.

Some modellers like to add the shadow details when their figures are almost finished. This can be quite time consuming and when you have an army to paint the quicker the better.

So, when starting your figures think about what is the best colour primer to use.