It could’ve been a pure curiosity, or a goal to become a CS:GO skin creator that led you here. As Valve states, the recipe for creating a skin is simple: all you need is a weapon and an idea of how to decorate it.
However, to create a skin you must also decide on a finish style for your future masterpiece. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive offers community skin creators a range of finish styles, each representing a particular finishing technique. We will go over nine finish styles for skins in this article.
In article you will find:
What are Finish Styles?
Among all the parameters of CS:GO skins, finish style determines how a float value impacts the looks of the skin. Let’s first speak about seven styles that cause skins to age similarly. These are:
- Solid Color
- Spray Paint
- Hydrographic
- Anodized
- Anodized Airbrushed
- Anodized Multicolored
- Custom Paint Job.
As the wear level rises, portions of a paint layer are “scrubbed off” of skins with finish styles from this group.
Unlike them, Patina skins age by either changing color or losing saturation. Gunsmith finish style, on the other hand, simply causes the skin to darken as its float value increases.
When you are creating CS:GO skins, finish style choice matters. From Solid Color to Gunsmith, we will cover all nine of them and show you examples of CS:GO skins in each style.
Solid color
Let’s start with Solid Color. Weapon skins with this finish style can feature up to four different colors in their parts are painted in. Keep in mind that it is impossible to add any patterns or applications to Solid Color skins.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Solid Color finish style:
Not much to say here, MP7 | Whiteout is painted solid white. It looks sharp in Factory New condition, while Well-Worn skin has almost half of its paint exfoliated.
SG 553 | Ultraviolet appeared in the game among the first-ever skins in the CS:GO Weapon Case . Every part of the weapon, except its black body and magazine, is deep purple.
The Glock-18 | Candy Apple ‘s crimson slide and black body are a killer combo. Simple guns, like Glock-18, suit simple designs.
Spray Paint
If you want your skin to appear as though it was spray-painted through a stencil pattern, the Spray Paint finish style will work. Skins with this finish style can be embellished with some pattern, unlike those with Solid Color finish.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Spray Paint finish style:
The center of the M4A4 | Zirka ‘s body is decorated with a large yellow star on a khaki-colored background, with a chain design in the background. Fun fact: “zirka” is a Ukrainian word for “a star”.
Galil AR | Crimson Tsunami depicts a stormy sea scenery with enormous foamy waves ready to sweep over your enemies. Gray, beige and maroon color palette was a great choice for this skin.
A military mesh and cardboard cutouts were used as stencils to spray-paint the body of the camouflage-styled AWP | Safari Mesh with light green and khaki colors.
Hydrographic
Looks just as cool as it sounds. Patterns are put on these skins by lowering parts of weapons through a floating hydrographic film on the surface of a water tank. When it’s done, the film sticks and covers the surface of the gun parts.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Hydrographic finish style:
AWP | POP AWP features a geometric techno-inspired pattern and various inscriptions in the cubic typeface. The skin is designed in retro style using a palette of black, white, red, purple, and blue.
M4A1-S | Bright Water , a skin from the Bravo Collection, has a camouflage-styled hydrographic film applied to most parts of the rifle.
Desert Eagle | Crimson Web has a painted crimson red base coat decorated with a hydrographic pattern that resembles a spider web, unique for each skin. On top of that, a transparent semi-gloss coat is applied.
Anodized
Anodizing is a process of electrochemical treatment given to metal surfaces. This increases the oxide layers’ durability, making the material more resistant to corrosion and wear. Although many materials that guns are made of cannot technically be anodized, the effect can be imitated. Anodized skins feature a chrome base and a vibrant candy coat on top.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Anodized finish style:
There’s beauty in simplicity, and AUG | Anodized Navy is here to prove it. The minimalistic design of this skin features a chrome base coated with navy anodized effect paint on top.
MAC-10 | Silver and Five-SeveN | Anodized Gunmetal also has chrome base coats. However, while the MAC-10 skin was painted in silver, gunmetal anodized effect paint was used for the latter.
Anodized Airbrushed
Skins with an Anodized Airbrushed finish style are created by using freehand airbrush painting techniques and various stencils. An airbrush is a tool that uses compressed air to atomize and spray paint or other liquids onto a surface. This technique allows you to create various effects, from detailed, fine lines to broad, soft gradients.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Anodized Airbrushed finish style:
AWP | Fade and Desert Eagle | Blaze have a chrome base coat, and Desert Eagle | Hypnotic has a pearl one. The body of the AWP is decorated with a gradient fill, the colors of which depend on the pattern index.
Desert Eagle | Hypnotic features a black circular pattern that looks like a hypnotic circle on top of the metallic paint. The placement and size of its pattern vary on every skin variant.
Desert Eagle | Blaze, the bad boy among the Anodized Airbrushed skins, depicts malicious yellow flames with orange outlines. Don’t burn your fingers!
Anodized Multicolored
Multicolored patterns, silk screening, and adherable stencils have entered the chat. These techniques are available for Anodized Multicolored skins, unlike Anodized and Anodized Airbrushed.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Anodized Multicolored finish style:
If pandas could play CS:GO, AK-47 | Hydroponic would be their favorite skin. This skin has a white metallic body with bamboo sticks painted all over it and green accents on small parts of the gun.
AWP | Lightning Strike stands out among the other skins because of the astonishing purple paint covering the sniper rifle and the image of the lightning that strikes through its body.
M4A1-S | Blue Phosphor features multiple layers of different shades of metallic blue paint applied in a way to create a cloudy pattern.
Patina
Patina is a thin layer that forms on metallic surfaces. It is created by applying chemicals or other substances to the metal’s surface to create a desired color or finish. Patina can also serve as a protective metal layer, helping prevent corrosion and wear. This finish style unites skins that have been oxidized, cold-blued, or given a forced patina.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Patina finish style:
Starting with a part of one of the oldest and the most famous skin families in CS:GO, AK-47 | Case Hardened is, as surprising as it sounds, case-hardened. This is a process of wood charcoal being applied at high temperatures.
M4A1-S | Basilisk speaks for itself: this skin features a giant basilisk, a mythical reptile from various European legends, etched on its unpainted body.
Desert Eagle | Hand Cannon is mostly made of brass and has been treated with an acid resulting in a patina layer of yellow and blue stains.
Custom Paint Job
This is where you can let your creativity off the leash. None of the previously mentioned finish styles for skins can provide you as much freedom in customizing the looks and color schemes of skins as Custom Paint Job will. This is one of the most popular finishes for CS:GO skins.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Patina finish style:
M4A1-S | Printstream has numerous pictograms, lettering, and inscriptions on the black and white assault rifle. This skin differs from the others because of the Pearlescent effect that makes the gun shimmer when looking at it from different angles.
An eye-catchy AWP | Chromatic Aberration is complemented with a pattern of zebra stripes in shades of pink and purple colors, icons, and pictograms.
AK-47 | Legion of Anubis features applied paintings of Egyptian gods Anubis and Ra, a head of a mummy, and a pharaoh. Also, hieroglyphs and symbols can be found on the gun.
Gunsmith
If you want to combine the features of Patina and a Custom Paint Job, you should go for the Gunsmith finish style. This one will let you not only implement all ideas you get but also give your skin a stylish aging effect.
Examples of CS:GO skins in Gunsmith finish style:
- AK-47 | Fuel Injector
- AWP | Gungnir
- M4A1-S | Leaded Glass
Futuristic-styled AK-47 | Fuel Injector gives the weapon a sleek and high-tech appearance in the black, gray, and yellow color scheme. It has a machinery pattern engraved on the gun’s magazine.
Inspired by Norse mythology, AWP | Gungnir skin looks regal and ornate. Its receiver is adorned with an ivory depiction of Gungnir, the legendary Norse god Odin’s spear.
M4A1-S | Leaded Glass may seem fragile because its design resembles shattered glass, but don’t let the first impression deceive you.
To Wrap Up!
With the wide range of finish styles Valve offers skin creators to use, you can implement pretty much any skin idea with a proper finish style. Every style gives skins different properties, such as the number of colors that can be used, paint effects and aging effects, etc. To learn more about this topic, check out the official guide by Valve .
If you decide to create a skin, be creative, and remember that whatever design concept you come up with must be unique. Explore our blog for more articles about CS:GO skins, guides, and esports news.