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MINIATURES

Paint Schemes

How I painted each model: the exact paints, the order they went on, and the finish they gave.

Before you start, and what the technique words mean
Thin your paint
Almost everything here goes on thinner than it comes out of the pot. Neat paint dries thick and fills in the detail you paid for. Add water a drop at a time on a palette until it runs somewhere between milk and heavy cream, depending on the brand, then build the colour up in two or three coats rather than one.
Start on a primed model
Unless a step says otherwise, every recipe here begins on a model that has already been primed - paint will not sit properly on bare plastic. Black unless the scheme says otherwise, which is what most of these were painted over.
The same words mean two things
Wash, shade and layer are both things you do and names Citadel puts on pots. The badge on a step is the action. The Type column in the paint list is which range the pot came from. A step badged "layer" is often painted with a Base paint, and that is not a mistake.
basecoat
The first solid colour over primer. Two thin coats beat one thick one.
highlight
A lighter colour on the parts that would catch the light.
layer
A slightly lighter colour over part of the coat below, leaving its edges showing.
wash
Thin, watery paint that runs into the recesses and shades the whole area at once.
edge
A highlight along a sharp edge only, painted with the side of the brush.
shade
Darker paint placed deliberately in the shadows rather than left to flow.
glaze
Heavily thinned paint over dry paint, to tint it and soften the join between two colours.
stipple
Dabbed on with the tip of the brush for a broken, rough, mottled surface.
drybrush
Almost-dry paint dragged across raised texture so it catches only the high points.
blend
Two colours worked into each other while both are wet, so there is no visible line.
special
Anything that is not one of the above. The step note says what it is.

Kronus Hegemony Black Scheme

🔗
SquatsNecromundaFebruary 2026
FinishHigh-contrast, clean
PrimaryDeep black with definition
ContrastGold trim, spot colour weapons
TechniqueEdge highlighting, controlled palette
ARMOUR (Black)
BaseScale75 Matte Black
HighlightDark Sea Blue
EdgeFenrisian Grey (tight)
SOFT PARTS / TUBES
BaseTwo Thin Coats Grey
WashNuln Oil
GOLD DETAILS
BaseUse standard gold recipe
HighlightVallejo Gold
METALS / BOOTS
BaseLeadbelcher
WEAPON CASING
LEATHER GRIP
  1. 1
    basecoatElf Skin Tone (72.004)Vallejo
    Base all skin·Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    layerBarbarian Skin (72.071)Vallejo
    Deep shadows·Artis Opus Series S 3
  3. 3
    highlightSunny Skin Tone (70.845)Vallejo
    Blend in highlights·Artis Opus Series S 3
  4. 4
    layerElfic Flesh (72.098)Vallejo
    Final bright highlights·Artis Opus Series S 3
  1. 1
    basecoatRhinox HideCitadel
    Base all leather·Artis Opus Series S 1
  2. 2
    basecoatAbaddon BlackCitadel + Lahmian MediumCitadel (1:2)
    Shade all leather recesses·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    highlightDoombull BrownCitadel
    Chunky·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    highlightSkrag BrownCitadel
    Scratchy damage highlight·Artis Opus Series S 1
  5. 5
    edgeXV-88 (Deep Ochre)Citadel
    Shakey - edge and scratch·Artis Opus Series S 00
  6. 6
    highlightUshabti BoneCitadel
    Dot highlight sparingly·Artis Opus Series S 00
Gold
  1. 1
    basecoatRetributor ArmourCitadel
    Base gold·Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    washReikland FleshshadeCitadel
    Light wash·Artis Opus Series S 3
  3. 3
    highlightRetributor ArmourCitadel
    Bring back the edges·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    basecoatSilver (72.052)Vallejo
    Dot highlights·Artis Opus Series S 1
  1. 1
    basecoatKhorne RedCitadel
    Base grip·Artis Opus Series S 1
  2. 2
    shadeCarroburg CrimsonCitadel
    Recess shade·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    edgeScreamers PinkCitadel
    Edge all raised bits·Artis Opus Series S 00
  1. 1
    basecoatMephiston RedCitadel
    Base weapon·Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    edgeEvil Sunz ScarletCitadel
    1st edge (long edges)·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    edgeWild Rider RedCitadel
    2nd edge (corners)·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    highlightDeep Orange IntenseAK Interactive
    Dot highlight·Artis Opus Series S 1
  5. 5
    basecoatLeadbelcherCitadel
    Metal bits·Vallejo Detail
  6. 6
    washNuln OilCitadel
    Wash metal bits·Vallejo Detail 2
SC00 (Matte Black)Scale75Dark Sea Blue (70.898)VallejoFenrisian GreyCitadel⇆Wolf GreyTwo Thin Coats⇆Polished Gold (72.055)Vallejo⇆Pylar GlacierCitadel

Recipes

Methods I reuse across models - skin, metal, armour, cloth and the rest. Each step is one named paint, one technique and a note. Unless a step says otherwise, every recipe here starts on a primed model - the scheme that uses it usually says which colour.

Before you start, and what the technique words mean
Thin your paint
Almost everything here goes on thinner than it comes out of the pot. Neat paint dries thick and fills in the detail you paid for. Add water a drop at a time on a palette until it runs somewhere between milk and heavy cream, depending on the brand, then build the colour up in two or three coats rather than one.
Start on a primed model
Unless a step says otherwise, every recipe here begins on a model that has already been primed - paint will not sit properly on bare plastic. Black unless the scheme says otherwise, which is what most of these were painted over.
The same words mean two things
Wash, shade and layer are both things you do and names Citadel puts on pots. The badge on a step is the action. The Type column in the paint list is which range the pot came from. A step badged "layer" is often painted with a Base paint, and that is not a mistake.
basecoat
The first solid colour over primer. Two thin coats beat one thick one.
highlight
A lighter colour on the parts that would catch the light.
layer
A slightly lighter colour over part of the coat below, leaving its edges showing.
wash
Thin, watery paint that runs into the recesses and shades the whole area at once.
edge
A highlight along a sharp edge only, painted with the side of the brush.
shade
Darker paint placed deliberately in the shadows rather than left to flow.
glaze
Heavily thinned paint over dry paint, to tint it and soften the join between two colours.
stipple
Dabbed on with the tip of the brush for a broken, rough, mottled surface.
drybrush
Almost-dry paint dragged across raised texture so it catches only the high points.
blend
Two colours worked into each other while both are wet, so there is no visible line.
special
Anything that is not one of the above. The step note says what it is.

Paint Inventory

The paints I actually own - every pot on my shelf, not a catalogue of what exists. This is what the schemes and recipes are painted with.

PaintBrandTypeHueUsed in

Paint Conversion Chart

Citadel colours matched to their closest Vallejo, Pro Acryl and Two Thin Coats equivalents, by eye, over time. Nothing here is a measured colour match - the dots say how close each one really is.

Still filling this in: 8 of the 108 colours used in the recipes here have no row yet. Mostly Vallejo. A blank means not mapped, not that no equivalent exists.

How close the match is: near identical usable avoid

CitadelVallejoPro AcrylTwo Thin Coats