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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.

Beast Snagga Boyz

🔗
Orks40kSeptember 2026 · 5 models
FinishBrighter armour, worn leathers
PrimaryMuted greens with some cyber punk splashes
ContrastRed to orange flare
TechniqueSoft layering, no washes
BASE
PrimeMatte Black
SKIN
BaseCamo Green
HighlightYellow Green + Camo Green
HighlightYellow Green
HighlightBright Yellow Green + Yellow Green
HighlightBright Yellow Green
KnucklesTan Flesh
LIPS
RecipeLips
SCARS:
BaseBurgundy
EdgeTan Flesh
LEATHER
SKULL / ARMOUR
BaseBright Warm Grey
Recess ShadeApothecary White
HighlightBright Warm Grey + Bold Titanium White
WEAPONS
BaseLeadbelcher
WashNuln
HighlightStormhost
BaseBronze
WashAgrax
HighlightLight Bronze
BLACK BITS
BaseCoal Black
EdgeEshin Grey
EdgeMechanicus Standard
DotBold Titanium
PANTS
BaseGo nuts with Wizard's Butt colours
RED BITS
BaseOrange Red
HighlightDeep Orange
DotIce Yellow
PELT
BaseDark Turquoise
HighlightTurquoise
  1. 1
    basecoatCoal BlackPro Acryl
    Base weapon·Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    edgeMechanicus Standard GreyCitadel
    Edge all panels·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    highlightWolf Grey (72.047)Vallejo
    Dot highlights·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    basecoatLeadbelcherCitadel
    Barrels, clips·Vallejo Detail 2
  5. 5
    washNuln OilCitadel
    Barrels, clips·Vallejo Detail 2
  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
Lips
  1. 1
    basecoatBugman’s GlowCitadel
    Base with this colour·Artis Opus Series S 1
  2. 2
    highlightTuskgor FurCitadel
    20% of lips in this colour·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    highlightIce Yellow (70.858)Vallejo + Tuskgor FurCitadel (1:2)
    Blend to lip cracks·Artis Opus Series S 00
  1. 1
    basecoatBlack GreenPro Acryl
    Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    layerYellow GreenPro Acryl
    80% upward facing flesh·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    layerBright Yellow GreenPro Acryl
    40% of Yellow Green layer·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    glazeTuskgor FurCitadel + Lahmian MediumCitadel (1:4)
    Elbows and knuckles·Artis Opus Series S 1
  5. 5
    basecoatIncubi DarknessCitadel
    Fingernails·Artis Opus Series S 00
  6. 6
    highlightIncubi DarknessCitadel + Wolf Grey (72.047)Vallejo (2:1)
    Fingernail highlights·Artis Opus Series S 00
  7. 7
    highlightIncubi DarknessCitadel + Wolf Grey (72.047)Vallejo (1:2)
    Fingernail highlights·Artis Opus Series S 00
  8. 8
    highlightWolf Grey (72.047)Vallejo
    Dot highlight·Artis Opus Series S 00
Camo GreenPro Acryl⇆BurgundyPro AcrylBonePro AcrylTan FleshPro Acryl⇆OrangePro Acryl⇆Orange RedPro Acryl⇆Bold Pyrrole RedPro Acryl⇆Dark TurquoisePro AcrylTurquoise (72.024)Vallejo⇆KhakiPro Acryl⇆Bright Warm GreyPro AcrylApothecary WhiteCitadel⇆Eshin GreyCitadel⇆Emperor’s ChildrenCitadel⇆Bold Titanium WhitePro Acryl⇆Deep Orange IntenseAK InteractiveTurquoisePro AcrylPurplePro Acryl⇆Faded PlumPro Acryl⇆PinkPro Acryl⇆Wizard's Butt #1Pro AcrylWizard's Butt #2Pro AcrylDark Hot PinkPro Acryl⇆Pale PinkPro AcrylBronzePro Acryl⇆Light BronzePro Acryl⇆Agrax EarthshadeCitadel⇆Stormhost SilverCitadel⇆Dark PurplePro Acryl⇆Royal PurplePro AcrylRed GreyPro AcrylBright Neutral GreyPro Acryl⇆Wizard's Butt #3Pro AcrylWizard's Butt #4Pro AcrylWizard's Butt #6Pro AcrylWizard's Butt #5Pro AcrylCopperPro Acryl⇆MahoganyPro Acryl⇆

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