Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hello all, I'm just getting back into 40k after a 3 year break, but I played for like 9 years before my break. I've decided to start a nids army back up. I have a lot of the stuff and I enjoy the army. The one thing I can't stand about them is painting. Back in the day I didn't care about painting but now I've grown up a lot and I want to create an army that looks good and is relatively easy to paint.

I usually run a numbers nid army and not a big creatures army and therefore I have quite a few models to paint. My painting skills are less than average right now and I would like to come up with a paint scheme that is quick and the is relatively simple. I I'm not really stuck to anything, I know that I like the armor and skin to contrast and other than that I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks

have you looked at dipping? theres an article in the painting section. I dont know what colors, watever looks best

You're gonna love the new washes, they make painting nids, absurdly easy. Just slather on a base color for the skin and one for the plates, then wash away. Add color for the eyes and claws and boom! done.

So I kind of like the red armor over bone whitish skin, what washes would be good for each of those bases? Also, do you still go back and highlight if so, would you use like skull white on the skin and something like blood red(maybe a mix with some white) to do the armor?

Thanks

Oh meant to mention, I like the green armor more, like what use to be in the 3rd edition codex, but it looks hard. Is it really harder or is this just my wrong perception?

Sorry for the double post.

Thanks

I started painting a few Nids. I found the best place I got ideas was from nature. Do an image search for lizards, snakes, spiders, or other creatures that you think have similarities to the Nids. Look at their color schemes, and run with it.

Drummerboy wrote:Oh meant to mention, I like the green armor more, like what use to be in the 3rd edition codex, but it looks hard. Is it really harder or is this just my wrong perception?

Sorry for the double post.

Thanks

actually that's not exactly straight up green. For that method of dark green they base coated black highlighted the edges with dark green then a couple of shades of lighter greens then washed all the armor with a green wash to blend everything. Its a little more time consuming but its not really all that difficult. I did a similar technique using dark red to light browns in this tyranid warrior.

yea I really like that...is there a quick way to do a simplified version on things like gaunts and genestealers, then on my warriors and mc's etc I can do the more detailed job. Maybe dip the gaunts as karlfranz suggested earlier?

Really excellent Nid there Chaos. Love the base too.

ixlar wrote:I started painting a few Nids. I found the best place I got ideas was from nature. Do an image search for lizards, snakes, spiders, or other creatures that you think have similarities to the Nids. Look at their color schemes, and run with it.

Yea I thought about that, I actually own 2 snakes and worked in a big herp lab for a couple years. The problem is, I'm just not the artist that a lot of people on here are and I have a hard time taking schemes from my head to the model. I just need a lot more practice with the brush.

Here's my scheme

Washes are your friend. Pick a couple of primary colors. Then blend them with an appropriate wash. Remember, you really only have to paint them to be table top quality. You don't need to worry about super detail. That can come later. I have found that my skill level and confidence level grows with each model I paint. As you go along, try and add to what you are already doing with the models. Before you know it, it will be coming very naturally. Since you are painting Nids. You'll have plenty of opportunity to practice your skill. You probably only have about 80+ figures to paint.

I use washes for my orcs. It makes them look dirty. Like they have been playing "who do we kill now?" in the mud or something. It was the easiest thing I have ever done and since this was my first army, i loved the way it looked. Base coat like white, Blue for the armour, or w/e and then just wash them. Make sure to do the eyes last, but everything else should be done before the wash. I have made that mistake quite a few times already, do the eyes, then wash them. Doesn't look the best. But hope this helps you!

Okay I'm going to have to ask a newb question I'm afraid, but is a wash the same thing as an ink? If not, what are the differences in what they do and how you use them?

Just for note, I had about 90 models on the table in the last 1000pt tournament I played in...so yea I'll have plenty of practice...lol

Drummerboy wrote:Okay I'm going to have to ask a newb question I'm afraid, but is a wash the same thing as an ink? If not, what are the differences in what they do and how you use them?

Just for note, I had about 90 models on the table in the last 1000pt tournament I played in...so yea I'll have plenty of practice...lol

Washes and Inks are basically the same thing(diluted or very thin paint in one form or another) with a few minor differences.
Inks tend to be much more intense in color and IMHO are best used in glazing techniques(i.e. glazed over several different colors to blend them together).
Washes tend to be a lot thinner than inks and are used to create depth. The color tends to collect in the recesses of the model causing those areas to become darker.

Washes are new. The inks are the old washes. You need to add a drop of water to them to get them to look right when you wash with them. But the inks are great for doing detailed lines and highlights.

Okay thanks for the info. Do washes come in different colors like the inks and what would you suggest I use on say the skin of Ifurita's nids and either green or red armor...I can't make up my mind.

Any ideas on which would look better, when I say green I mean a brighter green, with darker recesses of course.

Drummerboy wrote:Okay thanks for the info. Do washes come in different colors like the inks and what would you suggest I use on say the skin of Ifurita's nids and either green or red armor...I can't make up my mind.

Any ideas on which would look better, when I say green I mean a brighter green, with darker recesses of course.

try using Gryphonne Sephia, its a brown with a yellowish tinge. It should give you that bone like color when applied over white.

is that a GW paint? I don't recognize it...

Drummerboy wrote:is that a GW paint? I don't recognize it...

yes its one of their new washes

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCats.jsp?catId=cat1210000&rootCatGameStyle=

Thanks everyone, maybe one day I'll be posting pics of a painted nid army...

Look forward to seeing them.

I'd suggest:

1. Prime White
2. Merchrite Red and Bleached Bone basecoats
3. Wash red with Baal Red and bone with Gryphonne Sepia

And a tip - don't water down the Washes, they are already the right consistency.

ixlar wrote:Washes are new. The inks are the old washes. You need to add a drop of water to them to get them to look right when you wash with them. But the inks are great for doing detailed lines and highlights.

NoobLord wrote:And a tip - don't water down the Washes, they are already the right consistency.

I didn't really think how my post read. Only add a drop of water if you are using the old inks, if you want to do a wash. The new washes, like NoobLord said, don't need any water added to them.

Okay thanks for the clarification. I picked up some of the Gryphonne wash this weekend. I don't have the Baal Red though, I'll have to try what I can out this week and see about getting some baal red the next chance. I'm in a Cookeville Tn and the closest hobby store is about an hour away.

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it a lot guys.

One quick question, Does anyone know of a picture of the green/tan tyranids that were pictured in the 3rd edition?

Thanks

Okay, this is my first model in about 5 years and my first time using this paint scheme. Sorry for the poor quality, all I had on me this time was my cell phone.

This is Primed white with red gore/blood red (HL) armor and Bleached bone skin with the gryphonne sepia. The only problem I have is that the paint looks inconsistent and it seems like it lacks something...this might just me. Also I need to know what everyone thinks would look best on the hoofs, claws, and hooks on the models? I wasn't sure so I only did bleached bone. Also, I didn't have any skull white for the teeth or a wash for the armor. I'll have to pick those up next time I'm near a decent hobby store.

" border="0" />

Please let me know what I can do to help my paint scheme and feel free to give me pointers on painting in general. I have never claimed to be a great painter.

Feel free to critique!

Thanks

what i did for one of my brothers nid army was really simple. i based the minis in dark green, then dry brushed with a brighter green. then i let him do the time consuming parts. but that way they looked really good and i could paint a TON of guants & genestealers in no time

Yeah I'm not really happy with what I did, not only in skill (I suck at painting) but the scheme just doesn't have a wow factor at all...kind of like seeing ultramarines or something like that I guess.