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I am painting a BA devastator sqd currently. I have never really liked the combination of red power armor with blue helmets (conventional look of the BA dev) so I am opting to paint them purple. I have tried a few different color combinations and they just dont look right to me. Can you share your best purple receipe with me? This is basically what I tried:

- 1:1 Liche Purple/Regal Blue, wash with Liche Purple, highlight with 1:2 Liche Purple/Ice Blue

- 1:2 Ultramarine Blue/Liche Purple, wash with Liche Purple, highlight with 2:1 Liche Purple/Ice Blue

I mix blue into the color because I like the way blue and purple look together. Should I use Warlock Purple for a highlight instead? Any thoughts or pics would help, thanks!

If you are willing to go out of GW domain, Vallejo make several amazing purples that work wonderfully when combined with Leviathan Purple Wash.

I did my Elysians with these paints and they look great!

My Tyanids primary colour is purple. I just use a 2:1 liche purple/skull white highlight on them. Basically, Liche purple basecoat, leviathan Purple wash, drybrush Liche purple again, 2:1 Liche purple/skull white highlight. That's for my gaunts anyway, it'll be a bit more complex for my bigger Nids. But then, I'm keeping it dark to offset a very light bone carapace.

Well to be honest I would ditch the blue. I paint my purple pretty much just like Loki.

I've only ever painted a couple purple CSMs but for them I started with a couple dry brush coats of Liche Purple, then a single 2:1 Liche Purple and Ice Blue dry brush, followed by a 2:1 or 1:1 Liche Purple and Skull White highlight.

I need to learn to use washes better, I always seem to over do the first try, the second try ends up too watered down, the 3rd try is too dark again, etc... After a few different failed attempts at it, I just avoid them at all costs it seems...

My method: liche purple wash (1lp/1water), necron abyss drybrushing, a second liche purple wash(1lp/1water) amix of liche purple and warlock purple or just warlock purple highlight.

Purple is really the hardest color to mix, and the hardest pigment to get. Just try to mix a basic blue and basic red: theoretically you're going to get a basic purple color, but in application you'll get a purplish gray. As a rule of thumb, to have a basic purple color I mix it with a light color leaning on the blue side (Space Wolves Gray, Bleached Bone or Skull White). It really depends on what kind of purple do you want, since there's a lot of colors that one can consider as purple.

cool, these are all great ideas thanks. I really wish i could venture outside the GW painting realm and find some val paints...but no local stores carry them. I dont own leviathan purple so thats a good recommendation that I will try. I still like the addition of blue to the mix, I am looking for more of a blue/purple color anyway. My problem begins when it comes to highlighting the color, I didnt like how the purple looked when I started adding a lighter color to it, but im sure I will get the result im looking for with a wash over it. Great ideas from everyone thanks!

There's also Hormagaunt Purple, one of the foundation colours, that is a nice more grayish purple, which might help to stop the infamous red/purple/bright pink/orange clash cycle. If in doubt, put the colours next to each other on a piece of card and see if your eyes cry . Personally I would have gone with green, if that's not taken.

I actaully am considering green. I was thinking more along the lines of my assault squads rather than devastator though. But the more I think about it, the more I think they will look like christmas gnomes if I do green helmets

I also considered a black/grey color for dev sqd helms. When I mix blue and purple together it creates an almost grayish color. I like the idea though of seeing a devastator squad off in the distance with its heavy guns pointed at you as they adorn purple helmets....the idea is appealing to me. i think I will go to the comic store today and pick up a few paints to experiment with. Keep the suggestions coming though...they are definately stimulating some more ideas!