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Pretty much the only technique that I use when it comes to painting and highlighting black, is to paint black and then highlight using Codex Grey or similar. Which is OK but it doesn't look, for want of a better word, quite realistic enough. The highlight looks a bit 'forced', a bit obvious and doesn't look like it blends and complements the base colour, in the same way that highlighting boltgun metal with mithril silver is a nice smooth progression, for example.

So I was thinking, in light of some of the techniques that have evolved using the GW washes, if a similar approach could be taken to painting and highlighting black. Something like using codex grey as the basecoat and then washing badab black over the top - I expect you would need several coats of the wash.

Anyone tried this? Is it a viable method?

I usually highlight black with a very dark blue (regal blue + black) then mix in space wolf grey for the extreme highlight. It's definitely more work, but I think it looks better than codex grey in most cases. Give it a try!

I would do so, but my problem is that I am a frustrating slow painter, even with the most basic of colour schemes, to the extent that I have to save time and effort wherever possible. One of my self-imposed rules is that I don't mix paints; if the colour doesn't exist, I don't create it.

Sounds crazy, I know but there is logic behind the reasoning!

Having said that, using a dark blue does sound logical.

A dark blue like the old storm blue would be nice as a ready to paint highlight.
I am usually painting shadow grey as the singular time saving "highlight"..... its maybe just getting a "acceptable" result tough.

Another mix to try:

http://sonsofcorax.freeforums.org/painting-black-for-new-and-old-ravens-t1012.html

I know its army-specific but lots of black there so maybe helps.

filbert wrote:I would do so, but my problem is that I am a frustrating slow painter, even with the most basic of colour schemes, to the extent that I have to save time and effort wherever possible. One of my self-imposed rules is that I don't mix paints; if the colour doesn't exist, I don't create it.

Sounds crazy, I know but there is logic behind the reasoning!

Having said that, using a dark blue does sound logical.

As long ans you don't have a rule against using other brand paints , I can really recommend Vallejo no 70862 black grey for highlighting flat black.

I play Night goblins (among else) andi paint there cloaks like this: ( caos black spray) layer chardon granite, drybrush codex grey. Wash Baddab black. It does not look so flat and and it also looks way better then simple codex grey higlight.

It most definitely IS a viable method. I used Les' Wash recipe, but instead of ink, I used chaos black in it. I used it on a bunch of minis that were primed white. So my surprise, I didn't even need to highlight, it looked amazing.

I use charadon granite, a GW color, for my black legion. Looks great to me. I've considered using a dark red or blue before. But I'll get to that eventually.

I only use codex as an EXTREME highlight. It's much to obtrusive as a plain highlight.

If your model is primarily black then once the model is black dry brush a dark blue on the areas you want then finish painting the model. I've seen this used to great effect on black armored marines, and its relatively fast.

Could always go for a very light colour like Bleached Bone or use something like Adeptus Battlegrey with a wash of Badab Black.

fiddler6291 wrote:

As long ans you don't have a rule against using other brand paints , I can really recommend Vallejo no 70862 black grey for highlighting flat black.

I'll second that. I've done a couple of Black Templars with this although I also picked out the armour edges with a grey/blue aswell. Vallejo do quite alot of various shades of black in their military model range so you should have plenty of choice there.