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Ive started a small tyranid force some time ago. But havent gotten round to painting them yet. Though most of the models have already been primed black.
The reason I haven't started on them is because I can't decide what colors to give them.

So this is basicly my shout out for some ideas to help get the creative juices flowing.

Just two little things.

Number 1: I want to stay away from any of the codex colors.
Number 2: I would like to AVOID using RED. Since i already have enough red in my Ork army I'd like something different.

So please toss a few ideas my way. thankyou

Black and yellow look really cool. Maybe a hint of orange in there as well.

You should look though some pictures of lizards and bugs for patterns and colour combinations. you might easily find one you like.

I chose natural colours, which is also an official GW/FW paint scheme used in IA4. See my blog.

One of the guys here did scorpion green and black. It's pretty sweet.

thanks for the ideas so far guys youve given me some stuff to look into. Do keep them coming though. the more ideas the better

Also look at sea invertebrates; crabs, corals, etc.

Some amazing colors in nature which can look very alien like (many of the alien fauna in avatar was actually sea critters).

For my nids, I wanted their carapaces to look like bug chitin, so I searched for colors that would look like a giant roach/crab carapace...it took me a long time, but eventually I found the exact combination that I wanted.

Don't rush it: do a lot of test paints, and try things out.

one hint: test on a metal model (or several) as they are easier to strip later for more tests.
another hint: write down what colors you used in your tests - this may seem obvious...but....

best of luck!!!

My chitin is black layered up to fluorescent blue at the edges, and my flesh is fluorescent green.

My claws go from fluorescent blue to an edge of fluorescent orange.

Everything is at least somewhat shaded as to make it bearable to look at, but still obnoxious (OH, and under a UV light it's like a freakin' 40k disco...)

Go with what you like. 40k is all about the player, ya know? Ya like dragonfly's? Google a picture and grab some color ideas. Try to do an Alien theme? Get to work. "Pandora" from the movie Avatar? Start crackin'.

But, for those of us that may have a hard time starting out:
http://www.fallensunasylum.org/nids/online_painter.html

I think black and white could look really awesome depending on how skilled you are at the fade.

Like others have said, if you're ambitious, look at animals. Tropical frogs are also a great source. Or anything poisonous.

Some ideas for natural colours:









...and this is the colour I eventually went for:

Steelmage99 wrote:

love this. any idea on how it was done?

paint them like ridley scotts aliens... that would be so cool

beltenebros wrote:

Steelmage99 wrote:

love this. any idea on how it was done?

errrmm.... white, yellow, brown wash?

I did some of my few things i had with a grey carapace, yellow 'skin' and pink fleshy bits.. i have a picture of it somewhere in my gallery..

Oh, and if youve never seen this before, Have some fun with this interactive painter too.

http://www.fallensunasylum.org/nids/online_painter.html

Look at poison dart frogs. Choose one.

Here is my snow themed: http://entertheblacklibrary.tumblr.com/post/14217088176/trygon-prime-moron#notes

My Nid army is a bit like this:



Was very quick and easy to do but I think it still looks decent, check my gallery If you want to see any more

If you're doing anything 'exotic' and brightly coloured I suggest you look into a vallejo flourescent paint and mix it with the corresponding colour or wash it over.

Contrasting colours tend to work best - black yellow, red teal, purple orange etc

Nards nids, some of the best if not the best nids around.
Check his tutorial out.

http://album.warpshadow.com/main.php

this gallery has hundred of awesome ideas for Tyranids. Check it out!

Feel free to check out my Gallery, i have loads of Tyranids...I have been painting them for about 16 years now, and want to change my color scheme, but since i have so many painted in the original scheme, I hate invalidating the rest of them! Make sure you pick one you like!

I hate contrasting color nids. One of my friends made a desert scrub game board and painted the nids to match the table (they're almost invisible at the right angle) don't know if I have some pictures... also nids adapt for supremacy and supremacy is: if they can't see you they can't kill you, go for some kind of camo, i think that'd work best

before my son decided he wanted nids, i was doing a carnifex with brown flesh and green carapace so it was like a tree style camo.
But then, who's to say that trees aren't blue with yellow leaves on some far off alien world?

Look at any poisonous animals, most are either camouflaged with shapely, regular patterns (rattlesnakes, rockfish), others are bright with sharp patterning (Poison dart frogs, wasps).
Pick your favorite.

Something else that dawned on me. If you're participating in anything to do with nids, you should investigate this forum:

http://thetyranidhive.proboards.com/index.cgi

Strategy, PAINTING, MODELING, wip projects, etc...