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So I made a mistake and snapped the clear canopy that comes with the fire raptor into place and I could not pry it loose. So to avoid a plastic pilot I decided to prime over the canopy, now my question is how do I paint a canopy? I have seen that some people do a gradient change to represent a colored reflective cockpit. But would the new gemstone paints work?

Here is a picture of what I am dealing with.

What style is the rest of your army painted? Just to get a gist on what might look best.

I doubt the gemstone paint will look good. Quite a big surface. A blended gradient might look best.

Edit: Looked into your gallery. It's for your Raven Guard? If so... do a blended gradient instead of the gemstone paint.

Well yellow is the color for the eye lenses, otherwise its mainly the off black with grey edge highlights and silver trim. Here are a few examples

Yeah, I really wouldn't go with the gemstone paint. A blue gradient might look a lot better. Looking at the claws you did.
Might take some time. But it will look way better than the technical paint.

 The Grumpy Eldar wrote:
Yeah, I really wouldn't go with the gemstone paint. A blue gradient might look a lot better. Looking at the claws you did.
Might take some time. But it will look way better than the technical paint.

Definitely. Technical paints tend to lose their appeal on larger surfaces.

I figured the gemstone paint wouldn't work but you never know some crazy bastard may of tried it on a canopy . I am thinking I will do a gradient with blues seeing as how it will be a nice break color for the model

Although not the technical paint, you can get some really nice looks off putting a candy coat over a metallic base. Downside is it does require an airbrush, and probably masking in your case.

No, I don't think the gemstone paints would be a good bet. I do not believe they would look good on large, flat surfaces; they look better on irregular and curved surfaces. It takes several coats to get them to look nice, and they don't go on thinly and evenly.

I'd go for something similar to your eye lenses; a lot of modern aircraft have metallic anti-radar coatings in their canopy, which can give quite startling results:

A really smooth glossy black will work. Top tip: water effects (woodland scenics runny stuff) works really, really well for glossing things you need to look wet/smooth.

I was going to suggest gloss black too. That's one of my favourite ways to finish canopies.
You might think that it won't pop on a black vehicle but it will pop perfectly well and shift the tone of the model from cartoon to sinister.

What type of glossy blacks would you guys suggest?

Abaddon Black followed by the glossiest varnish you can find!
GW isn't bad.