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Anyone have any really good guides to painting white models with black details....any way to paint this very quickly? I am trying to paint Tau Firewarriors.

J0kerrMT wrote:
Anyone have any really good guides to painting white models with black details....any way to paint this very quickly? I am trying to paint Tau Firewarriors.

I see you are quite new around here, this section is for people who have tutorials to post, not for the questions, that goes into the painting and modelling sub-forum, but not to worry we've all done it, and some one will be along to move it soon

Also if you have a search around this tutorial section you should find some good stuff, just type in how to paint white. Also when it comes to painting tutorials Youtube is your friend

Thread moved to proper forum.

Your best bet is to prime the model(s) white and shade down from there, as opposed to building up to white from a dark basecoat. While the latter method certainly works, the number of layers required to get smooth, even coverage make it more than a little painstaking. Black, on the other hand, covers quite easily.

More specific advice than that will require a bit more input as to what, exactly, you're looking to do. Painting white is problematic for a lot of people, so there is a lot of information out there... only some of which is likely to cover your specific needs. Help us help you.

Depending on what you're going for with the finished product, I've seen great examples of white that were shaded in greys and great examples that were shaded in blues. Though, pretty much every method is going to involve a large number of pretty thinned down layers to get to a smooth finish.

Here's the basic recipe, three paints:
1. The Fang / Shadow Grey
2. Fenrisian Grey / Space Wolves Grey
3. White.

Remember to thin your paints a bit, and 2-3 layers is better for getting solid coverage than one thick layer. If you don't have The Fang / Shadow Grey, it's just Dawnstone / Codex Grey (which is a 50/50 of black and white) with a mid-tone blue mixed in like Altdorf / Ultramarine Blue, and keep adding white to the mix for the lighter layers.

This will leave a blue tint the the white.

Quick simple way to paint white with black details.

Basecoat model with white primer.

Water down some black wash and apply only to recceses for shading.

Paint any other details.

Done.


While very basic, this is an easy, quick way to paint white with dark shading. Wont win any competitions, but it WILL get your army on the table painted!

Yeah, if you try layering up to strong white from a black primer it will take too many layers. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to paint my Tervigon this way. It was not a good idea =D

I used this method for painting my ravenwing -

Celestra Grey
Ulthuan Grey
Highlight with White Scar.

Yea. If you're trying to do it easily why paint grey and build up! Just prime white, add some very light shadows then touch of with white again, paint details etc and done!

Depends on the white you're after. For a warm white you're using brown, neutral is grey and cold is blue. Then you need to build up in layers until you get close to white, but never go full white as then you have no room for highlights.

Easiest method though is priming grey then building up from there.

Here is a very easy method I recently discovered:

It consists of 1 Basecoat, 1 Wash and 1 Highlight, and gives you a nice shaded white finish.

Essential preparation:

1. Get some matte medium (from Michaels, any art store or online).
Mix Nuln Oil (Badab Black) half-n-half with matte medium.
Add a bit of water (preferably with some Flow Improver). A few drops (8-12) will do, if you mix in the Nuln Oil pot.
Keep in mind that matte medium is white BUT it dries clear.

This preparation might seem overwhelming to some, but it makes AAAALLLLL the difference.
You might think; "Oh, man. Matte Medium? That is like for Pros! I really don't paint enough to warrant that".
Shut up! Just trust me and get it. You will not regret it at all.

2. Get GWs Ceramite White base paint.

3. Get Vallejo Model Air White.

Painting:

Basecoat with GWs Ceramite White.
Here we are making the best use of the coverage that the GW Base paint provides.
This coat doesn't have to be perfect. Just be as neat as you can be bothered to be. Some streaking is ok.
If you are painting the entire (or the majority) of the model white you can just spray a white basecoat on.

Wash with your Nuln Oil/Matte Medium mix.
Because we have mixed with Matte Medium it doesn't taint the model as much and it flows a lot better.
The amount of wash you need......I can't tell you. You really need to try it on a model and see.
The wash will look white and kinda pale, but it will dry black.
Don't let the wash gather on large flat areas (it will make your work a LOT easier later). Just run the brush over the area one more time to move it a bit.

Highlight with the Vallejo Model Air White.
Here we are making use of the qualities that Vallejo Model Air provides.
Since this is a paint made for airbrush use it is thin, but with the same intensity of colour that we are used to.
Now you highlight the white leaving the shaded areas untouched.
Do not slopper this white on. As the paint is rather thin it tends to run all over. Just put a little bit on your brush and highlight.
Start with the extreme edges, and cover more and more until you like the result.

Thats it.

TL;DR: A way to paint nice white in 1 basecoat, 1 wash and 1 highlight that you didn't read? Ok.