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Hey all, I'm new to painting (except for painting inside the lines with my Ultramarines years ago, which....) and I'm about to start painting my Dark Eldar. I did have a question, how do inks and the like turn out on DE? I've seen some washes(?) done on things like 'Nids and Chaos and they look great, but is that because it gives them that slimy effect? I don't particularly want to drybrush a hundred boats, and I'm an (as stated previously) inexperienced painter to put it lightly.

Does anyone have any tips for how I could get a decent-looking coat or eight of paint on my Dark Eldar?

Thanks!

Inks aren't limited to nids and chaos. They are a great way to give you some quick shading on pretty much anything. They are also useful for toning down that 'powdery' look you get from dry brushing.

To be honest though, they are just one tool in the box. Dry brushing is another, as is edge hi lighting etc.

If you want nice looking models, you need to use all the techniques. If you just want a quick force on the table, base coat, dip in army painter quick shade, and blast with dull cote.

I'm a huge fan of using washes/inks on Elves/Eldar. Drybrushing is just too "dirty" for their aesthetic IMO. My own DE have a metallic purple armour, such as seen here on my Lady Malys conversion.



With specific regard to the vehicles; you'll have to thin down the washes a little bit to prevent it being blotchy over the smooth surfaces of DE vehicles. But it'll still look great.

That looks GREAT! Thank you, that's really similar to an effect I was hoping for without having the words to describe it!

How does it work on vehicles? Honestly, I don't walk around asking people who are playing at the game store "excuse me, is that an ink, wash, blah, blah" I just get beat severely by them when they let me play.

I appreciate the picture

What sort of scheme are you thinking dude? I would suggest going a tiny bit lighter if you are going to be just washing, will help keep the colours there whilst staying with the flowing lines that Eldat/DE seem to have.

I agree with Grim, drybrushing is a great technique for some, but it can look a little sandy which might not fit in with the style.

The Division Of Joy wrote:
What sort of scheme are you thinking dude? I would suggest going a tiny bit lighter if you are going to be just washing, will help keep the colours there whilst staying with the flowing lines that Eldat/DE seem to have.

I agree with Grim, drybrushing is a great technique for some, but it can look a little sandy which might not fit in with the style.

Layering's where it's at for DE! Admittedly the hem on Malys' cloak is drybrushed, but that's because it's fur.

I'm honestly not sure what scheme I'm after with my DE. I do know I'm leaning toward a purple/pink armor (but very subdued, like the picture above, nothing too bright) and probably vehicles as well. Hair color will be variable, so ideally something that would work well with every color of the spectrum. I'm probably going to have to look at more schemes online before making a solid decision though.

Pinks and purples are always good bets as they work well with black and darkness, it's all about the contrast. Light cyan tone is good as well

For a quick and dirty version of that purple armor, do a mithril silver basecoat on any non-flesh bits, give it a watered down black ink wash to give clearly defined crevices, then as many watered down layers of purple shade as you want to achieve your desired color. Top it off with either a purple or dark red ink wash.
The important thing to get are actual inks, not washes like GW makes. Go to your local art store and look for glass bottles with dropper tops clearly labeled as such, Liquitex makes good inks. These will give you the glossy effect I think you're looking for. Use GW shades for the actual coloring, but inks for the initial black definition and final layer.