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So, I settled on Tyranids. I want to paint them much like the zerg of my past, as I find the theme very cool.
I have a few Paint Ideas, but I'm quite bad at figuring out what to do do get the colors (I'm new to art, in general, lol)
Anyway, I'll Start with some references.

http://imgur.com/a/92qsn

Primer: Skeleton Bone (Tan?) Or Black? Maybe Brown?
Exoskeleton: I Tried using XV-88... And let it dry for a day, and its just "flat brown" that might be a bit too bright? Not earthy? I had used a dark tan primer for this.
Fleshy Bits: Xeneus Purple, Maybe some highlights in Pink Horror?
Claws: Ushtabi Bone?
Green: Moot Green

However, as I said, I'm quite bad at this, and any advice on what I should be buying/a general process to doing this would be excellent and appreciated!
How do I get that Earthy Brownish Red Look? Is there a color? Or a base -> Layer or Base -> Wash I need to do? And What Purple does one use, as well as recommended wash for it?
What color primer would be optimal for this?

Maybe I should just get Army Painter Colour Primer Alien Purple, and build up from there?

How do I get that Earthy Brownish Red Look? Is there a color? Or a base -> Layer or Base -> Wash I need to do? And What Purple does one use, as well as recommended wash for it?

Mournfang brown is the colour you want for the base.

1. Base Mournfang brown
2. Wash with Agrax Earthshade
3. Relayer Mournfang brown
4. Highlight with 80:20 mix of Mournfang brown and Ushabti bone.

As for the purple, it's going to be a bit harder to make it look exactly like the Zerg you have in the photo. That is a mix of purple, pink, and a skin tone. You could try the following:

1. Base with Screamer Pink
2. Shade with Druchii Violet (possibly mixed with some Nuln oil in like a 80:20 ratio, this depends on how dark the purple pushes the pink)
3. Relayer Screamer Pink
4. Highlight with a 50:50 mix of screamer pink and Bugman's glow

To get the purple right, you will need to blend the last two layers together and so will need properly thinned paints, a good understanding of how to do layer highlighting.

What color primer would I want to start with?

Would I want to start with Black, or just go with, like, Alien Purple from Army Painter and work from there?

Arkengate wrote:
What color primer would I want to start with?

Would I want to start with Black, or just go with, like, Alien Purple from Army Painter and work from there?

I typically paint using either a medium grey or black primer; I'm not one for coloured primers as I like the modulation offered by a black/white/grey.

Alien purple could work. Although I will say I specifically chose the Screamer Pink colour based on the swatch though, as the Zerg tend to be more of a purple/pink than a straight purple.