Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi All,

I'm starting an Ultramarine army and after looking at a lot of beautiful painted ones on different forums I still have a few painting question.

Do I give the models a Black prime base color and then start building up and highlighting with blue and leave small black lines showing?

OR

Do I give them a Black prime base color then paint the whole model blue, give the whole model a darker wash (black or blue) and then put on the first base color and highlights and leave some lines showing?

When highlighting do I overdo it (contrast) or do I make it more smooth so you only see the details when you pick up the model and look at it a few inches away?

Thx

Hi there, the questions you ask are really a matter of taste, everyone will tell you a different way of doing it. The best thing to do is get hold of some models you don't particularly care about (normal tactical marines would be great) and try each style to see which you prefer. It's all about doing what you like. Hope that helps!

I can give you my opinion:
1 - I like the black undercoat and most UM players I know do this. White will make the base coat of blue brighter, but you can also do this with highlighting it out.
2 - I like to black line, not use a wash...but as Greebynog said, it is preference. Using a wash is probably faster.
3 - highlighting - also up to you, I do a somewhat extreme highlight on mine - basic troops are UM Blue then highlighted with 2:1 UM B and White, then a 1:2 UM Blue and White...but you can always blend to your preference and there are other ways to highlight them.

Just paint a few models a few different ways and see which one you like the best

Like others have said it comes down to preference. there's so many ways to do it.

A basecoat and wash would be the quickest. You can also start with black and then build up the blue with watered down layers, but you'll end up with a darker overall look. But it might be cool for ultramarines. That's how I did the armor on my skorne titan for Hordes. It's just black, ultramarine blue and a touch of ice blue toward the end. Doesn't come across as well in the pics but the edges of the armor look black, but the middle areas of the plates you can see it fades in to the full blue color.

I painted a ultramarine commander for a friend once, and it was before I really knew all the techniques I know now. But I started with ultramarine blue for the base coat, then I did a wash or 2 with watered down blank ink (very watered down) then when it dried I did a very light drybrush of ultramarine blue again, then ice blue very lightly to just pick out the highlights.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/211997.page

You can take a look at my Ultramarines and see if you like how they are done.

They are similar to what Mray (black line + 2 tier highlight) had posted but I usually do a correctional highlight with the base color to trim the highlights done to a fine line. It tends to look real clean and fresh from the factory, though.

exocorp who the hell would want Ultramarines looking like yours?

I've seen some Ultramarines done with a black undercoat and Regal Blue afterwards. Can't remember the steps right now, but they're very dark indeed. For Ultramarines, at least.

I think the Dysartes has a nice painting guide, try and check it out if you're interested.

Hello there, I have a pretty good way to paint UM that looks good and saves on time. Primer the model black, then wash all surfaces of the armor you want to be blue with UM blue, then brush blue ink around the recesses (including those pesky access panels/vents), after that, you can go after the trim with whichever company distinct colors you desire (I chose second company - gold), then finally, highlight blue parts using about a 4-1 mix of white-UM blue. Sounds a bit simple but it looks nice, I'll get a pic posted within an hour or so.