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Hi all,

I'm a new warhammer 40k fan and i'm creating my first army Tau in colors of sa'cea sept.


My problem is:
- If i use Fang base color and then just highlight with Russ grey ii have a good result in terms of quality (thin layer) but very dark blue color (much darker then the pic)
- if i put Russ grey over Fang as a new layer i have a color that i like more (lighter blue) but since Russ grey is a layer paint (more transparent) - the result is worse for me (you have to paint multiple layers over base layer and it still looks worse then pure Fang layer)

So what would you advise me as a newbie? What is the best way to obtain lighter blue color for armor? Paint Russ grey over undercoat? Select different base paint? Or just forget about it for now and stick to Fang base as it is easier to paint.

Thanks in advance!
BR,
Anatoliy

My advice would be to accept that typically most colours are built up, and painted using multiple layers. it is rare that single coats give good coverage without obscuring detail.

I think if you want to replicate that scheme exactly, it would probably be best to simply just follow that guide.

Prime the model black, then paint the basecoat with the Fang. After that you want to paint the all the armour except for the recesses with Russ grey; you will need to use two thin coats. Then paint your edge highlight with Fenrisian grey.

Another option is to start lighter and shade down. I personally dislike using the GW layer paints since they usually have quite poor coverage. It might be worth your time to look for a similar color in a range with better coverage - Vallejo Game Color's Shadow Grey is a decent match for Russ Grey and should cover better.

If I was trying to paint this scheme, I would probably start with a basecoat of Shadow Grey, shade with a black wash such as Nuln Oil (if you thin it just a bit with water, it doesn`t darken the basecoat quite as much) and then highlight with Fenrisian Grey.

Hope that helps!

I paint sa'cea myself, and my recommendation is: layer with Fang, then layer with russ grey, then highlight with fenrisian grey. I personally add a thinned-out layer of nuln oil on top, to darken the model a little, before highlighting.