STEP 1: Complete the highlighting and shading of the area where the rune will be positioned. Set the model aside to dry entirely.

STEP 2: Next, take a sharpened pencil (the mechanical ones work the best) and lightly draw out the design that you wish to paint. If you are working over a dark colour, use a white charcoal pencil (these are available at most art supply or craft stores).

STEP 3: Paint over the pencil lines with thinned-down Chaos Black paint. Test the consistency of the paint before applying it to the model. If the paint is too thin, it will no longer be opaque. If it’s too thick, it will make your design lumpy and obscure the detail. You can test the paint on an old model or bit of primed sprue if you like. When painting the design, make sure to cover the pencil lines completely with the paint.

STEP 4: Once the black paint dries, go back in with a bright opaque colour and paint in the centre of the Chaos Black lines. If you choose a colour that is pretty transparent (like yellow), add a bit of Skull White to increase the colour’s opacity. When this coat dries, highlight the central line with a bit of pure Skull White. Save these tiny highlights for sharp corners or the tips of lines to make the design appear to have a bit more depth to it.

STEP 1: Begin by painting the gem with the desired base colour. For simplicity’s sake, try to choose a colour that has a lighter and darker shade available, which will help you achieve consistency in your highlights and shading. Scaly, Jade, and Vile Greens were used in this example with Jade Green being used for the base colour.

STEP 2: Next, take the darker shade (Scaly Green here) and paint the upper right or left corner of the gem. While the paint is still wet, take another brush, wet it, and break up the lower border of the darker shade colour until it makes a smooth transition into the base colour. A little practice may be necessary to hone your blending skills, but keep at it, as the end result is quite attractive.

STEP 3: For the highlight, paint the bottom edge of the gem opposite the shading using the lighter shade colour (Vile Green in this case). Use the same technique as described above, making sure that you leave enough of the base colour to make a smooth transition from highlight to shadow.

STEP 4: When satisfied with the blend of shadow, base, and highlight colours, take a bit of thinned Skull White paint and apply a single tiny highlight in the centre of the darkest part of the gem. Finally, add a thin, curved line of Skull White along the bottom edge to finish off the overall effect.

STEP 1: Begin by shading and highlighting the background colour over which the vine pattern will be painted. Be sure to choose a background colour that will contrast with the colour of your vines so that they will really stand out.

STEP 2: Next, draw a series curved lines with a pencil over the surface. Try to keep the pattern looking random and always keep the lines curved with no straight sections. Aim to keep the lines a uniform distance from one another. When satisfied with the pattern, water down some paint (Dark Angels Green in this case) and paint over the lines. Varying the width of the lines will add to the overall grace of the curves, but that’s a matter of taste.

STEP 3: When the basic lines are dry, go back in with the pencil and add jagged thorns on either side of the vines. As with the vine curves, try to keep the thorns a uniform distance from one another. Paint the thorns with the same base colour used on the vines themselves.

STEP 4: Go back in and highlight the centres of the lines with a lighter shade of the vine colour. When this is dry, add another brighter highlight around the most pronounced curves to add further depth to the vines. At this point, touch up any blemishes with the background colour. Finally, sit back and marvel at how easy and attractive the overall effect is!

STEP 1: The first step in painting diamonds on your model is to lay down a diamond-shaped pattern in which to work. Take a darker colour and paint diagonal lines across the area you wish to display diamonds. Then, paint a second set of diagonal lines that intersect the first set. Touch up any mistakes now.

STEP 2: After the pattern dries, paint the inside of each diamond. Alternate the colours to create a checkered pattern. It's a good idea to give the colours some thought before you starting filling in diamonds. Make sure you use two highly contrasting colours to make the pattern really stand out.

STEP 3: Once you have painted in all the diamond shapes, use a light shade of the same colour to add a thin "V" highlight to the upper half of each diamond. This highlight will make the diamonds look as if they're embossed on the surface. Of course, painting diamond patterns on a flat surface is one thing — painting them on a curved miniature is quite another! Remember, be patient and practice often. Soon, you'll be cranking out more diamonds than a jewelry store.

STEP 1: Begin by laying down basecoats of the colours you're going to be using. Planning ahead is essential, as you want a colour scheme that looks coherent while being striking. After reading through this guide on painting wings, consider testing your colour selections on a sample card before you start. In the example above, Chaos Black adorns the wing spar, while alternating Hawk Turquoise and Scab Red colour the inner feathers, while Vermin Brown covers the outer ones.

STEP 2: After the basecoats dry, it's time for your first basic highlight. This addition is going to be only slightly brighter than the basecoat, though it will be fairly wide compared to your later highlights. For the example above, 2:1 Chaos Black to Bleached Bone highlights the black spar, 2:1 Hawk Turquoise to Bleached Bone for the turquoise feathers, 2:1 Vermin Brown to Bleached Bone highlights the brown feathers, while the red feathers got straight Red Gore.

STEP 3: Time to gradually build up your highlights. Keep mixing in more and more of your lighter colours into your highlight mixes, or choose lighter colours straight from the Citadel Colours range. In the example above, the second highlights are all at a 1:2 ratio compared to the first, while Blood Red now highlights the red feathers and straight Bleached Bone picks out the brown feathers.

STEP 4: The final highlight should always be the brightest, and also the narrowest or smallest. This highlight is supposed to represent where light is hitting the edges of the model. For this example, the black spar is edged by Bleached Bone, the turquoise feathers got straight Skull White, the red feathers got Blazing Orange, while the outer brown feathers are edged with a 2:1 mix of Skull White to Bleached Bone.