GW Online : Warhammer 40,000 : Space Marines : Painting Black Armour

PAINTING BLACK POWER ARMOUR

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OPTION 1: "CLASSIC" EXTREME HIGHLIGHTING

This technique is used by and large on all models painted by the Games Workshop 'Eavy Metal team. For Space Marines, this technique takes on the appearance of crisp brushstrokes on the upward-facing surfaces of a armoured plate. The highlighting is forced outward to the tips of the plane, with the lightest highlight being focused on the highest point on the edge of a piece of armour. The goal is to produce a hard line that emphasizes the contrast between illuminated and shadowed areas on the armour. When you see a Getting Started section for a particular army on the GW website or a masterclass painting article in White Dwarf magazine, extreme highlighting is most likely the technique being employed.

When applying an extreme highlight, the first thing you need to take into consideration is your theoretical light source. Please refer to the Halo of Light tip in this article. The second thing you need to do is view the model as a topographical map. The lower the area, the darker the shade — the highest elevations receive the brightest highlights.

PAINTING A BLACK TEMPLAR WITH THE EXTREME HIGHLIGHTING TECHNIQUE

1	Undercoat the model with Chaos Black (or use Chaos Black spray undercoat to achieve a thorough undercoat). Paint a 1:1 mix of Chaos Black and water over the entire model to cover any spray undercoat (see Chaos Black undercoat mentioned before). Mix: 1:1 / CG:H20

2	Highlight the uppermost facing edges of the armour plating with thinned (with water) 1:1 mix of Codex Grey mixed with Chaos Black. Mix: 1:1:4 / CG:CB:H20

3	Highlight the centre of the thin highlight lines from Step 2 with a thinned stroke of Codex Grey. Mix: 1:4 / CG:H20

4	Apply a final extreme highlight of thinned Fortress Grey in the centre of the Codex Grey highlight from Step 3. Don't overdo this final step, as it will lighten up the model's crisp edges considerably. Mix: 1:4 / FG:H20