Painting Basics: Painting Red
This tutorial goes along with the Painting Red Video which we put up not long ago, and is a basic step by step breakdown on that, but also showing the difference that different washes can make.
On the video I was painting a Chaos Terminator Lord’s cloak red, and used Citadel Druchii Violet – you’ll notice I use this a lot – to shade it, before building up the highlights. This time it’s going to be five different shades, including Druchii Violet, to show how they change the look of the shoulder pad a little.
First off, everything is undercoated with Citadel Abaddon Black, and base coated with Citadel Mephiston Red.
Next, I applied the shades. From Left to Right we have Citadel Gryphonne Sepia, Citadel Biel-Tan Green, Citadel Guilliman Blue, Vallejo Black Shade, and of course, Druchii Violet.
Next, reapply the Mephiston Red. What you can see below is the differences the shades make, not so much to the flatter area, but around the edges. On a completed miniature, there is a lot more of the shade on show in creases, armour joints, etc, which make the difference.
When the Mephiston Red is dry, you can apply a highlight across the top. For this I mixed Vallejo Red Orange with Mephiston Red, then applied it to the top third or so of the shoulder pad. From here you can add your chapter badges and iconography, and call it a day.
Or… You can put on the iconography – I haven’t – and then add some battle damage/weathering. For this I used a small piece of blisterpack sponge, and sponged on some Abaddon Black.
Next, I added some Vallejo Model Air Chrome.
And finally, I highlighted the lower edge of each nick, crack, chip and scrape with a mix of Mephiston Red and Orange Red.
Looking at how the different shades have affected the overall look of the shoulder pads gives a good idea of how you can use them. Form me, the Gryphonne Sepia looks a little grubby, like dirt is engrained in the corners. Biel-Tan Green is quite bold and makes gives a good contrast to the red, similar can be said to the Guilliman Blue. The Black Shade is incredibly bold, and is what I use on my Sons of Horus (clearly not red) because it makes the joints in the armour stand out, almost comic book style, and I like the look. Purple does similar, but for me, looks a lot more natural.
For different shades of red, the colours may be different, but the principles are the same.
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