Greetings one and all and welcome to our second blog post. Today I thought that I’d jump in at the deep end and offer you up a short painting guide, giving you the opportunity to see the process I go through to produce the works I have come to pride myself on creating. So today, I’m going to try and show you how I paint red power armour in a way that is quick, easy, and gives great results. This is great for all you Blood Angels out there; all you need is Abaddon Black, Eshin Grey, Ulthuan Grey, White Scar, Contrast Blood Angels Red and Fire Dragon Bright.
We begin with a Primaris Space Marine. I’ve chosen not to glue the backpack on at the moment so I can get the base coat and the subsequent layers into all the nooks and crannies. I strongly encourage the use of sub assemblies in order to get the best results.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_f4195423be9f49a2b99484c7fffddc2c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1466,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_f4195423be9f49a2b99484c7fffddc2c~mv2.jpg)
So with the model partially assembled the way we want it, I apply an undercoat of Abaddon Black. You can apply this with a brush or spray, but I find spray gives a much smoother result.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_05785d30bde348eba503b827db558a63~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1143,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_05785d30bde348eba503b827db558a63~mv2.jpg)
Once I have a strong black undercoat, It’s time to start dry brushing. Did I mention I like dry brushing? I didn’t? Well, from now on it’s nothing but dry brushing… Well, bar applying the contrast paint. For the next stage I use a Medium Dry brush and give the whole model a heavy coat of Eshin grey, to the point that hardly any black can be seen.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_fe1d06c17bdd4726b09aa2cb9fc8f4a3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1389,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_fe1d06c17bdd4726b09aa2cb9fc8f4a3~mv2.jpg)
Once dry, I cut a 50/50 mix of Eshin Grey and Ulthuan Grey and dry brush the model again, this time trying to avoid the places I want to remain dark and shadowy.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_7027f98a5cb14fd1a46cac40361c96df~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1321,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_7027f98a5cb14fd1a46cac40361c96df~mv2.jpg)
After that I dry brush in pure Ulthuan Grey, forcing more on the areas I want to be lighter in colour. Sharp edges and raised areas are prime locations for this.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_e6a44a557c8d4c46985fa22080f02faf~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1532,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_e6a44a557c8d4c46985fa22080f02faf~mv2.jpg)
Finally I go over the model with a light brushing of White Scars, focusing on the most prominently raised areas. The goal here is to develop the shading in the areas that you want specifically light and dark ahead of applying the Contrast Blood Angels Red.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_d7b773ea75a349819028888f1b46452a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1383,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_d7b773ea75a349819028888f1b46452a~mv2.jpg)
At this point, I then apply Contrast Blood Angels Red in one smooth even coat all over the entire model. Personally, I use the contrast paint straight out of the pot to achieve the result I want, but you can thin the paint to get an even lighter shade if you wish.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_d9fc7bab2c824cf68aa4ba9bf8ca4e32~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1479,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_d9fc7bab2c824cf68aa4ba9bf8ca4e32~mv2.jpg)
Once everything is dry I give the model a final, light dry brush of Fire Dragon Bright to really bring out the raised areas and edges.
And this is the final result.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_3fc3566f48274568ac070a76d8c4293a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1317,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_3fc3566f48274568ac070a76d8c4293a~mv2.jpg)
I did go ahead and spend a couple of minutes bringing the model to a tabletop standard, but as you can see this is excellent for Blood Angels, Khorne Berzerkers, even fabrics like cloaks and robes.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_42d6d3cd1d2b41fa840c14caae345d58~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1430,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_42d6d3cd1d2b41fa840c14caae345d58~mv2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a9061_36852f18584348edb412447a9efb146b~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_927,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/8a9061_36852f18584348edb412447a9efb146b~mv2.jpg)
Some key advice points:
Make use of sub assembly to get the best results.
Consider where the lightest areas of the model will be before you begin.
Ensure that each layer, and your brush, is dry before applying the next layer.
With each layer you want to lighten, dry brush until you’re only highlighting the very edges of the model.
I hope this guide has been helpful to all you lovely folks out there.
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