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The palette

Every colour in this recipe, named for the brand you picked. Each name is an approximate visual match based on our testing; results may vary. Copy the list to your phone before the hobby shop.

Grey primerMechanicus Standard Grey (spray)
Dark olive greenCastellan Green
Black washNuln Oil
Light olive greenLoren Forest
DrabSteel Legion Drab
Brown washAgrax Earthshade
KhakiBaneblade Brown
Mid skinCadian Fleshtone
Flesh washReikland Fleshshade
Light skin highlightKislev Flesh
Leather brownMournfang Brown
Dark earthRhinox Hide
SteelLeadbelcher

Watch

See it painted

Her videos first, then tutorials by other painters, credited to their creators. Videos load from YouTube only when you press play.

The Pigmentum · Episode 05 How I Batch Painted 3 Warhammer Poxwalkers TogetherEpisode notes

How To Paint Cadian Shock Troops for Warhammer 40,000Tutorial by TableTopReady · watch on YouTube

How to Paint: Cadian Infantrymen (Fast!)Tutorial by Mediocre Hobbies · watch on YouTube

How Do You Use a Wash on Miniatures?How to Highlight Miniatures Wash or Highlight First? The Right Order to Paint a Miniature

Painted this one? We only ever show minis The Pigmentum painted herself, never official photos. Show her yours in the comments on her YouTube channel.

Step by step

The recipe

Area by area, in painting order: base, shade, layer, highlight. Thin every paint a little with water (how to thin paint).

Watch her paint itEpisode 05 · How I Batch Painted 3 Warhammer Poxwalkers TogetherHer real attempt, mistakes left in. Opens on YouTube.Watch on YouTube →

Armour plates and helmet

Base
Dark olive greenCastellan Green

Helmet, chest plate, knee and shoulder pads.
Shade
Black washNuln Oil

Recesses only.
Highlight
Light olive greenLoren Forest

Edges of each plate.

Fatigues

Base
DrabSteel Legion Drab

Trousers and jacket.
Shade
Brown washAgrax Earthshade

All over the cloth.
Highlight
KhakiBaneblade Brown

Tops of folds and creases.

Skin

Base
Mid skinCadian Fleshtone

Face and hands. For darker skin start from deep skin instead; see tips.
Shade
Flesh washReikland Fleshshade
Highlight
Light skin highlightKislev Flesh

Nose, cheekbones, knuckles.

Webbing, gun and metal

Base
Leather brownMournfang Brown

Straps, belt, pouches.
Base
Dark earthRhinox Hide

Lasgun wood or casing (or black).
Base
SteelLeadbelcher

Barrel and buckles.
Shade
Brown washAgrax Earthshade

One wash over all of these at once.

Base

Base
Dark earthRhinox Hide

Mud or rubble.
Layer
KhakiBaneblade Brown

Drybrush.

Tips

Quick or display

Two ways to paint it, depending on how long you want to spend.

Tabletop, fast

Get it on the table tonight

Paint the whole squad one colour at a time. Ten faces in a row is faster than ten models one by one.
Skip the eyes on the tabletop: a dark wash in the eye sockets reads better from arm's length.

Display level

When you want people to stop and look

Paint skin in a range of tones across the squad: deep skin with a mid-skin highlight, or mid skin with a light highlight. Real armies are not all one colour.
Add a camo pattern to the fatigues: blobs of dark earth and cadian green over the drab.

Other directions

Same model, your look

Your miniature, your rules. Two alternative schemes that use the same steps.

Desert troops

Khaki fatigues, bone armour plates, brown wash. Sandy base.

Winter troops

Light grey fatigues, white armour with a black wash, snow on the base.

Can't find a paint?

Swap it or mix it

Our own colour notes from independent testing. Every brand name is an approximate visual match based on our testing; results may vary, never an official equivalent. For AK and Scale75 we describe what to look for. Mix ratios are starting points: test on your palette first.

Colour	Citadel	Vallejo	Army Painter	AK	Scale75	Mix it yourself
Grey primer	Mechanicus Standard Grey (spray)	Surface Primer Grey	Colour Primer Uniform Grey	look for: mid grey spray or brush-on primer	look for: mid grey spray or brush-on primer	No mixing: any grey primer made for plastic miniatures. Grey shows detail best when you are learning.
Dark olive green	Castellan Green	Dark Green	Army Green	look for: dark military green	look for: dark military green	Green + brown + a touch of black (about 3:1:0.5).
Black wash	Nuln Oil	Black Wash	Dark Tone	look for: black or dark-grey shade/wash	look for: black or dark-grey shade/wash	Black paint + lots of water (1:6 to 1:10) + one drop of flow improver or a tiny drop of dish soap so it runs into recesses.
Light olive green	Loren Forest	mix it	mix it	look for: mid olive green	look for: mid olive green	Your dark olive green + a little bone (about 3:1).
Drab	Steel Legion Drab	mix it	mix it	look for: olive-brown drab	look for: olive-brown drab	Brown + a little green + a little bone (about 3:1:1).
Brown wash	Agrax Earthshade	Umber Wash	Strong Tone	look for: warm dark brown shade/wash	look for: warm dark brown shade/wash	Dark brown paint + lots of water (1:6 to 1:10) + a drop of flow improver.
Khaki	Baneblade Brown	Khaki	mix it	look for: light grey-brown khaki	look for: light grey-brown khaki	Your bone colour + dark earth about 2:1.
Mid skin	Cadian Fleshtone	Dwarf Skin	Barbarian Flesh	look for: mid warm skin tone	look for: mid warm skin tone	White + red + yellow + brown, start around 4:1:1:1. Skin comes in every tone: see the tips.
Flesh wash	Reikland Fleshshade	Flesh Wash	Flesh Wash	look for: warm red-brown shade/wash	look for: warm red-brown shade/wash	Red-brown (brown + a little red) heavily thinned (1:8) + a drop of flow improver.
Light skin highlight	Kislev Flesh	Elfic Flesh	mix it	look for: pale warm skin highlight	look for: pale warm skin highlight	Your mid skin + white about 2:1.
Leather brown	Mournfang Brown	Leather Brown	Leather Brown	look for: mid leather brown	look for: mid leather brown	Red-brown: brown + a touch of red.
Dark earth	Rhinox Hide	Charred Brown	Oak Brown	look for: very dark brown	look for: very dark brown	Brown + black about 3:1.
Steel	Leadbelcher	Gunmetal Metal	Gun Metal	look for: mid metallic steel	look for: mid metallic steel	Any silver + a little black (about 3:1). Mix metallics with metallics, not with normal paint, or they go chalky.

Grey primer

Citadel: Mechanicus Standard Grey (spray)
Vallejo: Surface Primer Grey
Army Painter: Colour Primer Uniform Grey
AK: look for: mid grey spray or brush-on primer
Scale75: look for: mid grey spray or brush-on primer
Mix: No mixing: any grey primer made for plastic miniatures. Grey shows detail best when you are learning.

Dark olive green

Citadel: Castellan Green
Vallejo: Dark Green
Army Painter: Army Green
AK: look for: dark military green
Scale75: look for: dark military green
Mix: Green + brown + a touch of black (about 3:1:0.5).

Black wash

Citadel: Nuln Oil
Vallejo: Black Wash
Army Painter: Dark Tone
AK: look for: black or dark-grey shade/wash
Scale75: look for: black or dark-grey shade/wash
Mix: Black paint + lots of water (1:6 to 1:10) + one drop of flow improver or a tiny drop of dish soap so it runs into recesses.

Light olive green

Citadel: Loren Forest
Vallejo: mix it
Army Painter: mix it
AK: look for: mid olive green
Scale75: look for: mid olive green
Mix: Your dark olive green + a little bone (about 3:1).

Drab

Citadel: Steel Legion Drab
Vallejo: mix it
Army Painter: mix it
AK: look for: olive-brown drab
Scale75: look for: olive-brown drab
Mix: Brown + a little green + a little bone (about 3:1:1).

Brown wash

Citadel: Agrax Earthshade
Vallejo: Umber Wash
Army Painter: Strong Tone
AK: look for: warm dark brown shade/wash
Scale75: look for: warm dark brown shade/wash
Mix: Dark brown paint + lots of water (1:6 to 1:10) + a drop of flow improver.

Khaki

Citadel: Baneblade Brown
Vallejo: Khaki
Army Painter: mix it
AK: look for: light grey-brown khaki
Scale75: look for: light grey-brown khaki
Mix: Your bone colour + dark earth about 2:1.

Mid skin

Citadel: Cadian Fleshtone
Vallejo: Dwarf Skin
Army Painter: Barbarian Flesh
AK: look for: mid warm skin tone
Scale75: look for: mid warm skin tone
Mix: White + red + yellow + brown, start around 4:1:1:1. Skin comes in every tone: see the tips.

Flesh wash

Citadel: Reikland Fleshshade
Vallejo: Flesh Wash
Army Painter: Flesh Wash
AK: look for: warm red-brown shade/wash
Scale75: look for: warm red-brown shade/wash
Mix: Red-brown (brown + a little red) heavily thinned (1:8) + a drop of flow improver.

Light skin highlight

Citadel: Kislev Flesh
Vallejo: Elfic Flesh
Army Painter: mix it
AK: look for: pale warm skin highlight
Scale75: look for: pale warm skin highlight
Mix: Your mid skin + white about 2:1.

Leather brown

Citadel: Mournfang Brown
Vallejo: Leather Brown
Army Painter: Leather Brown
AK: look for: mid leather brown
Scale75: look for: mid leather brown
Mix: Red-brown: brown + a touch of red.

Dark earth

Citadel: Rhinox Hide
Vallejo: Charred Brown
Army Painter: Oak Brown
AK: look for: very dark brown
Scale75: look for: very dark brown
Mix: Brown + black about 3:1.

Steel

Citadel: Leadbelcher
Vallejo: Gunmetal Metal
Army Painter: Gun Metal
AK: look for: mid metallic steel
Scale75: look for: mid metallic steel
Mix: Any silver + a little black (about 3:1). Mix metallics with metallics, not with normal paint, or they go chalky.

Unofficial fan content. This is an unofficial painting guide created by independent hobbyists. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or connected to Games Workshop Limited, Warhammer, Citadel, or any of their trademarks, products, or subsidiaries in any way.

Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Citadel, and all associated names, characters, factions, units, and imagery are trademarks and/or copyright of Games Workshop Limited. All rights reserved. Used here solely for identification and descriptive purposes.

Paint recipes, colour matches, mixing tips, and any 3D visualisations are original work based on independent research and testing. They are approximate only and not official recommendations.

Photos of miniatures shown are of models painted by the site owner and are displayed for hobby illustration purposes only.

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