The sword probably is the first thing to catch the eye so I spent a fair bit of time here. The way I approach blade is I decide where my points of brightest reflection are ahead of time and then work from that. So in this case I decided 2 spots on one side and the third spot would be centered between them on the other side of the blade, which creates the opportunity for some reverse gradients. Then I just paint dark to light. Basecoat the entire blade in your blue of choice (I think I used VMC Dark Sea Blue) and then glaze upwards. So I coarsely painted in my reflection by mixing in some Turquoise and later white (or ivory), glazing in increasingly smaller areas until you get to the pure white reflection in the very center. If at any point you have to big of a shift, just glaze over it with a mid tone a couple times to blend it in. As this guy was an Ultramarine, I painted the blue areas in a 1:1 mix of VMA Silver and Macragge Blue, highlighted with the same mix plus some Ulthuan Grey.

The next step is the real secret sauce. I created a reasonably dilute wash with a mix of Golden High Flow Acrylics Sepia (pretty much a more concentrated Agrax Earthshade), Golden High Flow Acrylics Dioxazine Purple, and the product formerly known as Future Floor Polish (Now Pledge Floor Care Finish, unless they’ve changed it again.) I wash the entire model in this color, removing excess where it pools too much. If you are working with Games Workshop paints, a mix of Druchii Violet, Agrax Earthshade and water/lahmian medium will work just fine. You will, however, be spending a lot more money to wash an entire army of Custodes using this method. At this point the gold is complete. It’s simple, but has a nice rich depth and purplish warmth to it.

#002151 foreground

Founded by decree of the High Lords of Terra in the wake of the Ork campaign led by the tyrant known as The Beast, the Deathwatch are an elite group of Space Marines trained specially to fight Xenos threats. They operate as a branch of the Ordo Xenos Inquisition in much the same way that Grey Knights operate as members of the Ordo Malleus. Unlike Grey Knights however, Deathwatch Marines are not exclusive to the Deathwatch; instead they are veterans recruited from chapters across the galaxy to serve in the Deathwatch for a limited time before returning (should they survive). To be chosen to serve in the Deathwatch is considered a great honor for a Space Marine, and the details of their missions and service are kept secret under oaths made to the Inquisition. The hides were done in the same way as the Hobgrotz, only with a traditional brush instead of an airbrush. The shoulder and leg armor is also done the same way as the Hobgrot armor. The metallic faces are done with Contrast paints over metallic. Gore-grunta Fur for copper, Nazdrag Yellow for gold, and Skeleton Horde for a sort of dirty silver. The large face was Apothecary White over metallic, with bright white metallic (Scale 75 Speed Metal/White Alchemy) drybrushed over it.

Other Details: So here’s the fun part. I tend to match the non-armor details to what the Marine’s parent chapter would have used, colors-wise. That means that Ultramarines get gold aquilas on their chest armor, while say, Blood Angels get white/gray aquilas. Building Character There’s just one last thing to show you for this scheme, the power lance blade. You could use this for any of the power weapons custodes wield.Firstly, I just wanted to say I don’t paint straight from the pot. I prefer to use an old white tile and I always add water to my paints, even when I’m using Lahmian Medium (Glaze Medium). Cloaks and Tabards: The reds start with two thin coats of Khorne Red that I wet-blend up to Mephiston Red and highlight with Evil Sunz Scarlet. For the interiors I start with a layer of Rakarth Flesh and work up to Reaper Polished bone and highlight with a mix of polished bone and white. The markings inside the cloaks are done freehand with Mephiston Red. Kantor Blue is a rich and vibrant blue color that is perfect for miniature painting. The pigments in this paint are carefully selected to provide a smooth and even coverage, making it an ideal base coat for miniatures. The matte finish of this paint gives the miniatures a natural and realistic look, making it a great foundation color for any army in the Warhammer 40k universe. The Kantor Blue is easy to work with, and a great color for beginners who are just getting started with miniature painting. What Xenos Armies to paint with Kantor Blue– Air Paint