Newbie Advice Sought on Painting

Hello all

So I have just recently decided to get into the hobby, and I've also made the decision to start with Dark Eldar as I kind of fell in love with their whole aesthetic. I'm quite happy with modeling, and list building and all that (or at least I'm happy to learn) but I'm pretty much at a loss as to where to start with painting. I've been watching tutorials and beginners guides and what not but I still feel like I'm missing something. What even are basecoats, washes, or highlights? How do I know which ones are which, and which ones I need/go together?

I appreciate this is probably pretty nooby, but everything I've watched/read so far seems to be aimed at an assumed level of knowledge that I do not posses. Or I'm just an idiot. That could be it.

So, if it helps, what I am thinking at the moment is I quite like the box art style with the many shades of Dark Green (as seen here, I think) but I would like to have some violet/magenta/purple highlights instead of/as well as the lighter green highlights. I think that would look pretty awesome in moderation (it does in my head at least )

I'd also pretty much come the conclusion that I would not be buying Citadel paints as they seem pretty overpriced, and that Vallejo were the way to go. I did get some conflicting advice on whether or not buy a set or individual paints. Anyone care to weigh in on that one? Is there a Vallejo set that is appropriate for painting DE?

Another issue I ran into is that this chart which everyone keeps linking me doesn't have any of the paints listed in the above video on it (Incubi Darkness, Ceolia Greenshade, Kabalite Green and Sybarite Green). So if anyone is able to clarify as to what (non-citadel) paints I'm looking for that'd be great

basecoat= 1st layer of paint that is applied after primer, basecoat paints are usually thicker in pigment, especially good for skin tones and light colors.

washes= different than inks, get in the crevasse and blend the colors together, get GW washes, they're great.

highlight= lighter tone of the base/layer color you chose, make sure the brush is not watery and apply the tip over edges of armor/robes/etc.

since you're going with majority vellejo, i'd also suggest a 'wet palette' as vellejo comes in dropper containers.

wet palette= sponge, Tupperware container, parchment paper(local grocery store), note parchment paper is NOT wax paper. change out every so often.

Welcome to the forum!

You've come to the right place for tips on the True Kin.

I can't comment on different brands of paint as I've always used Citadel with great results. Perhaps they're a bit expensive, but I think the quality is worth it.

As for the terms you've asked about,

- A basecoat is simply the first main coat of paint that your scheme requires. Usually a strong, rich colour, like blue, yellow or red.

- Washes or inks are well watered down, and add colour to the crevices of your model, such as the little cracks in the Kabalite's armour. As they're weaker and watered down, they don't 'override' the main colour of the model, they just support it.

- Highlights are added by usually by either precise lines over the outer edges of armour, such as the end of a plate on a Raider, or more easily achieved by drybrushing.

Usually, those 3 techniques in a sequence gives you a decent looking model. With colours like white and yellow, you will need additional thin layers of watered down white or yellow after a basecoat to achieve a nice solid uniform colour.

Awesome, thanks. So how do I go about determining which particular washes or highlights I should use, or is it not that big a deal?

WebCole wrote:

Awesome, thanks. So how do I go about determining which particular washes or highlights I should use, or is it not that big a deal?

washes= which ever basecoat color it is applied over, metallic silver=black, metallic bronze=light brown, skin tone=chestnut; just get all the GW washes, they're worth it.

highlight= lighter tone of the color of your basecoat.

macknight wrote:

metallic silver=black, metallic bronze=light brown, skin tone=chestnut

Yeah, this is pretty accurate. Washes are quite straight forward, for most armour tones, literally just water the same colour down a bit, then add a touch of black or brown to darken it, then make sure to get it in the grooves.

macknight wrote:

just get all the GW washes, they're worth it.

This is good advice if you're a millionaire. Seriously, GW paints are pricey. I would suggest mixing your own washes, or perhaps picking one or two GW washes that will work with your main colour, and trialing them from there.

Highlights? For most shades, just add a touch of white to the main colour on a pallet/empty paint pot. This is used for edge highlighting or drybrushing.