It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a Warhammer hobbyist – the Citadel Colour range is expanding with 25 vivid and versatile new Contrast paints, the Shade range has been reformulated with a further seven new colours added, and a brand new bright white spray primer is coming! It’s a chromatic Christmas, and it’s still summer!
Launched in 2019, the Contrast range revolutionised miniatures painting. Now, the new colours span the entire spectrum, from eye-searing emeralds and yellows, to fiery reds and bold blues. We’re really spoilt for choice! To give us a hand exploring the new range, we asked Warhammer TV painting presenter Emma Robinson to provide us with ideas for using some of the new colours.
Emma: I’ve been painting for many years, and Contrast is one of the most fun and versatile paint ranges I've worked with. They are easy and fun to use, making armies faster than ever to paint.
I love using them as base colours for large armies and glazing over layers on highly detailed miniatures for extra colour saturation. The expansion of the Contrast range with new colours gives hobbyists an amazing opportunity to try different things!
From new recruits to hobby veterans, Contrast paints are a fantastic tool at any stage of your Warhammer hobby journey. The new range is just awesome – here are some tips and tricks for using just 10 of my favourites.
Cheers Emma! Let’s jump right in.
Contrast blues are some of the most saturated paints in the range, and Pylar Glacier exists to slot in between Aethermatic Blue and Talassar Blue.
Emma: This is a really light but very pigmented paint that gives models a pop of colour and works well for frozen effects. Try it on spears or rocks for icy tones, or over white for a light shading for cloaks.
Iyanden Yellow and Nazdreg Yellow were a dream for painters when they first dropped – easy-to-achieve yellows in one coat! Bad Moon Yellow provides an even brighter choice, especially over a White Scar undercoat.
Emma: It’s so yellow! Bad Moon Yellow covers really well all over for a clean, sharp yellow that's super bright. It’s great on armour panels for Bad Moons – of course – and Ironjawz!
Teal and turquoise are crucial when painting lizards, magic effects, and Space Marines like the Alpha Legion – and Kroxigor Scales fits alongside Leviadon Blue and Akhelian Green to give you even more choice.
Emma: Such a rich, vibrant teal colour! It’s perfect for Seraphon and many other models – I have even thinned it down to make a spooky verdigris for Grand Alliance Death models.
Magos Purple and Shyish Purple were lighter Contrast paints, perfect for tinting and glazing. Out of the pot Luxion Purple provides a rich and luxurious layer.
Emma: Regally vibrant, Luxion Purple keeps a bright tone even in the darker areas of your miniatures – great for Hedonites of Slaanesh and the Emperor’s Children. This is my favourite purple Contrast of all time!
Aeldari Emerald is a colour unlike any in the current Contrast range, giving you a brand new choice for a whole range of effects.
Emma: This paint has a lovely jade-like tone, which is really intense and vivid. I love using it over Stormhost Silver on gemstones or thinned down for a different take on crystal blades than the usual blue.
A new alternative to Volupus Pink, Doomfire Magenta is lighter and brighter, opening up new avenues for painting pinkish tones.
Emma: This colour is all about punch, it’s so bright and powerful. Doomfire Magenta straight out of the pot gives you a vivid pink for cloth or magic spells. It also suits Daughters of Khaine or Escher Gangers if you want some cool pink hair colours.
There’s a lot of green in Warhammer, from Salamanders and Nurgle Daemons, to Orks and orruks! Gutrippa Flesh is here to help, slotting in between Militarum Green and Plaguebearer Flesh.
Emma: Gutrippa Flesh is terrific and will save a lot of time when painting Kruleboyz or Gretchin as it gives an excellent base colour and shade that suits these boyz down to the ground. It’s really great for camo cloth too!
Much like yellow, orange was once considered a tough nut to crack for painters. Gryph-Hound Orange made it easier than ever, and now Magmadroth Flame presents an even brighter alternative.
Emma: This is the most orangey orange ever. Just like Doomfire Magenta, it’s super pigmented and bright, making everything shockingly orange. It’s brilliant for flames and hair colours, and it looks great on cracked terrain pieces over a light base coat, giving you a fantastic hot lava effect.
Blood Angels Red and Flesh Tearers Red gave painters new ways to paint reds, and Baal Red opens up new possibilities thanks to its more saturated colour.
Emma: Baal Red is a pure, bright red. It’s versatile and easy to blend with other Contrast paints like Magmadroth Flame. I have used it for gemstones, armour plates on Orks, and plasma effects on Chaos Space Marine weapons.
Very often, when painting Warhammer, you need to paint black. Over a white base coat that can be a challenge – Black Templar gave painters one choice, and Black Legion introduces a bolder alternative.
Emma: This Contrast paint is darker than Black Templar, with a rich, clean black tone. It’s really good for things like armour or hair, or you can thin it down for a really dark wash over metals.
So there you have it, pro-tips from one of our pro-painters! That’s just 10 of the 25 new Contrast paints – we’ve already had ideas for coruscating bolts of energy with Mantis Warrior Green and some filthy underhive terrain with Garaghak’s Sewer. The possibilities are truly endless!
And there’s more – all Citadel Colour Shades have been reformulated to make them even better, seven more have been created, which we’ll be taking a look at next week. Plus, we’ve also perfected white spray paint, making it easier than ever to undercoat your miniatures.
You don’t have long to wait until you can experiment with these new paints. Let us know what’s on your painting table and how you’ll be using these dazzling new colours using the #PaintingWarhammer hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.