Painting beautiful miniatures is one of the most rewarding parts of the Warhammer hobby, whether you want to have the most gorgeous miniatures on the tabletop or just a collection you can be proud of.
Yesterday we talked about Battle Ready – how to paint your miniatures to an accessible standard. But what if you want to push your miniatures further? It’s time to explore Parade Ready.
After you’ve painted your miniatures to a Battle Ready standard with the classic or contrast method – then you’re in the perfect position to elevate them to the next level. This involves Layer paints, a vibrant range of colours designed to add richness to your miniatures.
Once you’ve applied your Layer paints, you can then highlight the raised areas, representing the way the light catches the edges. Highlights such as these simulate the natural fall of light and shadow on larger objects - at a reduced scale! This helps to bring your miniatures to life and makes them stand out even more.
You can apply these extra steps to the base of your miniature, too – perhaps you want to apply a Shade to the Technical paint you’ve used for ground texture? Wait for it to dry, apply your chosen Shade, and then apply a little Dry paint with a drybrush for an additional highlight. You can also use this technique to quickly and efficiently pick out textured details on the model, such as chainmail and fur.
Once you’re here, you can start to use other Technical paints to add new details. Try some gore splatters with Blood for the Blood God, metal weathering thanks to Nihilakh Oxide, or puddles of corrosive poison with Nurgle’s Rot.
Citadel Colour paints are designed to make each part of the process simple and satisfying. Once you’re finished, you’ll have an army you can be exceptionally proud of, grounded in the war-torn worlds of Warhammer, ready to face off against all foes. Getting your whole collection to this stage can even become the basis of a stellar Armies on Parade entry!
You can also use any Contrast paints – including the 25 dazzling and diverse new colours – to achieve unique effects at this stage. One trick layers a brighter Contrast paint over metallics to create magical weapons or crackling power swords.
Once you’ve got these steps under your belt, there’s no miniature too big to tackle. If you want to learn more about how to take your Parade Ready miniatures even further, explore the Citadel Colour Masterclass videos on Warhammer TV to learn more about the wide world of painting.
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