People will say this is too many steps. Those people are right.

Draft list I used while painting a test model for my Custodes, as well as some ideas I had along the way. Will take pictures along the steps of the next one and refine as I go, really don't think I need so many paints and can probably save some effort with the layers if I wet blend instead sometimes.

My goal is to use a ton of different techniques and styles all at once.

- Non-metallic metal
- Drybrushing
- Sponging
- Glazing
- Edge highlighting
- One source lighting
- Crosshatching

And it'll either look a mess or totally sick.

Black Armour

Drybrushing to get a quick but effective black armour

1. Base the whole model with Black
2. Now a heavy dry brush of Dark Reaper
3. Light drybrush of Fenrisian Grey
4. Wash everything with 1:4 Black Lotus to Xpress Medium
5. Add back in spot highlights with Fenrisian Grey

Gold

The meat of the piece is this deep non-metallic golden armour

1. Base everything that will be gold in Rhinox Hide
2. Over the areas which would catch light, layer Mournfang Brown
3. Leaving about a third of the previous layer visible, layer Balor Brown
4. Again, but now with Yriel Yellow
5. Edge and spot highlight with Dorn Yellow
6. Wash with Iyanden Yellow in a 1:4 ratio with Contrast Medium to blend everything together
7. Highlight the tippy tops again with Dorn Yellow

Cloth

Gonna level with you, all the red is the same colours, but applied differently to make them look like different materials and utilising a nice saturated underpainting. This bit is crosshatched.

1. For the cloth, like capes and cloaks and sashes and stuff, base the whole lot in Naggaroth Night
2. In a crosshatching motion, layer Khorne Red over this to cover roughly 90%, leaving the shadow areas mostly alone
3. Where light would catch, crosshatch on Mephiston Red into a largely cohesive layer, covering less as you approach the shadows
4. Highlight in the same style with Evil Sunz Scarlet , just, ya know, less
5. Scratchy top level highlights with Wild Rider Red
6. Glaze the lot with 1:4 Blood Angels Red and Contrast Medium
7. Aaaaand re-establish spots with Wild Rider Red

Pauldrons

Same colours but much smoother as this is painted metal not cloth. You'll basically want to heavy glaze your way up.

1. Base in Naggaroth Night
2. In a heavy glaze or really thin layer consistency, layer in Khorne Red . About 2 steps is all you need; cover most in the first layer, then a little less in the second and third
3. Same again but with Mephiston Red
4. Tiny highlights with Evil Sunz Scarlet
5. Glaze this with 1:4 Blood Angels Red and Contrast Medium to punch it up
6. Even tinier highlights, like almost nothing, with Wild Rider Red
7. Re-establish the highest highlights with Wild Rider Red if the mood takes you, but you probs don't need to

Plume

This time it's hair and we're mostly drybrushing it again, but now combined with the underpainting.

1. Base in Naggaroth Night
2. Overbrush with Khorne Red to cover almost all of the previous layer
3. Medium drybrush with Mephiston Red
4. Light drybrush of Evil Sunz Scarlet
5. Edge highlight as needed with Wild Rider Red
6. Wash with 1:4 Blood Angels Red and Contrast Medium
7. Spot highlight with Wild Rider Red

Leather

Sharp highlights and scratches, basically the only part with anything resembling weathering.

1. Base with Rhinox Hide . Probs do this as you base the gold actually
2. Edge highlight in Mournfang Brown
3. Scratch in some perpendicular highlights with Balor Brown
4. Glaaaaaze with 1:4 Wyldwood and Contrast Medium
5. Get the highs back with a sparing use of Balor Brown

Steel

Honestly this NMM isn't so good, but that's intentional so it doesn't detract from the gold. Good idea? I don't know.

1. All of it in Mechanicus Standard Grey
2. Layer in Grey Seer at the shiny bits and whatnot
3. Highlights in Ulthuan Grey
4. Glaze in 1:4 Basilicanum Grey : Contrast Medium
5. Shiny bits in Ulthuan Grey

Gems

Purdy stones.

1. Base the whole thing in Dark Reaper
2. Cover the top 2/3 in Caledor Sky
3. Top 1/3 of that in Blue Horror
4. Dot of White at the top and bottom to be all reflective and whatnot

Rope

This isn't exciting

1. Base in 1:1 Balor Brown and Ivory
2. Highlight with Ivory :
3. Wash with Seraphim Sepia
4. Highlight again in Ivory :

Power weapons

Lazors 5-eva!

1. Base the blade in Dark Reaper
2. Yeah it's just the gems again lol. But now there's a tiny scrap of makeup sponge, which you'll use to carefully (so carefully) splotch on some Caledor Sky . And edge highlight all of it.
3. Same again, smaller still, with Blue Horror . You'll also want to edge highlight now too, but only at the tops.
4. Draw lightning bolts with Baharroth Blue
5. Draw inside those with Ulthuan Grey :
6. Dot where they connect with White .
7. All of it gets a coat of 1:4 Talassar Blue to Contrast Medium
8. White dot gang returns for the lightning pew pews

Eyes

Fancy gang rise up, gonna make em glow for the OSL

1. Base the lenses in White
2. Using a tiny scrap of sponge, stipple a weak layer of White around the eye lenses to form the base of our glow effect.
3. Layer the lenses in Talassar Blue
4. Using the sponge again, dab 1:4 Talassar Blue to Contrast Medium over the area until the glow looks natural.
5. Specular highlight with white and boom, glowy af

Base

Do you like marble? Of course you do, you're painting Custodes, there's a reason we all end up here. But baby wipes are for babies (also I like freehand) so try this.

1. The base is a whole thing. First sand it real smooth.
2. Then score lines down to replicate giant slabs making a floor. Make em cute.
3. Prime everything with some kind of ivory. I brushed on Ivory Primer because I'm an idiot who didn't want to go outside in the rain.
4. Paint it Ivory . Go on. Do it. Although you don't really need to, I just feel like it makes the white go easier.
5. Heavily drybrush with White
6. Sponge on varying splotches of Basilicanum Grey and Agrax Earthshade to get variation. Randomise to your taste.
7. Shade the lines with Agrax Earthshade
8. Trace some cracks and marbling with Grey Seer
9. Darken the cracks in select spots with Dawnstone and Eshin Grey
10. Rim the base in Black

Ooh she's pretty huh?