How to paint black and white on miniatures

On this page

• Painting black
• Painting white
• Washes and contrast paints on black and white
• Common mistakes
• Questions

Painting black

Basecoat in black, then highlight with dark greys, keeping each step smaller than the last. Most of the model should stay black; the highlights only describe the edges and the tops of the shapes. The more steps you use and the smaller the final one is, the blacker the area still looks.

1. Basecoat in a true black, over black or grey primer. Two thin coats.
2. Shade (optional) with a black wash to make the recesses even darker and the finish even, if you used a slightly grey black.
3. Highlight 1: a very dark grey on the upper half of each panel or fold, or as a broad edge highlight on armour.
4. Highlight 2: a mid-dark grey, on the edges and the tops of folds only.
5. Final highlight: a light grey (or a light blue-grey) as tiny points and the sharpest edges. Keep it really small.

Target colours along the top; under each, the closest paint in that brand by swatch colour (ΔE under 6 is close, under 12 fair). Swatch colours are estimates, so check against the real pots.

Cool, warm or coloured black

A neutral grey ramp looks like black plastic or armour. Adding a little blue to the highlights (a blue-grey) makes black look cooler and shinier, which suits armour, Space Marines and leather boots. A warm grey, or a touch of brown, suits black cloth, fur and horses. And for black that should feel like a colour (deep blue-black hair, a black dragon with a purple sheen) highlight with a very dark version of that colour instead of grey.

You can build any of these on the colour wheel: tap a black or a dark blue-grey in Ramps mode with Edge highlights and it builds the steps from the paints you choose.

Painting white

Paint white from a light grey upwards, so that the shadows are grey and the pure white is only on the top. Painting straight white over black primer takes many coats and still looks chalky; a light grey basecoat over grey or white primer covers easily and gives you the shadows for free.

1. Prime grey or white.
2. Shadow: basecoat a light grey (or wash white primer with a thinned grey or a light grey contrast paint, which pools into the recesses).
3. Light grey: layer a lighter grey over most of the area, leaving the recesses in the shadow tone.
4. Off-white: on the upper areas and raised folds.
5. White: pure white on the highest edges and points only.

Target colours along the top; under each, the closest paint in that brand by swatch colour (ΔE under 6 is close, under 12 fair). Swatch colours are estimates, so check against the real pots.

Warm white: bone, parchment and old cloth

White cloth, bone, ivory and parchment look better warm. Use a warm grey-brown for the shadows and creamy off-whites for the highlights, keeping pure white only for the very last points, or leave it out altogether.

Target colours along the top; under each, the closest paint in that brand by swatch colour (ΔE under 6 is close, under 12 fair). Swatch colours are estimates, so check against the real pots.

Washes and contrast paints on black and white

A black wash such as Nuln Oil over a grey basecoat is a quick way to a good tabletop black: drybrush or edge highlight back up afterwards. For white, a thinned grey contrast paint such as Basilicanum Grey over white primer, or a white contrast paint like Apothecary White, gives soft grey shadows in one coat. A sepia or brown wash over cream gives an old, weathered white.

Common mistakes

• Highlighting black too much. If most of the area is grey, it reads as grey. Keep each step smaller.
• Jumping straight from black to a light grey. Use at least one very dark grey in between, or the highlights look like chalk lines.
• Painting white over black primer. Start from light grey on a light primer.
• Shading white with black. Black shadows on white look dirty; use a light grey, a blue-grey or a warm brown-grey.
• Using pure white everywhere. Save it for the very top points, so it has something to stand out against.