Colour schemes for miniatures: themed paint palettes

Colour schemes for miniatures

Stuck on a colour scheme? These 32 palettes are our own ideas, made for The Painters Desk. Each one has five or six colours with a job each (main colour, second colour, accent, metal, skin or base) and the closest paint in every major brand.

Open any palette in the Palettes page of the colour wheel to match it to the paints you own, show it on the wheel or build blends from it. Swatch colours are estimates, so check the real paints first.

Sci-fi

Rust Belt SalvageScrapyard machines held together with bolts and stubbornness: oxidised plates, faded hazard stripes and a hint of leaking coolant.
Neon AlleyStreet crews under flickering signs: dark asphalt and coats lit by hot magenta and acid green.
Trench LineInfantry dug in for a long war: olive drab, worn khaki, a red unit marking and plenty of mud.
Void PatrolArmoured troopers on a lonely border world: deep navy armour, warning yellow and red lenses.
Wasteland ScavengersSurvivors picking through the ruins: dusty khaki, sun-faded red and patched teal.
Tundra ReconWinter scouts in snow camo: off-white, light and dark grey, with a bright orange marker.
Brass ClockworkInventors and their wind-up machines: brass, copper, green enamel and oxblood leather.
Hive VerminA swarm of chitinous bugs: glossy purple carapace, bone-white plates and fleshy pink.

Grim

Cathedral AshZealots of a crumbling faith: ash-grey robes, parchment scrolls, red wax seals and worn gold.

Fantasy

Autumn CourtWoodland nobles dressed for the turning of the year: russet cloaks, leaf-gold trim and a touch of moss.
Dune RidersDesert travellers in sun-bleached wraps with deep indigo sashes and bright saffron cords.
Glacier KinHulking folk from the ice fields: pale ice blues, deep fjord water and a frostbitten violet.
Gilded PaladinA knight out of a picture book: royal blue tabard, ivory cloth, crimson plume and plenty of gold.
Ashen ForgeFire and soot: charcoal plates cracked open to show lava glowing beneath.
Shadow WeaverRaiders who move in the dark: deep purple, near-black armour and a poisonous green glint.
Mountain HoldStout folk of the deep halls: oxblood cloth, steel-blue plate, ginger beards and bronze.
Warband BrutesA muscular war band: olive skin, rusty leather, red war paint and bone trophies.
Hedge WitchA village wise woman's cottage colours: heather purple, moss, mustard yarn and a copper kettle.
Dawn HeraldWinged messengers at first light: bright white robes, sky blue, sunrise gold and rosy skin.
Infernal PactThings from below: crimson hide, obsidian horns and armour, sulphur yellow eyes.
Greenwood RangerForest wardens who hide in plain sight: hunter green, tan suede and a single red feather.
Storm CallerWielders of thunder: storm grey-blue, crackling white-cyan and a violet afterglow.

Nature

Jungle CanopyHunters of the deep jungle: emerald leaves, spotted ochre pelts and bright turquoise beads.
Coral ReefSea folk from a warm lagoon: coral pink, turquoise water, foam white and a flash of sunshine.
Spring BlossomOrchard spirits in bloom: soft blossom pink, dark cherry bark and fresh leaf green.
Painted CanyonRed rock country: terracotta, sunset rose, turquoise jewellery and sandstone.

Horror

Drowned HostA crew that went down with the ship and came back anyway: verdigris armour, bleached bone and a cold spectral glow.
Plague MarshSomething rotten lives in the bog: sickly yellow-green flesh, bruise purple and old rusty iron.
Midnight CourtNight-time aristocrats: deep wine velvet, blue-black coats, pale skin and fresh red.
Ghost LanternLost souls that drift through the mist: pale spectral green, cold black-teal and old lantern light.

Historical

Bronze PhalanxAncient spear-men: polished bronze, crimson cloaks, linen and clay-pot orange.

Bright

Toybox PopSweet-shop colours for cheerful models: bubblegum, mint, lemon and lilac.