In this guide I’m going to run through a very simple way of painting Stormtroopers that produces solid results for very minimal effort.

To follow this guide you will need the following:

Citadel Wraith Bone (Spray)

Citadel Wraith Bone (Paint Pot)

Vallejo Model Colour Black or Citadel Abaddon Black

Citadel Contrast Basilicanum Grey

Citadel Ulthuan Grey

Citadel White Scar

Basecoat Brush (or any medium sized round bristle brush), Detail Brush (or any small sized round bristle brush with a fine point) , Shade Brush (or any medium sized round bristle brush with soft bristles), and a Small Drybrush (or any small sized flat bristle brush with firm bristles)

Small pot of water and some paper towel / toilet paper

Before beginning you should assemble your models and ensure that whatever glue you have used has set properly.

Step 1: Undercoat

Following the directions on the spray can apply a thin even undercoat of Wraith Bone to the models. Blue-tacking the model to something that can be manipulated (I use an old broom handle) allows you to easily spray the model from all angles. If you’ve missed a large area thin some of the Wraith Bone paint and apply with the basecoat brush.

Citadel spray undercoats are generally quick drying (curing in about 15 minutes), when working with other sprays I recommend checking their curing time or leaving the models to set overnight.

Tips:

If you’ve never spray undercoated models let me go ahead and introduce Blessed Duncan who will run you through the basics.

The main points to keep in mind is that you want to shake the can for at least 30 seconds before applying it to your miniatures (when shaking the can move your wrist as though you’re pretending to wave like the Queen rather than up and down), spray from about 30cm away in controlled bursts, and avoid spraying when the weather is hot or cold as it affects the paint.

Step 2: Paint Black Details



Using your chosen black (I used Vallejo Model Colour Black) paint the gun, gloves, eyes, helmet vents, eyebrow, and any holsters. At this stage for the Squad Leader I also paint the large right shoulder pad in the colour I’ve selected for the squad.

For large and easily accessed areas use the basecoat brush, but when painting in nooks or on small sections such as the eyebrow use your detail brush. Try to be as neat as possible but if you slip onto an area you didn’t mean to don’t worry! Wet a clean brush and use it to wash away the error as best you can, any stain that remains will blend in with the contrast paint.

Tips:

Make sure to thin your paints! Thick paints obscure detail and will hurt the finished look of the model. You’re looking for a consistency where the paint flows smoothly without being too runny. Over the Wraith Bone it’s easy to block in the black with one thinned coat, however as a general rule two thin coats are better than a single thick one.

Step 3: Apply Contrast Paint

Using your shade brush (or your basecoat brush in a pinch) apply Basilicanum Grey to the entire model barring the coloured shoulder pad. Apply the paint generously and use the brush to push the paint into the recesses of the model and prevent it pooling too heavily on flat areas such as the top of the helmet and chest.

This is how the model will look when the contrast paint is wet:

Leave it to dry completely (at least an hour in my experience) and it should look something like this:

Step 4: First Drybrush

Take your small Drybrush and begin drybrushing Ulthuan Grey onto the entire armour of the model (this is where the paper towel comes in). Work through the entire model, making sure to apply a nice coat to highly visible areas such as the top of the helmet and the chest.

Tips:

If you’ve never drybrushed before let me go ahead and introduce Miniac to teach you the basics of what is truly one of the easiest and best tools in any painter’s arsenal.

The key to drybrushing is that unlike regular painting you do not need to thin the paint down, in fact quite the opposite! You want to run your drybrush onto the paper towel until the majority of the paint is removed from the brush (a good way to test how much paint you have on your brush is to run it over the back of your hand).

Remember, drybrushing is a lot like salt in cooking, it’s easy to add more but difficult to remove, so always err a little on the side of caution.

Step 5: Second Drybrush

Take your small drybrush and repeat the previous step, this time with White Scar.

Tips:

Again make sure to hit the most visible areas like the top of the helmet and the chest to really sell the illusion of the whole model being white.

When working on smaller areas like the front of the helmet it can often be easier to only apply paint to a corner of the paint brush to give you better control.

Step 6: Clean-up and Finishing

Clean up any areas where the drybrushing has slipped onto where it shouldn’t have, common culprits include the air vent on the chin and the helmet eyebrow.

At this stage for non-Squad Leaders I paint the central line of the right pauldron in my chosen colour, and for all models highlight that colour with a lighter tone.

From here you’re ready to base the model before applying a coat of matte varnish spray to protect your work!