Easy Painting: Reds

     Well the title may be a bit misleading to some, but to me it seems easy. It can take a little bit of time, but the steps are easy.

     Several of the locals (such as Brent, or Evil Homer) comment pretty frequently that they like the way the reds on many of my models look. So at the request of Brent, I decided I would try my hand at doing a write up to see if it will help some of you out there that may struggle with the color.

     I picked out a genestealer model I had laying around and gave it a spray of black primer. As I stated in a few other post, I am currently using Krylon Camouflage Ultra Fine Black to prime with. The main issue with using this method for painting red or any color for that matter is that you must thin your paints. Extremely thin! Multiple layers of similar colors will be used to build up from one color to the next. Be sure and be careful that you remove some of the paint from the brush before you go to the model or it will run out all over the place. I tend to run my brush across the back of my thumb.

Primed and Ready for Paint

      In order to give you an idea of how this will look I have traveled down two different paths. The left set of arms will be done with one set of colors and the right will be done with another. This will allow you to see the progression a bit differently. Hopefully it will also allow you to adapt to the colors you own, and help you avoid the feeling that you have to use these colors.

(L)VMC 859 Black Red/(R)VMC 984 Flat Brown

     Like I said I have done the two different sides of this stealer in two different colors. The colors will be in the caption of the pics, and I will describe each step different when needed. Also, I have painted the carapace to match the arms at this point. I will be leaving it the base color so you can see a start and finish.

(Left) The left side was base coated in VMC 859 Black Red. I really love this color for doing red. It is a fairly dark red with out the feeling of any purple in it. It could be that for years I used to start with brown and it is a red tinted brown color. Either way, I like it. This will allow me to stay a bit darker along the way.

(Right)The right side was based in VMC 984 Flat Brown. I probably use this color more than any other color in my box. It is a good even toned brown that can be used for cloth, leather, wood, even a base for flesh if you like. This is a bit lighter than the Black Red and should help it to have a bit brighter tone at finish.

VMC 926 Red

   After the base coat is dried each side received 3 thin coats of VMC 926 Red. Each coat after the next covers a bit less area than the one before. Be sure and make sure each coat is completely dry before moving on to the next one. If it is not, you take a chance of picking up some of the paint you already laid down and that will leave a dark spot that will be very difficult to cover up. Also be sure and cover any really high spots. Since you are using thin paint it takes more coats to really show so you need to make sure the edges of plates or high ridges are covered as well as possible.

(Left) Since I am looking for a darker final color for the left side, I make sure and leave a some larger areas exposed in each step. This will allow the dark background to show through more.

VMC 908 Carmine

      Now we are starting to see some progress. Up to this point we are still using the same color. The main difference is the amount of space we are covering. Once again, keep the paint thin. Also remember that in each step of the way we are covering less and less of the model, concentrating on the high spots. It is interesting at this point to look at the back carapace and see how far we have come.

(L) VMC 908 Carmine/ (R) VMC 909 Vermillion

     Here is our first real deviation on color. I want to enforce the red color on the left while lightening up the right.

(Left) On the left side I continued with another coat of the Carmine. This will help give a richness to the color.

(Right) On the right I have now switched to Vermillion. This color is much brighter than the Carmine and has a touch of orange in it. I cover the same areas I have on the left so the tone should rise a bit.

VMC 909 Vermillion

     Both sides are now getting the Vermillion. Same color, different amount of coverage equals a different look. We are almost done at this point.

(Left) On the left we are starting to finish up. Concentrate on the high points and you really should not do much on the lower areas of the model. Use this color as pretty much the final highlight on this side.

(Right) Once again over the high spots. I covered a bit more than on the left and this should help the whole side look brighter when done.

VMC 909 Vermillion

    This is pretty much the last step. Both sides get a final touch up on the highest edges with the Vermillion. This should make the edges stand out nicely. Afterwards I went and painted the joints and exposed areas with a bit of VMC 811 Blue Violet washed with GWs Leviathon Purple to help define the areas we were working on.

     I hope this has been helpful. It can take some time to get this method down, but once you do it can be very helpful in getting some rich reds on your models. Just remember to keep the paint thin, use multiple coats, and work on successively smaller areas as your paint get lighter. The paint should do the rest for you.