Paint scheme ideas for your next army, and how they photograph
Paint scheme ideas come down to three decisions: which colours sit together, which one leads, and how the finished figure will look under a lamp or in a photograph. This guide takes them in that order and says where each piece of advice comes from.
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Start with the colour wheel
Most painters pick a scheme from how colours sit on a colour wheel. The Army Painter's guide to choosing a colour scheme defines several. Two of them: "Complementary colours are situated directly across from each other on the colour wheel," and "Analogous colours are next to each other on the colour wheel."
- Complementary gives the strongest contrast. The same guide says "the complementary colour scheme provides the greatest amount of colour contrast, which can be good for making your miniatures pop on the tabletop." Sessions College's colour calculator gives blue and orange as its example.
- Split-complementary is the same guide's gentler version: "a base colour and the two colours directly adjacent to the dominant colour's complement", which "provides contrast but is less intense, making it easier to achieve a balanced look."
- Analogous keeps neighbouring colours together. Sessions College describes it as three adjacent colours that add harmony, with red, orange and yellow as its example.
- Triadic is, in Sessions College's words, three evenly spaced colours on the wheel, with red, yellow and blue as its example.
The wheel tells you which colours will contrast and which will agree. It doesn't tell you what colour a cloak should be, and that part is taste.
Three paint scheme ideas to try
These are ideas built straight from those examples, not rules.
- Blue and orange. A cool blue cloak against warm orange trim, a complementary pair with high contrast.
- Red, orange and yellow. Embers and flame across armour and banners, an analogous scheme.
- Red, yellow and blue. A triadic scheme, with one of the three doing most of the work.
Start with the dominant colour
The Army Painter's advice is to "start by choosing the miniature's dominant colour and then select colours that complement or contrast with the dominant colour." It also warns: "Too many bright or dark colours can overwhelm the figure, while a lack of contrast can make it appear dull." For an army, our reading is simple: give every figure the same dominant colour.
A sensible order, and our suggestion, not anyone's rule, is to paint one test figure in the scheme, photograph it as described below, and only then commit to the rest of the army.
Zenithal priming: put the shadow in first
Colours go onto a figure that already has light and shade in it. The Army Painter describes zenithal priming as "a method of pre-shading your miniature with two different colours to emulate shadows from a specific direction". Its account of the result: "The top surfaces of the miniature will be highlighted, leaving the lower areas and recesses darker, as they would be naturally shadowed."
Whichever scheme you choose, mixing it on a wet palette keeps the same mix available across a whole army. Priming comes before any of it, and how to paint miniatures covers that stage, along with base coats and drying. Before that, miniature painting supplies covers which paints and tools to buy first.
Check the scheme in a photograph
A scheme looks different under a desk lamp than it does in a picture, so photograph it before you decide it works. Games Workshop's Warhammer Community site has an article on photographing models (6 March 2018). It suggests "a simple setup with a plain white background", says "Daylight bulbs provide a neutral light, not too yellow, not too blue", and for anyone serious about it suggests "investing in a light box".
Our own guides go further: photographing a miniature, light box photography and choosing a backdrop. Brush & Paint is not affiliated with Games Workshop or Wizards of the Coast, and sells nothing of theirs.
Screen colours and printed colours
Once the photograph exists, remember that a screen and a printed page don't make colour the same way. The Minneapolis College of Art and Design's knowledge base states that RGB, which screens use, has a larger gamut than CMYK, meaning a wider range of colours it can show. So a very bright colour on your screen may look a little different on paper.
From scheme to wall
When the figure is finished and photographed, there are two ways to keep the picture. You can print the photograph as it is, on paper, in a frame, on canvas or on a mug. Paper prints are on 250 gsm uncoated off-white archival paper, and framed prints come in black or natural wood. The format guide covers which suits which picture, and the buy box on this page shows the current UK prices. Or you can upload it and make an AI scene around the figure, which aims to keep the pose, colours and details. You see a watermarked preview first, and up to three successful previews a day are free with a verified email.
Questions and answers
What is a good colour scheme for miniatures?
The Army Painter's guide describes complementary colours, which sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, as giving the greatest contrast, and analogous colours as those that sit next to each other. Sessions College describes analogous schemes as adding harmony. Which one suits a figure is a matter of taste.
Where do I start with an army colour scheme?
The Army Painter advises starting by choosing the miniature's dominant colour, then selecting colours that complement or contrast with it, and warns that too many bright or dark colours can overwhelm the figure.
What is zenithal priming?
The Army Painter describes it as pre-shading a miniature with two different colours to emulate shadows from a specific direction, so the top surfaces are lighter and the lower areas and recesses darker.
Will my paint scheme print the same colour as on screen?
Not always. The Minneapolis College of Art and Design's knowledge base says RGB has a larger gamut than CMYK, so a very bright screen colour may look a little different on paper. Games Workshop's Warhammer Community article suggests daylight bulbs and a plain white background for photographing models.