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MINIATURES

RAY LAROSE · MINIATURES

Notes from my painting desk

The paints and steps behind each finished model, and the recipes I come back to.

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58 painted schemes 300 photos 44 recipes 162 paint matches

Ironhead Squat - Kronus Hegemony, Squats, painted miniature Ironhead Squat - Kronus Hegemony Deimos Pattern Predator Tank, Iron Warriors, painted miniature Deimos Pattern Predator Tank Vashtorr The Arkifane, Iron Warriors, painted miniature Vashtorr The Arkifane

Paint Necromunda? Play it.

Rise is my text adventure, set in Hive Primus. You start in the Sump and climb towards Lord Helmawr. Free, in your browser, and played the old way: you type what you do.

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Fresh off the bench

The newest finished schemes, each with every paint and step.

All 58 schemes →
Ironhead Squat - Kronus Hegemony, Squats, painted miniature6 photos

Ironhead Squat - Kronus Hegemony

Squats · NecromundaNov 2026Deimos Pattern Predator Tank, Iron Warriors, painted miniature9 photos

Deimos Pattern Predator Tank

Iron Warriors · 30k / HHNov 2026Vashtorr The Arkifane, Iron Warriors, painted miniature10 photos

Vashtorr The Arkifane

Iron Warriors · 30k / HHNov 2026Flesh Tearers - Terminators, Blood Angels, painted miniature3 photos

Flesh Tearers - Terminators

Blood Angels · 40kOct 2026

Find your army

Paint schemes for Warhammer 40k, Blood Bowl, Necromunda and Horus Heresy and more. Pick a game or an army to see how I painted it.

Warhammer 40k30 Blood Bowl6 Necromunda5 Horus Heresy5 Age of Sigmar5 Kill Team2 One Page Rules1 Other4
Blood Angels11 Orks11 Astra Militarum9 Squats4 Iron Warriors4 Orruks3 Gloomspite Gitz2 Free Blade2 Goliath2 Dark Angels1

Learn a part

Miniature painting recipes for one part at a time, like armour, flesh and weapon, each a short list of steps you can follow at the desk.

All 44 recipes →
Armour14 recipes Flesh11 recipes Weapon4 recipes Leather3 recipes Metal3 recipes Cloth2 recipes

Switching paint brands?

162 Citadel colours matched to Vallejo, Pro Acryl and Two Thin Coats, by eye, with how close each match really is. Search any name from any brand.

Open the conversion chart →
Abaddon Black Citadel VallejoBlack (72.051) Pro AcrylCharcoal Black Two Thin CoatsDoom Death Black Mephiston Red Citadel VallejoGory Red (72.011) Pro AcrylRed Two Thin CoatsSanguine Scarlet Retributor Armour Citadel VallejoPolished Gold (72.055) Pro AcrylRich Gold Two Thin CoatsDragon's Gold

New to painting? Start here

Four short recipes, in this order. Each one adds a single new skill.

Gold, metal painting recipe1

Gold

4 stepsThe basecoat, wash, highlight sequence most metal is built on. Ultramarine Armour, armour painting recipe2

Ultramarine Armour

4 stepsThe same idea with an edge highlight, which is what makes armour read as armour. Rust, metal painting recipe3

Rust

3 stepsStippling and drybrushing, and hard to get wrong. Ork Flesh, flesh painting recipe4

Ork Flesh

9 stepsThe whole ladder: a basecoat, two layers, a highlight, then glazes to blend it together.
How I paint a Space Marine, the finished model Start to finish How I paint a Space Marine 10 stages, from the box to the table, with a photo at each step and the paints and recipes for each. How I paint an Ork, the finished model Start to finish How I paint an Ork 11 stages, from the box to the table, with a photo at each step and the paints and recipes for each.
← All schemes
Lion El'Jonson, Dark Angels, painted miniature, photo 1 of 10

Lion El'Jonson

Dark AngelsOctober 2026
FinishClean and polished - all eyes on the primarch
PrimaryBlack-green armour, gold trim
ContrastIvory robes and a blue blade
TechniqueFive-stage edges, 30 freaking hours

What went where

NOTE
More details to come
BASE
PrimeMatte Black
ARMOUR
BaseCoal Black
EdgeCoal Black + Heavy Blackgreen (1:1)
EdgeHeavy Blackgreen
EdgeHeavy Blackgreen + Dark Ivory (3:1)
EdgeHeavy Blackgreen + Dark Ivory (1:1)
DotDark Ivory
GOLD
RecipeGold
LEATHERS
RecipeBrown Leather
RecipeBrown Leather - Alternate Version
SEALS
RecipePurity Seal
VARNISH
BaseTamiya Extra Matte - there is no substitute

Recipes used

4 recipes, 18 steps
Brown LeatherLeather · 6 steps
  1. 1
    basecoatRhinox HideCitadel
    Base all leather·Artis Opus Series S 1
  2. 2
    basecoatAbaddon BlackCitadel+Lahmian MediumCitadel 1:2
    Shade all leather recesses·Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    highlightDoombull BrownCitadel
    Chunky·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    highlightSkrag BrownCitadel
    Scratchy damage highlight·Artis Opus Series S 1
  5. 5
    edgeXV-88 (Deep Ochre)Citadel
    Shaky - edge and scratch·Artis Opus Series S 00
  6. 6
    highlightUshabti BoneCitadel
    Dot highlight sparingly·Artis Opus Series S 00

The recipe on its own pagePrint a bench card

Brown Leather - Alternate VersionLeather · 3 steps
  1. 1
    basecoatBlack BrownPro Acryl
    Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    edgeDark Golden BrownPro Acryl
    Artis Opus Series S 1
  3. 3
    highlightLight UmberPro Acryl
    Artis Opus Series S 1

The recipe on its own pagePrint a bench card

GoldMetal · 4 steps
  1. 1
    basecoatRetributor ArmourCitadel
    Base gold·Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    washReikland FleshshadeCitadel
    Light wash·Artis Opus Series S 3
  3. 3
    highlightRetributor ArmourCitadel
    Bring back the edges·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    basecoatSilver (72.052)Vallejo
    Dot highlights·Artis Opus Series S 1

The recipe on its own pagePrint a bench card

Purity SealSeal · 5 steps
  1. 1
    basecoatKarak StoneCitadel
    Base all of seal parchment·Artis Opus Series S 3
  2. 2
    basecoatScreamers PinkCitadel
    Base seal·Artis Opus Series S 3
  3. 3
    highlightPink HorrorCitadel
    Subtle highlight on seal·Artis Opus Series S 1
  4. 4
    washReikland FleshshadeCitadel
    Wash seal and parchment·Vallejo Pro Modeler 2
  5. 5
    edgeKarak StoneCitadel
    Re-establish some highlights

The recipe on its own pagePrint a bench card

Paints

Light UmberPro Acryl⇆Deck Tan (70.986)Vallejo⇆Dark IvoryPro AcrylCoal BlackPro Acryl⇆Heavy Blackgreen (72.147)Vallejo⇆GreenPro Acryl⇆Black BrownPro Acryl⇆BurgundyPro AcrylKhorne RedCitadel⇆Retributor ArmourCitadel⇆Rhinox HideCitadel⇆Bright GoldPro Acryl⇆Nuln OilCitadel⇆Agrax EarthshadeCitadel⇆Off White (71.270)Vallejo⇆Biel-Tan GreenCitadel⇆Administratum GreyCitadel⇆Zandri DustCitadel⇆BonePro AcrylZamesi DesertCitadelDawnstoneCitadel⇆Mechanicus Standard GreyCitadel⇆Eshin GreyCitadel⇆Turquoise (72.024)Vallejo⇆Sotek GreenCitadel⇆Temple Guard BlueCitadel⇆Burnt SiennaPro Acryl⇆German Beige (70.821)VallejoExtra Matte VarnishTamiya

More like this

All 58 schemes →
Imperial Knights - Knight Questoris, Free Blade, painted miniature7 photos

Imperial Knights - Knight Questoris

Free Blade · OtherAug 2026Imperial Knights - Knight Dominus, Free Blade, painted miniature10 photos

Imperial Knights - Knight Dominus

Free Blade · OtherJul 2026Ironhead Squat Exo-Kyn, Squats, painted miniature

Ironhead Squat Exo-Kyn

SquatsFeb 2025 · 4 modelsIronhead Squat - Kronus Hegemony, Squats, painted miniature6 photos

Ironhead Squat - Kronus Hegemony

Squats · NecromundaNov 2026

Recipes

Methods I reuse across models - skin, metal, armour, cloth and the rest. Each step is one named paint, one technique and a note. Unless a step says otherwise, every recipe here starts on a primed model - the scheme that uses it usually says which colour.

Paint Inventory

The paints I actually own - every pot on my shelf, not a catalogue of what exists. This is what the schemes and recipes are painted with.

PaintBrandTypeHueUsed in

Paint Conversion Chart

Citadel colours matched to their closest Vallejo, Pro Acryl and Two Thin Coats equivalents, by eye, over time. Nothing here is a measured colour match - the dots say how close each one really is.

Still filling this in: 8 of the 112 colours used in the recipes here have no row yet. Mostly Vallejo. A blank means not mapped, not that no equivalent exists.

How close the match is: near identical usable avoid
4 how many of my recipes and schemes use it - tap one to see them

CitadelVallejoPro AcrylTwo Thin Coats