In this tutorial, I'm going to walk through the steps of painting blue power armour. This method can be applied to armies such as the Ultramarines (Using these colours), Imperial fist (Going one shade darker) and whatever the blue Eldar is!

So just a few points before diving in: A Paints list will be posted at the end, ALL paints are diluted 1:1 with water and a touch of Flow Aid (Personal Preference). The only brushes used were A Citadel Fine Detail and Citadel Standard Brush.

Step 1 - Basecoat

The model was undercoated in Chaos Black and left to dry for about 10 minutes in the sun (pah!). I used Ultramarines Blue for my basecoat, applied with the standard sized brush. All areas that are to be blue were painted, leaving the recesses black. After 2 coats, it looks as follows:



Step 2 - Layer

A layer of Enchanted blue was added to the rims and edges of the armour, in a thick line (about a brush's width). By using Enchanted Blue, we get a very gradual colour change, but enough to give the effect of the colour deepening on the larger surfaces of the model.



Step 3 - Highlight

After the Enchanted Blue has dried, an edge highlight of Ice Blue was painted on using the Fine Detail Brush. Be careful to make the highlight as smooth as possible (hence watering down). This kind of harsh highlight plays well into blue and green coloured armour.



Step 5 - Scrolls and Eagle Basecoat

With the actual armour pretty much finished, we can start on the secondary colours and details of the model. The chest eagle and scroll work is painted with a base layer of Tausept Ochre using the Fine Detail Brush. I prefer to paint my Marines with individual feathers on the chest plate, instead of painting it Gold then washing.



Step 6 - Bleaching

The Bone/Feather areas are then layered with Bleached bone, leaving a smidgin of Tausept Ochre showing in the recesses and towards the start of the feathers. This gives an impression of shading, and also makes the feathers pop once we add the white later.



Step 7- Metals....

The metal areas are painted with Boltgun Metal and later washed with Badab Black to provide shading.



Step 8 - Reds!

The areas of red are painted in a similar layering sequence. First a basecoat of Scab Red is applied to the eye lense, purity seal wax and the chainsword cover. This is follwed by a subsequent layer of Blood Red and Blazing Orange to provide the highlight.



Step 9 - Whites and the Rest!

The final stage is to add the final colours of Skull White and Shining Gold to the model. The white is the armours contrast colour, being applied to the toe cap, knee pads, belt, elbow, wrist, shoulder pad rim, helmet and backpack. Shining gold was added to the chest plate and shoulder pad around the tactical arrow. A point to note is that the white needed at least 3 coats before it covered well.



Conclusion

So there we have it! Bear in mind that this method can be used with darker blue, ranging from Regal or even Midnight blue upwards. Notes on the model: The marine legs are from an assault marine, the body from a normal tactical marine, the right arm from the Assault On Black Reach seargent and the backpack from a space wolf! a good mix to personalize my model!

Cheers,

El.

Paints List:

Ultramarines Blue
Enchanted Blue
Ice Blue
Skull White
Tausept Ochre
Bleached Bone
Scab Red
Blood Red
Blazing Orange
Boltgun Metal
Badab Black