Painting Dark Eldar: Desert Warfare

Warhammer 40,000 is a franchise created by Games Workshop, detailing a futuristic, grim, miniature-focused world with accompanying video games, board games, and books. The Eldar subreddit is a place for Warhammer 40,000 fans to discuss and share pictures of their Dark Eldar armies, strategies, and paint schemes. For a desert-themed Dark Eldar army, one user recommends using beige as a base colour, while another suggests using Zandri Dust, Karak Stone, nuln oil, and Ulthuan Grey heads. To create a textured base, you can cut rectangles from cardboard, coat them with glue, sprinkle sand on top, and then paint them with Vallejo Desert Yellow. For the miniatures, you can prime them black and then use a variety of paints such as GW Ogryn Flesh, Badab Black, and Vallejo Model Color Golden Brown to create a unique desert-themed Dark Eldar army.

Base coating and shading

To create a desert-themed Dark Eldar army, you can follow these steps for base coating and shading:

Firstly, consider the colour of your primer. Some people recommend using black, but if you're going for a lighter, sandy colour scheme, you might want to opt for a lighter primer. Bone or eggshell can give your miniatures that sandy undertone you're looking for. You could also try a white primer, which will make it easier to layer lighter colours on top.

For the base coat, you could use Zandri Dust, a light tan colour, and then apply a darker shade, like Nuln Oil, into the recesses. You can also use Zandri Dust as a base and build up from there with other shades of paint, like Karak Stone and Ushabti Bone, to add highlights and create a more textured, sandy appearance.

If you want to add some variation to your bases, you could try sculpting some dunes with clay and coating them with a sandstone texture paste. You can then glue some small patches of sand on top and paint it to create a realistic, textured base.

Another technique to create a desert-themed base is to mix fine-grained sand or dirt with paint and a small amount of flour or baking powder to simulate fine grit. Apply this mixture to your base, creating different shades by thinning down the paint to give a mottled, patchy appearance. You can then add a slightly darker wash on top. To enhance the dusty effect, apply a thin wash of light tan paint and, if you want to go one step further, use chalk pastel ground into a powder and brush it onto the base.

These techniques will help you achieve a desert-themed base coat and shading for your Dark Eldar army, providing a great foundation for the rest of your painting.

Choosing a colour scheme

When choosing a colour scheme for a desert-themed Dark Eldar army, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, you can draw inspiration from the desert environment itself, using colours such as beige, brown, yellow, and sand. For example, one user suggested using Zandri Dust as a base, followed by Karak Stone, and then applying Nuln Oil in the recesses with Ulthuan Grey heads. Another user mentioned using GW Ogryn Flesh as a glaze over the armour, with Badab Black for the blaster and bodysuit, and I-Kore Earth as a full shade colour.

Alternatively, you can take inspiration from other sources, such as copying the colouring of the old Tau desert look or drawing inspiration from LEGO sets. You can also use colours to indicate Craftworld/Ynnari or leadership, such as using a specific colour on a cloak or shoulder pad to represent a particular Craftworld.

It's important to have a unifying colour scheme throughout your army, but beyond that, there aren't any specific colours or patterns that are off-limits. You can let your imagination run wild and create your own unique scheme.

Additionally, you can consider the terrain and basing of your models to enhance the desert theme. This could involve sculpting dunes with clay, coating them with sandstone texture paste, and gluing small patches of sand on before painting.

Sculpting and texturing

Sculpting the Base:

Start by sculpting the base of your miniatures to resemble a desert environment. You can use clay or other sculpting materials to create dunes and sandy textures. Consider adding small patches of real sand for added texture and a more authentic look. You can coat the clay with a sandstone texture paste to enhance the sandy appearance.

Texturing Techniques:

When texturing your miniatures, consider using a combination of painting and dry brushing techniques. Start with a base coat of paint in a desert-themed colour, such as Zandri Dust, bone, or eggshell. These colours provide a sandy undertone that is essential for a desert theme. You can then add washes and highlights using similar colours, such as Zandri Dust and Ushabti Bone, to bring depth and detail to your miniatures.

Detailing the Vegetation:

To add desert-themed vegetation to your army, consider using tools like ZBrush, Substance 3D Painter, and SpeedTree. These tools allow you to create detailed leaves and branches for desert plants. For example, you can use ZSpheres in ZBrush to create the skeleton structure of leaves, providing a consistent profile from different angles. This technique also helps during the texturing process by providing polygroups for colour masks and subsurface scattering.

Light and Shadow Effects:

Pay attention to lighting effects when texturing your miniatures. Use light colours, such as white, to highlight certain areas and create a contrast between light and shadow. This can be done by spraying a light colour over specific sections of the model at a 45-degree angle, allowing the darker recesses to pre-shade the model and guide where layer highlights should go.

Final Details:

Don't forget to add the finishing touches to your desert-themed Dark Eldar army. This could include painting armour with colours like Usha bti Bone to create a neater appearance. You can also add details like blue gems or black guns, using colours like Tallasar Blue and Black Templar. These final details will bring your miniatures to life and complete the desert-themed aesthetic.

Painting armour

Colour Scheme and Priming

When it comes to the colour scheme for a desert theme, beige, sandy colours, and tans are popular choices. Beige provides a good base as it is easy to incorporate other colours into the scheme. For the primer, you can go for a pure white base or experiment with black and white. Start by priming your model with black, then lightly spray 2/3 of it with white at a 45-degree angle, and finally, spray the remaining 1/3 with full white. This technique will give you the benefit of colours going easily over the white parts, while the darker recesses will create a pre-shading effect, making the brightest points shine through and guiding you on where to add layer highlights.

Base Colours and Washes

For the base colour of the armour, you can use Zandri Dust, a light tan shade, to create a desert-themed look. Apply a coat of Zandri Dust and then wash and highlight with Zandri and Ushabti paint for a desert-like appearance. Alternatively, you can use Mournfang Brown over a black base coat, followed by Zandri Dust over the entire model, and finish with Zamesi Desert over the armour and weapons.

Dry Brushing and Highlights

To add depth and create a worn, weathered look on the armour, you can use the dry brushing technique. After applying your base colour, lightly dry brush with a slightly darker shade to add highlights and create a textured appearance. You can use shades like Karak Stone or Terminus Stone. You can also use a light grey, like Grey Seer, for edge highlighting to make the armour stand out.

Additional Details

To enhance the desert theme, consider adding some final touches to the armour. Apply a thin wash of light tan paint to create the illusion of dust, especially on the boots and lower parts of the armour. If you want an even dustier appearance, use chalk pastel, grind it into a fine powder, and brush it on. You can also incorporate colours like Tallasar Blue for gems or black for weapons to add contrast and make your army truly unique.

Remember, when it comes to painting miniatures, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Feel free to experiment with different colours, techniques, and effects to create a desert-themed Dark Eldar army that you are proud of.

Paint types and application

For a desert-themed Dark Eldar army, you can use a variety of paint types and application techniques to achieve the desired look. Here are some step-by-step instructions and suggestions for painting your models:

• Prime your models with a base coat. For a dark colour scheme, you can use a black primer, but if you want a lighter, sandier tone, consider using a white primer or a light colour like bone or eggshell.
• If you want to keep the black base coat, you can spray a light coat of white primer at a 45-degree angle over two-thirds of the model, and then spray full white over one-third of the model. This will create a pre-shading effect, making the darker recesses stand out and providing a guide for where to layer highlights.
• For a quick and simple colour scheme, apply a coat of skeleton horde contrast paint over the white primer for the armour. Alternatively, you can use Zandri Dust as a base colour, which is suitable for a range of desert shades from coyote to khaki.
• To create a sense of depth, apply a wash in the recesses of the model. For example, you can use Nuln Oil for darker areas, or a mix of Sephia and Agrax for a lighter, sandy base.
• Highlight the model to bring out the details and create a sense of depth. For a darker model, use a grey seer for edge highlighting, or for lighter models, use a light colour like Karak Stone or Ushabti Bone for final highlights.
• To add texture and a realistic touch, you can mix fine-grained sand or dirt with paint and a small amount of flour or baking powder. Apply this mixture to the base of the model to simulate fine grit and create a mottled, patchy appearance.
• To enhance the desert theme, consider using a light tan wash on the armour, especially the boots, to create the illusion of dust. You can also use chalk pastel ground into a powder to create an even dustier appearance.
• For an extra touch of realism, add larger rocks or debris to the base, and consider using an airbrush or dry brush technique to add texture and create a desert-like environment.

Remember to experiment and adapt these techniques to suit your specific model and colour scheme. The key to achieving a desert-themed army is to capture the essence of the desert environment through colour choices, shading, and texturing techniques.

Frequently asked questions