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PAINTING·WHITE DWARF 311

Dark Trees with White Patches

November 2005·p. 103

THE SHORT VERSION

This scheme reverses the pale birch balance by making most bark dark and reserving khaki-white for isolated patches. Scorched Brown, Codex Grey and Rotting Flesh establish the trunk’s muted texture before the light areas are added. The same high contrast gives a striking silhouette while producing a different natural pattern from the predominantly white example.

AT THE PAINTING DESK

Paints in this article

Every named colour below is searchable across the archive.

Scorched BrownCodex GreyRotting FleshKommando KhakiSkull White

Only explicitly named paints used in the feature are indexed.

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Bark patches Contrast Drybrushing

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Find this article in White Dwarf 311, p. 103.

This is an original summary. Refer to your magazine for the complete article, rules, images and painting steps.

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PaintingWD 311 · pp. 50–55

In Darkness and Light

Adrian Wood builds five Initiates from the new Crusader, Tactical and Assault components, choosing poses suited to their weapons and visible detail. He first paints a fast black-white-red gaming scheme, then develops it with controlled edge highlights, crosses, lenses and richer details. The tutorial progresses from practical construction and transfers to freehand heraldry and the fine liturgy on studio Helbrecht and Grimaldus models, offering successive improvements to an already playable squad.

Warhammer 40,000Black Templars17 paint colours
November 2005Read summary
PaintingWD 311 · pp. 52–53

Painting the Squad: Armour and Shoulder Guards

The fast finish leaves much of the black undercoat visible and uses restrained grey drybrushing before flat detail colours. White shoulder pads can be built over Shadow Grey or painted separately from a white start. A later stage replaces broad drybrushing with fine grey edge lines so the armour remains clearly black. The illustrated excessive highlight warns that too much grey changes the whole character of the scheme.

Warhammer 40,000Black Templars10 paint colours
November 2005Read summary
PaintingWD 311 · p. 53

Transfers and Hand-painted Crosses

Transfers keep chapter symbols consistent in size and shape, while a freehand method begins with an eight-pointed star and adds V-shaped tips before filling the arms. White can repair untidy edges, and red crosses offer a striking alternative. Wood advises practising with diluted paint on paper first, making the method a manageable next step after finishing the basic squad.

Warhammer 40,000Black Templars2 paint colours
November 2005Read summary