Discover Excellence in Miniature Painting with Citadel Colour Range - Quality, Variety, and Expert Tool






Master Miniature Painting with Top Citadel Paints Selections

What sets Citadel paints apart in the realm of miniature painting? Renowned for their rich pigmentation and versatility, Citadel paints offer hobbyists an unrivaled quality that can take models from bland to brilliant. This article dives into the practical use of Citadel’s vast color range and techniques like contrast painting and dry brushing to help you unlock the full potential of your miniatures.

Key Takeaways

  • The Citadel Colour Range is lauded for its quality and variety, offering colors for all miniature projects, including Contrast Paints for vibrant foundational colors and specialized products like Necron Compound for dry brushing.

  • Citadel base paints provide a durable and intensely colored foundational layer which is essential for professional-looking miniature paint jobs, with priming being a critical preparatory step to enhance paint adhesion and create uniformity.

  • Citadel equips miniature painters with necessary tools, such as quality brushes and painting handles, coupled with tutorials from Games Workshop and the broader community, enabling both beginners and veterans to develop their painting skills.

Discovering the Citadel Colour Range

Assortment of colorful Citadel paints

The Citadel Colour Range, beloved by both official Games Workshop modelers and Warhammer hobbyists, is renowned for its excellence and variety. From Blackfire Earth to Stirland Mud, this range offers a vast selection of high-quality options for miniature painting projects.

A unique approach to painting can be seen in the form of Citadel Contrast Paints like Gulliman Flesh, Skeleton Horde, Iyanden Yellow, and Blood Angels Red. With just one coat these paints provide vibrant foundational color along with lifelike shading.

For highlighting and dry brushing techniques, Cedar Necron Compound Dry Paint stands out as it contains more pigment than traditional paint products due to its thicker texture formula.

In summary, the Citadel Color Range continues to remain popular among gamers due to their exceptional quality, paint diversity formulated specifically for Warhammer models.Featuring innovative options such as richly colored contrast paints and specialized thick-textured compound drying solutions perfect for achieving detailed highlights, this extensive collection serves all your war gaming needs.

Iconic Colour Schemes

Citadel has developed a range of paints specifically designed to match the well-known color schemes found in Warhammer literature, cover artwork and other related materials. These iconic color schemes are frequently used for painting various armies such as the Necrons, with popular choices being black or gold. The Citadel collection also offers paint options for Orks including shades like black contrast, white contrast, blood angels red, gryphon orange and iyaden yellow.

On the other hand, the Space Marines have their own signature blue color scheme which is particularly associated with chapters like Ultramarines within Warhammer lore. This broad palette provided by Citadel allows players to create intricate designs on their models that accurately represent these distinct factions from books and box art visuals.

New Colours to Try

Introducing the latest addition to the Citadel paint range, a variety of brand new colors! Among them are Tyran Blue, Berserker Bloodshade, Bad Moon Yellow, Magmadroth Flame, Baal Red and Doomfire Magenta. These vibrant shades have been specially formulated to simplify your painting process by combining base coating, shading and highlighting in one application.

These contrast paints from Citadel are specifically designed for use on miniatures. With their unique ability to create stunning color combinations like pairing Bad Moon Yellow with fiery Magmadroth Flame or merging rich Baal Red with bold Doomfire Magenta. Your creations will stand out as dynamic and eye-catching.

By incorporating these new hues into your work, you can achieve incredible results without compromising quality. The innovative design allows for more efficient usage of time while still maintaining an impressive finish that is distinctively different yet equally striking when compared side-by-side within this extensive citadel range.

The Importance of a Solid Basecoat

Miniature figurine with a solid basecoat

Base paints play a crucial role in the success of any miniature painting project. As the first layer, they provide a solid foundation for subsequent paint layers and are an essential component in achieving professional-looking results. Citadel’s base paints are renowned for their robustness and intense pigmentation, making them ideal for establishing a sturdy base when painting miniatures.

Not only do these specialized paints enhance the overall vibrancy of colors on miniatures, but they also ensure excellent coverage by laying down richly colored base coats. This factor is key to obtaining high-quality finishes that give your miniatures a polished appearance.

High-Quality Base Paints

The quality of Citadel base paints is widely praised. These paints boast several key characteristics, including their high concentration of pigment and ability to provide excellent coverage. They also create a smooth and uniform foundation for miniatures, while adding texture once they dry. With over 300 colors available, these paints are suitable for various types of miniature painting projects.

For optimal results when applying on miniatures, it is recommended to slightly thin the paint with water using a palette. This will ensure an even application across the entire surface.

Citadel base paints can be used in many different scenarios where miniature painting is involved due to their wide range of shades and exceptional qualities listed above.

Primer: The First Step

For a smooth and polished look, it is recommended to apply primer before painting miniatures. This helps the paint adhere better to the surface and creates an even base color.

To prime Citadel miniatures effectively, follow these steps:

  1. Use short bursts of spray from about 20-30 cm away.

  2. Make sure all areas are evenly covered by moving the can around.

3.Covering with a light coat prevents excess pooling in any crevices or recesses on the model’s surface.

Mastering Citadel Painting Techniques

When it comes to Citadel painting techniques, there are various methods that can produce exceptional results. These include dry brushing, layering, glazing, highlighting, dip painting and weathering. Utilizing these techniques not only enhances the overall quality of miniatures, but also adds depth and dimension to their appearance.

In order to achieve impressive results in Citadel painting, a few steps should be followed. Starting with applying a base coat on the miniature is essential as it serves as the foundation for Layers of paint. This should then be followed by using a wash which helps create contrast and add depth to specific areas of the model. Finally, utilizing either dry brushing or layering with lighter paint allows for adding highlights and defining details on certain parts of the miniature’s surface.

Layering and Highlights

Miniature showcasing layering and highlights with Citadel paints

Utilizing Citadel paints is highly beneficial in perfecting the layering technique when painting miniatures. The final step of this process involves applying a brighter version of the base color, as recommended by Citadel. To achieve highlights on miniature models, one can use the edge highlighting method suggested by Citadel where a light-colored line is painted along raised areas to mimic the effect of natural lighting hitting these surfaces.

Drybrushing and Terrain

Drybrushing is a popular method used in miniature painting to enhance the appearance of raised surfaces. It involves taking a small amount of lighter-colored paint on a brush, removing any excess, and lightly brushing over the elevated areas of the miniature for creating highlights.

The Citadel Dry paints are highly recommended for this technique as their unique texture provides excellent assistance in achieving desired results through drybrushing. These specialized paints offer great precision and control when applied to miniatures, making them ideal for highlighting specific areas with ease.

Essential Painting Tools and Accessories

Various essential painting tools for miniatures

To its top-quality paints, Citadel offers a range of specialized tools for painting and customizing models. These include the precision-designed Citadel Knife, highly accurate Super Fine Detail Cutters for plastic kits, the versatile Drill for creating small gun barrel holes and securing parts in place during detailed customization work, as well as the Painting Handle XL which provides a comfortable and secure grip on miniatures while painting.

These essential tools are ideal for model enthusiasts looking to elevate their skills in painting and customization with high quality products from Citadel’s renowned collection.

Citadel Brushes

Citadel’s selection of brushes includes various types such as base, layer, dry, shade, glaze and scenery. They are all made with top-grade synthetic fibers from Games Workshop to ensure precision and durability for painters.

For best results when applying base coats on models efficiently, it is recommended to use the Citadel Medium Base Brush. The brush range offered by games workshop caters to different needs of miniature painting enthusiasts who value quality in their creations.

Crafted using only 100% synthetic materials manufactured by Games Workshop themselves. These brushes promise exceptional longevity while providing optimal precision during usage. To this wide variety of options available under the citadel umbrella. Artificer Layer Brushes add Intricacy and finesse to your work, making them essential tools in any miniatures painter’s arsenal.

Other Must-Have Tools

A miniatures holder is essential for keeping small figures safe while painting, preventing any smudges or damage. This tool proves particularly useful when working on intricate designs found on white dwarf models.

In the world of miniature painting, a palette has two main purposes: to keep paint moist and allow for easy application without drying out too quickly. By using a palette, painters can ensure that their colors remain workable throughout the process and achieve smooth results on their miniats.

Learn from the Pros: Tutorials and Resources

Whether you are new to painting or have plenty of experience, learning from experts can help improve your miniature painting abilities. There are several YouTube channels that offer tutorials specifically for Citadel paint.

  • Games Workshop (official tutorial videos found on their website and YouTube channel)

  • Midwinter Minis

  • Ninjon

  • Black Magic Craft

  • Miniac
  • Tabletop Minions

  • Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic

  • Darren Latham

  • Vince Venturella
  • Kujo Painting

Official Games Workshop Tutorials

Official Games Workshop painting tutorial booklet

Novice painters can easily access helpful painting tutorials on the Citadel Colour Paint’s website and Games Workshop Painting Tutorials playlist on YouTube. These resources offer well-established techniques, essential tips, and guidance specifically designed for beginners to use with the Citadel Paint System. The official tutorials from Games Workshop ensure accessibility for those new to painting in their creative journey.

Community-Generated Content

Valuable knowledge and methods can be obtained from community-created content by a diverse group of artists. Within these online forums, one can find:

  • Conversations on Reddit about the most popular Citadel paints

  • Discussion threads exploring ways to market these paints in different areas, such as Japan

  • In-depth articles reviewing various paint options within the Citadel range

Renowned individuals like FauxHammer are recognized for their detailed guides to painting with Citadel products, often shared through social media platforms like Instagram.

Your Local Warhammer Store: More Than Just Paints

Visiting a nearby Warhammer shop has multiple advantages, including the opportunity to:

  • Interact with amiable employees

  • Browse through an extensive collection of models available for purchase

  • Discover new games and merchandise

  • Indulge in refreshments at Bugman’s bar while exploring the store

  • Receive guidance on collecting, painting and playing with miniatures.

Gaming Events and Tournaments

Taking part in Warhammer gaming events and tournaments provides the following benefits:

  • Possibilities to take part in more intimate, story-based gatherings.

  • Chances to battle against others in well-planned competitions.

  • Potential incentives based on performance within a structured setting.


Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of paints are Citadel paints?

The Citadel brand offers a range of water-based acrylic paints specifically created for use on plastic, metal, and resin miniatures. These non-toxic paints are specially designed to work with the unique materials used in Citadel miniature models.

How many Citadel paints are there?

Citadel offers an extensive selection of over 300 paints to enhance your miniatures and terrain with a vibrant array of colors. Bring life to your models and landscapes with the versatile range provided by Citadel’s paint collection.

What is the difference between base paint and Citadel layer paint?

The distinction between Citadel layer paint and base paint lies in the fact that Citadel layer paint has a slightly translucent nature with less pigmentation compared to standard base paints. Its purpose is specifically for highlighting miniatures. It works best when applied over darker layers such as other citadel or regular layer paints.

What paint is used for Warhammer?

When it comes to painting Warhammer miniatures, acrylic paints reign supreme. Not only do they offer a vast selection of colors, but their fast-drying formula allows for efficient use in the creative process. Plus, cleaning up is a breeze with just water needed to remove any messes made while working on your computer.

What is the Citadel Colour Range?

The Citadel Colour Range provides a vast selection of paints for those who enjoy Games Workshop models and the Warhammer hobby. With an extensive variety of colors, enthusiasts can easily find what they need from the Citadel brand to enhance their games or creations.