I receive several e-mails each week asking how I go about painting the various Black Templar models seen on this site. While this (for now, at least) is not a full-blown tutorial with step-by-step photos, I hope it answers most of the basic questions about them that crop up.
Old Templars - The bulk of the photos seen in the Templars gallery are my 2000-or-so-points army I use for gaming, and were painted around 1997 or so. After priming the models with Games Workshop Black Primer, and using that as your base armor color, the first step is to get or make some paint that is closer to GW black than either Codex or Shadow Gray are -- the jump from black to either of those grays is just too large to look good. What I did was take an empty pot of Skull White, and filled it with Chaos Black. The residual paint left in the bottle mixed with the black and gave me a nice, dark grey that isn't much lighter than the black -- just enough so you can see it as you paint it on. Then I mixed another full pot of paint, about half and half skull white and chaos black, to give me a second highlight color in between my dark grey and Codex grey. Then I did highlights with Codex grey, and finally Fortress Grey. This gives that sharp, overt, wireframe-looking style of those older marines in the gallery. Example
Newer Templars - After that, I switched to using blue-grey highlights. I basically did the same mixes as above, but replaced the Codex Grey with Shadow Grey, mixing pots of 2 dark shades, then straight Shadow Grey, and finally just a tiny bit of Space Wolf Grey on tips and corners. Example
Application - As far as applying them -- a steady hand and a fine detail brush. Each highlight makes a "strip" along the edge of the armor. The darkest highlight should be the thickest, and each successively lighter layer should become narrower and narrower. The final highlight is very thin indeed, and should be "edged" on where you can (that is, using the flat side of the brush bristle rather than the tip, and drag it along any protruding sharp edges at a 45-degree angle). This gets paint just along the very sharpest corner without needing to worry about being uber-steady. As the highlights get brighter, they should be concentrated on the upper or protruding edges of the armor; places where light would catch. No need to highlight every edge you can find with every layer of color (the biggest mistake of my older Templars!).
On the Color White - The white is tricky, that's for sure. White doesn't cover black in a single coat of paint, and if you try you'll just get a gunky mess. You have to be really patient and make several passes with the white, in smooth thinned-down coats. After 7 or 8 (yes, seriously!) it will finally be white. I usually begin by painting the pad Shadow Grey, then most of it again Space Wolf Grey (leaving the Shadow just along the edge), and finally several thin coats of white. Make sure each coat is completely dry before attempting the next layer, or you'll get more lumpy gook.
Top Tip - The other trick is to leave the shoulder pads off the models, and when you prime the marines black, prime the shoulder pads white. It's much easier to paint the black rims on over the white undercoat than to paint a white pad onto a black undercoat. Incredibly simple, and wish I'd come up with that gem much earlier on in my Black Templar career!
Reds - The reds I use for details, bolter casings and the like starts with a basecoat of Vallejo Model Colour 34, Burnt Cadmium Red. This will cover the black undercoat in one layer, such is the power of the Vallejo Pigment! Over this I will paint Red Gore, leaving the Cadmium as a shadow color in recesses and the like, and do edge highlights in first Blood Red and then Blazing Orange.
Speedy Templars - Recently I have been painting some Black Templars for a client who requested a "Gaming Quality" standard. I experimented with ways to only spend about an hour or so per model, yet still have it be "presentable." These models are also covered in battle damage and dirt, which also helps mask any messiness from going quickly. For these Templars, the armor highlights consist of only 2 layers. Vallejo Model Colour 168 Black Grey is the first, and covers most edges of the armor. This is followed by a highlight of VMC 166 Dark Grey, which is only applied to the face of the helmet, the flared ankle armor, tops of elbow pads and the backs of the hands, as well as the very corners of the shoulder pad rims. Paint chips are quickly jagged on with Boltgun metal paint in appropriate, logical areas, and the weathering is achieved by first drybrushing Kommando Khaki, followed by a lighter drybrush of Bestial Brown, where dirt would build up. Example
Templar Crosses - Many folks email me with questions as to how I paint the Chapter Icon of the Templars. Usually, I don't! For most shoulder pads I simply use the appropriate GW decal - it used to be from an old Brettonian transfer sheet, until the newest incarnation of the Space Marine decal sheet came out, which has enough crosses on it for 5 Marines. I always cut slits in the decal film first, between each arm of the cross, which helps the decal conform to the pad and lie flat on its double-curved surface. I also Gloss Varnish the pad first, to give the decal a smooth place to adhere to - this helps prevent "silvering," or those weird bubbles you sometimes get under a decal. You can stop right there, and give it a protective coat of matte varnish - or you can go the extra mile and use a decal solvent (I use "Solvaset") to really help the decal form to the pad (these solvents melt the film, helping the decal conform to any surface).
When I do need to paint a cross, because I want a different size or color than what is available on the transfer sheets, I follow the four simple steps below (you'll be able to tell I grew up on Ed Emberley drawing books in grade school). Use thinned paint for the border lines, and very little brush pressure, to keep them as fine and thin and narrow as possible. Also, don't be afraid to go back with the background color and "carve" or "erase" the icon at the end, to sharpen up the corners and edges.
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Step 1 - Paint an addition symbol in the center of the pad. |
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Step 2 - Paint a "V" at the end of each arm of the plus sign. |
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Step 3 - Paint connecting lines from the tip of each "V" back to the center of the plus sign. |
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Step 4 - Fill in each triangle you've just outlined to finish the Templar Cross. |
Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps those along who are trying to find an effective way to get good-looking Templars onto the gaming table!