Citadel and Warhammer Colour paints: the complete guide

Citadel Colour (now often sold under the Warhammer Colour name) is the paint system designed for Warhammer miniatures. For most newcomers the best start is a black or grey spray undercoat, a handful of Base paints for the main colours of your army, and a brush. If you own an airbrush, the Air range is the matching choice, since it is made to go through one without extra mixing.

What are Citadel paints and how are they organised?

Citadel paints are acrylics sold in small pots, grouped by the job they do. Colours often share a name across ranges, so you can follow a scheme through several stages with one family of colours.

• Base: thick, opaque paints for covering large areas in one or two coats.
• Air: paints formulated for airbrushes, with the same colour names as many Base and Layer paints.
• Dry: paints meant for drybrushing, which picks out raised detail quickly.
• Sprays: aerosol undercoats that prime a whole model in seconds.

The wider Citadel line also includes Layer, Shade, Contrast and Technical paints. This guide focuses on the Base, Air, Dry and spray paints, which are the foundation of most collections.

Which Citadel paints should I buy first?

Start with an undercoat, then add Base paints for the two or three colours that define your army. A simple scheme painted cleanly looks far better than a large palette used timidly.

1. An undercoat: Chaos Black Spray Paint gives a dark, even start for almost any scheme.
2. A main colour: pick the dominant colour of your faction from the Base range below.
3. A metal: Leadbelcher is a classic all-purpose steel for weapons and armour trim.
4. A bone or cream: useful for parchment, skulls and many lighter schemes.

If you are completely new, our guide to how to start painting Warhammer miniatures walks through brushes, workspace and technique in order.

What are Base paints used for?

Base paints are the workhorses. They are opaque, so they hide the undercoat in few coats and give a solid foundation for any highlights or washes you add later.

Blues

• Base: Macragge Blue is a deep, rich blue long associated with Ultramarines-style armour.
• Base: Thousand Sons Blue is a bright, strong blue for sorcerous or vivid schemes.
• Citadel Base: Night Lords Blue is a darker, moodier option.

Greens

• Citadel Base: Caliban Green is a dark green widely used for power armour.
• Citadel Base: Death Guard Green is a muted, sickly tone that suits decayed or grim armies.
• Base: Stegadon Scale Green is a vivid green for scales, gems and bold accents.
• Citadel Base: Deathworld Forest and Base: Lupercal Green cover natural and cooler greens.

Yellows, browns and skin tones

• Base: Averland Sunset is a dependable warm yellow.
• Citadel Base: Mournfang Brown is a reddish brown for leather, fur and wood.
• Base: Catachan Flesh is a warm skin tone and a good start for human faces and hands.

Purples, pinks and neutrals

• Citadel Base: Naggaroth Night is a deep purple.
• Citadel Base: Screamer Pink is a strong pink for daemonic or flamboyant models.
• Base: Mechanicus Standard Grey, Celestra Grey and The Fang give you a range of greys and blue-greys.
• Citadel Base: Wraithbone, Morghast Bone, Zandri Dust and Screaming Bell cover bone, sand and copper tones.

What are Citadel Air paints?

Air paints are made to be sprayed through an airbrush without you having to thin them first. They suit large armies and big models, where an airbrush covers surfaces much faster than a brush. Many share names with brush paints, so you can match a hand-painted detail to an airbrushed base.

Some examples by colour:

• Reds and oranges: Khorne Red, Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet and Troll Slayer Orange.
• Blues: Air: Macragge Blue, Kantor Blue, Temple Guard Blue and Lothern Blue.
• Greens: Air: Caliban Green, Castellan Green, Moot Green and Ogryn Camo.
• Yellows and browns: Flash Gitz Yellow, Air: Averland Sunset, Baneblade Brown, Air: Mournfang Brown and Kislev Flesh.
• Blacks, greys and whites: Abaddon Black, Corvus Black, Administratum Grey, Dawnstone, Fenrisian Grey, Russ Grey, Ulthuan Grey and White Scar.
• Metals: Runefang Steel, Grey Knights Steel and Balthasar Gold.

What are the Clear Air paints?

The Clear paints, such as Angron Red Clear, Eidolon Purple Clear, Mortarion Green Clear and Calth Blue Clear, are translucent. They are sprayed over a lighter or metallic base to tint it, which is how you get glowing, candy-like or glazed effects.

Do I need a thinner?

Air paints are ready to spray, but a thinner is handy for adjusting flow and for cleaning. Air Caste Thinner is made for exactly that.

What is a Dry paint?

Dry paints are designed for drybrushing: you wipe most of the paint off a brush, then sweep it lightly across raised detail so only the edges catch it. Astorath Red is a Dry paint that suits fur, cloth, banners and warm highlights. It is fast and forgiving, which makes it a good first step beyond flat basecoating.

Which Citadel paints suit which armies?

Match the paint to the look you want, not only to the official scheme. Many hobbyists collect a faction first and a palette second.

• Space Marine-style armies: a blue or green Base paint, a steel metal and a bone tone cover most chapters. See our Warhammer 40,000 guide for the factions.
• Fantasy armies: the Warhammer Age of Sigmar guide covers the range of colour-heavy forces there.
• Legion schemes: collectors of the Great Crusade era should read The Horus Heresy, which covers the setting and its famous legions.

If you want inspiration for a scheme, the stories in the Black Library reading guide often describe armies in vivid detail. For the bigger picture of what to buy, our Warhammer buying guide is the place to start.

FAQ

What is the difference between Base and Air paints?

Base paints are thicker and made for brushes. Air paints are formulated to flow through an airbrush without extra thinning. Many colours exist in both forms, so a scheme can be moved between brush and airbrush.

Can I use Air paints with a brush?

Yes, but they are thinner than Base paints, so expect to apply more coats. They are best kept for airbrush work, with Base paints for brush work.

Do I need an undercoat?

An undercoat is strongly recommended. It gives the paint something to grip and sets the tone for the colours on top. A black spray such as Chaos Black suits darker schemes, and a lighter undercoat helps with bright colours.

How many paints do I need to start?

Four or five is enough for a first squad: an undercoat, a main colour, a metal, a bone or skin tone, and one accent. Add more as your plans become clearer.

What is a Clear Air paint for?

Clear paints are translucent tints that you spray over a lighter or metallic base. They create glows, glazes and rich coloured metals that a normal opaque paint cannot.

Related guides

• Warhammer at Universe TCG: the complete buying guide
• How to start painting Warhammer miniatures
• Black Library reading guide: where to start
• Warhammer 40,000
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar
• The Horus Heresy