How do I paint black armour on Warhammer models so it does not look flat?
Flat black hides detail, because shadow and light both read as black. Two routes fix it. For flat plates, use a Base black, then a dark grey on the edges and a light grey dot on the sharpest corners. For small and textured parts, the quicker route is two coats of Black Legion Contrast with a Shade such as Nuln Oil over the top and the edges picked out in dark grey. Black stays in the recesses as shadow, and the grey edges give the shape.
Why black armour looks flat
A plain coat of black on a Space Marine's armour hides panel lines, rivets and edges, and it looks the same from every angle. Games Workshop's painters solve it by picking the edges out lighter than the panel. On black, the highlight is grey.
Route one: a Base black and grey edges
This route needs one Base black and two greys. Of the three paints, only Abaddon Black is in Paints & Tools: Warhammer 40,000 (11th Edition), which is one of 13 paints in that set. The set is sold out at the moment. Dawnstone and Grey Seer come separately.
- Basecoat the armour with Abaddon Black in thin, even coats.
- Edge highlight with a dark grey, Dawnstone.
- Add a dot of a lighter grey, Grey Seer, where two edges meet.
- Leave the recesses black. They are your shadows.
Keep the highlights thin and few. A grey line on every edge makes the armour read as grey. Start with the largest, sharpest edges and stop early.
Route two: Black Legion Contrast
Warhammer Community, Games Workshop's news site, says two coats of Black Legion Contrast give perhaps as good a matte black as you can get. The Warhipster, a YouTube Contrast painter interviewed by the site, says Black Legion with Nuln Oil over the top is probably the quickest route he has used to a rich, smooth black.
- Undercoat pale: Wraithbone, Grey Seer or White Scar.
- Paint Black Legion in two coats, letting the first dry. Work one section at a time.
- Run a Shade such as Nuln Oil into the recesses.
- Pick out the edges with a dark grey, as in route one.
Black Contrast follows the Contrast rules, so it pools on big flat plates. Use route one for those, and keep this route for small and textured parts. The Contrast page explains how to handle the pooling. Nuln Oil is sold out at the moment.
Black on small parts
Black leather, soft armour between the joints and weapon casings take the same treatment on a smaller scale. On a Space Marine painted for Warhammer Community, the leather got two solid coats of Black Templar before the same Dawnstone and Grey Seer highlights. For other highlights on small parts, see metal armour and edges.
Common questions
How do I make black armour stand out?
Put a dark grey on the edges and a light grey dot where two edges meet. Keep the grey thin so the black still reads as black.
What grey should I use to highlight black?
Dawnstone is the dark grey for the edges, and Grey Seer is the lighter dot for the corners. Warhammer Community's painters used both on black leather.
Is Black Legion Contrast good for black armour?
For small and textured parts, yes: Warhammer Community says two coats give perhaps as good a matte black as you can get. It follows the usual Contrast rules, so for big flat plates a Base black with grey edges is safer.
Can I put Nuln Oil over black?
It works over Black Legion Contrast, which is how the Warhipster does it. The Shade runs into the recesses and deepens them.
Black Legion and Nuln Oil: Warhammer Community, 18 February 2025 and 11 February 2025. Pale undercoats for Contrast: Warhammer Community, 4 February 2025. Highlight colours on black leather: Warhammer Community, 2 July 2021. Edge highlights: Warhammer Community, 14 July 2023. Contents of Paints & Tools (11th Edition): this shop's listing. Prices and stock: this shop, read live. The advice on thin, few highlights is our own.