Recently we discussed how you can collect a playable army of Adeptus Custodes with minimal expenses. Today let’s talk about how to paint it really fast, literally, in one evening. The tutorial is simple and targets beginners, who want to get a nice-looking army as soon, as possible.
The best choice is brown primer, but gray one is also suitable. Don’t use black color, or your golden army won’t be so shiny. I’ve spent much time choosing the basic gold. I have too many miniatures with Balthasar Gold, and layers are not actually laying well without a base. So, I took Retributor Armor. The color is bright and applies well. But, strangely, looks too flat on Stormcast Eternals. However, our Custodes are quite salient, so it’s not a problem here. Cover all the miniature with it, except for the plume and weapons.
The weapons might be painted with Balthasar. It will make it distinctive and a bit darker than the armor, which is logical. Use Mephiston Red for the plume and the skirt.
Reikland Fleshshade seems to be the best choice here – it brings a nice warm, amber color – exactly the thing you need for Custodes armor. Besides, you can use it also for the weapons and the skirt – it saves much time. Don’t shade the plume, it must differ a bit from the skirt. While the wash dries, you can paint the base. Here I describe how to make these cork rocks.
Now drybrush. There’s no quick painting guide without drybrushing. This time you need to be careful with it – don’t touch the red parts. Quick doesn’t mean sloppy. I use Sycorax Bronze here. It makes the transition between colors smooth and realistic.
Now you need to make your Custodes more detailed. Paint the tubes, exhausting holes on the back and weapon parts in bright metal – Ironbreaker is nice. Also, paint all the belts and spear handle with black.
Next, wash all the metal parts with Nuln Oil. Don’t use much paint and you won’t have to restore the color. Dirty metal is not suitable here. Also, shade the plume with the same paint.
Now finish the model – carefully highlight edges on the red parts – it’s easy, they stick out. Paint gems and eyes. here I show how to do it. By the way, use blue color for them – this way such color scheme won’t look boring. Another interesting part – flat surface on the left shoulder pad can be filled with the red Glaze – Bloodletter, and then covered with Ardcoat. This way you will make it red as it should be with less chance of spoiling the gold armor. The blade of the spear is also covered with blue glaze – not the best way, but it’s still a guide for the beginners.
As you can see, the result is quite satisfying. And the main thing is that this way you can pain the entire Custodes army in no time at all and start playing.