Blood Angels are one of the most striking Space Marine chapters and one of the trickiest, because red is a notoriously difficult colour to get clean, even coverage with. Nail the red and the rest of the scheme - gold, black and bone - falls into place quickly.
The signature look
Blood Angels are deep, rich red armour with gold trim, black weapons and joints, and plenty of ornate iconography - wings, blood drops and purity seals. The red should look vibrant and slightly glossy rather than flat or chalky.
Getting red to cover
Red painted straight over a black undercoat goes patchy and dull. Two reliable approaches:
- Build up from a base. Undercoat in a warm tone (a red-brown or even a grey/white zenithal), basecoat a mid red, then a red contrast or glaze to deepen and even it out.
- Contrast in one pass. A red contrast paint over a light undercoat gives smooth, glossy red fast - ideal for a whole army.
Highlight by edge-highlighting with a brighter orange-red, then a tiny touch of orange on the sharpest corners.
Death Company and successors
- Death Company are black armour with red detailing - the inverse scheme, and a great change of pace.
- Successor chapters (Flesh Tearers, Angels Encarmine, Blood Drinkers) reuse the method with darker or two-tone reds.
Tips and common mistakes
- Don't basecoat red over black expecting coverage - it never works in one or two coats.
- Keep gold warm. Shade gold trim with a brown wash so it reads as gold, not yellow.
- Gloss the red slightly. A satin rather than dead-matt varnish suits the rich Blood Angels look.