Raven Guard are black power armour - one of the fastest schemes to basecoat and one of the easiest to get wrong, because flat black reads as a featureless silhouette. The trick is all in the highlights.
The signature look
Sleek, near-black armour with cool grey-blue edge highlights, white chapter iconography and red lenses. The look is stealthy and elegant - sharp lines, restrained highlighting.
Painting black armour
Black over a black undercoat shows no detail. To make it read as armour:
- Use a zenithal undercoat (black up to grey) so the form is already suggested.
- Edge highlight with a dark blue-grey, then a sharper light grey on the very edges only.
- Keep the highlights cool (grey-blue), never warm - warm highlights make black look dusty.
A grey drybrush followed by a black glaze to knock it back is a fast alternative for rank-and-file.
Markings and lenses
White shoulder trim and chapter badges provide the contrast that stops the model looking like a shadow. Red or green lenses add a final point of colour.
Tips and common mistakes
- Never leave black flat. Edge highlights are non-negotiable on a black scheme.
- Highlight cool, not warm. Blue-grey edges look like armour; brown looks like dust.
- Less is more. A couple of crisp highlight lines beat heavy grey edges.