How to Paint Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40,000 armies live and die on a strong, repeatable scheme. Because you're painting dozens of models rather than a single display piece, the goal is a look that reads well on the table and can be reproduced quickly across a whole squad - a solid basecoat, a shade to drop into the recesses, and one or two highlights to bring the edges back up. That "battle-ready" three-step approach is the backbone of almost every faction below; parade-standard blending is something you add to characters, not line troops.

The 40k aesthetic leans grim and worn: hard edge highlighting to catch the light on armour plates, metallics for weapons and trim, and a little weathering - sponged chipping, a dusting of pigment on the boots - to sell the idea that these models have been to war. Contrast and speed paints have changed the maths here: a single thick coat over a light undercoat gives you a shaded basecoat in one pass, which is how most players get a 2,000-point army finished without burning out.

Pick a faction by the look you love most - you will spend far more time painting it than playing it. Each guide below breaks down the signature colours, the order to paint them in, and the specific paints (across Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter and more) that hit the mark, so you can follow it exactly or load it into the scheme generator and shift the palette to make the army your own.