Those two talk a lot about all kinds of theory and blending and so on. But I’ll level with you: I didn’t learn to paint skin in art classes, I learned to paint skin on minis, so my approach is a little different. However, the GW Mechanicus Standard Grey, the Testors Gray and the Rustoleum/Krylon gray primers are quite a bit darker. They are kind of rogues on this list. I wouldn't use them as first choices to use with the Contrasts. Put it this way. The Contrasts weren't TECHNICALLY designed to be put over a gray that dark, but to a certain point you can use gray and it will work. But there's a cutoff point. The three I have on the list are about as dark as you can go with a gray primer and still have the Contrasts actually still be able to be show up on them. Anything darker and it would probably cancel out many if not most of the Contrast colors in the range.

I put down a solid basecoat of the color I want the shadows to be. On anything bigger than a face, you will definitely need two thin coats. On a face you may be able to get away with one, but probably not. This shadow color doesn’t need to be either one of your paint colors. For a darker caucasian color, I might go with a basecoat of pure Khardic Flesh. For a lighter color, the base coat might have a pretty significant portion of Sand in it. The same two paints can do a variety of shades. T’au Empire – The T’au are an advanced and technologically sophisticated race that emphasizes ranged firepower and mobility. Their battlesuits and vehicles are often adorned with bright colors, and the pale blue-green skin of the T’au Fire Caste contrasts well with the warm tones of Guilliman Flesh. Used as a desaturated shadow shade for Type I-IV skin in shadowed areas – under the chin, sides of the cheeks, under the nose, under the hair bangs So far in my quest to build, paint and battle as many warbands as I can I have managed to assemble: Necrons – The Necrons are an ancient, soulless race of metallic constructs who seek to reclaim their former glory. Their weapons and vehicles have a sleek, otherworldly appearance, and the warm, fleshy tones of Guilliman Flesh provide an interesting contrast to the cold, metallic appearance of their army.

The Foundations

I started with Guilliman Flesh contrast paint (yes, I know there’s a Fyreslayer’s Flesh paint, but I didn’t already own that, and I was trying to do this cheaply as Christmas is expensive, and my car battery just died). I then applied a highlight of Ratskin Flesh and Kislev Flesh before a final coat of Guilliman Flesh over the top. I felt that this created a “straight from the forge” effect to the skin of my fire duardin.

A glaze of thinned Nurgles Rot applied evenly over the whole area makes skin look sweaty and gives it an unhealthy sheen Left: VMC Flat Earth mixed with VMA Medium Olive, highlighting to pure Flat Earth. Watered down Nuln Oil to emphasize scars and brand. Glaze 4:1 Reikland Fleshshade:Khorne Red heavily thinned on flushed areas, then retouch final highlightThe decision to recommend these specific factions was based on the contrast and visual interest that can be created by combining the warm tones of Guilliman Flesh with the unique features and aesthetics of each Xenos army. By painting your miniatures with Guilliman Flesh, you can create a range of skin tones that can help set your Xenos army apart from others on the battlefield. Guilliman Flesh Colour Schemes & Combinations Don’t apply Contrast paints too thinly or else the medium can’t do its magic. Apply them generously and soak up excess paint instead. When I put Guilliman Flesh over Desert Tan I was surprised how close it actually was to putting it over Wraithbone. The flesh WAS somewhat darker, but not drastically, at least not to me. I say lighter skin tones because with darker skin, it tends to work better to start with the brown color. If you start with brown and highlight up by mixing in Cadian Fleshtone, you’ll get a nice light-ish warm brown tone. You can also use white to mix in as a highlight. I would not recommend using red or yellow alone as highlights. Red is a strong color and will make things red if used alone, and not much yellow works its way into highlights because most ambient light has a cold, whitish hue, which we’ll go into more detail on later.

Here is my way of painting caucasian skin and faces on Warhammer miniatures, perfectly suited for (Primaris) Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Stormcast Eternals, or any other human figure. When I paint faces, I want a lot of (brush) control, so I use a traditional approach of basecoating, washing, and layering. As usual, I like to use the smallest brush I can find, which is a Winsor & Newton Series 7M 000, but as long as the tip is sharp, with a little bit of practice any high-quality Kolinsky sable brush such as Redgrass Games’ RGG premium brushes will do. With those things in mind, rather than presenting a specific recipe for a specific skin tone, I want to give you a tool-kit that will give you the footing to experiment and play around on your own to achieve a variety of effects and interesting skin colors. What’s in Cadian Fleshtone anyways? With the assembly and painting complete, I now had my 1,000 points Fyreslayers Warcry warband ready to go.Unfortunately I've already started painting and spraying stuff with wraithbone, otherwise I would simply go with an alternative which is cheaper and better available. Citadel Colour’s Guilliman Flesh is a paint that features a strong, robust base coat that offers excellent coverage and a smooth finish. It’s an acrylic color designed for miniature painting that’s easy to work with and produces consistent results. With its high-quality pigments and a matt finish, Guilliman Flesh is an ideal foundation for a variety of flesh tones and can be an excellent addition to any painter’s palette. It’s a great option for both beginners and experienced miniature painters alike, thanks to its reliable and versatile coverage. What Xenos armies to paint with Guilliman Flesh What about touching up mistakes? Because of their transparent nature, you can’t just paint another layer of Contrast paint over any paint spills. You’d need to apply your base colour first, then add another layer of Contrast. However, I found this often creates a “patchy” look. I prefer painting a matching regular acrylic paint over paint spills. Citadel Contrast – taken a step further Since the release of Contrast, other manufacturers have tried their hand at their own “one coat paints”. Read our review of Scale75’s Instant Colors here, and Warcolours’ Antithesis paints here.