Tutorial: Metallic Carapaces

 

Lately, I have had many questions about how I get the metallic green color for the carapaces on my wife's Tyranid models. It is such a simple process, I guarantee any of you can do it, no matter what your painting level is. First, I started off with a little bit of inspiration....

 

 That, my friends, is a Tiger Beetle. When my wife told me she wanted me to build her some Tyranids, I explained they are, for all intents and purposes, giant space bugs. I told her to pick out any type of bug she liked, and I would design her army off of it. After some brainstorming (and a couple of ideas from the friendly staff at Game Kastle), I came up with the following process:

Step 1:

As with any model you paint, you should prime it first. Just ensure (especially with Tyranids and all their claws and spiky bits) that it is an even coat all around.

Step 2:

Paint a layer of your base color (I chose Mechrite Red) on anything that will not be metallic. Anything that IS metallic (shells, carapaces, claws, etc...) should be given a coat of Mithril Silver.

Step 3:

Paint a darker color (I chose Chaos Black to mimic the skin of the Tiger Beetle) over your base color, taking care NOT to get the darker color into the recessed areas (on the pictured Hormagaunt, that would be areas such as the splits in the skin where there is what looks like muscle and between the "ribs" on its chest). This will give you the color skin you want (for this one, black, like the Tiger Beetle), with a secondary color to break things up and bring out details in the model.

Step 4:

Now is where it starts looking finished. You will need a wash/ink of whatever color you want your armored areas to be (I used the Thraka Green wash to match the beetle). Just brush on a heavy coat of your wash/ink (it's fine if it collects a little bit in crevices. It will add a "shadowed" look to that area, as more wash/ink means a darker color). Allow this coat to dry. I then generally add a second coat to thoroughly cover the Mithril Silver, while still allowing the metallic shine to come through the coloring. 

At this stage, I also washed the blades/claws/hooves with Badab Black, a bit of Devlan Mud, and Baal Red (sparingly, just to add a bloody tint), as well as a Calthan Brown coat on the teeth.

Step 5:

Just a few more finishing touches now, and you're done! To give the green shell a better shine, I like to give it a coat or two of gloss varnish. I then paint on a light coat of Bleached Bone for the teeth, with a touch of Baal Red wash on the tips, as well as on the tongue and "cheeks" (this gives it a deeper red tone).

I also gave the eyes a touch of Iyanden Darksun, just so they stand out from the rest of the model.

There you have it! A step by step guide to giving your Tyranids that bug-like carapace look!

If you have any questions about how I paint any of my models, feel free to ask in the comments below, or send me an email!