White is the hardest armour colour because it shows every mistake. DON’T basecoat white — start with Celestra Grey, wash with Apothecary White or thinned Nuln Oil in recesses only, layer Ulthuan Grey, and highlight with White Scar on edges only. This approach produces smooth, clean white armour without the streaks and chalky finish that plague most attempts.
Ask any experienced miniature painter what the hardest colour to paint is, and the answer will almost always be white. White armour exposes every flaw — brushstrokes, thick paint, uneven coverage, and mistakes are all magnified against a white surface. Unlike dark colours that hide imperfections, white puts them on full display.
The secret to painting white armour is counterintuitive: you never actually paint white as a basecoat. Instead, you paint light grey and use pure white only for the final highlights. This approach gives you room to shade and highlight while maintaining a smooth, clean appearance. This guide walks you through the techniques that make white armour manageable and even enjoyable.
Why Is White Armour So Difficult to Paint?
White armour is difficult because white paint has inherently poor coverage, shows every brushstroke, and leaves no room for highlights once applied. If you basecoat pure white, you cannot go brighter for edge highlights, and any wash creates dirty-looking streaks on the flat white surface.
The specific challenges of white include:
- Poor coverage — white pigments are less opaque than almost any other colour. Multiple thin coats are always required, and even then, smooth coverage requires careful application.
- Brushstroke visibility — every brushstroke shows against white because there is nowhere for the texture to hide. Thick paint, rushed application, or poor brush control creates visible lines.
- No headroom for highlights — if you start at pure white, you cannot go brighter. This is why we start with grey and treat white as the highlight colour.
- Wash sensitivity — washes stain white more visibly than any other colour. An all-over wash on white creates a dirty, grimy appearance that is extremely difficult to fix.
- Magnifies errors — a stray brushstroke, a chip, or a splash of another colour is immediately visible on white and requires careful cleanup.
What Paints Do You Need for White Armour?
The essential paints for white armour are Celestra Grey (base), Apothecary White (shade/Contrast), Ulthuan Grey (layer), and White Scar (layer). This four-paint recipe produces clean, professional-looking white armour. You may also want Pallid Wych Flesh for an intermediate step.
- Celestra Grey (Base paint) — a pale, blue-toned grey that reads as white at tabletop distance while providing room for highlights. This is your actual basecoat — not white.
- Apothecary White (Contrast paint) — a subtle white-grey Contrast paint that gently shades recesses when applied over a light base. Creates very soft, clean shadows.
- Ulthuan Grey (Layer paint) — an off-white, warmer and brighter than Celestra Grey. This is the main visible colour on your white armour.
- White Scar (Layer paint) — pure, bright white for the final edge highlights. Use only on the sharpest edges and brightest points.
- Grey Seer (Base/Spray) — an alternative starting point that is slightly warmer than Celestra Grey. The spray version provides an excellent primer for white armour.
How Do You Basecoat White Armour?
Spray the entire model with Grey Seer or Corax White spray, then apply two thin coats of Celestra Grey by brush. Alternatively, spray Grey Seer and skip the brush basecoat entirely — Grey Seer is light enough to work as a white base on its own. The key is multiple thin coats with complete drying between each.
The spray basecoat is crucial for white armour because it provides a smoother foundation than any brush application can achieve. Brush marks in the basecoat are the single biggest cause of unsatisfactory white armour.
If you must brush-paint the basecoat (perhaps you are painting only the shoulder pads white on an otherwise coloured model), use these techniques:
- Thin Celestra Grey with a small amount of water — slightly thinner than you would use for other base paints.
- Apply in smooth, even strokes, all going in the same direction.
- Let each coat dry completely before applying the next.
- Two to three coats should provide complete, smooth coverage.
- Consider using a makeup sponge instead of a brush for the smoothest possible finish on large flat areas.
How Do You Shade White Armour?
Apply Apothecary White Contrast paint only into the recesses, not across the entire surface. Alternatively, use extremely thinned Nuln Oil (1 part Nuln Oil to 3 parts water) applied with a fine brush into panel lines and around details. Never apply an all-over wash to white armour.
Shading white armour is the most delicate step. Too much shade and the armour looks dirty. Too little and it lacks definition. The goal is subtle shadows that define the armour panels without discolouring the flat surfaces.
There are several shading approaches:
- Apothecary White — the safest option. This Contrast paint is specifically designed for white surfaces. It creates a very gentle shadow in recesses without staining flat areas. Apply carefully into panel lines.
- Thinned Nuln Oil — mix approximately one part Nuln Oil to three parts Lahmian Medium or water. This creates an extremely subtle grey shade that defines panel lines without creating obvious dark lines. Apply only into the deepest recesses.
- Blue shade — thinned Drakenhof Nightshade creates blue-toned shadows that look clean and cold. This approach works well for White Scars and Stormcast white panels.
- No shade at all — some painters skip shading entirely and rely solely on the contrast between Celestra Grey (in recesses) and Ulthuan Grey/White Scar (on surfaces) to create definition. This produces the cleanest possible finish.
How Do You Highlight White Armour?
Layer Ulthuan Grey over all the flat armour panels, leaving the slightly darker Celestra Grey visible only in the recesses and underside areas. Then edge highlight with White Scar on the sharpest edges. The contrast between Ulthuan Grey panels and White Scar edges creates the illusion of white armour with definition.
Because the entire highlight range is compressed into a very narrow band (from pale grey to white), the differences between each stage are subtle. This is intentional — white armour should look smooth and cohesive, not stripy.
Panel highlighting — Ulthuan Grey: Apply to all upward-facing surfaces. This should cover most of the visible armour. Apply in thin coats to maintain a smooth finish. Ulthuan Grey is close enough to white to read as white, while being just dark enough to allow White Scar to show as a distinct highlight.
Edge highlight — White Scar: Apply only on the very sharpest edges. White Scar is pure white and should be used sparingly. If applied too broadly, the model loses all its subtle shading and returns to the flat white problem. Thin lines on the most prominent edges are all you need.
What Factions Use White Armour?
White armour appears on several prominent factions, making these techniques valuable for a wide range of armies. Each faction uses white differently, but the core painting approach remains the same.
- White Scars — the definitive white armour army. Pure white with red accents and tribal markings.
- Deathwing (Dark Angels) — bone-white Terminator armour. Slightly warmer than pure white — use Ushabti Bone with Screaming Skull highlights for their distinctive off-white colour.
- Apothecaries — white armour with red details across all Space Marine chapters. Often the only white model in an otherwise coloured army.
- Order of the Sacred Rose (Adepta Sororitas) — the Sisters of Battle order known for white power armour. The same grey-to-white build-up works well on their large, smooth armour plates.
- Lumineth Realm-lords — elegant white and gold Aelf warriors in Age of Sigmar. Their smooth, flowing armour panels showcase white painting beautifully.
- Black Templars shoulder pads — white shoulder pads with black crosses on black armour create striking contrast.
How Do You Fix Mistakes on White Armour?
To fix mistakes on white, carefully apply Celestra Grey over the error, then layer Ulthuan Grey over that. Multiple thin coats will blend the repair into the surrounding surface. Avoid heavy-handed corrections — building up thin layers produces an invisible repair, while a thick corrective coat creates a visible patch.
Prevention is better than cure with white armour. Paint the white areas first, before any other colours on the model. This way, any stray brushstrokes from painting white can be covered by the subsequent colours, rather than needing to fix coloured paint on a white surface.
Can You Airbrush White Armour?
Airbrushing is arguably the best method for white armour because it eliminates brushstrokes entirely. Airbrush Celestra Grey as the base, build up Ulthuan Grey from a zenithal angle, and apply White Scar at the highest points. This creates buttery-smooth transitions that are virtually impossible to achieve by brush alone.
If you own or have access to an airbrush, white armour is one of the strongest arguments for using it. The smooth, gradual transitions the airbrush creates are exactly what white armour needs, and the technique is considerably less stressful than brush-painting white.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my white look chalky or thick?
White paint is particularly prone to looking chalky when it goes on too thick or dries unevenly. The solution is to always thin white paint more than you think you need to and apply multiple thin coats. Consider adding a drop of flow improver or matte medium to your white paint to improve its consistency.
Can I use Contrast White for armour?
Apothecary White Contrast is excellent for white armour when applied over Grey Seer. It creates soft, subtle shading automatically. However, it works best as a shading step rather than the entire paint job — follow up with Ulthuan Grey and White Scar highlights for the best results.
Is Corax White better than White Scar?
Corax White is a base paint (thicker, better coverage) while White Scar is a layer paint (thinner, smoother). Corax White is slightly off-white and grainier. For the brightest white, use White Scar as your final highlight. For coverage, Corax White works but many painters find it frustratingly thick and chalky — Celestra Grey followed by Ulthuan Grey is a more reliable approach.
Should I varnish white armour?
Yes, varnishing protects white armour from handling marks and wear, which show up more on white than any other colour. Use a matte varnish for a realistic appearance or satin for a slight sheen. Avoid gloss varnish on white as it can look plasticky.
How do I paint white armour with coloured trim?
Paint the white first, then carefully apply the trim colour. It is much easier to neaten white with the trim colour than to neaten coloured trim with white. Use a fine detail brush for the trim and clean up any mistakes by re-applying Ulthuan Grey along the boundary.
Can you paint white armour over a black primer?
Yes, but it takes more work. The easiest fix is a zenithal prime: spray black, then spray white or Grey Seer from above so the upper surfaces start light. Otherwise, brush on Celestra Grey in several thin coats until the black no longer shows through. Starting with a Grey Seer or Corax White spray saves the most time.
How many coats of white paint do you need?
Expect two to three thin coats at each stage. That means two to three coats of Celestra Grey over the primer, thin layers of Ulthuan Grey on the panels, then a single fine edge highlight of White Scar. Thin coats take a little longer to dry but give a smooth finish, whereas one thick coat looks chalky and hides detail.
How do you weather white armour?
Keep weathering subtle and targeted. Sponge a dark brown such as Rhinox Hide onto lower edges and raised corners for chips, then add a tiny highlight of your armour colour along the bottom of each chip. Thinned brown shade around feet and joints adds grime without staining whole panels. Seal it with matte varnish so handling doesn’t rub it off.
Can I paint white armour with non-Citadel paints?
Yes. Any range works if you follow the same pattern: a pale grey base, an off-white layer and a pure white highlight. Vallejo, Army Painter, AK and Pro Acryl all make suitable light greys and whites. Thin them well and build up in layers, because the light grey base and thin coats matter far more than the brand you choose.