Part of our Chaos Space Marines hub: every Chaos Space Marines guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place.

How to Paint Chaos Space Marines — Step by Step Guide

Paints You Will Need

Step 1 — Assembly and Preparation

Chaos Space Marine models are loaded with detail — spikes, horns, trophy racks, chains, mutations, and daemonic faces on armour. Take time during assembly to think about which details you want to emphasize. Clean mould lines carefully, especially along flat surfaces where they are most visible.

Many Chaos models have optional mutations, horns, and accessories. Adding extra spikes and trophies enhances the Chaotic look. Skulls from the Citadel Skulls set can be added to bases and belt hooks for extra grimdark flavour.

Step 2 — Priming

Spray the entire model with Chaos Black spray. Since Black Legion armour is black, the primer serves as your base colour. Make sure you get complete coverage, rotating the model to catch all angles including the underside of arms and the back of legs. Let it dry for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3 — Gold Trim

Apply Retributor Armour to all the ornate trim on the armour. Chaos Marine models typically have more trim than their loyalist counterparts, including spikes, skull motifs, and Chaos star symbols. Use a fine detail brush and work methodically — start with the shoulder pad trim, then chest and torso trim, then legs, then arms.

Two thin coats of Retributor Armour give the best coverage. The first coat over black will look streaky, but the second coat brings it up to full gold. Do not worry about getting gold on the black armour — black is the easiest colour to touch up.

Step 4 — Washing the Gold

Apply Reikland Fleshshade over all the gold trim. This warm wash gives the gold a rich, antique quality and settles into the ornate details. For a grimier, more Chaotic look, use Agrax Earthshade instead — it gives a dirtier, more corroded gold. You can also mix in a touch of Nuln Oil for the grimiest recesses.

Step 5 — Other Base Colours

Paint Leadbelcher on weapons, chains, mechanical components, and any non-gold metallic areas. Apply Mephiston Red on tabards, cloth, purity seals (now desecrated), and eye lenses if you want red glowing eyes. Apply Rakarth Flesh on skulls, horns, and any bone or skin details. Paint any leather straps or pouches with Rhinox Hide.

Step 6 — Washes for Detail

Apply Nuln Oil over the Leadbelcher areas. Apply Agrax Earthshade over the bone and skin areas. Apply Nuln Oil carefully into the recesses of the black armour — this adds depth even to black. Paint Carroburg Crimson or Nuln Oil over the red cloth areas.

Step 7 — Highlighting Black Armour

This is the step that makes black armour come alive. Highlight the edges of the black armour with Dark Reaper. This blue-grey colour appears as a subtle, cold highlight that defines the shapes without making the armour look grey. Apply it to every hard edge — shoulder pad rims, leg plate edges, helmet ridges, and gauntlet edges.

Add a finer highlight of Thunderhawk Blue on the most prominent edges — the top of shoulder pads, the front of the helmet, and the knee plates. Finally, add small dots or lines of Fenrisian Grey at the absolute corner points where edges meet. These extreme highlights make the black armour look polished and three-dimensional.

Step 8 — Gold Highlight

Highlight the gold trim with Liberator Gold on the upper edges of each trim section. Add tiny points of Stormhost Silver on the tips of spikes, the centre of skull motifs, and the sharpest corners of the Chaos star symbols.

Step 9 — Eyes and Glow Effects

For classic Black Legion red eyes, paint the lenses with Mephiston Red, then add a smaller dot of Evil Sunz Scarlet, and finish with a tiny dot of Fire Dragon Bright orange at the very front of the lens. For green eyes, use Warpstone Glow, Moot Green, and a white dot.

For a glowing weapon effect on daemon weapons, apply thin glazes of your chosen colour (green, red, or purple) along the blade, building up intensity toward the hilt or rune markings. This suggests warp energy flowing through the weapon.

Step 10 — Skulls, Bones, and Horns

Highlight the Rakarth Flesh bone areas with Ushabti Bone on the raised surfaces and edges. Add a fine highlight of Screaming Skull on the very tips of horns and the brow ridges of skulls. This three-step bone recipe is quick and effective, giving the trophies a realistic weathered bone appearance.

Step 11 — Basing

Black Legion models look striking on almost any base colour. Dark rubble (Astrogranite Debris drybrushed grey), red desert (Martian Ironearth), or hellscape bases (crackle paint with lava effects) all complement the black and gold. Add skulls generously — Chaos armies fight on skull-littered battlefields. Paint the base rim Abaddon Black.

Alternative Colour Schemes

Word Bearers (Dark Red and Silver)

Base with Khorne Red, shade with Nuln Oil, layer with Wazdakka Red, and edge highlight with Squig Orange. Use Leadbelcher for trim instead of gold. The Word Bearers are the most devoutly Chaos-worshipping legion, so add plenty of parchment scrolls, book details, and religious icons. Their skin is grey (Dawnstone over Mechanicus Standard Grey) where mutations show.

Iron Warriors (Metallic Silver and Gold)

Base with Iron Warriors (the paint named after the legion), shade heavily with Nuln Oil, then drybrush with Ironbreaker. Add hazard stripes on shoulder pads and heavy weapons using Averland Sunset and Abaddon Black. Highlight with Stormhost Silver. The Iron Warriors look best with heavy weathering — Typhus Corrosion and Ryza Rust on lower legs and weapon barrels.

Night Lords (Dark Blue with Lightning)

Base with Kantor Blue, shade with Nuln Oil, layer with Alaitoc Blue, and edge highlight with Hoeth Blue. The signature Night Lords detail is lightning bolts on the armour — paint these freehand using Baharroth Blue over Hoeth Blue in jagged lines across armour panels. Add flayed skin trophies using Rakarth Flesh and Reikland Fleshshade for maximum grimdark horror.

Alpha Legion (Metallic Teal)

Base with Warpstone Glow mixed with Leadbelcher (roughly 60/40 mix) for a metallic green base. Shade with Drakenhof Nightshade and Nuln Oil mixed together. Highlight with Gauss Blaster Green mixed with Stormhost Silver. The result is a shifting metallic teal that suits the Alpha Legion’s secretive nature. Use silver trim instead of gold.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest Chaos Space Marine scheme to paint?

Black Legion is the easiest because the black armour is forgiving and the contrast with gold trim is effective with minimal effort. Iron Warriors is also beginner-friendly since it is essentially drybrushed metal with hazard stripes. Word Bearers’ dark red is also straightforward — Flesh Tearers Red Contrast over Wraithbone gives a battle-ready result in one coat.

How do I paint convincing Chaos mutations?

For fleshy mutations, base with Bugman’s Glow, shade with Reikland Fleshshade, then highlight with Cadian Fleshtone and Kislev Flesh. For tentacles, add a wash of Druchii Violet in the recesses. For bone or chitin growths, use the Rakarth Flesh, Agrax Earthshade, Ushabti Bone recipe.

Should I paint spikes gold or silver on Black Legion?

Both work. Traditionally Black Legion uses gold for ornamental spikes and silver (Leadbelcher) for functional metal like chain links and weapon parts. The general rule is: if it is decorative, paint it gold; if it is functional, paint it silver.

How do I add Chaos star freehand?

Paint a plus sign (+) first, then add diagonal lines to create the eight-pointed star. Use a fine detail brush and thin your paint. Start with the vertical line, then horizontal, then the four diagonals. Neaten the points afterward. Practice on paper first.

Can I mix Chaos God colours in one army?

Absolutely. Chaos Undivided warbands feature warriors devoted to different gods. Paint your berzerker units in Khorne red, plague marines in Nurgle green, noise marines in Slaanesh purple/pink, and Tzeentchian sorcerers in blue. The unifying element should be consistent basing and similar trim colour.

For full Chaos Space Marines army info, rules, and list-building advice, see our Chaos Space Marines army guide.

What is the fastest way to paint black Chaos Space Marine armour?

Prime with Chaos Black spray and treat it as your finished basecoat. Then add one edge highlight of a blue-grey such as Dark Reaper on the hard edges. That alone makes black armour read well on the tabletop. Spend the time you save on the gold trim and eye lenses, since those details are what make Black Legion look finished.

What primer should I use for Iron Warriors or Word Bearers?

For Iron Warriors, a Leadbelcher spray gives you an instant metallic basecoat to wash with Nuln Oil and drybrush. For Word Bearers, a Mephiston Red spray, or Wraithbone with Flesh Tearers Red Contrast, gets the dark red down quickly before shading. Either saves a lot of time compared with priming black and basecoating by brush.

Related Content

• Space Marines Army Guide — full army overview for Space Marines
• Warhammer Painting for Beginners — start painting with confidence
• Best Paints for Warhammer — our top paint recommendations