Part of our Seraphon hub: every Seraphon guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place.
Seraphon are a joy to paint. Scaly skin takes washes and drybrushing brilliantly, the gold armour is simple, and a few bright crests make a whole regiment pop. This guide walks you through painting a Saurus Warrior in the classic teal-and-gold look, then covers skinks, big dinosaurs like the Carnosaur, alternative schemes and a fast Contrast route for beginners.
If you’re just starting the army, our Seraphon Spearhead guide explains both boxes (Sunblooded Prowlers and Starscale Warhost). Both include Saurus Warriors, so that’s the model we’ll use here.
What You Need
Citadel’s paints were rebranded as Warhammer Colour in 2026, but the pot names haven’t changed, so every paint below is still on the shelf under the same name.
| Area | Classic paints | Contrast / Speedpaint alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Primer | Grey Seer or Wraithbone spray | Same |
| Saurus skin | Sotek Green, highlight Temple Guard Blue | Aethermatic Blue, then Terradon Turquoise or Akhelian Green |
| Back scales | Thousand Sons Blue | Akhelian Green (thinned) |
| Shade | Drakenhof Nightshade | Not needed with Contrast |
| Gold armour | Retributor Armour, Reikland Fleshshade, Liberator Gold | A gold Speedpaint metallic |
| Crests and quills | Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Wild Rider Red | Blood Angels Red (Contrast) |
| Teeth, claws, bone | Wraithbone, Skeleton Horde | Pallid Bone (Speedpaint) |
| Eyes | Averland Sunset, Yriel Yellow | Iyanden Yellow (Contrast) |
| Celestite weapons | Xereus Purple or a blue, plus a white tip | Shyish Purple or Talassar Blue (Contrast) |
| Base | Stirland Mud, Tallarn Sand drybrush, jungle tufts | Same |
You’ll also want a medium base brush, a small layer brush, an old brush for drybrushing, and clippers and a hobby knife for mould lines.
Step by Step: Saurus Warriors
1. Prime
Clean the mould lines, then prime with Grey Seer or Wraithbone. A light primer keeps the teal bright. If you have an airbrush or a spare can of white, a quick zenithal prime (dark all over, light from above) gives you free shading later.
2. Basecoat the skin
Paint all of the skin with Sotek Green. It’s a strong teal that covers well over a light primer. Then paint the large plate-like scales on the back, the top of the head and the tail with Thousand Sons Blue. This gives you the darker-on-top, paler-underneath look that ‘Eavy Metal call countershading. Real animals do it, and it makes your saurus look alive rather than flat.
3. Basecoat the details
- Armour and helmets: Retributor Armour (two thin coats).
- Crests and quills: Mephiston Red.
- Teeth and claws: Wraithbone.
- Weapon hafts and shield wood: a mid-brown such as Mournfang Brown.
- Eyes: Averland Sunset.
4. Shade
Wash the skin and scales with Drakenhof Nightshade, letting it pool between the scales. Wash the gold with Reikland Fleshshade for a warm, slightly red gold. Use Agrax Earthshade on the wood and a thin coat of Skeleton Horde over the teeth and claws. Let everything dry fully, at least 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Highlight
- Skin: lightly drybrush Temple Guard Blue over the scales, focusing on the shoulders, head and arms. Then pick out the pale underbelly and throat with a few lines of Temple Guard Blue mixed with a little white.
- Gold: edge highlight with Liberator Gold. Concentrate on top edges, rims and the rings on the armour.
- Crests: stripe Evil Sunz Scarlet along each quill, then a fine Wild Rider Red on the tips.
- Eyes: a dot of Yriel Yellow, then a tiny black slit for the pupil.
6. Celestite weapons
Celestite weapons are the glowing star-metal clubs and spears. ‘Eavy Metal tie purple accents to the Old One Tepok, so a purple glow suits Seraphon perfectly. Paint the blade white, then glaze Shyish Purple over it, or use Talassar Blue for a cooler starlight look. Add a white dot or line on the brightest edge. A little of the glow colour brushed onto the nearby hand makes it look as if it’s lit up.
7. Base
Spread Stirland Mud for a jungle floor, drybrush it with a sand colour such as Tallarn Sand, and add a couple of grass or jungle tufts. Paint the rim of the base black or a dark brown. Our basing guide has more ideas.
Painting Skinks
Skinks use the same skin colours, which keeps your army looking unified. Because they’re small, go faster:
- Prime Wraithbone.
- Paint the skin with Aethermatic Blue (Contrast), or Sotek Green if you’re using the classic method.
- Pick out crests and frills in a contrasting warm colour. Red, orange (Fire Giant Orange in Speedpaint) or yellow all work.
- Gold for their small jewellery, bone for their darts and weapons, and you’re done.
The chameleon skinks in Hunters of Huanchi are meant to blend in. You can match them to your base colours (greens and browns) or give them a mottled pattern. Simple camo works too, so a few darker blotches over the base colour is plenty.
Signature Parts
Scales that pop
Drybrushing is the secret to good scales. Once the wash is dry, take an almost-dry brush with your highlight colour and flick it across the scales. Only the raised edges catch the paint. Two passes, each a little lighter and over a smaller area, look excellent at tabletop distance.
Gold that looks rich
Retributor Armour with a Reikland Fleshshade wash and a Liberator Gold edge is quick and looks great. If you’d like to paint gold without metallic paint, look up non-metallic metal (NMM) techniques. For a weathered temple-gold look, add verdigris to the recesses using our verdigris guide.
Carnosaurs and other big beasts
A Carnosaur is a large model with lots of flat skin, so it’s perfect for drybrushing.
- Paint the skin a base colour. ‘Eavy Metal paint mounts like the Aggradons and Raptadons in reds and oranges so they stand out from their teal riders, and that idea works well for a Carnosaur too. Try Mephiston Red or a dark brown base.
- Wash it with Agrax Earthshade.
- Drybrush two lighter shades, working up towards the head and spine.
- Paint the belly a pale bone or cream colour for countershading.
- Spend your time on the head: teeth, a glossy eye and the rider. That’s where people look.
Paint the rider and the Carnosaur separately if you can, then glue them together at the end. Our large models guide covers this in detail.
Starborne and spectral glows
Some Seraphon come from the stars. ‘Eavy Metal describe the Starborne look as a bright cerulean glow with deep purples and dark blues inspired by astronomical photos. To copy it, paint a deep blue or purple base, wet-blend or glaze up to a light blue, then dot tiny white stars across the darkest areas.
The Official Scheme and Alternatives
The ‘Eavy Metal look: bright teal skin, darker scales on top and paler underbellies, gold armour, purple celestite, and red markings for warriors blessed by Sotek. It’s the scheme on most box art and the easiest to find tutorials for.
Alternative 1, Blood Red: crimson saurus with black scales on the back and bronze armour. Use Mephiston Red skin, an Agrax Earthshade wash and a Wild Rider Red drybrush. It looks fierce and suits a Sotek-themed army.
Alternative 2, Starlight: midnight-blue skin (Kantor Blue base, Drakenhof Nightshade, Hoeth Blue drybrush) with silver armour and white star speckles. It makes a striking Starborne-style host.
Alternative 3, Jungle Green: dark green skin with yellow underbellies and bone-coloured armour. Absolution Green or Militarum Green over Wraithbone makes it very fast. It also hides chips well on a well-used army.
Whatever you choose, keep the same skin colour across saurus, skinks and beasts so the army reads as one force. A single spot colour (the crests, for example) then ties it all together.
Speed-Painting Route for Beginners
To get a Spearhead box battle-ready in a weekend:
- Prime Wraithbone.
- Skin: Aethermatic Blue, then a thin coat of Akhelian Green on the back scales only (mix it 1:1 with Contrast Medium, as Tyler Mengel did in his official Saurus Guard tutorial).
- Gold: Retributor Armour, then a shade of Reikland Fleshshade.
- Crests: Blood Angels Red (Contrast).
- Teeth: Skeleton Horde. Hafts: Wyldwood or Snakebite Leather.
- Base with Stirland Mud and paint the rim.
No highlights are needed. Contrast paints shade themselves, so this already looks good on the table. Our Contrast paints guide and speed-painting guide have more tricks.
Common Mistakes
- Painting over a black primer. Teal and turquoise look muddy over black. Use Grey Seer, Wraithbone or white.
- Too much wash on the skin. Drakenhof Nightshade can turn teal almost navy. Wipe excess from flat areas with a damp brush.
- Skipping the drybrush. Scales without a highlight look flat. Even one quick drybrush makes a huge difference.
- Different skin colours across units. Write your recipe down so your skinks match your saurus months later.
- Thick Contrast pooling on large areas. On a Carnosaur, apply Contrast in sections or use a wash and drybrush instead.
See common painting mistakes for more.
FAQ
What colour are Seraphon meant to be?
The studio scheme is bright teal skin with darker scales on the back, gold armour and red or purple accents. Seraphon can be any colour, though. They’re living constellations, so blues, reds, greens and even starry purples all fit the lore.
What primer should I use for Seraphon?
A light primer is best: Grey Seer, Wraithbone or white. It keeps the teal, gold and red bright and makes Contrast paints work properly.
Can I paint Seraphon with just Contrast paints?
Yes. Aethermatic Blue for the skin, Akhelian Green for the scales, Blood Angels Red for crests and Skeleton Horde for teeth will give you a tabletop-ready army with almost no highlighting.
How long does it take to paint a Saurus Warrior?
With the speed route, about 15 to 20 minutes each when you batch-paint five at once. The full classic method takes about 45 to 60 minutes per model.
Should I paint the Carnosaur rider separately?
Yes, if you can. Leave the Oldblood off the saddle until both are painted, because the rider’s front and the Carnosaur’s back are very hard to reach once assembled.
How do I paint Kroxigor to match my Saurus?
Use the same skin recipe on Kroxigor as on your Saurus: teal skin, darker scales on the back and a pale underbelly. Because Kroxigor are bigger models with large areas of skin, a wash followed by two drybrushes works better than layering. Keep the crest colour the same as your Saurus quills so the big lizards look like part of the same army.
What order should I paint Seraphon in?
Paint the skin first, then the gold, crests, teeth and weapons, and do the base last. The skin covers the most area and the wash can splash, so getting it done first means you can tidy up any mess when you paint the details. Celestite glows and eyes come at the very end because they’re the parts you want neatest.