Dark Angels | Ultimate Painting Guide

Welcome to our comprehensive tutorial on painting Dark Angel Space Marines from the Warhammer 40K tabletop game! In this in-depth guide, we'll take you on an artistic journey through the grim, dark future, showing you step by step how to bring these iconic warriors to life on your tabletop battlefield.
EVERY step of how to paint Dark Angels, From grey plastic to an 'eavy metal style, box art level, finished model. All in one video!
Follow along, with BFG_Justin, on this full tutorial that takes you through step by step.
Whether you're a seasoned painter or just starting out, this tutorial has something for everyone. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your own Dark Angels creations in the comments!
For the paints used in this video, see the paint list below:
Primer: Chaos Black Spray
Green Power Armour:
Base: Caliban Green
Recess Shade: Caliban Green, Abaddon Black. 1:1 mix
Highlight 1: Caliban Green, Warpstone Glow. 1:1 mix
Highlight 2: Warpstone Glow
Highlight 3: Moot Green
Dot Highlight: Moot Green, Flash Gitz Yellow. 1:1 mix
Black Areas
Base: Abaddon Black
Highlight 1: Abaddon Black, Eshin Grey. 1:1 mix
Highlight 2: Eshin Grey
Highlight 3: Dawnstone Grey
Dot Highlight: Administratum Grey
Ropes & Sword Grips
Base: Screamer Pink
Recess Shade: Nuln Oil
Layer: Screamer Pink
Highlight 1: Screamer Pink, Pink Horror. 1:1 mix
Dot Highlight: Screamer Pink, Pink Horror, Ushabti Bone. 1:1 mix
Bone Areas
Base: Zandri Dust
Recess Shade: Mournfang Brown, Lahmian Medium. 1:5 mix
Layer: Ushabti Bone
Highlight 1: Wraithbone
Red Areas
Base: Mephiston Red
Recess Shade: Mephiston Red, Rhinox Hide. 1:1 mix
Highlight 1: Evil Sunz Scarlet
Highlight 2: Fire Dragon Bright
Dot Highlight: Fire Dragon Bright, Flash Gitz Yellow. 1:1 mix
White Areas
Base: Grey Seer
Highlight 1: White Scar
Leather Areas
Base: Mournfang Brown
Recess Shade: Nuln Oil
Highlight: Mournfang Brown
Broken Highlight: Deathclaw Brown
Wax Seal
Base: Screamer Pink
Layer: Screamer Pink, Pink Horror. 1:1 mix
Recess Shade: Druchii Violet
Dot Highlight: Screamer Pink, Pink Horror, Ushabti Bone. 1:1 mix
Parchment
Base: Rakarth Flesh
Layer: Pallid Wych Flesh, Rakarth Flesh. 1:1 mix
Highlight 1: Pallid Wych Flesh
Highlight 2: Pallid Wych Flesh, White Scar. 1:1 mix
Recess Shade: Agrax Earthshade
Aging Shade: Agrax Earthshade, Lahmian Medium. 1:1
Script: Abaddon Black, Rhinox Hide. 1:1
Varnish: Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear
Gold Metallics
Base: XV-88
Layer: Retributor Armour
Silver Metallics
Base: Mechanicus Standard Grey
Layer: Lead Belcher

[@cuthwulf]

I've been using this technique for 30 years. We used to just call it the "3-color method...base, midtone, edge". Great job walking people through it.

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thank you. Yes exactly, I haven't heard it by that name, but the results are fantastic. How did you first come across the 3-color painting method?

[@wexadexwes527]

I'm setting my expectations low, there's no way I'll be able to achieve this first attempt - but this guide has given me a scheme I'm excited to practice and jump into the hobby with.

[@lukewilliams010]

So clean man.. no airbrush no complicated techniques.. you get my vote! And I have watched a great many to decide who’s is best so I can steal it 😅

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thanks Luke, really appreciate it mate 😁

[@AlexVrklevski]

I’ve been in this hobby way too long and justin inspired me to start edge highlighting. My Dark Angels are looking so much better now that they’re no longer just flat base painted with a dry brush highlight. Keep up the good work mate.

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thank you Alex 🙏🏻 you keep up the good work too brother ☝🏻

[@elden7527]

I'll be honest, this is the best Dark Angels tutorial video I've ever seen. It looks clean and is beautiful. Thank you so much for this tutorial!

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Appreciate it mate, a lot of work goes into these tutorials. Hearing compliments like this lets me know that it's worth the time and effort ~ BFG Justin

[@the_witcher_117]

Holy crap that is the most beautiful miniature I’ve ever seen

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

thanks mate, appreciate it

[@javierperezdalmases]

Awesome work

[@pigeongaming198]

I love dark angels thank you

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

You're very welcome!

[@sherlock9397]

I’m still new to painting myself I only started in August, I’m not that great of a painter I’m struggling with edge highlights and areas, your is really helpful I’m going to try and replicate what you did on my dark angels.

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

You can do it! Welcome to the amazing hobby that is Warhammer. Good on you for jumping right in to edge highlighting. It takes time but keep persisting and you will improve very quickly

[@nicholasdedinsky366]

Man that's almost a hundred bucks in citadel paints. I'm experimenting with army painter, Vallejo color, ECT to save some money but GW paints are so nice and streamlined. Blarg curse you GW and your damned prices! *Note to self, if you wanted a cheap hobby this ain't it! Lol good luck everyone.

[@tinythemagnificent8663]

Late watching this one been busy with thr dread top work agian Justin !!❤❤

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thanks big fella 💪🏻

[@rabidsumo]

Well done, very thorough and detailed!

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thank you kindly!

[@maxweichelt7543]

Looks awesome Justin!

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thanks Max!

[@koz1138]

Wow your brushwork is fantastic! This is a great tutorial; makes me want to finally try a recess shade with my next batch of Dark Angels. I've never had much success with an all over shade on them. Though I use Black Templar for anything and everything black now. I can't really make contrast paints work in general but that stuff is sorcery.

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thanks mate. I almost always use a mixed paint for my recesses. You can control the colour more and the consistency, giving you more control over the paint ~ BFG_Justin

[@Dracobyte]

Great painting guide!!

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thank you very much! 🙏

[@liogeo4895]

G day jud 👊 lol good job as always

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thanks 👍

[@tibz8340]

Awesome guide , thx u so much . i use it for sure, need deathwing and ravenwing tuto for my entire army xD !

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Deathwing and Ravenwing tutorials are on the list ~ BFG Justin

[@adamsan7494]

Awesome.

[@jetgray6852]

Yo just wanted to say you gotta ignore all the hate man, just keep trucking pping this awsome content and youll get wherever you wanna be -shwaggins

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thanks Schwaggins 💪🏻

[@koldkaffe]

Nice job

[@Sorrowfax]

0:40 Can you help me understand your basecoating method a little better? Basecoating is my least favorite part of the painting process, but yours looks so clean and smooth. Are you thinning the paint? Please shed some more light on this method for me.

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Hey mate. When base costing I like to take one scoop of paint out of my pot with an old brush. I then use the same brush and dip it straight into my water pot (1 to 2 times), I try not to soak up too much water into the bristles. Thats basically how much water I add for base costs, and apply minimum of 2 coats, sometimes 3 or 4. I also finish my models with Tamiya TS-80 flare clear varnish (before painting metallics). This gives and extremely smooth finish

[@Sorrowfax]

@@Battle_Forged_Gaming very awesome! Thanks so much for getting back to me! I'm chomping at the proverbial bit to start painting these Dark Angels I have

[@spimpsmacker6422]

Hey man I love your tutorial, it really does every step and detail justice. If there's one thing I wish you could do is change your background music to something more Warhammer appropriate, this is just a me thing but I hear these same kinds of royalty free tracks in every other KZbin tutorial or showcase and I personally find it really distracting. I understand using non-royalty free music is hard without getting strikes, but it'd be a lot nicer in my opinion.

[@tadeusznelson]

So good! Please do deathwing!!!

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Thank you very much! It's on the to-do list haha

[@tibz8340]

@@Battle_Forged_Gaming Yes please !!!! Awesome job dude, i use your tutorial for my christma's dark angels army ! :)

[@andrewkennedy9134]

Fantastic job. Im having a little palette cleanser of a few DA. Ill def be using this recipe, my thanks. Is there another video with a recipe for the basing you have used by any chance?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Base: mornfang brown Wash: agrax earthsade Dry brush: balor brown Dry brush: ushabti bone

[@andrewkennedy9134]

​@Battle_Forged_Gaming thats great, thanka for that, def going to be using this guide...cheers

[@SPIpercy]

Beautiful, exactly how I wanted to paint my dark angels. I'm curious how you would paint their cloth parts

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Cloths I would start with a base of zandri dust, layer up through ushabti bone, screaming skull and then add some white to screaming skull for a highlight. I mix some of the previous colours with the next layer to help transition to the next colour. ~ BFG Justin

[@SPIpercy]

@@Battle_Forged_Gaming cheers, I appreciate the response and I look forward to watching your channel grow. You deserve it!

[@dadias321]

How did you do the base? Great video

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Vallejo rough white pumice Base: Mornfang Brown Dry Brush: Balor Brown Light Dry Brush: Usabti Bone Shade: Agrax Earthshade All paints are from the citadel range

[@ryekongstad]

Is there a color that matches the 1:1 mix of Caliban green and warpstone? I'm new to the hobby and not sure I can consistently mix the right color each time

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

There could potentially be a colour in another range. If you plan on painting a lot of DA you can get a syringe to pre mix a pot accurately. The human eye does not pick up on minor colour shifts

[@generalchrome]

I am brand new to this game. Your tutorial has inspired me to start with Dark Angels. I have been watching so many painting videos, and one thing i don't hear mentioned a ton in this video is thinning the paint. I assume this is a given?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Yeah mate, so thinning paint, for myself, is something that is really learned over time. I don't really think my edge highlights, as it gives you more control over the paint, as well as covers easier. I do thin my base coats, a good rule of thumb is that for each brush load of paint, dip you brush in the water pot, and take it straight back out. ~ BFG Justin

[@generalchrome]

@Battle_Forged_Gaming thanks so much for the reply, and thanks for the video.

[@putridsummoning4945]

Great tutorial - I'm going off this as a base guide but with my own tweaks for a darker green - one question though - why do you use make a mournfang glaze instead of using reikland fleshshade or seraphim sepia? I compared all 3 on a palette and it's hard to tell the difference in hue

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Personal preference mate. GW has changed their paints a couple of times, so I like to mix my own shade sometimes. ~ BFG_Justin

[@Feanor2024]

Does anyone know what that background music is?

[@pawepiotrowski985]

Hi, is there a chance you could show us how you paint the Deathwing Terminator? I love your school! Regards.

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

It is something that is in the works mate. There are a few tutorials before it, but Deathwing is on the list

[@pawepiotrowski985]

@@Battle_Forged_Gaming love that! ❤️💪

[@tadeusznelson]

Silly question but why a big wide dry brush for the caliban green base coat?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Not a silly question at all. For doing an overall base coat, like the one in this tutorial, I use the wide brush to help speed up applying the paint. It both saves time and reduces the chances of brushing over paint that has started to dry. If you brush over paint that has started to dry, it starts to have a chalky textured effect. Getting the paint on quickly and not having to "work" it too much is the goal

[@TheFanousek]

what brushes are you using? I have been strugling to find a brush with sufficient tiny tip, but enough "body" to retain good amount of color when trying to highlight the edges

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Hey mate. The brush I use for my detailed work like edge highlights, is a Citadel XS Artificer brush. I doesn't have a large body, so it doesn't hold a lot of paint. I like to use it because of the firmness of the bristles. I tend to go back to my palette often to load my brush. Good luck on your search for you perfect brush ~ BFG_Justin

[@TheFanousek]

@@Battle_Forged_Gaming thanks! Thas is one I do not have yet :D I am using army painters Insane Detail. Maybe I should just try to go to the palette more often. Anyway, great video!

[@virgile1469]

I asked my parents help for the hobby knife part but they said that i was 22 y.o so i had to be an adult and use sharp object myself :( (Thank you for the video)

[@TimTT9]

Do you think thin the Caliban green while dry brushing it on and by how much about?

[@willphill12]

ID on background tune?

[@sherlock9397]

Probably a dumb question but when you use the the dry brush were you dry brushing or over brushing or just painting normally, sorry to ask a stupid questions I’m new to the hobby and I’m trying to paint dark angels

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

There is no stupid questions mate. There was no dry brushing techniques used on this model (except the base). All of the edge highlights are achieved with an XS artificer layer brush from citadel (GW's brand)

[@sherlock9397]

Another question what brushes do you recommend I have wlot brushes, should I stick to citadel?

[@darkhoplite13]

Great video! How did you end up painting the rubies on the sword hilt btw?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

The recipe that is used on the tilting shield

[@pawepiotrowski985]

Great guide, thank you very much for it, I only have one question, what do you use it for Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

I use it to varnish the model, to help protect it. But more importantly, I like the matte finish it gives the model. ~ BFG Justin

[@pawepiotrowski985]

thank you 🤝 @@Battle_Forged_Gaming

[@Scubasgamecorner]

What set is this model from I want to recreate this exact mini?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

It's a standard Intercessor model with an older Dark Angel Primaris upgrade sprue (not the new one that came out with the Deathwing)

[@Tekkaman76]

what size brush did you use for the edge hhighlights?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

XS Artificer layer brush from Citadel, believe it's around a size 0

[@reaverofdoom9170]

How would you guys paint the lions armour? Would you follow this way if you had to choose?

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

We wouldn't use this guide for the Lion. He would look really nice painted with this recipe. But we would start with a black base and use more 'teal' colours

[@reaverofdoom9170]

​@@Battle_Forged_Gamingwhat teal colours would you suggest to build up into for it?

[@nathanhunt9105]

Your tutorial is great, but I fucking hate that music, I had to stop watching. If you'd at least turn it down, it wouldn't be as bad

[@Battle_Forged_Gaming]

Music has been changed on the most recent tutorials 😅

[@nathanhunt9105]

@@Battle_Forged_Gaming That's awesome! I'll make sure to watch it. I also could have been nicer, sorry