This is how I painted my Word of Blake Shadow Divisions. To date, I only did these on Celestials. They take to this scheme and approach well because of the detailing that are on the legs. The trim colors are the only difference between most of my Shadow Divisions. I haven’t done a 52nd Shadow Division with the reds.

All paints are Vallejo game color unless noted otherwise. (The numbers behind the color are just part of the UPC as another way to ID paints when the printing on the front goes away over time.)

I used a lot of mixed paints. Vallejo paints come in dropper bottles so it is easy to do controlled mixes. If I’m mixing two parts black to one part grey, I simply add two drops of black paint and a single drop of grey paint to my paint tray and then mix it with a toothpick.

I started by priming black. I then painted plain Black (51) on the foot below the ankle. I then used a mix of two parts Black (51) with one part Cold Grey (50) and painted from the ankle to the knee. Next was a mix of one part Black (51) with one part Cold Grey (50) for the knee to the hip.

For the torso, I used a mix of one part Black (51) with three parts Cold Grey (50) on the lower torso, hip to mid torso. I used plain Cold Grey (50) for the upper torso, mid torso and up.

With the basecoat done, I then gave the entire mini a wash of Games Workshop Nuln Oil.

Next up is the dry brushing. For these steps, you will work on the lower sections and move towards the head BUT each step has to be dry brushed from top to bottom. For example, I am going to start on the leg from the knee done to the foot and I’ll start my dry brushing at the knee and work down. You want your dry brushing to get lighter as you work down the leg. Just remember to start with the same paint load when you switch to the other leg. I think I actually worked on both legs at the same time. You want to two legs to appear even and the color to be lighter as you look up the mini.

The first section used a mix of two parts Black (51) with one part Cold Grey (50) and covered the knee down to the foot. The next set used a mix of one part Black (51) with one part Cold Grey (50) – hip down to the ankle. Note we are overlapping with half of the section below. This should smooth out the transitions. Next was a mix of one part Black (51) with three parts Cold Grey (50) for the mid torso down to the knee. Finally, I used Cold Grey (50) from the top of the mini down to the hip.

At this point in time, you should have a smooth transition from top to bottom. We just want to hit a few remaining spots to highlight them more. I used a mix of one part Cold Grey (50) with one part Stonewall Grey (49) on the upper surfaces that would see direct light. I assume a light source directly overhead. Finally, I used Stonewall Grey (49) on the top most surfaces only. This should be on things like the top of the head and the top of the shoulder over the arms. I didn’t do this close to the head. This will make it look like there are some very light shadows around the neck area. You can probably even include the top of the torso in the front if it sticks out far enough from the head area.

You could also work it up to a pure white at this point in time. I think a light grey works better than a true white as white tends to look chalking for me. That is a limitation that I have as a painter until I figure out that puzzle.

Now you would do your trim. The trims were pretty straight forward. Some needed a single color while some needed a couple different blends. I’ll just list them below with the division name.

43rd Shadow Division:
I did a base coat of Ultra Marine Blue (22). I painted around the edges with a mix of two parts Ultra Marine Blue (22) and one part Magic Blue (21). I did a second thinner round of paint around the edges with a mix of one part Ultra Marine Blue (22) and one part Magic Blue (21). Finally, I applied Games Workshop Guilliman Blue Glaze.

44th Shadow Division:
I did a base coat of Hot Orange (09). I painted around the edges with Orange Fire (08).

47th Shadow Division:
I did a base coat of Scorpy Green (32). I painted around the edges with an even mix of Scorpy Green (32) and Livery Green (33). I did a second thinner round of paint around the edges with Livery Green (33). Finally, I applied Games Workshop Waywatcher Green Glaze.

48th Shadow Division:
I did a base coat of Sun Yellow (06). That was it. I hate painting yellow.

49th Shadow Division:
I did a base coat of Hexed Lichen (15). I painted around the edges with a mix of one part Hexed Lichen (15) with one part Warlord Purple (14). I did a second thinner round of paint around the edges with a mix of one part Hexed Lichen (15) with two parts Warlord Purple (14). Finally, I added a third edge using a mix of one part Hexed Lichen (15) with three parts Warlord Purple (14). It just took a while to get the color and appearance that I wanted.

50th Shadow Division:
I did a base coat of Gory Red (11). I painted around the edges with a mix of one part Gory Red (11) with one part Bloody Red (10). Finally, I applied Games Workshop Bloodletter Glaze.