Same mini. Same tool. Two starting points.
Two real PaintGuide guides for the same knight, frozen exactly as they were generated — not marketing copy. One was built from a 10-paint starter set. The other could pick from a full brand range. Your own guide lands somewhere between them, and which one it looks like depends entirely on the paints you tell PaintGuide you own.
Compare the two guides
The nine-paint guide is the longer one — three to four hours, against about two for the seventeen-paint version. It spends that time hand-mixing four stand-in colours for bottles it doesn't have: White into Flat Flesh for a mid-tone, Gunmetal Grey and White for a bright silver. Its own shopping list admits a real silver and a real mid-flesh would do both jobs better. The full-range guide mixes nothing but water-thinned washes.
Each time above is that guide's own estimate, and this isn't a controlled race — the full-range guide was also asked for a tabletop finish, so some of the gap is finish, not paint count. The mixing is the part your paint rack decides.
Collection mode
Built strictly from the 10 paints in a typical beginner starter set — no substitutions, no upgrades, nothing the painter would have to go buy first. This is what a new painter actually gets today.
Steel and Shadow: A Full-Plate Fantasy Knight with Cloak and Bare Face
The large flat armour plates demand careful multi-layer edge highlighting to look crisp, and the face requires four tonal skin steps in a small area.
Overview
We're painting a heavily armoured fantasy knight whose bare face under a raised visor is the emotional heart of the model — the one point of humanity inside all that cold steel. We're going for a look of dark, imposing plate armour with a deep-crimson cloak, warm leather belt, and pale skin that draws the eye straight to the face. We'll work inside-out: face first (the deepest-set detail), then the cloak, then leather, then armour plates last, so every outward layer naturally covers any slips from the work before it.
What you'll need
- ·Size 1 round brush (basecoating and washes)
- ·Size 0 round brush (layering, details, face)
- ·Old flat brush (drybrushing armour highlights)
- ·Wet palette or ceramic tile (keeps paint workable)
- ·Two water pots (one rinse, one clean for mixing)
- ·Black spray primer
- ·Matt varnish (brush-on or spray)
Light direction
Our light source is top-front, slightly to the model's left — so the top of the helm, the left shoulder pad, the left-facing armour edges, and the upper face catch full light, while undersides, right-facing recesses, and anything tucked below a surface stay in shadow.
Paints Used
Primer coat over everything and deepest shadow layer inside armour recesses
Midtone basecoat for the knight's face and any visible skin
Uppermost highlight on the forehead, nose bridge, and cheekbones
Basecoat and mid-layer for the heavy cloak
Shadow layer deepening cloak recesses and basecoat for any dark underdress visible at joints
Basecoat and mid-layer for the sword-belt and any visible leather straps
Highlight on the belt's raised edges and any decorative brass hardware on the armour
Basecoat and primary tone for all plate armour surfaces
Universal shade wash drawn into every recess across skin, armour, leather, and cloak
Mixing Recipes
| Mix | Recipe | Used For |
|---|---|---|
Flesh Shadow | 2 parts Vallejo Model Color Flat Flesh + 1 part Vallejo Model Color Leather Brown | Warm mid-shadow on the underside of the brow, sides of the nose, and jaw line of the face |
Bright Flesh | 3 parts Vallejo Model Color Flat Flesh + 1 part Vallejo Model Color White | First highlight pass on forehead, cheekbones, and nose bridge |
Dark Cloak Shadow | 1 part Vallejo Model Color Flat Red + 1 part Vallejo Model Color Black | Deepest recesses inside the cloak folds before the wash, to push contrast |
Armour Highlight | 2 parts Vallejo Model Color Gunmetal Grey + 1 part Vallejo Model Color White | Edge highlights on the raised plate rims, facing the top-front light source |
Step-by-Step Guide
Prime the Entire Model
Hold the model 25–30 cm from the black spray primer and apply two light passes — first horizontal, then vertical — so every surface is covered without flooding detail. Black primer means any spot our brush misses reads as shadow, which helps the armour look deep and cold from the start.
If it goes wrong: If primer frosted (went grainy from cold or too close), soak the model in isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes and re-prime in warmer, drier conditions.
Tip: Prime in a 15–25°C environment with low humidity; cold or damp air causes grainy texture that is almost impossible to fix once paint is on top.
Basecoat the Face
We're starting at the inside-out sequence: the face is the deepest, most inward detail on this model, set back inside the raised visor frame. Apply two thin coats of Flat Flesh to all exposed skin — forehead, cheeks, nose, lips, chin, and any neck visible above the gorget — using the size 0 brush, letting the black primer show only where you want shadow in eye sockets and nostrils.
If it goes wrong: If paint bleeds onto the visor frame, let it dry fully and touch it up with thinned Black to restore the primer shadow.
Tip: Loading the brush means dipping the tip into paint, then wiping most of it off on your palette tile — you want paint in the belly of the brush hairs, not a dripping ball at the tip.
Shade and Shadow the Face
First, add depth before the wash: using the size 0 brush at single-cream consistency, apply the Flesh Shadow mix (Flat Flesh 2:1 Leather Brown) to the underside of the brow ridge, the sides of the nose, under the cheekbones, and along the jaw line. Then, once dry, thin the Dark Tone Wash to skim-milk (1:3 wash to water) and use the tip of the size 0 brush to pin-wash it into the eye sockets, the nostrils, and the corners of the mouth — a pin wash means placing the wash only into a specific recess with the brush tip, not flooding the whole surface.
If it goes wrong: If the wash spreads onto a flat cheek, immediately lift it with a clean damp size 0 brush before it sets; if it dried, reapply a thin coat of Flat Flesh over the tide mark.
Tip: The eye socket shadow is the single most important feature on the face — keep it darkest there and the rest of the face will look lit and alive even before highlights go on.
Highlight the Face
Our light hits top-front left, so the forehead, the nose bridge, the tops of the cheekbones, and the upper lip catch the most light. Apply the Bright Flesh mix (Flat Flesh 3:1 White) to those raised surfaces with the size 0 brush. Then, for a final sharp pop on the very tip of the nose and the centre of the forehead, add a tiny dot of near-pure White.
If it goes wrong: If a highlight looks like a visible patch rather than a smooth transition, thin it further to skim-milk and feather the edges with quick, light strokes.
Tip: Keep highlight zones smaller than you think they should be — the face is tiny and the lightest points should cover no more than a third of any given surface.
Basecoat and Shadow the Cloak
Following our inside-out order, we move outward to the cloak — the heavy draped fabric that falls behind and around the armour, with deep folds running vertically. First, flood the entire cloak with the Dark Cloak Shadow mix (Flat Red 1:1 Black) at milk consistency to establish the deepest fold interiors. Once dry, apply two thin coats of Flat Red over all raised and mid surfaces, leaving the Dark Shadow mix visible only in the deepest fold valleys.
If it goes wrong: If Flat Red covers the shadow completely, re-apply the Dark Cloak Shadow mix with the size 0 brush into just the deepest fold lines.
Tip: The crimson-over-dark-shadow trick compresses your value range fast: the red looks richer and more dramatic than if you started with red over black primer alone.
Wash and Highlight the Cloak
Apply Dark Tone Wash at skim-milk (1:3 with water) across the whole cloak surface with the size 1 brush, letting it pool into all the fold recesses — this is a full-surface wash, not a pin wash, because the cloak's large draped folds benefit from an all-over tonal deepening. Once fully dry, load the size 0 brush with thinned Flat Red (milk) and apply edge highlights to the raised ridge of every fold crest that faces our top-front-left light source.
If it goes wrong: If the wash leaves a tide mark on a flat area of cloak, reapply a thin coat of Flat Red to blend it before it fully cures.
Tip: Edge highlighting means dragging the very tip of a size 0 brush along a raised ridge — the paint should barely touch the surface, leaving a thin line of lighter colour that reads as a catch of light.
Basecoat and Shade the Leather Belt
Now we move outward to the sword-belt — the leather strap that cinches around the waist, typically running horizontally with a buckle at the front and the scabbard hanging at the hip. Apply two thin coats of Leather Brown to all belt and strap surfaces with the size 0 brush. Once dry, apply a pin wash of Dark Tone Wash (skim-milk, 1:3) along the top and bottom edges of the belt where it meets the armour, and into any buckle gaps.
If it goes wrong: If the wash floods onto armour, lift it immediately with a clean damp brush; if dry, reapply Gunmetal Grey over the spill in the next step.
Tip: Leather sits between armour and cloth on the value scale — it should be darker than the armour highlights and warmer than the cloak, which is exactly what Leather Brown gives us straight from the pot.
Highlight the Belt and Paint Any Brass Hardware
Using the size 0 brush at single-cream consistency, apply Flat Yellow to the top edge of the belt strap (catching our top-front-left light) and to any raised decorative hardware — buckle tongue, rivets, or scabbard fittings — with a single controlled stroke per edge. If the model has a buckle frame or any armour trim pieces, apply Flat Yellow as a basecoat to those as well, then shade them with a touch of pin-washed Dark Tone Wash.
If it goes wrong: If Flat Yellow looks too bright against the brown, glaze over it with a skim-milk coat of Leather Brown to knock it back to a warm brass tone.
Tip: Flat Yellow reads as aged brass when placed over dark brown — it gives the belt character and breaks up what would otherwise be a uniformly dark strap.
Basecoat and Wash All Plate Armour
Following our plan, we finish with the outermost layer — the full plate armour covering the torso, pauldrons, arms, gauntlets, legs, and helm. Apply two thin coats of Gunmetal Grey to every metal surface with the size 1 brush for large plates and the size 0 for edges near cloth and leather. Once dry, apply Dark Tone Wash at skim-milk (1:3) over all armour, flooding it fully so it pools into every panel line, rivet, and joint gap.
If it goes wrong: If the wash leaves a dirty pool on a large flat chest plate, re-wet the area with a clean brush and draw the excess off toward the nearest panel line before it dries.
Tip: Two-thin-coats means each coat is translucent — you can still see the previous layer through it — which prevents texture paint from filling in sculpted details.
Edge Highlight the Armour Plates
This is the step that transforms flat metal into polished plate — our top-front-left light catches every plate rim, shoulder crest, knuckle ridge, knee cop edge, and helm brow. Load the size 0 brush with the Armour Highlight mix (Gunmetal Grey 2:1 White) at single cream, wicking excess on a paper towel — wicking means blotting the loaded brush on a folded paper towel until almost dry, so only the tip carries paint — then draw a single fine line along every upward-facing edge and left-side rim. Apply a second, even finer line of near-pure White to just the helm's brow ridge, the top of the left shoulder pad, and the crest of each knuckle, which are the highest light-catching points.
If it goes wrong: If an edge highlight is too thick and blobby, quickly draw a clean damp brush along it to thin and lengthen it before it dries.
Tip: The second White pass should cover no more than half the length of the first highlight — concentrate it only at corners and peak curves where metal would reflect light most intensely.
Base the Model
Now that the model is fully painted, we finish the base — the round platform the knight stands on — to anchor him in a scene. Stipple (jab the loaded brush straight down in short vertical stabs) Leather Brown over the base surface to create uneven earth texture, then drybrush Deep Green in a controlled pass — load the old flat brush, wipe it almost completely dry on a paper towel, then flick it lightly across the base surface to catch the texture peaks with green, suggesting moss or scrubby grass. Finally, apply a thin line of Black around the base rim with the size 0 brush.
If it goes wrong: If the drybrush covers too much and makes the base look uniformly green, stipple more Leather Brown back over it to restore the earth tone before the paint dries.
Tip: A black base rim is the single cheapest upgrade — it frames the model like a painting frame and makes every colour on top look more vivid by contrast.
Finishing Touches
Basing
The stippled Leather Brown earth and Deep Green drybrush moss are already applied in Step 11; once the varnish is dry, optionally add a small pinch of static grass pressed into a dot of PVA at the back of the base to suggest a battlefield or castle-courtyard setting, and seal the grass with a thin coat of diluted PVA once set.
Varnish & Seal
Apply two thin coats of matt varnish (brush-on at milk consistency) over the entire model once fully dry; if the model has gem or eye details, apply a single drop of gloss varnish to those points only with the size 0 brush before the matt coats, so they retain a wet sparkle under the flat finish.
Photograph Your Work
Place the knight on a plain mid-grey card background, light from the front-left with a softbox or a window with white paper diffusing direct sun, hold your phone camera at miniature eye-level (not from above), tap the face to set focus, and shoot in portrait mode if available to blur the background and make the model pop.
General Tips
Keep two water pots on the desk at all times — rinse your brush in the first, then dip into the clean second pot to thin paint so dirty rinse water never muddles your colours.
The knight's story is cold command — reinforce it with a restricted, desaturated palette on the armour and keep the face as the warmest, lightest zone so the eye goes there first.
If in doubt, go darker on the shadows: armour at tabletop distance reads better with high contrast than with subtly blended mid-tones.
Always let metallics fully cure (30 minutes minimum) before washing — they stay slightly tacky longer than standard acrylics and the wash can lift or drag the layer if rushed.
Recommended Purchases
Vallejo Mithril Silver
A true bright silver would allow a sharper, more luminous final edge highlight on the armour than the White-mixed Gunmetal Grey mix can achieve.
Vallejo Model Color Medium Flesh
A dedicated mid-highlight flesh tone would give a smoother three-step transition on the face without needing to mix White into Flat Flesh, reducing the risk of a chalky result.
That's the whole starter set guide — every step, unedited.
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