New GW White Paints: Shining Spears Tutorial

Hey guys Cavalier here, co-host of Splintermind the Dark Eldar podcast and commission painter for Frontline Gaming. Sharing how I’ve used the new GW white paints to paint my Shining Spears.

 

So when GW introduced its new line of paints, it was the white paint I was most excited about as I had just begun kitbashing my enormous unit of Shining Spears. My first hope was that the new Grey Seer paint, would paint on like a true Base type paint over the new Grey Seer Primer. So unfortunately I found that out of the pot Grey Seer is more like a layer paint and it seems slightly off from the actual primer. That may have been a unique experience on my part, but it was noticeable enough that it kept me in the comfort zone that is Celestra Grey.

The good news is that the Grey Seer primer is absoltuley crazy awesome. GW’s Corax White is somewhat notorious for its temperamental nature. I’ve had it give me issues on the past which can be a nightmare on white paint schemes as its very difficult to hide. However Grey Seer goes on like an absolute dream. The humidity is through the roof down here in the south and this stuff does not care. Even my Abaddon Black has been acting up by Grey Seer doesnt care.

 

Step 1: Priming + Basecoating

I primed all the models Grey Seer no problem and layed down Celestra Grey with my airbrush as the base and I am very happy with how it came out. The two colors are very similar so if you dont get total coverage it hides very well.

 

Step 2- Shading

So for doing the shading I hand blended a 50/50 of Russ Grey on the prow of the bike and on the big node just ahead of the bikes exhaust. Other than that I used Nighthaunt Gloom to ring the minor nodes/spirit stones and run between the wing vanes and the hull of the bike. This is a very simple process and I blasted right through it. For those interested the seat is painted Dark Reaper with a Thunderhawk and Fenris Grey for highlights.

 

Step 3- First Highlight

So while I dont like Grey Seer as a base (at least this first time around) it looks great over Celestra Grey as a first stage highlight. Back in the day I’d just do razor thin Ulthuan Grey highlights but honestly it always felt like a 2nd stage highlight. Grey Seer is the perfect in-betweener. Its actually difficult to pick up on camera so I’ll do some zoom in’s but it looks great. Its slightly warmer than Celestra, but it gives a translucent almost pearlescent look to the paint job that I really like.

It goes on like a dream. I actually brush painted the big raised engine nodes on the prow of the bike no sweat at all. I then did some full bodied edge highlighting all the way around the bike.

 

Step 4- Final Highlight

So for the final highlight I’m using the new Corax White which is likewise phenomenal as a layer paint over Celestra. It works really well as a base, but I still think Celestra has it beat. However its a thousand times better than White Scar or Ceramite White which for my money are not very good paints at all. Normally I’d go with Ulthuan Grey but again its a very sharp jump in brightness and I found the softer hue of Corax White just looks better on the more subtle gradient of Celestra and Grey Seer.

I run this quite sparingly only at the tip of the prow, and the most extreme points and along the edge of the wings. My highlights in the center of the bike near the seat are a bit thick because they can tend to disappear visually when the rider is glued on, so by pronouncing them more it keeps the gradient alive in the middle of the model.

Finished Product

So for the remained of model I applied all the techniques I described above. The only thing left out is the gold, which is simply Retributor with Reikland Flesh wash, cleaned up and highlighted with Vallejo Gold, and the exhaust is a 50/50 Silver and Gunmetal Blue with a Druchii Violet Wash. Gems and eyes are Sotek, Temple Guard and Baharroth Blue.

Overall I am in love with the new white paints from GW. They may not be the dream paints like Celestra Grey that I hoped, but they are a joy to work with as very opaque layer paints. As always your mileage may vary with paint but this is a project I’ve poured a ton of resources into, saving bits over the past 4 years and my initial impressions are very positive- I would’ve had a meltdown if these new paints ruined any of these models! I would highly recommend investing in these paints if you are doing an army in white, but I still stand with Celestra as your base and using these new paints as easy to use layers that will give you a very nice gradient.

So with the painting technique down for this vital unit, my Saim-Hann build is now nearing completion, which I hope to be talking about soon on my show. If you are interested in Aeldari discussion check out our podcast: Splintermind for exclusive Drukharii and all things Aeldari news and discussion. If you are interested in following my painting exploits check me out on Instagram! Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

 

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