DFM Painting Basics: How To Paint Iyanden Eldar

So Isaiah asked me how he should do his Eldar. Well I give him some tips, and those tips turned into an 2 page words document. And that two page word document has turned into the article before you. So let's start:

Paints Used:
• Sunburst Yellow
• Regal Blue
• Snot Green OR Liche Purple
• Red Gore
• Chaos Black
• Gryphonna Sepia Wash
• Leviathan Purple
• Devlan Mud
• Skull White
• Ultramarine’s Blue
• Warlock Purple OR Goblin Green
• Blood Red
• Codex Grey

Start with the Daemonic Yellow army painter spray. Which if you don't have any try using a white primer then going over those areas with Sunburst Yellow (or any yellow of your choice). Remember to thin your paints and it may take a coat or two (of three or four or five...) to get full coverage. And if you use an airbrush you always want to thin your paints to about the consistency of skim milk. The airbrush maybe needing only one or two coats.

The primed model, when wanting brighter colors use a white primer.

Next base coat the head, shoulders, and anywhere else you want blue to be in Regal Blue (Or any blue of your choice.)

After that hit the gems with either green or purple, this is going to contrast against the red guns or the blue used just to make the model pop a little more. I would use either Liche Purple or Snot Green. And use this same color with the power weapons just so things will meld together a little better.

Next hit the guns with a base coat of Red Gore, as well as picking out the eyes with the same red.

Once that is done hit any of the joints or cables with Chaos Black just so they don't get lost in the yellow. But don't go overboard with this color as your guys my look more like eldar imperial fists than Iyanden eldar.

And after all of that you should have a basic Lyanden Eldar!


Front View


Back View

But of course you aren't finished there.

Wash the yellow with Gryphonne Sepia, trying to just stay in the recesses.

Now if you went with green for the gems hit that with Thrakka Green wash. And if you went with purple wash it with Leviathan purple, same goes with the purple power weapons.

And finally wash the red bits with Devlan Mud.

Now you have an awesomely table top ready Iyanden eldar!


Front View


Back View

However there are a few more steps you can take to make it that much better. The basic principle is to go back over the washed areas with the same color you base coated them in just so the wash doesn't completely drown out the original color. Making sure to let the wash show through in the cracks and crevasses.


Front View


Back View

After that now you have a bad ass Iyanden eldar! But there is one more thing you can do...

With the sunburst yellow washed and re-base coated you can then take a little white, mix it with the Sunburst Yellow (I'd say mix it about 80% Sunburst yellow and 20% Skull white). Then take that new mix and paint it on the edges and highest areas of the model to give it a nice clean highlight. That way you have the darkest colors in the recesses, a nice middle color in between and finally a nice highlight to make it pop!

Then With the blue do that same kind of method with the yellow, however instead of mixing it, just use Ultra Marines Blue in place of the yellow/white mix. Highlighting only the highest edges and areas.

For the Liche purple, just take some Warlock purple and make some lightning bolts or streak effects in the Power weapons, and then use that color the same way like with the yellow and the red, only highlighting the highest areas and surfaces. And as a bonus step here, I recommend going back over those streaks or lightning bolts with just in the center of them, just to make them pop just that much more. But if you picked Snot green for the gems, I recommend using Goblin green in place of the Warlock Purple.

With the reds take some Blood Red and use that as the highlight, same with the all the other highlights, just high the highest points and surfaces.

And finally for the Chaos black, I recommend taking some Codex Grey and just highlighting very few areas that may get some light. This is just to make the black not look so dull compared to the other colors.

And once finished you have a truly epic Iyanden Eldar, ready to strike down any foe!


Front View


Back View


Side View #1


Side View #2

Now remember this is not to make an awesome showcase display model, this is purely just to have an awesome eldar army finished fast and looking good. And by the way this method only took me about 30-45 minutes, and most of that was dry time for the yellow and washes. Also this is no way any indication of my actual skill as a painter this was just written up to help get a quick army painted and on the table while not sacrificing appearance.