The rich red fabrics, deep leather tones, and bright gemstones are what give Adeptus Custodes their visual hierarchy and character. In Part One of this guide, we established a clean metallic foundation using thin films, low‑tension washes, and controlled volumetric highlights. This second part builds on that base by developing the contrasting materials that frame the armor: the cloak, leather straps, unit markings, and gemstones.

The goal is the same—smooth transitions, crisp definition, and strong material separation—using a repeatable workflow that keeps the miniature readable at arm’s length while still rewarding close inspection. All steps shown here were demonstrated on the same Shield‑Captain used in Part One, ensuring full continuity between both guides.

Step 1 – Leather & Leg Fabric Basecoat

Basecoat all leather parts and the fabric sections on the legs with a 3:1 mix of Khorne Red and Abaddon Black. These leg fabrics sit at awkward angles, so starting darker makes the later highlight stages cleaner and more controlled. Use thin, even layers to avoid texture buildup. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 0).

Step 2 – Main Fabric Basecoat

Basecoat all cloak fabrics, the helm plume, and unit markings with Mephiston Red thinned 1:1 with water. This mix requires around three coats for full coverage but preserves all sculpted detail. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 0).

Step 3 – Leather Recess Shading

Shade all leather recesses with a 1:1:1 mix of Mephiston Red, Abaddon Black, and Water. Apply this selectively into folds, undercuts, and deep lines to establish structure. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 0).

Step 4 – Leather Highlights (Khorne Red)

Using pure Khorne Red, begin highlighting all leather areas. Use volumetric highlights on raised, light‑facing surfaces and add sharper edge highlights to corners for definition. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 00). Optional: A gel pen can help refine micro‑edges.

Step 5 – Leather Highlights (Khorne Red + Squig Orange)

Mix 1:1 Khorne Red and Squig Orange and repeat the previous highlight pattern. Reduce the size of both volumetric and edge highlights by roughly one third to build a clean transition. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 00).

Step 6 – Final Leather Highlights (Squig Orange)

Finish the leather with pure Squig Orange. Add small, bright reflections on raised areas and crisp edge highlights on corners to create a polished finish. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 00).

Step 7 – First Fabric Highlights (Mephiston Red Glaze)

Create a 1:3 mix of Mephiston Red and Water and apply volumetric glaze highlights across the cloak and leg fabrics. Push the highlights toward the upper, light‑facing areas while keeping lower sections darker for natural shadowing.

Step 8 – Soft Cloak Shadows (Khorne Red Glaze)

Mix 1 part Khorne Red with 2 parts Water and glaze soft shadows into the lower folds and recesses of the cloak. Apply 2–3 thin layers to build smooth transitions.

Step 9 – Deep Cloak Shadows (Khorne Red + Abaddon Black)

Mix 2 parts Khorne Red, 1 part Abaddon Black, and 3 parts Water to create a deep shadow glaze. Use it in two ways:

• As a recess shade: load the brush and place it directly into panel lines and edges.
• As a glaze: wipe most paint off and glaze into the deepest folds for rich shadow depth.

Step 10 – Midtone Restoration (Mephiston Red)

Use a 1:1 mix of Mephiston Red and Water to restore midtones, smooth transitions, and add highlights to raised areas that may have been dulled during shading. Brush: Artis Opus Series S (Size 1).

Step 11 – Intense Highlights (Evil Sunz Scarlet)

Mix 1 part Evil Sunz Scarlet with 1 part Water and apply intense highlights to raised fabric areas. Blend softly into the layers below to maintain smooth transitions. Add small reflection points on areas that should visually pop. Also apply these highlights to the leg fabrics.

Step 12 – Final Fabric Highlights (Wild Rider Red)

Mix 1 part Wild Rider Red with 1 part Water and add thin edge highlights to all fabric edges and corners. Place small, bright reflection dots on raised areas to increase overall contrast. Repeat this on the leg fabrics as well.

Step 13 – Gemstone Basecoat

Basecoat all gemstones with a 1:1 mix of Kantor Blue and Water. Apply one smooth, even layer.

Step 14 – Gemstone Midtone Highlight

Mix 1:1:1 Thousand Sons Blue, Sybarite Green, and Water. Paint a highlight covering roughly one third of the gemstone, placed on the shadowed side to create depth.

Add a small dot highlight on the opposite side to simulate a light reflection.

Step 15 – Bright Gemstone Highlight

Add one part P3 Morrow White to the previous gemstone mix and repeat the highlight pattern with a smaller shape. This increases contrast and curvature.

Step 16 – Final Gemstone Reflections

Use pure P3 Morrow White to:

Place a crisp white dot at the center of the previous highlight for maximum brilliance

Add a thin reflection line in the shadowed area

Intensify the upper reflection dot

Thin, believable metallics are one of the hardest things to get right on Adeptus Custodes. In this first part of my Custodes TMM guide, I break down a complete armor and metallics workflow built around ultra‑thin metallic films, low‑surface‑tension washes, and controlled drybrushing. The goal is a repeatable process that keeps the gold rich, the silver cool and sharp, and the overall read clean—without using any masking.

This article covers every step I used on a Custodes Shield‑Captain, from the first black prime to the final micro‑highlights on the armor. Part two will focus on the cloak, leather and gems, and how they tie into this metallic foundation.

Step 1 – Prime and preparation

Prime the miniature black. I work in sub‑assemblies so I can reach awkward angles and covered details without building up unnecessary paint thickness. A clean black prime gives strong shadow definition and makes it easier to judge the transparency of the metallic layers.

Step 2 – Gold basecoat with thin metallic film

For the gold armor, I use Gaahleri Kaleido Acrylics – Champagne Gold. The key idea here is film thickness: I want a very thin metallic layer that doesn’t obscure detail or look “chunky”. With an airbrush, apply multiple ultra‑thin passes until you reach an even coverage. If you’re using a brush, work with several very thin coats instead of one heavy layer. The paint’s fluidity and fine pigment help keep the surface smooth.

Step 3 – Low‑surface‑tension wash for gold shading

To establish initial shading without shifting the gold too far in color, I mix a custom low‑surface‑tension wash:

• 5 drops Guilliman Flesh
• 3 drops Lahmian Medium
• 2 drops Airbrush Thinner
• 1 drop Flow Improver

The medium and thinner reduce surface tension so the wash flows into recesses instead of staining flat areas. Apply this panel by panel over the gold armor, letting it settle into lines and undercuts. This creates warm red‑brown shadows while preserving the main Champagne Gold tone.

Step 4 – Rebuilding gold midtones with drybrushing

After the wash, the gold can look slightly dulled. To bring the midtones back and start building volume, I drybrush Gaahleri – Champagne Gold again. I use an Artis Opus Series D (Size M+) with a texture palette and dampening pad. Load the brush, work most of the paint out, then use circular motions over the armor. This technique rebuilds the gold on raised areas while leaving the shaded recesses intact, creating soft volumetric highlights.

Step 5 – Bright gold volumetric highlights

Next, I push the highlights with Pro‑Acryl – Bright Gold. This paint has very fine, strong pigments and a fluid consistency, which makes it ideal for thin, bright layers. Using the same Series D (Size M+) brush, I drybrush in circular motions again, but now I focus on upper and forward‑facing surfaces: chest, shoulders, helmet crest, and other areas that would catch the most light. This step establishes a clear light direction and a brighter gold read without losing the underlying tone.

Step 6 – Silver basecoat

Before finishing the gold, I block in all silver metallics with Vallejo – Dark Aluminium. This includes the sword, crown, power cables, subsuit, helmet details and shield elements. Doing this at this stage lets me handle later drybrushing and highlighting across all metallics more efficiently, instead of treating gold and silver completely separately.

Step 7 – Cool low‑tension wash for silver

For the silver shading, I want a cooler, slightly blue recess tone to contrast the warm gold. I mix another low‑surface‑tension wash:

• 5 drops Basilicanum Grey
• 2 drops Talassar Blue
• 6 drops Lahmian Medium
• 6 drops airbrush thinner
• 1 drop flow improver

Apply this mix panel by panel over the silver areas. The Basilicanum Grey and Talassar Blue combination creates a blue‑grey shade that settles into recesses and grooves, giving the silver a cool, slightly Grey Knights‑inspired feel that plays nicely against the red‑tinted gold shadows.

Step 8 – Muting the blue with a silver drybrush

After the wash, the silver can look a bit too blue. To balance it, I lightly drybrush Vallejo – Dark Aluminium again. Here I switch to an Artis Opus Series D (Size XS+) for better control on small details. With minimal paint on the brush, gently pass over raised areas to reintroduce neutral metallic midtones while keeping the cool recesses intact.

Step 9 – Sharp silver edge highlights

With the silver balanced, I add sharp highlights using Pro‑Acryl – Silver. Using an Artis Opus Series D (Size S+), I apply precise edge strikes to armor trim, bolts, weapon edges and other hard lines. The goal is to increase perceived sharpness and material definition without overwhelming the gold or turning the whole scheme too silver. Keep the highlights selective and controlled.

Step 10 – Deep silver recess glazes

To push depth in specific areas, I mix a glaze on the wet palette:

• 2 parts Basilicanum Grey
• 1 part Talassar Blue

With an Artis Opus Series S (Size 1), I wipe most of the paint off and glaze this mix into the deepest recesses of the silver—sword grooves, undercuts, and shadowed mechanical details. For very deep recesses, you can load the brush a bit more and carefully flood the area. This adds a final layer of depth without creating harsh transitions.

Step 11 – Gold armor glazes

Now I return to the gold to unify the tones. I thin Guilliman Flesh with water to a glazing consistency and apply it with an Artis Opus Series S (Size 1). Glaze into panel lines, undercuts and shadowed areas of the gold armor. This step reintroduces warmth into the shadows and ties the Champagne Gold and Bright Gold layers together into a cohesive surface.

Step 12 – Final edge and spot highlights

The last step for the metallics is micro‑highlighting. With an Artis Opus Series S (Size 1) and Pro‑Acryl – Silver (or a similar bright metallic), I place tiny spot highlights and edge lines on the sharpest armor edges, bolts and weapon tips—both on gold and silver areas. These small, high‑value points are what make the metal look crisp and finished when viewed at arm’s length.