How to Speed Paint an Army with Limited Colors: The Ultimate Guide
How to Speed Paint an Army with Limited Colors: The Ultimate Guide
Meta Description: Tired of a grey plastic army? Learn how to speed paint an entire Warhammer or tabletop army fast using only a handful of colors. Get battle-ready results with these pro techniques!
https://i.imgur.com/placeholder.png Stop painting one masterpiece and start painting one army.
That feeling is all too familiar: you have a massive, intimidating pile of grey plastic on your desk. You want to get it painted and onto the gaming table, but the thought of spending months on each model makes you want to pack it all away.
What if I told you you could paint an entire army to a fantastic tabletop standard using only 5-7 colors? It’s not only possible; it’s how many pros tackle big projects.
This method is about working smarter, not harder. Let’s break down the strategy for achieving a cohesive, battle-ready army at lightning speed.
The Philosophy: Efficiency Over Perfection
The goal of speed painting is visual impact at 3 feet, not microscopic perfection. We use broad, efficient techniques that look amazing when the whole army is together on the gaming table.
Step 1: Choose a Limited, Strategic Color Palette
This is the most important step. You must plan your colors around techniques, not details. Here’s a sample 6-color palette for a generic army:
A Dark Brown or Black: For a wash and basecoating dark areas.
Your Main Armor Color: (e.g., a deep blue, green, or red).
Your Secondary Color: (e.g., a metallic silver or gold for weapons/trim).
A Light Color: (e.g., an off-white or light grey for drybrushing and skulls).
A Contrasting Spot Color: (e.g., a bright red for lenses, pouches, or energy effects).
A Skin Tone or Fabric Color: (if needed).
Pro Tip: Choose a "warm" and a "cool" version of your main color (e.g., a warm red and a cool blue) to easily differentiate units on the battlefield.
Step 2: The 4-Step Speed Painting Assembly Line
Work on 5-10 models at a time in a batch process. This is infinitely faster than painting one model start-to-finish.
Step 1: Prime Smart
Prime your models in a color that does some of the work for you.
Dark Army? Prime black or dark grey.
Light Army? Prime light grey or white.
Red Army? Prime with a red spray can. This is the biggest time-saver of all.
Step 2: Basecoat the Big Areas (The "Slap Chop" Foundation)
This is where your limited palette shines. Don't worry about being neat yet.
Paint all armor areas your Main Color.
Paint all weapons and metallics your Metallic Color.
Paint any fabric or leather your Secondary or Brown.
Use your Spot Color on tiny, easy-to-reach details like lenses.
Step 3: Apply an All-Over Wash (The "Liquid Talent")
This is the magic step that does 80% of the work for you.
Aggressively apply a dark wash (like a DIY wash made from your dark brown/black paint) over the entire model.
Let it flow into the recesses. It will automatically shade all the details and create instant depth. Don’t touch it until it’s completely dry.
Step 4: Drybrush Highlights (The "Reveal")
This is the second magic step that brings the model to life.
Use a large, cheap makeup brush or drybrush.
Get a small amount of your Light Color on the brush.
Wipe almost all of it off on a paper towel.
Lightly flick the brush over the model’s raised edges. You’ll see the highlights appear like magic, making all the details pop.
Step 3: Focus on the "Three-Foot Rule"
Your army doesn't need individual eyeballs or freehand insignias. At gaming distance, no one will see them. Focus on:
Clean base rims.
Cohesive color scheme.
Strong contrast between light and shadow.
A unit of 10 models with a consistent base coat, wash, and drybrush will look a thousand times more impressive on the table than one perfectly painted soldier and nine grey ones.
The Thrifty Painter's Verdict
This method proves that you don’t need 50 paints to have a painted army. You need a plan. By embracing a limited palette and mastering the wash-and-drybrush technique, you can churn out a full unit in a single evening.
Stop staring at the pile of grey. Pick your five colors, set up an assembly line, and watch your army come to life.
What’s your go-to color for speed painting? What’s the smallest number of paints you’ve used for an army? Share your hacks in the comments!
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