Nick: The Dark Eldar are an army of lithe, agile killers. With sleek vehicles boasting dagger-like prows and bladed hulls there's no concealing their murderous intent. The colours in which the Studio collection are painted also hark towards their dark and sinister nature.

The infantry within the Dark Eldar army are painted to reflect this - we refer to the colour rules as 'dark but bright'. The idea behind this is that we can use dark shades to emphasise their menacing nature - but unlike some armies the Dark Eldar contrast these dark tones with splashes of brighter colour. Their armour is edged in vibrant hues and their hair is often bright, lurid even.

One of the rules that we apply when painting the Dark Eldar is that their helmets, when they are wearing them, should be the same colour as their armour plates. Painting the helmet a different colour something that we reserve for the Craftworld Eldar.

Over the next few pages I'll show you how we paint some of the Kabals and Wych Cults that we've got here in the Studio. On the final page I'll demonstrate the colours and techniques used by the 'Eavy Metal team to paint the Studio's Kabal of the Black Heart.The Kabal of the Poisoned Tongue

Stage 1Armour - Basecoat with Necron Abyss.Flayed skin - Basecoat with Tallarn Flesh.Bodysuit - Basecoat with Chaos Black.Rifle casing - Basecoat with Chaos Black.Rifle detail - Basecoat with Tin Bitz.Metal - Basecoat with Boltgun Metal.Green detail - Basecoat with Dark Angels Green.Bone - Basecoat with Scorched Brown.

Stage 2Armour - Shade with watered-down Chaos Black.Flayed skin - Wash with Ogryn Flesh.Bodysuit - Highlight with Adeptus Battlegrey.Rifle casing - Highlight with Adeptus Battlegrey.Rifle detail - Layer with Dwarf Bronze.Metal - Wash with Badab Black.Bone - Layer with Khemri Brown.

Stage 3Armour - Highlight with Regal Blue.Flayed skin - Layer with Tallarn Flesh.Bodysuit - Highlight with Codex Grey.Rifle casing - Highlight with Codex Grey.Rifle detail - Shade with Devlan Mud.Metal - Highlight with Boltgun Metal.Green detail - Layer with Snot Green.Bone - Highlight with Bleached Bone.Eyes - Basecoat with Iyanden Darksun.

Stage 4Armour - Highlight with Ice Blue, followed by Space Wolves Grey.Flayed skin - Highlight with Elf Flesh.Metal - Highlight with Chainmail.Green detail - Highlight with Scorpion Green.Bone - Highlight with Skull White.Eyes - Highlight with Skull White.Base - The base was painted with the Alien Desert colour scheme found in the Modelling: Bases article. It was detailed with Dead Grass.The Kabal of the Dark Mirror

Stage 1For the first stage Nick basecoated the whole model with Chainmail. To enable him to quickly and evenly basecoat several models at once, Nick used a Citadel Spray Gun.

Stage 2Whole model: Wash with Badab Black, then wash with watered down Leviathan Purple.

Stage 3Armour: Wash with Badab Black.Rest of model: Basecoat with Chaos Black.

Stage 4Flayed skin: Basecoat with Tallarn Flesh.Bronze: Basecoat with Scorched Brown.Teeth/bone: Basecoat with Scorched Brown.Eyes/wiring: Basecoat with Liche Purple.Gun barrel: Basecoat with Liche Purple.Armour: Highlight with Chainmail.

Stage 5Flayed skin: Wash with Ogryn Flesh.Bronze: Paint with Dwarf Bronze.Teeth/bone: Layer with Khemri Brown.Eyes/wiring: Layer with a 50/50 mix of Liche Purple and Space Wolves Grey.Gun barrel: Layer with Dwarf Bronze.Rifle casing: Highlight with Adeptus Battlegrey.Armour: Highlight with Mithril Silver.

Stage 6Flayed skin: Layer with Tallarn Flesh then highlight with Elf FleshBronze: Highlight with ChainmailTeeth/bone: Highlight with Bleached BoneEyes/wiring: Highlight with Space Wolves GreyGun barrel: Highlight with ChainmailRifle casing: Highlight with Codex GreyBase - The base was painted with the Alien Desert colour scheme found in the Modelling: Bases article. It was detailed with Dead Grass.The Cult of Red Grief

Stage 1Armour - Basecoat with Scab Red.Bodysuit - Basecoat with Charadon Granite.Silver - Basecoat with Boltgun Metal.Bronze - Basecoat with Tin Bitz.Hair - Basecoat with Hawk Turquoise.Flesh - Basecoat with Dheneb Stone.Flayed skin - Basecoat with Tallarn Flesh.Bone - Basecoat with Khemri Brown.

Stage 2Armour - Shade with Chaos Black.Bodysuit - Wash with watered-down Badab Black.Silver - Wash with Badab Black.Bronze - Layer with Dwarf Bronze.Hair - Wash with Asurmen Blue.Flesh - Wash with Ogryn Flesh.Flayed skin - Wash with Ogryn Flesh.Bone - Layer with Bleached Bone.

Stage 3Armour - Edge highlight with Blazing Orange.Bodysuit - Highlight with Charadon Granite.Silver - Highlight with Boltgun Metal.Bronze - Wash with Devlan Mud.Hair - Layer with Hawk Turquoise.Flesh - Layer with Dheneb Stone.Flayed skin - Layer with Tallarn Flesh.Bone - Highlight with Skull White.

Stage 4Armour - Edge highlight with Vomit Brown.Bodysuit - Edge highlight with Kommando Khaki.Silver - Highlight with Chainmail.Bronze - Highlight with Mithril Silver.Hair - Highlight with Bleached Bone.Flesh - Highlight with Skull White.Tattoo - Scab Red with Blood Red highlight.Flayed skin - Highlight with Bleached Bone.Base - The base was painted with the Alien Desert colour scheme found in the Modelling: Bases article. It was detailed with Dead Grass.The Cult of the Lethal Blade

Stage 1Armour - Basecoat with Necron AbyssBodysuit - Basecoat with Chaos BlackMetal - Basecoat with Boltgun MetalBronze - Basecoat with Tin BitzFlesh - Basecoat with Dheneb StoneFlayed skin - Basecoat with Tallarn FleshHair - Basecoat with Macharius Solar OrangeRifle casing - Basecoat with Chaos BlackWiring - Bascoat with Dark Angels GreenBone - Basecoat with Khemri Brown

Stage 2Armour - Shade with watered-down Chaos BlackBodysuit - Highlight with Adeptus BattlegreyMetal - Wash with Badab BlackBronze - Layer with Dwarf BronzeFlesh - Wash with Ogryn FleshFlayed skin - Wash with Ogryn FleshHair - Wash with Devlan MudRifle casing - Highlight with Adeptus BattlegreyWiring - Layer with Snot GreenBone - Highlight with Bleached Bone

Stage 3Armour - Highlight with Regal BlueBodysuit - Highlight with Codex GreyMetal - Highlight with Boltgun MetalBronze - Wash with Devlan MudFlesh - Layer Dheneb StoneFlayed skin - Layer with Tallarn FleshHair - Highlight with Macharius Solar OrangeRifle casing - Highlight with Codex GreyWiring - Highlight with Goblin GreenBone - Highlight with Skull White

Stage 4Armour - Edge highlight with Ice BlueMetal - Highlight with ChainmailBronze - Highlight with ChainmailFlesh - Highlight with Skull WhiteFlayed skin - Highlight with Rotting FleshWiring - Layer with Scorpion GreenBase - The base was painted with the Alien Desert colour scheme found in the Modelling: Bases article. It was detailed with Dead Grass.Kabal of the Black HeartThis page contains Nick's guide on how to paint the Kabal of the Black Heart. November 2010's White Dwarf contains a detailed guide on how to paint a host of different aspects

of the Dark Eldar range, and Nick has compiled some of the elements from this guide, as well as advice and tips from the 'Eavy Metal team, to present a guide on how to reproduce the Studio's colour scheme for the Kabal of the Black Heart.

A word of warning to the faint-hearted, however. This guide contains a series of fairly complicated mixes and will take longer to paint than the preceding guides. To make your life easier, it makes good sense to make up a quantity of the more common mixes and keep them in spare paint pots. Nick did this for four of the colours you'll find in this guide, even going so far as to name them to make things simpler:

Kabal Green: 50/50 mix of Enchanted Blue and Dark Angels Green.Webway Green: 60/20/20 mix of Rotting Flesh, Kabal Green and Scorpion Green.Nightmare Blue: 50/50 Chaos Black and Regal Blue.Grotesque Gold: 50/50 Tin Bitz and Dwarf Bronze.

Throughout the guide below, you'll see these names cropping up. You can either mix the colours ahead of time and keep them in pots (see Nick's example below).

Stage 1Armour: Basecoat with a 50/50 mix of Kabal Green and Chaos Black.Brass: Basecoat with a 50/50 mix of Grotesque Gold and Scorched Brown.Flayed skin: Basecoat with 50/50 Tallarn Flesh and Dark Flesh.Bodysuit: Basecoat with Chaos Black.Metal: Basecoat with Boltgun Metal.Cloth: Basecoat with Liche Purple.Rifle casing: Basecoat with Chaos Black.Teeth/bone: Bascoat with Scorched Brown.

Stage 2Armour: Shade with watered-down Chaos Black.Brass: Layer with Grotesque Gold.Flayed skin: Wash with Ogryn Flesh, followed by Leviathan Purple.Bodysuit: Highlight with Nightmare Blue.Metal: Wash with Badab Black, followed by Leviathan Purple.Cloth: Shade with Chaos Black.Rifle casing: Highlight with 50/50 mix of Chaos Black and Codex Grey.Teeth/bone: Highlight with Khemri Brown.Wire/eyes: Highlight with Liche Purple.

Stage 3:Armour: Highlight with Kabal Green.Brass: Shade with a 50/50 mix of Devlan Mud and Badab Black.Flayed skin: Layer with 50/50 mix of Tallarn Flesh and Rotting Flesh.Bodysuit: Highlight with 50/50 mix of Nightmare Blue and Space Wolves Grey.Metal: Highlight with Chainmail.Cloth: Highlight with 50/50 mix of Liche Purple and Space Wolves Grey.Rifle casing: Highlight with Codex Grey.Teeth/bone: Layer with Bleached Bone.Wire/eye: Highlight with 50/50 mix of Liche Purple and Space Wolves Grey.

Stage 4Armour: Edge highlight with Webway Green followed by Scorpion Green.Brass: Highlight with a 50/50 mix of Grotesque Gold and Mithril Silver.Flayed skin: Highlight with 50/50 mix of Tallarn Flesh & Rotting Flesh.Bodysuit: Highlight with Space Wolves Grey.Metal: Highlight with Mithril Silver.Cloth: Highlight with 50/50 Liche Purple and Skull White.Rifle casing: Edge Highlight with Fortress Grey.Teeth/bone: Highlight with Skull White.Wire/eye: Highlight with 50/50 mix of Liche Purple and Skull White.

Here's a picture of Nick's colour swatch for his four pre-mixed paints, alongside the pre-mixed paints themselves. Making up a simple guide such as this can speed things along nicely, especially when you're using lots of complicated mixes.