⚠ Games Workshop updates Stormcast Eternals models, paint ranges, and official colour schemes regularly. The techniques and colour suggestions in this guide are based on broadly applicable hobby skills and well-established Stormcast painting methods — always check the current GW Citadel Colour app and your faction’s latest painting guide for the most up-to-date official schemes.
Stormcast Eternals are the iconic poster army of Age of Sigmar — heavily armoured, dramatic in scale, and available in a wide range of colour schemes beyond the classic gold-and-blue Hammers of Sigmar. They are also one of the best armies for beginners: fewer models than most armies, large flat armour surfaces that reward good drybrushing, and an immediately recognisable, dramatic finished look even with basic technique. This guide covers how to paint Stormcast Eternals from prime to finished model, with multiple approaches depending on how much time you want to invest.
What You Need to Paint Stormcast Eternals
Primer
For classic gold Stormcast, most painters use one of two primer approaches:
- Retributor Armour spray — Games Workshop’s gold spray primer that acts as a basecoat simultaneously. This is the fastest possible start for gold Stormcast: one spray coat and the gold is already done.
- Grey Seer spray — neutral grey base for painters using Contrast paints or who want more control over their gold application method.
- Black primer — for painters using a dark-to-light technique, or for non-gold Stormcast colour schemes.
See our full Warhammer spray primer guide for primer recommendations in detail.
Paints
For the Hammers of Sigmar colour scheme (gold armour, blue cloaks/accents, white robes):
- Gold basecoat: Retributor Armour (or equivalent gold base paint)
- Gold wash: Reikland Fleshshade or Agrax Earthshade (to shade recesses in the armour)
- Gold highlight: Liberator Gold, then Stormhost Silver for edge highlights
- Blue: Caledor Sky base, Drakenhof Nightshade shade, Hoeth Blue highlight
- White/bone: Wraithbone or Zandri Dust base, Seraphim Sepia shade, Screaming Skull highlight
- Silver metallic: Leadbelcher base, Nuln Oil shade, Ironbreaker highlight
- Eyes: Baharroth Blue (for the glowing arcane eye effect)
These are Citadel paint names. Vallejo and Army Painter produce equivalent colours — use the Citadel Colour app or a community paint conversion chart to find matching alternatives if you prefer other ranges.
Stormcast Eternals Painting Approaches
The Fast Approach: Contrast + Gold Spray
For painters who want a solid, tabletop-ready result in minimum time:
- Prime with Retributor Armour spray (gold done in one step)
- Wash gold areas with Reikland Fleshshade
- Apply Nazdreg Yellow Contrast to any bone/parchment areas
- Apply Talassar Blue Contrast to any blue cloaks or accents
- Pick out the silver metalwork with Leadbelcher and a wash of Nuln Oil
- Basecoat eyes with Baharroth Blue
- Varnish and base
This approach gets a full Stormcast squad table-ready in 2–3 hours. The Contrast paints do the shading automatically. The result will not win painting competitions, but it looks striking from typical gaming distance and holds up well in motion on the tabletop.
The Standard Approach: Base, Shade, Highlight
The classic three-stage method gives noticeably better results than the Contrast approach and is still accessible to intermediate painters:
- Prime: Black or grey primer.
- Basecoat gold: Two thin coats of Retributor Armour or equivalent gold base paint. Thin your paints to skimmed-milk consistency.
- Shade gold: Apply Reikland Fleshshade carefully into recesses. Use a small brush to apply shade precisely rather than flooding the model.
- Re-basecoat: Once the shade is dry, reapply gold to raised surfaces, leaving the shade visible only in recesses.
- Highlight gold: Apply Liberator Gold (a brighter gold) to raised edges. Then apply Stormhost Silver (silver/gold mix) to the sharpest uppermost edges for a bright metallic pop.
- Paint non-gold areas: Blue areas (base, shade, highlight), white/bone areas (base, wash, drybrush), silver metalwork (base, wash, edge highlight).
- Eyes: Basecoat with a bright blue, apply a wash in the socket, then re-highlight the pupil. The glowing “storm eye” effect is one of the most distinctive Stormcast details — worth spending extra time on the character models.
- Varnish and base: Matte or satin varnish to protect the paintwork. Base to match your army’s theme.
The Advanced Approach: Non-Metallic Metal (NMM)
Non-metallic metal (NMM) is a painting technique where metallic effects are simulated using regular paints rather than metallic paints. The gold “metal” is built up from dark brown through orange-gold to near-white highlights, positioned to simulate light reflecting off a polished surface. NMM Stormcast look incredible and win painting awards regularly — the large flat armour plates give you an ideal canvas for dramatic light-to-dark transitions. NMM is genuinely advanced — it requires understanding light source placement, smooth blending between colours, and significant practice time. It is not recommended for painters new to the hobby, but it is the technique to learn when you are ready to take Stormcast painting to competition level.
Alternative Stormcast Colour Schemes
While the classic gold-and-blue Hammers of Sigmar is the most recognisable Stormcast colour scheme, the lore allows for many Stormhost variations — and painting your own scheme gives you creative freedom while keeping the distinctive Stormcast armour silhouette.
Astral Templars (Red + Gold)
Deep red cloaks and accents against gold armour. Replace the blue elements in the standard scheme with a dark red (Khorne Red base, Agrax Earthshade, Evil Sunz Scarlet highlight, Wild Rider Red edge highlight). Striking contrast with the gold that reads well on the tabletop.
Knights Excelsior (White + Gold)
White armour with gold trim. Technically more challenging than standard gold — white armour requires careful shading (Apothecary White Contrast over grey primer, or traditional layering) to avoid looking flat. The result is one of the most dramatic-looking Stormcast schemes.
Hallowed Knights (Silver + Black)
Silver armour with black cloaks. Replace gold with Leadbelcher base, Nuln Oil shade, Ironbreaker highlight, Stormhost Silver edge. The silver-and-black combination is faster to paint than gold and looks excellent for a darker, more martial aesthetic.
Custom Stormhost
The lore explicitly supports creating your own Stormhost with any colour combination. If you want green armour, purple cloaks, or bronze instead of gold, the setting accommodates it. Painting to your own colour preference from the start increases motivation to finish the army — which matters more than following an official scheme.
Painting Tips Specific to Stormcast
Drybrushing the Armour
Stormcast armour is ideal for drybrushing — the flat plates and raised rivets pick up drybrush highlights naturally. After your wash step, use a stiff-bristled brush loaded with highlight gold (Liberator Gold or Gehenna’s Gold) and drybrush over the armour plates for a fast, effective highlight. Follow with a lighter drybrush of Stormhost Silver on the sharpest upper edges. This technique is faster than edge highlighting and reads similarly well from a distance.
The Eyes
The glowing arcane eyes are a signature Stormcast detail that elevates a model significantly when done well. The method: fill the eye socket with a dark blue. Apply a bright sky blue (Baharroth Blue or similar) to the central eye area. Add a small dot of white or very pale blue at the centre for the “glow” focal point. For squad models, a simpler approach works: just fill the eye with the bright blue and leave it — from gaming distance it reads as a glowing eye regardless. Reserve the full three-stage eye treatment for character models and heroes where the detail will be scrutinised.
Basing
Stormcast bases in official GW imagery tend toward dramatic contrast: dark earth, ruins, volcanic rock, or urban rubble. The gold of the armour looks best against dark, low-saturation bases that do not compete with the model. A simple basing recipe: dark grey textured paste, dry-brushed grey, with tufts of dead grass. Avoid bright green grass bases with gold Stormcast — the competing warm tones reduce the contrast between model and base.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to paint Stormcast Eternals?
Prime with Retributor Armour spray (which basecoats gold simultaneously), wash with Reikland Fleshshade, then apply Contrast paints to non-gold areas. This three-step approach gets a full squad table-ready quickly and looks striking from gaming distance. See the Fast Approach section above for the full breakdown.
What colour are Stormcast Eternals?
The classic Stormcast colour scheme is gold armour with blue cloaks and accents — this is the Hammers of Sigmar, the flagship Stormhost. However, the lore allows for many different Stormhost colours, and Games Workshop has official schemes in red (Astral Templars), white (Knights Excelsior), silver (Hallowed Knights), and many others. You are also free to invent your own scheme.
Can I paint Stormcast Eternals as a beginner?
Yes — Stormcast are one of the more beginner-friendly armies to paint. The large flat armour plates are forgiving of basic techniques like drybrushing, and even a simple gold-wash-highlight approach looks impressive at gaming distance. The biggest challenge for beginners is typically the eyes — small, detailed work on every model. Start with the Fast Approach and add more detail as your confidence grows.
How long does it take to paint a Stormcast Eternal?
A standard Liberator with the Fast Approach (Contrast method) takes approximately 20–30 minutes per model including drying time. The standard three-stage approach takes 45–90 minutes per model. Character models and heroes can take 3–5 hours for a fully highlighted, detailed result. Batch-painting squads of 5–10 models at a time is more efficient than painting one model at a time.
Do I need an airbrush to paint Stormcast Eternals?
No — excellent Stormcast results are achievable with brushes only. An airbrush speeds up basecoating, adds smooth gradients to armour panels, and enables zenithal priming, but none of these are required for tabletop-quality or even display-quality Stormcast. Many award-winning painted Stormcast are brush-only. If you are interested in airbrushing, see our airbrush guide for miniatures.
For more painting guides, see our how to prime miniatures guide and our spray primer recommendations.