The Covenant of Ruin, as of Summer 2026.

A few people have reached out recently asking how I paint my Word Bearers.

My paint scheme is based on the one I created for my 28mm-scale Word Bearers army (that I ended up selling, back when the Horus Heresy game was in the lull between the 1st and 2nd editions). That scheme used an airbrush to apply a metallic red over a black base, but in the intervening period I have disposed of my airbrush setup, and GW released contrast paints, which are so good for Epic-scale miniatures I’m not sure they weren’t designed for them specifically, so that’s why I used when I began painting my LI army back in 2024.

So here is the recipe:

  1. Spray the model with Army Painter Plate Mail Metal.
  2. Paint everything you want red with Blood Angels Red.
  3. Paint everything you want black with Black Legion.
  4. Wash everything with Nuln Oil.
  5. Wash everything again with Agrax Earthshade.
  6. Drybrush everything with Army Painter Plate Mail Metal.

I also use transfers from the old Forge World transfer sheet for the Word Bearers, and custom ones from ImpatientTabletop. Follow my guide to perfect decals!

For the bases, follow this recipe:

  1. Spray the bases with Chaos Black.
  2. Apply two coats of Grey Seer with a sponge.
  3. Wash with Agrax Earthshade.
  4. Drybrush with Grey Seer.