In this wargaming base painting guide we'll use some fun techniques to create some Tau designs on our Necropolis bases. We've used a 32mm sized base and a traditional Tau colour scheme of dirty white and sepia.

This technique uses washing and some fine stippling, and if you want the red markings, a some fine lining too. We're going for a look reminiscent of the Tau Tidewall scenery set which has lots of flat surfaces and geometric patterns, which makes the Necropolis range ideal for replicating that Noughties vibe.

You will need:

• A fine-tip brush for lining
• An old basing brush for applying washes

Colours we used:

• A white undercoat (we used cheap car primer)
• A light grey wash (we used Citadel Apothecary White Contrast)
• A sepia wash (we used Citadel Skeleton Horde Contrast)
• Spot colours for sci-fi markings (we used Citadel Khorne Red and Citadel Abaddon Black)
• A dark brown colour for weathering (we used Citadel Typhus Corrosion)
• A dark neutral colour for the base rim (we used Citadel Mournfang Brown)

White and sepia are the two main bodies of colour for these bases, and different ratios of white to sepia will yield more interesting results than having each base 50:50. If you do the white parts first you don't have to worry too much about ratios - it's easy to make corrections later down the line by painting over the white parts with darker colours.

We've used Citadel Apothecary white, taking care not to leave any streaks and keeping the base flat while it dries to avoid the wash pooling unaesthetically.

When the previous step is fully dry, break out your sepia wash. We've used Citadel Skeleton Horde Contrast, but feel free to experiment with other colours and brands.

Work segment by segment, making sure to dab the wash into the recesses but not go over the edge. It's a little like cooking - you can always add more, but you can't subtract. When you think you've got enough sepia, leave it flat to fully dry.

It's time for some Star Wars-y sci fi markings to help break up the big blocks of colour. Tau symbols are reminiscient of bar codes, so we've used a couple of vertical lines of varying widths to run down one of the segments.

We've used Citadel Khorne Red to stand out from the white background, while staying in line with the earthy neutral tones of the other colours.

We're doing another round of markings to pick out more details, this time with Citadel Abaddon Black. Tau miniatures often have strange equipment or modules on their armour plating that is functionally ambiguous.

By adding a very dark colour to some of these plates, we can add more depth to the colour palette while also suggesting extra functionality to the detail. It's world building through colour choice!

The final step is weathering. There's lots of ways to do this, perhaps with drybrushing or pigment powders, but we're using a technique that helps frame the smooth, angular segments of the base to create more contrast.

Using a fine brush, dab on some Typhus Corrosion in a random but deliberate manner, taking care to focus on corners and raised edges. These parts would have things collide with them most, like armoured boots or debris, and their edges would chip more frequently than others.

The final step (and arguably the most satisfying) is to finish the base by painting the rim. We favour two thin coats of a dark colour that complements the overall base colour scheme, usually black, dark grey, or dark brown. Here, we've used Citadel Mournfang Brown to compliment the white and sepia colour scheme.

Some people don't do this step, but we believe that painting the rim of the base is like framing your favourite poster or wall hanging - it fully finishes off the look by tidying, containing, and presenting the artwork you've invested in.

And you're finished!

What do you think? Would you like to see it in different colours, or on different sized bases? Let us know in the comments below or through our social accounts.

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Pick up your own Necropolis bases here for the Greater Good!