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The Compendium · Age of Sigmar

Nighthaunt paint schemes

Spectral gradients and underlight — an army painted mostly in glazes.

Nighthaunt are the great airbrush-and-glaze army. The signature look is a gradient — spectral green or cold blue rising out of darkness into pale, translucent robes — repeated consistently across every banshee and spirit host in the force.

It's also one of the fastest armies to reach a stunning tabletop standard, which makes it a popular commission: the techniques scale, and the finished army looks far more difficult than its price suggests.

Classic spectral green

The studio standard: deep green-black at the base fading to pale mint at the trailing edges, with warm bone or bronze details to break the monochrome. Underlighting from the base sells the ghost effect completely.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Grey Seer undercoat
  2. BaseCitadel Hexwraith Flame (Contrast) + Lahmian Medium on the robes
  3. ShadeCitadel Coelia Greenshade glazed into the lower robes
  4. LayerCitadel Ulthuan Grey, thinned, on the upper robes
  5. HighlightCitadel White Scar on the highest edges and wisp tips

Cold blue & violet hosts

The same gradient logic shifted to moonlit blue or bruised violet. Colder and quieter than the green — beautiful under dark gallery lighting and a natural fit for snow or midnight basing.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Grey Seer with a Corax White zenithal from above
  2. BaseCitadel Nighthaunt Gloom (Contrast) over the robes
  3. ShadeCitadel Druchii Violet glazed into the deepest folds
  4. LayerCitadel Ulthuan Grey, thinned, on the raised areas
  5. HighlightCitadel White Scar on the highest points

The Emerald Host

Saturated emerald spirits with tarnished gold relics — a named host with a richer, jewel-toned take on the classic fade. Rewards careful control of where the brightest greens land.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Dark Angels Green + Lahmian Medium (3:1) on the robes
  2. GlazeThinned Citadel Caliban Green to even the green out
  3. ShadeCitadel Black Templar (Contrast) + Lahmian Medium in the recesses
  4. HighlightCitadel Warboss Green, then Skarsnik Green on the upper robes
  5. EdgeCitadel Deepkin Flesh for the final sharp edges

Grief-marked & custom hosts

Pale ash-white spirits with a single accent — dried-blood red chains, black banners. Minimalist schemes that lean on contrast and basing, and photograph like museum pieces.

Watch

Tutorials from painters we rate, teaching these schemes brush in hand. Each one opens here on click and links back to its creator.

How to Paint: Battle Ready Nighthaunt Chainrasps — Contrast Method

Warhammer ↗

How to Paint Classic Nighthaunt / Ethereal models FAST with Contrast paints

Artis Opus ↗

How I Paint Things — Nighthaunt Chainrasps

Sonic Sledgehammer Studio ↗

The Gallery

The photo gallery opens as studios license their work to us. Every image we show is a real commissioned miniature, credited and linked to the artist who painted it — no stock, no renders, no AI.

Commissioning

Thinking about your own army in one of these schemes? The Age of Sigmar studios in the directory take commissions, or you can describe your project and we'll match you with painters who suit it.