Alien hive swarms are a joy to paint. They combine big, smooth carapace plates with organic skin, claws and glistening flesh, all of which look great with simple techniques. The key to a striking swarm is contrast: two strongly different colours for carapace and skin, repeated across every model.
Choose a hive scheme
Most memorable schemes pair a dark or saturated carapace with a pale skin tone (or vice versa). Popular combinations include:
- Purple carapace with bone-coloured skin (the classic look)
- Red carapace with black or dark grey skin
- Blue carapace with pale flesh
- Bone carapace with deep red or purple skin
Pick a third colour for fleshy details such as tongues, sinew and vents. Pink, red or purple are common, but a contrasting tone like turquoise works too.
Step 1: Prime to match the skin
Skin usually covers more surface area than carapace and is harder to reach, so prime in a colour close to it. Bone skin? Prime white or light grey. Dark skin? Prime black. Assemble large monsters in sub-assemblies where possible.
Step 2: Paint the skin
Skin is heavily textured, which makes it ideal for quick techniques:
- Basecoat or prime in your skin colour.
- Apply a wash all over the skin areas: brown for bone, purple or black for darker tones. It settles into the ribbing and wrinkles.
- Drybrush a lighter version of the skin colour over the texture. This picks out the ribs and folds.
Transparent paints over a white undercoat also work well on textured skin and are very fast for big swarms.
Step 3: Carapace
Carapace is your chance to show off smooth, clean colour. Work neatly here:
- Basecoat carapace plates in two thin coats.
- Wash only the recesses and the join where carapace meets skin. Keep the flat plates clean.
- Layer a lighter shade on the upper half of each plate, then a fine edge highlight on the rim.
- For a glossy, insect-like finish, add a coat of gloss varnish to the carapace only once you've varnished the rest of the model matt.
A small white dot or line reflection on the top of large plates sells the shiny look even before varnish.
Step 4: Claws, talons and teeth
Claws and talons look best darkening towards the tip. Paint them bone or off-white, then blend a dark colour (black, dark purple or deep red) from the tip about a third of the way down. Wet blending or several thin glazes give a smooth transition. Teeth follow the same idea in reverse: bright tips, darker at the gums. Our guide on painting bone covers the base tone in more detail.
Step 5: Fleshy details
Tongues, exposed muscle, vents and sinew bring the monster to life. Basecoat in a mid pink or red, wash with a darker red or purple, then highlight the tops. Finish with a little gloss varnish so the flesh looks wet. Keep it to small areas for maximum impact.
Step 6: Eyes and bio-weapons
Eyes are usually a single glossy colour: red, yellow or green. Paint them bright, add a tiny white reflection, then gloss varnish. Bio-weapons that spit acid or fire can have a glowing nozzle: paint white, glaze with a bright colour and add a little spill onto nearby skin.
Step 7: Bases
Alien worlds give you freedom. Purple, red or icy bases look otherworldly, while plain rocky bases let the models do the talking. Choose a base colour that contrasts with both skin and carapace. A dark grey or brown base is a safe choice with most schemes.
Painting a swarm quickly
- Paint gaunts in batches of ten to twenty, one step at a time.
- Stop after the carapace edge highlight on small models. Save glazed claws and fleshy details for leaders and big monsters.
- Use the same scheme everywhere. Consistency is what makes a swarm look like a swarm.
Painting big monsters
Large creatures use exactly the same steps but deserve more care on the carapace. Try a smooth gradient across each big plate, darker at the bottom and lighter at the top, plus a sharp edge highlight. Spend extra time on the head, the natural focal point, and keep the rest of the model a little more subdued.
Common problems
- Skin looks dirty: the wash was too dark. Drybrush the skin colour back over the top.
- Carapace looks flat: add a stronger highlight and a white reflection dot.
- Claws look streaky: use thinner glazes and more layers.
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