In this Heavy Contrast episode I’m painting a Vespid Stingwing to a really high standard using Contrast paints plus highlights. I start from a Wraithbone spray and go straight into the orange carapace with my own “perfect orange” mix: 1 part Blood Angels Red to 4 parts Iyanden Yellow. I don’t use the ready-made oranges because Gryph-Hound Orange is too brown and dark, and Magmadroth is too opaque—what I want is vivid and translucent, and this mix nails it. Then I block in the soft underbelly and wing membranes with light, controlled Contrast layers, building that turquoise tint on the wings with Aethermatic Blue heavily cut with medium and pushed towards the edges. Once the main Contrast work is done, I add interest with random heavy-metal style gradients: a feathered Flesh Tearers Red glaze, then a careful, very thin Cygor Brown mix on the tips and recesses (less is more). From there it’s all about making it pop with fast, clean highlights: Wild Rider Red, Fire Dragon Bright, then a Fire Dragon Bright + Dorn Yellow mix, and finally tiny touches of pure Dorn Yellow. I finish by separating the warm organic blacks from the cooler weapon blacks, adding chipping with Rhinox Hide, and giving the single metallic orb a quick TMM treatment with Retributor Armour + Stormhost Silver.