How I Paint - Nighthaunts - Green - The Emerald Host

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The first army I truly collected for Age of Sigmar was the Nighthaunt. I now have quite a large force, all painted in a ghostly white scheme. As part of my 2026 hobby goals, I wanted to learn how to use Contrast paints properly. To that end, I decided to paint another set of The Thorns of the Briar Queen, this time in the colours of the Emerald Host, inspired by the baleful green glow of the cursed city of Dolorum.

After completing the warband, I continued to practise and refine the scheme. What follows is the same approach applied to a Glaivewraith Stalker.


Paints Used

  • Grey Seer (Primer)
  • Striking Scorpion Green (Contrast)
  • Dark Angel Green (Contrast)
  • Wyldwood (Contrast)
  • Contrast Medium 
  • Lahmian Medium
  • Poxwalker
  • Nuln Oil
  • Agrax Earthshade
  • Iron Hands Steel
  • Banelord Brass
  • Ironbreaker
  • Brass Scorpion
  • Warboss Green
  • Skarsnik Green
  • Nurgling Green
  • Deepkin Flesh
  • Gorthor Brown
  • Karak Stone
  • Screaming Skull
  • Abaddon Black


Contrast Plus Method

The miniature was primed with Grey Seer.

I divided the model into clear sections: lower robes, upper robes, ghostly flesh, metal, and wood. When working with Contrast paints, I took particular care to be neat. This is especially important with this type of paint, as mistakes are much harder to correct later.

I am still learning how to use Contrast paints effectively, so there is definitely room for improvement in coverage and overall neatness.


Base Colours

I began with the lower robes, applying a 2:1:1 mix of Striking Scorpion Green, Lahmian Medium, and Contrast Medium.

The upper robes were then painted with a 3:1 mix of Dark Angel Green and Lahmian Medium. This is the trickiest part of the paint job. Any light spots or blotchiness in the Dark Angel Green should be tidied up with thin glazes of Caliban Green before moving on. Once corrected, the area was given a coat of a 3:1 mix of Black Templar and Lahmian Medium.

All wooden areas were painted with Wyldwood.

The metal areas were basecoated with Iron Hands Steel.

Sword handles and hilts were painted with Banelord Brass. This does not appear on this particular miniature but was used on the Thorns of the Briar Queen.

Finally, the ghostly flesh was tidied up with Grey Seer.



Applying Shades

All of the shades were applied at the same time. This allowed some of the different washes to blend naturally on the miniature, helping to create subtle, ghostly transitions between areas. Even so, it is still important to work as neatly as possible.

The ghostly flesh was shaded with Poxwalker.

Poxwalker was also used to shade the lower robes. After applying the paint, I rinsed the brush with clean water and used it to remove some of the shade from the lowest parts of the robes. This created a simple gradient that would later be enhanced during highlighting.

The metal areas and upper robes were shaded with Nuln Oil.

The metal and wood were then shaded with Agrax Earthshade.

Applying all of these shades together allowed them to mix slightly on the model, softening the transitions between sections. The miniature was then left to fully dry.



Highlighting the Miniature

I began highlighting the upper robes with Warboss Green, followed by finer highlights of Skarsnik Green.

The lower robes were highlighted with Nurgling Green. I started by picking out the edges of the robes, then used a thin glaze of the same colour to lighten the lowest areas further. This was followed by highlights of Deepkin Flesh to brighten the very tips of the robes.

The silver metal was highlighted with Ironbreaker, while the brass areas were highlighted with Brass Scorpion.

The wood was highlighted with Gorthor Brown.



Basing

To finish the miniature, I based it using Stirland Mud. Once fully dry, this was lightly drybrushed first with Karak Stone and then with Screaming Skull.

The base rim was painted Abaddon Black.

Finally, small patches of static grass were added to the base.



Overall, this scheme has been a great way to helping me to understand Contrast paints while still producing a striking tabletop result. The rich greens and soft transitions help to convey the ethereal nature of the Nighthaunt, while remaining quick enough to replicate across multiple miniatures. There is still plenty of room to refine the technique, but as a foundation for an Emerald Host army, it captures the ghostly menace I was aiming for.


How did you find the method? Have you any questions? Let me know in the comments. Happy Hobbying.

More of my How to paint... articles can be found here, including How I Paint - Nighthaunt.

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