Unveiling the Imperial Hues: Crafting Your Warhammer Old World Army's Signature Look

Embarking on a Warhammer: The Old World Empire army project offers a thrilling opportunity to personalize your forces with distinct and lore-rich color schemes. The Empire, a mosaic of diverse provinces, electorates, and city-states, provides a vast palette of historical and thematic options. Whether you seek to represent a specific region's heraldry, forge a cohesive army theme, or blend elements for a unique mercenary force, the choices are abundant.

Key Insights into Empire Army Color Schemes

Lore-Accurate Provincial Schemes: Many Empire provinces, like Reikland (Red and White) and Averland (Yellow and Black), have distinct, iconic color combinations that lend authenticity and narrative depth to your army.
Strategic Color Application: Beyond primary and secondary colors, techniques like halving, quartering, and incorporating accent colors (e.g., yellow plumes for Altdorf, black steel for Averland) can create visual interest and differentiate units.
Painting Practicalities: Certain colors, such as purple and yellow, require specific layering techniques for optimal vibrancy and coverage. Understanding these nuances can significantly improve your models' appearance and painting efficiency.

The Rich Tapestry of Imperial Provincial Colors

The Empire's strength lies in its diversity, with each province contributing its unique cultural identity and military traditions, reflected vividly in their respective color schemes. Embracing these lore-friendly palettes allows your army to tell a compelling story on the tabletop.

Iconic Provincial Combinations

Reikland/Altdorf: The Heart of the Empire

The most recognizable colors of the Empire, particularly for forces from Reikland and its capital, Altdorf, are red and white. These are often applied in striking halved or quartered patterns on uniforms, creating a bold and traditional look. Altdorfian soldiers are also known for their ostentatious uniforms, frequently adorned with medals and seals, and specific units like the Company of Honour may feature yellow plumes and black steel armor.

Warhammer Empire soldiers with red and white uniforms on a snowy battlefield.

Empire soldiers in classic red and white livery, ready for battle.

Averland: The Bold and Bright

For a truly eye-catching force, Averland's state colors of yellow and black are an excellent choice. This wealthy province's troops often wear highly ornamented uniforms, with armor made of polished or blackened steel. While some units might feature traditional yellow and black stripes, others could sport bright yellow with light tan accents, or even dark tan and black. Achieving vibrant yellow requires careful layering, often starting with a desaturated brown base like Vallejo's Scrofulous Brown.

Warhammer Empire soldiers in yellow and black uniforms standing in formation.

A regiment of Averland troops in their distinctive yellow and black attire.

Ostermark: The Regal and Unique

If you desire a less common but deeply lore-friendly scheme, Ostermark's combination of purple with white or yellow is exceptional. The difficulty in dyeing purple historically meant variations in hue among soldiers, adding a unique, almost organic feel to your army. This scheme offers a regal and mysterious aesthetic, making your forces truly stand out.

Hochland: The Forest and Frontier

The official colors of Hochland, red and green, often appear with black accents for plumes or ribbons. This balanced mix evokes a forested, rugged theme, perfectly fitting Hochland's lore. Red can serve as a dominant color for clothing, with green used for secondary elements like cloaks or shields, and black for outlines to enhance depth and definition.

Middenheim: The Icy and Stark

Home to the zealous Order of the White Wolf, Middenheim's livery consists of a stark, icy palette of cold blue and bluish white. This scheme represents the city's grim and formidable atmosphere, providing a visually dramatic contrast to warmer provincial colors.

A visual guide to painting Middenheim state troops for Warhammer: The Old World. This video demonstrates the cool blue and bluish-white scheme, showcasing how to achieve the distinct, stark look characteristic of Middenheim forces.

Other Notable Provincial Colors

Nuln: Known for its artillery and engineers, Nuln's troops are distinguished by their black uniforms.
Stirland: Armies from Stirland often feature combinations of yellow and green.
Wissenland: Characterized by more austere grey and white, reflecting a potentially less opulent province.
Marienburg (Westerland): Typically presented with yellow and blue/purpleish army colors.

Approaches to Unifying or Diversifying Your Army's Aesthetic

Beyond individual provincial schemes, several overarching strategies can help you create a visually cohesive or strategically varied Empire army.

The Unified Army Approach

Many hobbyists prefer a single, consistent "army color" scheme, often tied to a specific city or region. This approach involves consistently applying chosen colors to all state troops and regular army units, resulting in a cohesive and visually striking force on the tabletop. This unity can be particularly effective for presenting a grand, organized Imperial army.

The Mixed Provincial Force (Mercenary Style)

The Empire's lore allows for great diversity, with regiments often drawn from various provinces. You can reflect this by painting units as if they originate from different regions—for example, handgunners from Nuln with swordsmen from Talabheim. While this can lead to a less unified appearance if colors clash, it offers immense visual variety and narrative potential, portraying a truly diverse Imperial host.

A large army of Warhammer Empire soldiers with varied uniform colors, standing in formation.

An expansive Empire army showcasing a mix of provincial color schemes, creating a diverse and dynamic force.

Semi-Unified and Complementary Schemes

A balanced approach involves selecting provincial or city heraldry that shares a common color, or using complementary colors with accent variations. For instance, pairing blue and yellow, along with metallics and browns/creams for wood and fabric, can create a balanced and appealing scheme. You can maintain overall cohesion while allowing for distinct units. A tri-color scheme, such as 25% blue, 25% yellow, and 50% red, allows for flexibility, letting troops fit into multiple provincial narratives (e.g., Talabecland's red and yellow, or Altdorf's blue and red).

Custom and Thematic Designs

Warhammer offers immense freedom in painting, allowing for unique custom schemes. Deep blue paired with black and blood red accents can create a striking and elegant look for elite units like Greatswords. Orange and brown with dark tones can lend a gritty, weathered appearance to militia or Free Company units. Incorporating Shalya-themed elements related to "light and life" can add a unique thematic touch, and individual lords can even have their own specific color schemes.

Painting Considerations and Techniques

Achieving a professional and visually appealing finish for your Empire army involves more than just color choice; it also requires mindful application techniques.

Undercoats and Layering for Vibrant Colors

For colors like yellow, which can be challenging to achieve vibrant, full coverage, applying multiple thin layers over a desaturated brown base (like Scrofulous Brown) is highly recommended. This technique helps prevent patchiness and ensures strong color saturation. Similarly, white can be tricky over dark primers and may require careful layering or zenithal highlighting to achieve brightness.

Edge Highlighting and Shading for Depth

Utilizing washes and edge highlighting is crucial for adding depth and bringing out details, especially on larger blocks of color. Washes settle into recesses, creating shadows, while edge highlighting defines raised areas, making details pop and preventing colors from appearing flat.

Freehand and Banners for Personalization

Incorporating freehand designs on banners, shields, or even armor can personalize your regiments and add significant character to your army. This allows for unique heraldry or unit markings that further distinguish your forces.

Comparing Empire Provincial Color Schemes

This table summarizes key provincial color schemes, highlighting their primary and secondary hues along with notable characteristics. This can serve as a quick reference when planning your army's aesthetic.

Province/Style	Primary Color	Secondary Color	Accent/Details	Notes
Altdorf/Reikland	Red	White	Yellow plumes, black steel	Iconic, often halved/quartered; Altdorf units are ostentatious.
Averland	Yellow	Black	Polished/blackened steel	Bold contrast, highly ornamented uniforms.
Hochland	Red	Green	Black plumes/ribbons	Balanced, evokes a forested, rugged theme.
Marienburg	Yellow	Blue/Purple	—	Distinctive maritime trade city colors.
Middenheim	Cold Blue	Bluish White	—	Stark, icy palette, associated with the White Wolf.
Nuln	Black	—	—	Known for its artillery and disciplined forces.
Ostermark	Purple	White/Yellow	Varies due to dye difficulty	Unique, regal, less common.
Stirland	Yellow	Green	—	Another green and yellow combination, distinct from Averland.
Talabheim/Talabecland	Red	White	Varies	Similar to Reikland, but with different heraldic designs.
Wissenland	Grey	White	—	More austere, reflecting a less wealthy province.
Custom (e.g., Elite)	Deep Blue	Black	Blood Red Accents	Striking and elegant for special units.

Evaluating Color Scheme Appeal and Painting Effort

When selecting a color scheme, it's beneficial to consider both its aesthetic appeal and the practical effort required for painting. This radar chart provides an opinionated analysis of various popular Empire color schemes based on these criteria.

This radar chart illustrates a subjective rating of various Empire color schemes across several dimensions: Visual Appeal, Lore Fidelity, Painting Difficulty (where lower is easier), Contrast & Pop, and Uniqueness. For example, Averland's Yellow & Black scheme rates highly in Visual Appeal and Contrast due to its striking nature, though its Painting Difficulty is slightly higher because yellow can be challenging. Ostermark's Purple offers high Uniqueness but presents a greater Painting Difficulty due to the nature of purple pigments. This chart aims to help hobbyists visualize the trade-offs and strengths of different choices based on typical painting experiences and aesthetic preferences.

Mindmap: Exploring Empire Army Color Scheme Factors

This mindmap outlines the interconnected factors influencing the choice of a Warhammer Old World Empire army color scheme, from lore and painting techniques to aesthetic preferences and army composition.

mindmap root["Warhammer Empire Army Color Schemes"] id_1["Lore-Friendly Options"] id_1_1["Provincial Colors"] id_1_1_1["Altdorf/Reikland: Red & White"] id_1_1_2["Averland: Yellow & Black"] id_1_1_3["Ostermark: Purple & White/Yellow"] id_1_1_4["Hochland: Red & Green"] id_1_1_5["Middenheim: Cold Blue & Bluish White"] id_1_1_6["Nuln: Black"] id_1_1_7["Stirland: Yellow & Green"] id_1_1_8["Wissenland: Grey & White"] id_1_2["City-State Heraldry"] id_2["Painting Approaches"] id_2_1["Unified Army Theme"] id_2_2["Mixed Provincial Forces (Mercenary)"] id_2_3["Semi-Unified Forces (Common Color)"] id_2_4["Varying Application within Palette"] id_2_5["Accent Colors & Thematic Elements"] id_3["Technical Considerations"] id_3_1["Undercoats & Priming"] id_3_1_1["Zenithal Highlighting"] id_3_1_2["Base coats for difficult colors (e.g., yellow)"] id_3_2["Layering & Thinning Paints"] id_3_3["Washes & Shading"] id_3_4["Edge Highlighting"] id_3_5["Batch Painting Efficiency"] id_4["Aesthetic & Narrative Choices"] id_4_1["Contrast & Visual Impact"] id_4_2["Gritty vs. Vibrant Look"] id_4_3["Personalization (Freehand, Banners)"] id_4_4["Unit Specialization (e.g., Greatswords, Handgunners)"] id_4_5["Overall Army Cohesion"]

This mindmap visually breaks down the various components and considerations when deciding on a color scheme for your Warhammer Old World Empire army. It highlights the importance of lore-friendly provincial colors, different painting strategies for unity or diversity, essential technical painting tips for effective application, and the aesthetic and narrative choices that ultimately define your army's unique identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most iconic Empire army colors?

The most iconic Empire colors are red and white, particularly associated with Reikland and Altdorf. These are frequently depicted in official artwork and are widely recognized as classic Imperial hues.

Can I mix colors from different provinces in one army?

Yes, mixing colors from different provinces is a popular and lore-friendly approach. The Empire is a diverse nation, and regiments are often drawn from various regions. This can create a unique "mercenary" or diverse Imperial army look. You can also choose a semi-unified approach by selecting provincial colors that share a common hue.

Are some colors harder to paint than others?

Yes, certain colors like yellow and purple can be more challenging to paint due to their pigment properties. Yellow often requires multiple thin layers over a specific base color (like a desaturated brown) to achieve full, vibrant coverage. Purple, as noted in lore, was historically difficult to dye, which can lead to intentional variations in hue for added realism.

How important is lore accuracy for color schemes?

Lore accuracy can add significant narrative depth and authenticity to your army. Many hobbyists enjoy painting their forces in established provincial colors to reflect the rich background of Warhammer: The Old World. However, the ultimate freedom to paint your models as you desire is a key aspect of the hobby, so personal preference can also guide your choices.

Conclusion

Choosing a color scheme for your Warhammer: The Old World Empire army is a pivotal step in bringing your forces to life. The vast array of lore-friendly provincial colors, from the iconic red and white of Reikland to the striking yellow and black of Averland and the unique purple of Ostermark, provides ample inspiration. Whether you opt for a unified, regionally specific force or a diverse, mixed mercenary host, understanding the nuances of color application, like layering for vibrant yellows or using washes for depth, will elevate your painting project. Ultimately, the best color combination is one that resonates with your vision, balances aesthetic appeal with painting practicality, and fills you with enthusiasm for your growing Imperial army.