How to paint old Emperor's Children purple black?

[BadgersinHills]

Hey, sorry if the title is unclear. I was wondering how the dark, almost black purple on this Emperor's Children mini in the bottom row was painted. As an aside, what was the bundle that this and the three other cult legion miniatures were in called? 

 

Thanks!

 

 

Edited February 24 by BadgersinHills

[Volgon]

Found a larger image with the model in question here: 

 

To me it looks like your standard layering or soft shading technique. If you wanted to go the layering + blending route, I'd probably approach it like this:

• Base Black > layer a black purple, leaving a fair amount of pure black showing > layer a dark, vivid purple > edge highlight desaturated purple > specular/point highlights with a pastel purple or pure white (they'll both look basically the same)

Some colors you could use:

Black Purple (if you don't want to mix your own)

• Vallejo: Black Violet (Model Color)
• AK: King Purple (more purple, brighter), Black Purple (more black), Tenebrous Grey (lighter than just black, still has a purple tone)
• Two Thin Coats: Von Evile Purple

Dark, vivid purple

• GW: Xereus Purple 
• Vallejo: Hexed Lichen (Game Color)
• Two Thin Coats: Enchantress Purple

Desaturated Purple:

• Vallejo: Light Violet (Model Color), Lustful Purple (Game Color)
• GW: Dechala Lilac
• Two Thin Coats: Amulet Purple, Runic Purple
• Warpaints Fanatic: Violent Coven, Hexed Violet

Pastel Purple

• Warpaints Fanatic: Kraken Lavender
• AK: Pastel Violet
• Two Thin Coats: Decadent Purple

 

If you wanted a speedier technique, taking one of the vivid purples and shading down with a black wash or glaze should work too. Base coat purple over the entire area, then wash the black all over, avoiding the most prominent volumes (the brightest points, the areas you want to leave showing as your purple base color), and making sure to pull the wash down into the darkest spots. Keep applying washes in a smaller and smaller area until your dark parts are completely black. Edge highlight with the same colors as before.

 

A third technique would be using slap chop and speed paints, which seems like it might be a good combo of the two previous techniques. Base coat black, drybrush a light grey or white, trying to only hit the very brightest of volumes. Things like the top of knee pads, top of shoulder pads, top of helmet, etc. Don't want to apply white too far down an armor panel since you want it to read super dark. Then apply a vivid purple contrast paint of your choice. I'm not familiar with the exact tones but I'd say something like Shyish Purple (GW) or Purple Swarm look to be your best bet. Edge highlight with the same colors as before.

Edited February 24 by Volgon

[Firedrake Cordova]

I'd assume they used a mix of black and purple, and progressively added in purple for the highlights?

 

The old 1990's Mike McVey painting guides featured a lot of mixing of colours - if they were mimicking that style, it's very likely to be a mix.

[Grotsmasha]

You could try Contrast paints? Paint a basic black armour with your regular highlights then hit it with Shyish Purple, it's quite a dark purple IIRC.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Colour wise, the armour looks like its based on something like GW's screamer pink.

 

BTW, I love that purple GW armour achieved - its the best part of that model.

Edited February 28 by Dr_Ruminahui