Zenithal Priming & Contrast — Speed Painting Bioforms to Competition Standard

Competition painting doesn't have to mean hundreds of hours. The combination of zenithal priming and contrast-style paints is one of the most powerful techniques available to the modern hobbyist — delivering depth, shading, and highlight in a fraction of the time of traditional methods. Here's how to use it to get your VoidHive bioforms to a display-worthy standard, fast.

What Is Zenithal Priming?

Zenithal priming simulates natural overhead lighting at the primer stage. You apply a black undercoat first, then spray white or light grey from directly above — the zenith. The result is a model that already has built-in shadow (the black in the recesses) and highlight (the white on the raised surfaces) before a single brush stroke is applied.

This pre-shading does a huge amount of work for you. When contrast or speed paints are applied over a zenithal prime, they react to the underlying value map — pooling darker in the shadows, staying lighter on the highlights — creating instant, convincing depth.

Step 1 — Black Undercoat

Apply a thin, even black undercoat across the entire model. Rattle can or airbrush both work well. Allow to cure fully — at least 30 minutes, longer in cold or humid conditions.

Step 2 — Zenithal White

Hold your white or light grey spray directly above the model at roughly 45–90 degrees and apply in short, controlled bursts. You want the top surfaces and raised details to catch the white while the recesses and undercuts remain black. Don't over-spray — a light, even dusting is better than full coverage.

Step 3 — Apply Contrast Paints

Now the magic happens. Apply your chosen contrast or speed paint over the zenithal prime in thin, flowing coats. Work one section at a time and let the paint find the recesses naturally. For VoidHive chitin, Black Templar over a zenithal gives instant dark chitin with depth. Terradon Turquoise delivers a striking teal carapace in a single pass.

Step 4 — Edge Highlights

Contrast paints do the heavy lifting, but a quick edge highlight elevates the result to competition level. Using a fine brush and a light grey or off-white, pick out the sharpest edges of the carapace plates. This takes 20–30 minutes on a standard bioform and makes an enormous difference to the final result.

Step 5 — Spot Colour & OSL

Add bioluminescent spot colour to nodes, eyes, and organic tissue. A small amount of OSL work on these areas — even just a thin glaze of electric blue or toxic green — ties the model together and gives it that display-quality finish.

Realistic Timings

A standard infantry-scale VoidHive bioform can be taken from grey resin to competition-ready using this method in 3–4 hours. A larger centrepiece, 6–8 hours. These are not speed-painted results — they are genuinely strong display pieces, achieved efficiently.

Paint smart. The Hive doesn't wait. Neither should your brush.