My eldar army now has 12 harlequins in it, and sine the models look incredible I want them to still look pretty good after I paint them. I'm nowhere near good enough to get the tiny diamond patterns they're shown with (though I might be able to handle significantly fewer, significantly larger diamonds). So I was just wondering what sort of techniques you guys use, what colors look good together on them, etc. Any tips? Thanks!

I share your pain, i just got mine through the other day and have thinking on ways to paint them.

I was thinking of some kind of template for the diamonds perhaps. Will let you know if find anything that works.

I also feel your pain but that does not help you much aye?

Two ways you can do the Harlequins easily.

One: paint them as you would any other troop but in a contrasting colour to your main force eg. if you have a Saim Hann force maybe paint them in a turqoiseey blue and have the weapons the same as the rest of your army to be consistent

Two: paint them like those complex marine chapters you see like the Howling Griffons - quarter the models and stick to two colours.

For a bit of details focus on getting the gems to look great an paint the cloth areas with runes or the meandering thorn patter if you want extra details.

I would steer clear of larger diamonds would look a little clunky. You could try just checks like the Orks use on the edge of their weapon (not the triangle ones those are Dags :D)

Checks and diamonds are surprisingly easy to do; just do them one row at a time and you'll surprise your self. (if you take your time of course.)

I agree with walex, don't be intimidated. A checkered pattern is way easier to do than things like proper perspective lighting! You'll be a pro at it after 2 or 3 models. Can also go to my good friend the 005 Pigma Pen to outline the pattern before you paint it in =).

Just to shed some light on these 'checkers are easy' posts, I thought I'd try and explain *why* they are easy (well, at least how they can be easy).

Firstly, paint the area in a fairly light colour.
Then, using a fine-ish paint brush (you really, really need a decent 'paint capacity' on it, but a good point is also necessary... I'd probably be using a size 1, myself. What you really don't want to be doing is having to constantly 'refill' with paint, as you are halfway down a line... Practice with several sizes on some paper if you need to), paint on a series of 'diagonal' lines in black, doing all of one direction first.
Then, paint the other direction of lines, creating a grid of black lines over a field of white (or similar).
Finally, simply fill in alternate blocks, giving you nice, simple checkers!

You can, of course, then take this up a few stages, by highlighting each individual block etc, but it really isn't necessary, unless you like showing off!

As mr. Affe says, you could also use a very, very fine pen instead of a brush, but personally I don't find them at all easy to use on a 3d surface, like a mini...

Best of luck to everyone!

-t.

-t plows my meager attempt at painting advice! =)

What I like to do with the pen is make a little + at the corner where 4 checks come together (or a V for dags) just to give myself a starting point and help keep the lines straight. This is of course for the fairly large and only gently curved surfaces on ork should pads and shields. Perhaps on little round bits like a harlequin's leg it would not be of as much value.

I don't even play Eldar and I have a bunch of Harlequins... I love em.

I use toothpicks and really thin chopsticks to do my black lines around diamonds and for the exceptionally small diamonds (and the respective highlights)

Thanks for the tips about checkers guys. What sort of colors would work best. I know tha tif the colors are too close on the color wheel, they won't look bright enough (harlies love bright pants), but if they are too opposite on the color wheel, then the result is just awful. I've heard something about adding white to one of the colors would make that less of a problem though. Thoughts?

Being as they are harlequins you can chuck any colours togeather if you're using loads but making sure to keep them about as strong as each other. If you're using just two then if you add black to one and white to the other then opposites don't clash so much.
Trivia: When referring to a dog harlequin means black and white.