Tutorial: How to paint Necron Gauss glow effects with Nihilakh Oxide

In this post, I’ll show you a super quick and easy way to do the glow effect on Necron Gauss weapons using the unique properties of Nihilakh Oxide wash. Best of all, this basic and straightforward technique translates to a whole lot of other models, so check it out.

This tutorial assumes you know the basic grips of painting Warhammer miniatures. Step-by-step I explain all the paints and techniques I used. I have a rather eclectic paint collection, so when I use a paint that is not from Games Workshop (or out of production), I’ll try to provide you with suitable alternatives from the current Citadel paint range [in brackets]. However, if you want to achieve exactly the same result as shown, I recommend expanding your paint collection. You’ll find a list of all the paints used in this tutorial at the end of the post.

How to paint Necron Gauss glow effects

Paint the orbs and eyes you want to glow with a few coats of white. My favourite white is Vallejo Model Color White, though Matt White from The Army Painter and Morrow White from Formula P3 are great as well. White Scar also works in a pinch. Be sure to paint a bit of white around the eyes and orbs, like me in the photo.

Next, wash the eyes, orbs, and sockets with plenty of Nihilakh Oxide. Unlike other washes, Nihilakh Oxide is an opaque wash and will cover over dark colours.

Once dry, build up a gradient by layering a few thin coats of white over the eyes and orbs. Make each layer a bit smaller, concentrating on the centres of the orbs. For larger orbs, it’s a good idea to add some Nihilakh Oxide to your white and use this mix for the first few layers for an ever smoother transition.

Next we want to add a basic OSL effect. For this, I’m suing Vallejo Game Color Scurvy Green [a Lupercal Green / Kabalite Green mix would also work] and highlight the edges around the eyes and orbs with a chunky highlight.

To complete the effect, I add some reflections by highlighting the edges closest to the eyes and orbs with VGC Jade Green [or Sybarite Green].

Here we have the finished model. As I applied the glow effect to black armour and gun barrels, I was able to use dark green paints straight from the bottle. If you want to apply this effect to a different base colour, you need to mix Jade Green [or Sybarite Green or whatever colour your glow has] into your base colour and use this mix for step 4 instead.

If you want to know how I painted the rest of the model, you can check out a list of paint recipes in this post.

If you need to expand your paint collection to follow the tutorial, check out our partner stores Wayland Games and Element Games, which offer an amazing range of paints at a discount.

Want to learn more about glow effects? Then check out the following tutorial:

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If so, leave a comment or reaction below, and if you got any questions, leave them here so I can answer them for you.