Painting Tyranid Carapace with Flesh Tearers Red Contrast

By GUNNZO | Published: 2026-11-01

Category: How-to Guides

A step-by-step guide to painting Tyranid carapace with Citadel Contrast Flesh Tearers Red over Wraithbone, including the mistakes that flatten the finish and how to avoid them.

Quick answer

Prime or basecoat the carapace in Wraithbone, then apply Citadel Contrast Flesh Tearers Red in one even coat and let it dry completely before touching it. Work in thin, overlapping strokes and avoid going back over areas that have started to set.

Why Flesh Tearers Red behaves differently on carapace

Contrast paint is designed to pool in recesses and leave a thinner layer on raised surfaces, so the shape of the carapace does much of the shading work for you. Flesh Tearers Red is a deep, saturated red that can look almost burgundy where it pools and brighter on edges, which suits the segmented plates of Tyranid carapace.

The trade-off is that large flat plates give the paint nowhere to pool, so they can dry unevenly or show brush marks. Keep those areas moving quickly and accept that you may need a second thin pass rather than a heavy first coat.

When a single coat is not enough

A single application is the selling point of Contrast, but on very smooth or large carapace sections you may see patchiness after the first coat dries. A second thin coat can even out the colour, but it will also darken the recesses further and reduce the contrast between high and low areas.

If you want a brighter red, stop at one coat and touch up only the raised edges with a little more Flesh Tearers Red rather than flooding the whole plate again. If you want a darker, more muted carapace, a second coat is the simpler route.

Step-by-step: painting Tyranid carapace with Flesh Tearers Red

Prepare a smooth Wraithbone base: Apply Wraithbone as a spray or brush basecoat and let it cure fully before moving on. Contrast paint needs an even, light undercoat to show its intended colour and shading. Check for dusty or glossy patches before you start; either will stop the Contrast from settling evenly.
Load the brush lightly and wick off excess: Shake the pot well, then dip only the lower third of the brush and touch it to a palette or paper towel to remove the drip. A flooded brush is the most common cause of pooling where you do not want it. If the paint runs down the handle when you lift the brush, it is overloaded.
Apply one thin, even coat to the carapace: Work from one end of each plate to the other in a single direction, keeping a wet edge and overlapping strokes slightly. Do not scrub back and forth. Stop at the edge of the plate rather than dragging paint onto the skin or joints you have already painted.
Leave it alone while it dries: Once the surface starts to look matte, do not touch it. Going back over partially dried Contrast tears the layer and leaves lighter streaks. If you spot a missed patch, wait until the whole area is dry, then add a small dot of paint rather than brushing over it.
Assess and correct only where needed: After full drying, compare the plates. For a brighter finish, add a thin second pass only on the raised ridges. For a deeper finish, apply a second full coat to the carapace. Correct one small area at a time; a second full coat over the whole model is hard to undo.
Seal and finish: Once you are happy with the red, varnish the model to protect the Contrast layer, then paint any non-carapace details as planned. Varnish before handling the model for other steps, because Contrast layers can be rubbed away at raised edges.

Product facts

Citadel Contrast: Flesh Tearers Red 18ml: Citadel Contrast: Flesh Tearers Red is a water-based paint in an 18ml pot, supplied with the catalog note that Contrast Paints base, shade, and highlight models with a single application. That single-application behaviour is exactly what makes it practical for batch-painting Tyranid carapace, but it also means your basecoat colour and brush control decide the final result.
Citadel Contrast: Flesh Tearers Red 18ml