
Recently, I watched Tabletop Minions’ video on quickly painting ghosts using a single product. Unfortunately (and likely due to the popularity of said video), the recommended paint, Pastel Seafoam, was nowhere in stock, and none of the local vendors I called could even order it!
A fellow painter suggested using Citadel’s Nihilakh Oxide technical paint, but I vastly prefer dropper bottles to their pots. Instead of buying yet another paint, I decided to DIY it. So, after a bit of research, I concocted a formula that gave me exactly what I wanted without spending any money. And I ended up learning a lot in the process.
The Miniatures: Inspiration from a Fantasy Series
My inspiration for painting ghosts came from a recent favorite urban fantasy book series: Rachel Aaron’s The Heartstrikers, about dragons, mages, and spirits returning after a magical drought in a near-future setting.
Specifically, I wanted to paint the character of Ghost, (spoilers ahead!!!) who starts out as a spectral cat and is later revealed to be the Empty Wind in the guise of a Roman centurion. Though not technically a ghost but the Spirit of the Forgotten Dead, Ghost’s appearance is described as ghostly.
I finally acquired the models I envisioned as the character: Bombshell Miniatures’ Slynx the Cat and one of Fenris Games’ Wyrdworld Adventurers. I also knew I’d want a test model for the experiment, and for that the Glaivewraith served perfectly.

As a first step, I primed all the miniatures. Instead of my go-to zenithal prime, I gave the ghosts a white base coat.
The Ghost Formula
I couldn’t find an exact recipe, but several sources had different ideas as to how to replicate contrast paints. Following both the guidance on my bottle of flow improver, and recommendations for water to medium ratios, I mixed together:
- 1 Drop Flow Improver
- 10 Drops Water
- 10 Drops Matte Medium
- 4 Drops Paint (In this case I went with Reaper’s Copper Verdigris)
Applying a single coat of the “ghost formula” did the vast majority of the work, as you can see below. Like any wash or contrast, it’s important to keep it from pooling in weird places, but it is otherwise a simple process. Just paint it on, and you’re done!

Finishing Touches
I took it one step further and repeated the formula with a slightly darker paint, Reaper’s Phantom Glow. I carefully applied this to the deepest recesses of the model (do ghosts have shadows??). Finally, I painted in the remaining details (i.e. Glaivewraith’s weapon, The Empty Wind’s dark void of a face) and added basing materials. Almost instant ghosts using products I had on hand!

I’m very pleased with the “ghosts”, especially given how quickly they came together. With this method, I can color-match using the entirety of my paint collection to create an array of contrast paints on demand. So, more than just this single project, I am excited about the possibilities the formula unlocks.
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