Night Black (AK17052) is a cool, atmospheric black within the QUICK GEN range, offering a deep shadow tone with a subtle purple-grey undertone. This gives it a unique character compared to pure black, making it ideal for painters who want dark areas to feel richer, colder and more dramatic. The colour sits somewhere between midnight blue and desaturated black, giving miniatures a moody, immersive look.
As a high coverage paint, Night Black delivers immediate opacity and clean, crisp shading in a single coat. It flows smoothly into recesses while preserving clarity on raised details thanks to its matte finish. This makes it a reliable workhorse for painters who want quick but elegant results. Whether you are painting undead armour, enchanted fabrics or tactical gear, Night Black offers depth without overpowering the sculpt.
Features & benefits
Technical details
Applications & examples
Night Black excels in projects where you want a dark tone that feels alive rather than flat. It is excellent for undead armour plates, sinister robes, magical shadows, cold metals and night-time scenes. Sci-fi painters enjoy using it for stealth armour and tactical clothing, while fantasy painters appreciate its depth on cloaks, creatures and arcane items. The cool undertone gives the miniature a sense of chill and tension, perfect for grimdark or atmospheric styles.
Included in the Undead Armor Set
Night Black is featured in the Undead Armor Set, a collection built around cold, decayed metal tones and dark atmospheric colours. Within this set, it serves as the primary shadow tone for undead plates and skeletal armour. Its cool undertone harmonises beautifully with pale bone colours, desaturated greys and cold metallics. Painters working on undead-themed units or darker fantasy armies often find Night Black to be an essential anchor colour that ties the palette together.
Comparable tones
In other paint ranges, Night Black aligns with the family of ultra-dark blues and purples used for soft, atmospheric black replacements. Its QUICK GEN formulation, however, gives it stronger coverage and smoother flow than many traditional paints, offering effortless shading in just one layer. It pairs extremely well with Soft Black, Blue Black and mid-tone greys for controlled lighting schemes.
Whether you are painting grim undead legions, shadowy assassins, cursed armour or moody terrain pieces, Night Black provides a powerful, expressive and atmospheric dark tone. Its high coverage, nuanced colour and dependable behaviour make it an invaluable addition to any miniature painter’s toolkit, from beginners to seasoned veterans.