THE ARMY PAINTER: John Blanche Masterclass â Blood Thorn (18mL)
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Preorder Notice: This item is expected to be released on September 19, 2026.
THE ARMY PAINTER: John Blanche Masterclass â Blood Thorn (18mL)
Blood Thorn is a deep crimson-red acrylic miniature paint from The Army Painter's John Blanche Masterclass collection. Designed for expressive contrast and atmospheric miniature painting, it works especially well on armor, cloth, heraldry, creatures, battle-worn surfaces, and dark red details where a richer and moodier red is preferred.
Key Features
- Official The Army Painter product code WP4117P.
- Co-created as part of the John Blanche Masterclass collection.
- Included in the warm and intense John Blanche Masterclass Volume 4 palette.
- Classified under John Blanche Masterclass â Warpaints Fanatic.
- Deep crimson-red to purplish-red color character.
- Useful as a rich red basecoat, midtone, or atmospheric focal color.
- Suitable for armor, cloth, banners, creatures, and decorative details.
- Works with layering, glazing, blending, and controlled highlights.
- Demonstrated by The Army Painter as an armor basecoat.
- Supplied in an 18mL dropper bottle.
Product Specifications
| Brand | The Army Painter |
|---|---|
| Collection | John Blanche Masterclass |
| Masterclass Volume | Volume 4 |
| Paint Range | Warpaints Fanatic |
| Color Name | Blood Thorn |
| Color Character | Deep crimson-red / purplish red |
| Paint Type | Acrylic miniature paint |
| Application | Layering, glazing, blending, basecoating, and detail painting |
| Container | Dropper bottle |
| Volume | 18mL |
| Product Code | WP4117P |
| Primary Use | Models and miniatures |
Deep Crimson-Red for Miniatures
Blood Thorn provides a darker and moodier red than a bright primary red, making it useful when strong color is needed without losing the atmospheric character of a miniature.
It can function as the main red across a model or as a foundation beneath brighter red highlights.
John Blanche Masterclass Volume 4
Volume 4 explores warmth and intensity through ochres, browns, oranges, reds, greens, and other expressive colors developed for grimdark miniature painting.
Blood Thorn provides one of the stronger red accents within that palette and works well alongside worn metallics, dirty browns, flesh tones, ochres, and weathered surfaces.
Official Blood Thorn Armor Recipe
The Army Painter has demonstrated Blood Thorn as the basecoat for a dark red armor recipe.
Heavy Metal is drybrushed over the Blood Thorn base, followed by Bloodmoon Red glazed into the recesses to darken and dirty the armor while helping blend the transition between the red and metallic areas.
Armor and Battle-Worn Panels
Blood Thorn works naturally on armor plates, shields, vehicles, machinery, weapons, and other painted surfaces that need a strong, dark red foundation.
Keep Blood Thorn visible around panel lines, joints, damaged edges, and shadowed areas while introducing brighter red or metallic details toward raised surfaces.
Cloth, Robes and Banners
Use Blood Thorn on cloaks, robes, uniforms, wraps, banners, heraldry, and other fabric details where a rich crimson color suits the scheme.
Add darker red or violet tones into folds, restore Blood Thorn across raised areas, and reserve brighter reds for selected highlights.
Heraldry and Focal Details
Its strong red character makes Blood Thorn useful for crests, symbols, cloth markings, insignia, decorative armor, weapon details, and other areas intended to attract attention.
Limiting the color to selected focal details can create strong contrast against muted or weathered surrounding colors.
Creature Skin and Organic Details
Blood Thorn can also be incorporated into creature skin, scales, mutations, exposed muscle, tentacles, wings, feathers, and other organic miniature surfaces.
Mix it with darker browns or violets for deeper shadows, or move toward brighter reds and flesh colors across raised areas.
Scars and Injured Flesh
The Army Painter has used bright Blood Thorn to accent scars against sickly green miniature skin, creating a strong visual contrast between the damaged tissue and surrounding flesh.
Apply it selectively rather than covering large areas when the goal is to make scars, wounds, or sinewy details stand out.
Dark Red and Grimdark Schemes
Blood Thorn works especially well in schemes built around worn metal, leather, earthy browns, dirty greens, faded cloth, and weathered armor.
The rich red can provide a strong focal color while the surrounding palette remains restrained and atmospheric.
Metallic Wear and Chipped Armor
A metallic color can be drybrushed or applied selectively over Blood Thorn to create worn edges and exposed metal.
Concentrate the metallic wear around corners, sharp edges, moving components, and areas likely to receive repeated contact or damage.
Layering Red Highlights
Begin with Blood Thorn as the deeper red foundation and introduce progressively brighter red colors across smaller raised areas.
Leaving Blood Thorn visible in recesses and between highlight stages keeps the finished red surface from appearing flat.
Glazing and Color Toning
Thin Blood Thorn gradually with water or a compatible acrylic medium when using it for glazing or subtle red color adjustments.
Several controlled applications provide more flexibility than a single heavy glaze and help preserve the shading and texture underneath.
Mixing Intermediate Reds
Blood Thorn can be mixed with neighboring dark or bright red colors to create smoother transitions across armor, cloth, skin, and decorative details.
Adjust the mixture gradually so the transition moves naturally from the shadow color through Blood Thorn toward the final highlight.
Suggested Painting Uses
- Dark crimson and red armor
- Cloaks, robes, banners, and heraldry
- Battle-worn armor and metallic weathering
- Scars, wounds, sinew, and organic details
- Creature skin, scales, and supernatural subjects
- Weapons, machinery, vehicles, and equipment
- Red glazing, layering, and controlled transitions
- John Blanche and grimdark-inspired miniature painting
How to Use
- Shake the bottle thoroughly before use.
- Dispense a small amount onto a palette.
- Check that the paint is evenly mixed before applying it.
- Apply thin, controlled layers over a clean, dry, and primed surface.
- Add water or a compatible acrylic medium gradually when thinning.
- Allow each layer to dry before adding the next color.
- Keep Blood Thorn visible in deeper areas when highlighting.
- Use a fine brush for edges, scars, heraldry, and smaller details.
Building Red Contrast
Keep the darkest colors in recesses and use Blood Thorn across the main midtone or base area.
Apply brighter reds only to raised edges and focal areas so the crimson foundation continues to provide visible depth.
Paint-Type Notice: Blood Thorn is classified under The Army Painter's John Blanche Masterclass â Warpaints Fanatic range. It should not be listed as a miniature wash, metallic paint, effects paint, primer, or pre-thinned airbrush paint.
Color Notice: Blood Thorn is best described as a deep crimson to purplish red. Screen settings, lighting, primer color, surrounding colors, and paint thickness can affect its appearance. Refer to the physical bottle or an official painted sample when an exact color match is required.
Flexible Triad Notice: No exact official Flexible Triad position is stated here because it should be confirmed directly from current The Army Painter documentation before being added as a technical product specification.
Safety Notice: Follow all instructions and precautions printed on the physical product label. This product is not suitable for children under 14 years of age.
Recommended For
- John Blanche and grimdark-inspired miniature painting
- Crimson, dark red, and purplish-red schemes
- Armor, cloth, banners, heraldry, and equipment
- Scars, wounds, creatures, and organic details
- Fantasy, science-fiction, horror, and gothic miniatures
- Layering, glazing, blending, and highlighting
- Tabletop armies and display figures
- Weathered and narrative miniature painting
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of paint is Blood Thorn?
Blood Thorn is an acrylic miniature paint classified within The Army Painter John Blanche Masterclass â Warpaints Fanatic range.
What is the product code for Blood Thorn?
The official The Army Painter product code is WP4117P.
How much paint is included?
Blood Thorn is supplied in an 18mL dropper bottle.
What color is Blood Thorn?
Blood Thorn has a deep crimson to purplish-red character suited to rich and atmospheric miniature color schemes.
Can Blood Thorn be used for armor?
Yes. The Army Painter has demonstrated Blood Thorn as the basecoat for a dark red armor recipe.
What can be used over Blood Thorn for worn armor?
One official Army Painter example drybrushes Heavy Metal over a Blood Thorn armor base before glazing Bloodmoon Red into the recesses.
Can Blood Thorn be used for cloth and banners?
Yes. Its deep crimson color works well on cloaks, robes, banners, heraldry, uniforms, and other fabric details.
Can Blood Thorn be used for scars and organic details?
Yes. The Army Painter has used Blood Thorn as a bright contrasting color on scars over sickly green creature skin.
Can Blood Thorn be thinned?
Yes. It can be thinned gradually for layering, glazing, blending, and controlled color transitions.
Is Blood Thorn a wash?
No. Blood Thorn is an acrylic miniature color rather than a miniature wash.
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