The Army Painter Quickshade Strong Tone Miniature Varnish

Depth in a Tin

A single application of Quickshade Strong Tone can transform a flat base-coated miniature into something that looks like it took hours of careful layering. The Strong Tone shade flows into recesses, settles into panel lines, and wraps around sculpted detail — pulling every fold, rivet, and scale into sharp visual relief. It is the most popular Quickshade in The Army Painter's range, and for good reason: it works across virtually every colour scheme without fighting the palette underneath.

How It Works

Quickshade is an oil-based shade varnish — thicker and more durable than a water-based wash. Brush it directly onto a primed and base-coated miniature, or dip the model entirely for full coverage in seconds. The formula self-levels as it dries, drawing into low points and leaving raised areas highlighted. Strong Tone sits in the middle of the Quickshade range — darker and richer than Soft Tone, lighter and warmer than Dark Tone — making it the most versatile pick for armour, leather, wood, stone, and skin alike. Once cured, it also seals the paint underneath, providing a durable protective coat in a satin finish. A separate matte varnish can be applied over the top if a flat finish is preferred.

Who Should Use This

Quickshade Strong Tone is an outstanding tool for painters at every level. New hobbyists will find it dramatically reduces the gap between base coat and table-ready result — one step adds shading, depth, and protection simultaneously. Experienced painters use it for speed-painting large units, batch-painting armies, or as an undercoat for further blending and highlighting. It is completely game-system agnostic: equally at home on a squad of Space Marines, a warjack, a fantasy warband, or a historical infantry unit. If you paint miniatures of any kind, this tin earns its place on the hobby desk.