For all Tau infantry from the Kel'shan sept - Fire Warriors and Pathfinders. Should also work for drones, and for Battlesuits with a couple tweaks.
Yes, this is definitely far too detailed for basic infantry, but I figured I'd go to town!
As a note here, I painted the entire mini as subassemblies (head, torso, legs; arms separate, backpack and shoulder panel separate). This isn't necessary, but I was able to get to a lot more of the details.
Undercoat with Mechanicus Standard Grey
Fatigues
- Base with Corvus Black
- Chunky highlight with Eshin Grey
- Wash with Nuln Oil (or Agrax Earthshade for a 'dirtier' look)
- Highlight again with Eshin Grey
- Fine highlight with Dawnstone
Light Grey Armour
- Touch up undercoated areas with Mechanicus Standard Grey
- Base with Dawnstone
- Shade recesses with a mix of Mechanicus Standard Grey / Contrast Medium , aiming for areas that would be shadowed (sides of chest panel, underside of helmet etc)
- Shade armour panel lines with Nuln Oil
- Touch up panel edges with Dawnstone
- Highlight with Administratum Grey
- Fine highlight with :
Dark Grey Armour
- Base with Eshin Grey
- Highlight with Mechanicus Standard Grey
- Fine highlight with Dawnstone
Yellow Armour (sept colour)
Note: Steps 3 to 5 can be skipped for any smaller pieces of armour.
- Base with Averland Sunset
- Layer with Yriel Yellow
- Recess shade with a mix of Averland Sunset / Yriel Yellow / Contrast Medium
- Shade panel lines with Agrax Earthshade
- Highlight with Yriel Yellow
- Fine highlight with a mix of Yriel Yellow / Screaming Skull
Shoulder Icons
- Shade the T'au symbol with either a mix of Averland Sunset / Yriel Yellow / Contrast Medium (for the shas'la) or a mix of White Scar / Contrast Medium (for the shas'ui)
- Carefully layer Abaddon Black , being careful to avoid the colour in the recesses
- Highlight with Mechanicus Standard Grey
Weapon & drone hardware
- Base with Abaddon Black
- Wash with Nuln Oil
- Highlight with Eshin Grey
- Fine highlight with Administratum Grey
Gyrostabilizers & other gold metal (backpack fins, ammunition)
- Base with Retributor Armour
- Shade with Agrax Earthshade between metal parts, and Nuln Oil around the outside of the gyrostabilizers.
- Touch up with Retributor Armour
- Chunky highlight with a mix of Retributor Armour / Liberator Gold
- Fine highlight with Liberator Gold
Lenses & Lights
- Base with Khorne Red (skip this step for smaller ones)
Viewfinders & Screens
- Base with Stegadon Scale Green
Skin
- Base with Russ Grey
Sept Markings
- Carefully freehand the sept marking lines onto helmets, shoulder pads, guns, or whatever makes sense using Yriel Yellow
I'm not going to bother covering the basing here, as I figure everyone will do theirs a bit differently!