Some warbands arrive as heroes.
These came crawling out of old stories, forgotten folklore and rotten dreams.
Absolutely loved painting this latest warband from KaiTech Designs — leaning into a dark, cursed woodland aesthetic filled with weathered totems, twisted spirits and ancient superstition.
I wanted the whole group to feel like they belonged to the same bleak world while still giving each character its own personality and presence.
Probably my favourite project I’ve worked on in a long time.
Sculpts by @kaitech_design
Printed by @toysoldierminis
#MiniPainting
#Grimdark
#FantasyMiniatures
#Warband
#KaiTechDesigns
Witch and Warlord - two more from KaiTech’s new warband.
I’ve pushed them through a grimdark horror lens — cold unnatural skin, dead bone, dusty earth, blue feather accents and weathered trophies, aiming for a fictional cursed frontier feel rather than anything rooted in reality.
Sculpts by @kaitech_designs .
Printed by @toysoldierminis .
A new chapter.
My work has grown beyond one universe, so the page is evolving from @my_grim_dark_40k to @grimdark_atelier .
Same grimdark atmosphere, same passion for miniature art — just a broader direction across fantasy, sci-fi, historicals, WIPs and techniques.
Thank you to everyone who’s supported the journey so far. Here’s to the next chapter. 💀
#grimdarkatelier
#miniatureart
#grimdarkpainting
#displaypainting
#miniaturepainting
Wendigo by @kaitech_design
Printed by @toysoldierminis
Painted using my Speedpaint 1.0 grimdark method — loose, dirty layers built into a cursed folklore finish.
Cold skin, old bone, blue feathers, dead earth and a few selective gloss touches to bring the horror to life.
Part of a growing grimdark western folklore warband.
#grimdarkminiatures #miniaturepainting #speedpaint #kaitech #horrorminiatures
Cult of the Black Grail Amalgam.
Proxy miniature for Trench Crusade
Sculpted by KaiTech
Painted in rust, rot, bile and sacred corruption.
A walking mass of ruined flesh, scavenged iron and failed devotion — part weapon, part plague relic, part miracle gone horribly wrong.
The Black Grail does not offer salvation.
It does not heal.
It remakes.
#trenchcrusade #cultoftheblackgrail #amalgam #grimdarkminiatures #miniaturepainting
Totems from my new faction, Tribes of the East. Painted by @my_grim_dark_40k
I decided to make them rough and blotchy like they were hand sculpted with knives and axes. They turned out better than expected, I'm really happy with how all the textures came out.
Print services provided by @toysoldierminis
#trenchcrusade #miniatures #grimdark #paintingminis #3dprint
Time for some close up photos and some WIP shots of Harry Einous!
I drew out some veins and capillaries using Oil pencils as usual, and proceeded with my usual method of mapping out skin and mottling it with acrylic washes:
Reikhland Fleshshade diluted 1:1:1 with water and acrylic drying retardant for the base tone
Carroburg Crimson for his cheeks.
While wet i then dab it with a round drybrush - adding the aforementioned colours where I want more mottling to occur as you can see the blotching in the second WIP pics.
In between each of the steps I seal it all in with satin varnish.
Time for the usual Villainy Ink treatment: this time using Dystopian Brown and reducing it away with an eye make up applicator.
Then it was time to try a new product for me: AK Interactive Enamel filter (Desert Sand in this case)
It’s very watery already, but I added a brush of mineral spirits anyway as i wanted to essentially glaze it on only to give it a “healthier” skin tone than usual.
More experimenting is warranted here as i quite like the result of a dry and grainy skin texture it makes! You’ll see the results of it in the third WIP pics.
No final layer of varnish this time; only a few drops of gloss to make some sweat drops.
Qtip fluff for all the very gross hair applications and done is done!
Now that this super weird but fun little sculpt from @light_in_the_dark_studio (sculpted by @kaitech_design ) is done its time to go back to my usual horrors!
Next up are some Bestiarum Models from their Balazar’s Court lineup!
Hope to hear from what you think of the skin on this lil dude, and if there are any other techniques or results from this one you’d like to hear about!
As always come check out @conclave_obscura where many amazing artists are putting out some top notch dark artworks, and also dont forget to check out @carlos_bilis and his Mad Man Magazine where I myself also have a recurring article where I deep dive into some of my techniques!
Stay brutal everyone! See you soon for some moar goar!
#miniaturepaint #paintedminis #tabletopminiatures #grimdarkminiatures #horrorminiatures
A plague lord dragged half out of the grave and still walking.
This one was all about keeping the palette cold, corpse-sick and filthy, then pushing the gut cavity just enough to make it feel wet, rotten and wrong. One of those sculpts where the mood does most of the talking.
I also leaned heavily on the old Speedpaint 1.0 (from @thearmypainter ) reactivation on this piece, using it almost like a glaze system to move, stain and soften the tones across the model. There was something really special about the way the original formula behaved when you let it work for you — messy in the best possible way, and perfect for building those soft, dirty, grim transitions.
Sculpt by @kaitech_design
#grimdarkminiatures #miniaturepainting #trenchcrusade #darkfantasyart #kaitechdesign
Grimdark style in 7 steps.
It’s less about perfection and more about building texture, contrast, and letting the paint do its thing.
A lot of this comes from using Speedpaint 1.0 and leaning into its reactivation to push softer blends and organic transitions rather than fighting it.
This is the process I use to build that worn, atmospheric finish.
#grimdark #miniaturepainting #warhammerpainting #paintingminiatures #hobbytips
Latest sculpt from @kaitech_design .
Kindly printed to a really high standard by @toysoldierminis
I wanted this one to feel cold, haunted and unclean — more like a cursed apparition dragged through the filth of war than a living figure.
For the paintwork I leaned heavily on the old @thearmypainter Speedpaint 1.0 reactivation, using it almost like a glaze system to move, soften and blend the tones across the model.
It’s still one of my favourite ways to build those dirty, ghostly transitions and push a more atmospheric grimdark finish.
@kaitech_design@toysoldierminis
#trenchcrusade #grimdarkminiatures #miniaturepainting #darkfantasyart #tabletopminiatures
Now the party entertainment doesn't seem that bad!
If you want your very own sword wielding goose, then head over to:
@light_in_the_dark_studio@kaitech_design
#warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #miniaturepainting #warhammer40k
+ BE MEDIEVIL +
(EN/FR)
English :
Roll the drums, sound the trumpets, let demons dance and let us die of drunkenness!
I present to you the “Butt Trompeter”, imagined and designed by Light in the Dark Studio and sculpted by Kaitech.
I’m pleased to announce that the Atelier will be distributing this gentle creature from the bestiary — this charming bottle-loving devil, this merry medieval companion, this child of Hieronymus Bosch.
Available via my website, in agreement with all parties involved.
/produit/grimdark-miniatures-butt-trumpeter-turnip-turnip28/
French :
Roulez tambours, sonnez trompettes, dansez démons et mourrons d'ivresse ! Je vous présente le "Butt Trompeter", imaginé et conçu par Light in the Dark Studio et modélisé par Kaitech !
J'ai le plaisir de vous annoncer que l'Atelier va distribuer cette émanation du bestiaire, ce sympathique diable de la bouteille, ce gai luron et compagnon médiéval, cet enfant de Hieronymus Bosch.
Disponible via mon site web, en accord avec les partis.
/produit/grimdark-miniatures-butt-trumpeter-turnip-turnip28/
#turnip #hieronimusbosch #butttrumpeter #trumpeterbutt #grimdarkminiatures #baroqueminiatures #turnip28 #INQ28 #grimdarkmodels #NOIAinvolved #medievalart #medievalspirit #medievil #bemedieval #bemedievil #kcd2tavers #kuttenberg #independantgrimdarkartist #3dprintedmodels #conclaveobscura #grotesquedarkness #grotesqueart
