Grimdark Painting style is becoming more common and it seems to be inline with GW going more and more less Grimdark over the years with their art style. Alot of people grew up looking at the old art and now have the skills or developing the skills to paint in that style :-) Also when trying Grimdark it is also a good idea to go slightly harder than you think you should with oils and or enamel's remove them and can go back in with acrylics again to bring some attention to brighter points to create more contrast :-) or of course use oils to lightly blend and or highlight areas super fast.
Just some advise on the paint job preperation. In a word, desaturate... you don't need to desaturate all colours, but some colours lend to grim dark better then others, also choosing where to place your high contrasting colours will help. In my experience ork skin for example is to bright. Mixing it with subtle grey or earth ones might help. But my most successful attempts of grim dark incorporate alot of shadow from the zenithal hightlight and contrast paint base layers. Either way have fun exploring the techniques and what works for your particular concepts.
I want to do grimdark but still have to get better at some of the basics. Just like the dirty & threatening style because that is what I expect to see on a battlefield. I think a question could help your next attempt. What is "grimdark" for you? Is it dirty, shadows wit osl, blancitsu, limited palette, damaged equipment, blood & gore, washed out colors? There is more then one way to succeed with this style. You could do more research, there are some wonderful photos and videos out there... but also look at art/comics etc... maybe a bit of Hellboy? Spawn... Another trick could be to tell a story about the model. Who is he and what has he done? Can bits of that story be added to the paint? Your model looks grimdark to me. I think he was a good choice in general but my personal taste agrees with your observation. Maybe a little bit of OSL and some deeper shadows would have improved it... but I love extreme light contrasts x) Hellboy art ;)
I have been painting grimdark for a while now and it isnt just about the paint itself. It is about choice of model , pose, extra's often converting and kit-bashing really helps, if you start with a model that is for want of a word 'gritty' it really boosts the end result, desaturation and contrast of lights and dark areas are very important.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've felt really inspired since picking up the airbrush, and understood what you meant at the end. I've tried more styles and experimented more than in the past 2 years. Great job getting out of your comfort zone, and thanks for sharing your experience, Jarrett!
Thanks, man! Yeah it's quite something how much "trying new techniques" has re-invigorated my painting mojo. I'm finding myself drawn back to the painting table like I haven't been in quite a while.
You got it in one; painting your model "traditionally". I've been using this style for a good couple of years now, and that was my first failing. An ork painted in the traditional fashion is just going to look like an ork with a heavy wash. Orks do lend themselves to this style of painting, but you're going to have to put your preconceptions of dayglo boyz from GW back on the shelf. To get them looking right you're looking more towards Lord Of The Rings for inspiration. Orks are a great example of this technique done right, and done wrong. If you look at GW's ork sculpts they have a very caricature feel to them. The musculature is blown out of proportion, even in their faces. In the traditional GW paint schemes this gives them a very cartoony look. When they're painted right in the grimdark style they have a very menacing appearance (as they should do). A couple of tips when painting like this are to over-emphasise your highlights and your shadows, and not to limit yourself with just the good old streaking grime. Any enamel or oil washes are going to act as a filter, in a much more pronounced way than say an acrylic glaze will. Consequently you need to bump up your contrast to account for this, but also be wary of your colour choice. Theres a danger of "grimdarked" models having an almost monochrome look to them when you're finished. You can counter this by your choice of washes. The best thing I ever did was go back to watching traditional modelling videos where they were painting tanks and other military vehicles. Their use of washes as filters is the cornerstone to the grimdark style of painting. Streaking grime is obviously a big part of what traditional modellers do when it comes to weathering, but even their base paint jobs will use a wide range washes; like Panzer grey, dark yellow, wood washes used for decking on ships etc. The list goes on. Their use of enamel and oil washes, weathering and damage techniques, how the different paint mediums react with one another etc is essential viewing if you're getting into this painting style. I think Zatcaskagoon is right to a degree about it being "easy", but thats only in the application of the techniques he's using. Getting the look right though? Thats a different story entirely. The guy is an absolute legend, and like you said; is way more talented than he lets on.
@@TheMiniJunkie No problem at all man. Theres a school of thought that just thinks grimdark painting is slapping an enamel wash on it and calling it done, and that was my mistake when I first started out. Once you get into the swing of things this painting style is a lot of fun and the results speak for themselves. You have a lot of room for experimentation too, which lends itself to the subject matter. I'd urge anyone who watches some of the painters on YT who make things like NMM, wet blending etc look like child's play (and then get disheartened) to give this method a try. It isn't a magic wand, but once you get a feel for it you can get some stunning results.
A lot of the monochrome can be worked out pretty easily, by going back in and re-addressing those highlights and pulling the color back up from the depths the washes can create (not just on OSL). I think a lot of success can be had by identifying the different materials that are represented on the model and where they've been or how long they've been (in your head canon). This would include different kinds of metal, flesh, hide, leather, ceramite, etc. as there is a wealth of color variety to be found in those differing states of use/disrepair/repair. This is why traditional modelling/railroad/diorama techniques can be very important when approaching Grim Dark as it helps you identify those differences, attempting to achieve better suspension of disbelief, immersion, believability and realism. Which in reality, is kinda what the Grim Dark style is. Taking the lore at face value, not merely as an advert for models sold to teens, and painting/basing the described world accordingly on to the mini. As you said, Orks in lore, are NOT cartoon characters, nor are Nids cute and cuddely and war against such beings would be brutal and dirty, in awful, forbidding places.
Absolutely agree. I started painting grimdark after falling in love with zatcaskagoon’s videos, with a blood bowl team of orks!! Painted them with olive drab skin, with reddish brown shadows, decayed or black metal for the armor, and dusty off-white for clothes,... some dust, dents, and washes... scary and satisfactory, unlike the eavy metal cartoon style, which I pretty much loathe...
i found out what grimdark was about 3 days ago and looking for examples and videos now it's funny you picked this ork beastboss as your test model. This was the model my wife got me last month to start up the hobby again after 20 years and with that, the first model I've painted in a very, very long time I'm about to start a hellbrute now, grimdark as hell. I'm gonna try!
I am not familiar with any style of painting, I just started a couple of months ago. However, I must say that Ork looks really awesome! I understand that you might feel you have not achieved what you set out to do, but in the process of learning you have already created something beautiful. So there's only one way to go from here: On to the next! Don't look at that mini from a grim dark point of view, look at it as a beautiful piece YOU have created. And as an extra bonus it was full of lessons :)
So ive been a follower of Zat for a while now.. and been painting Grimdark stuff for a while as well... If i was to describe it... i would say Grimdark is hyper-realism ... take everything to 11 ... if somethings rusty.. make it hella rusty.. if its chipped.. hella chipped. that includes the contrast.. things in shadow should be in shadow.. things that are lit, should be lit ( the OSL on the necron is perfect example ) grimdark is about a mood and narrative for the mini.. not ticking the streaking grime box.
I'm happy to have seen this become an official "style of painting" as specifically defined. I've always gone for a more grimdark look, usually erring for darker colors, heavy in the washes, etc. But now I get a plethora of amazing painters to learn from and increase my skills. Historically I was just kinda on my own to learn, getting inspiration from non-GW models people would paint in the style. Yes, you cannot paint a model in a typical GW-marketed style then "grimdark" it. While your model looks cool, and if that's what you wanted I'd say it's a great model, but if you want it "grimdark" as a style you have to ignore small details, use fewer and darker colors overall on your base. The spectrum of colors on your model will be smaller. This style is more concerned with presenting an aggregate holistic aesthetic, as opposed to GW's normal style of demonstrating well-painted details that each pop in their own right. I'd say the difference between grimdark and GW (idk what they call that style they do) is that grimdark is a holistic approach, GW's is a technical approach. If that makes sense.
I'm not up with the modern trends of the cool kids, but when I started painting minis back in the late 80s, the epitomy of what is now the grimdark aesthetic was John Blanche's miniatures. Honestly, he was amazing and it is as far from low skill as possible. Very limited, muted palette, and skin tones would have greens and reds and blues throughout. It was the sort of thing I learned more about when painting in oils (as in canvases, not miniatures). If you look at other painters like Boris Vallejo or Simon Bisley, you will see the range of colours in their skin tones that don't look like they should work, but do. It's an interesting way that colours work and if you look at complementary colours and what colours to add to produce a darker tone, it's sometimes surprising. I don't normally paint minis with that artistic style or colour palette, but I did for my recent Blood Bowl Treeman. I used a lot of muted greens and reds in the bark and it looks amazing. I wouldn't call it grimdark necessarily, but it uses a lot of the same stylistic choices, and it looks a heck of a lot more realistic than brown with a tan drybrush. :)
I know nothing about grimdark (until watching this), but I do like this video and the open, direct nature of your delivery. Looking forward to your next one!
1. I think that for the Grimdark style it is helpful to desaturate colours even when painting the base layers. Nothing should be too bright. So I would use beige instead of white for example. 2. I would also use less or more subtile highlighting than you're used to from other painting styles. 3. In my eyes, streaking grime doesn't work on skin. Skin doesn't get dirty the same way cloth or metal does. I think I would wash the skin with an oil wash that is a mix of green and brown, thinned down with mineral spirit.
I usually paint the skin when I'm done with the streaking grime, but when I paint skin it's usually only faces. I guess that wouldn't be a solution for an ork.
Great video! I've had two test models sitting on my desk to be airbrushed with grime for weeks now, guess I should do that this weekend, thanks for the motivation!
I’m slowly making a transition from much larger scale figures to way smaller figures, such as Warhammer figures. The Grim Dark style is intriguing to me because I guess I have been painting this way, although much larger, for many years. I’ve always used colors such as smoke, umbers, and sepias in my color recipes. My work has always had a “dark” undertone. I enjoyed the video. Very thought provoking.
I have tried it for my deathwatch, and is more about weathering then using spesific pruducts. Rust and and gore realy hepls a mini look grim and dark 🙂
First time viewer, for your first attempt it may not be what you expected, but what first attempt is. I can't think of any time its come out right the first time trying something new. Always something to develop. Great video, thanks.
I no the video is old but speaking to models that just look grimdark bestaraim miniatures make some really scary dark characters, got one coming in the mail can’t wait to grimdark it!
Interesting video and I think I agree. ‘Grimdark’ seems like a stylistic choice for the entire model/painting scheme that’s brought together by the oil step, the oil step itself isn’t what makes an otherwise conventionally painted model grimdark (if that makes sense). That being said, great scheme that was enhanced in its own way with the oil washes!
I've seen you over on IG and discovered you have a YT channel awesome stuff mate love your content. One thing I took from a video from Grimdarkau here on YT was make your darks darker and your brights brighter. Which you mentioned here too with the OSL.
"Grim Dark" Just means to look at a model and make it as real looking as you possibly can. U can even achieve this with Acrylics all u wanna do is try an make ur model come to life as much as ur imagination will let u. Good luck can't wait an see u turm that beast snagga into a Real "Grim Dark" worthy of a "Zatcastagoo?"
I just fell in love with the style and ran I to the same issue/idea. Not sure if best to just paint a normal model then muck it up, or if the grimdark style is all muck from the start
My two cents would be 1. to start with a black basecoat it looked as though you used a zenithal, you need a dark foundation. 2. to try and stick to the Zorn palette, have a look at John blanche's art/miniatures. and 3. use de-saturated tones ie. use black/white/grey/flesh to create highlight and shadow tones.
From what I’m seeing, this style is different from the “traditional” painting style, in that it’s a form of tonal painting. If you look at the art world, you can find a lot of videos on YT, if you search for that term. It’s a different attitude towards painting, which, in broad terms, emphasizes the overall composition against painting lights and shadows on each part, and uses only a limited palette as the foundation of the tonal expression.
Done a bit of it, during my now bypassed Necromunda period, but seeing folks who can really do it...yeah...I did not execute it optimally. I still do some on my other post-apoc stuff but I have yet to really deep dive into it and develop the actual skill. Cheers!
Thankyou for appreciating what people often make the assumption of..... Grimdark isn't just about adding muck and grime to an already painted mini. Zat does amazing work but I will say that he does neglect the early stages of a paint job where much of the tone and atmosphere is set. When doing my Grimdark tutorials I always try and show the early stages of building up a paint scheme as getting those dark shadows and bright highlights in the right places is just as important as the streaking grime etc. It's quite possible to get a good Grimdark paint job on a mini without using Enamels and Oils etc, they are just an effective way of doing it. They aren't magic though.
Great video as always. I know that it didn't turn out the way you wanted but your mini looks amazing just the same. I am at the moment starting to fool around with oil washes and streaking grime on my minis. I am still learning. Like any technique it will take patience and time i suppose. keep up the awesome work. Look forward to your next video.
When I started drawing GW's model, I stard in GW video. Later I watched your video and began to try the spray gun, but my English wasn't very good, so I just watched videos in study. Thank you very much for your sharing. I like your expression of color very much. Maybe it's because your painting technology is poor and you don't master light and shadow very well, so I like to express it with color.
Great video MiniJunkie, loved the humour and grimdark has been a paint style I haven't tried yet either. Looking forward to learning from your mistakes especially on $35+ models :)
Really enjoyed this video... And your model looked great buddy... You were right, it wasn't very GRIMDARK, but still you did a great job and the model look beautiful
I think you should aim to be less clean with your pre-painting. I don't mean to commit more crimes as such but try and increase the tonal variation more before you apply the grime. For example, with the white bone that you painted, maybe try stippling on some bone, brown and yellow-green sections to build up some texture and contrast. You don't need to be super smooth with the transitions here because the grime will act like a glaze and tie the colors together. I think this helps to sell the gritty feeling more than having large flat surfaces which aren't broken up too much.
I find the most important part of painting in the grimdark style is having reference material. Blanche is obviously a good choice but the palette he uses is similar to Rembrandt, which he has said in the past. Understanding the colours and tones that go into the mini before oils and washes are very important for creating contrast and texture is also very important. Orks, especially more recent sculpts are a hard sell for grimdark because of the cartoony nature of them. I'm painting up an inquisitorial warband for fun and it's turning out well by keeping these things in mind. The great thing too is that if you make mistakes, a bit of white spirits cleans it all up.
I'm in the same boat. Just tipping my toes in this oil wash stuff, I don't have any of the AK options. Mostly muddy looking to date but I see potential. (I'll take the learning curve of Nuln Oil, still don't understand the appeal of that crap.) That said, I think yours looks great! And in an unusual twist this comment section is worth the read. ;-)
I prefer blanchitsu style my self. which funnily enough has warm palette, but the result is grimdark. reds and yellows and brows, and a ton of unnecessary kitbashing just for looks.
I (personally) like to use a more muted colour palette. Try to get away from the standard colour scheme's and use more "natural" tones. Try to avoid heavy saturated colours. But I do like your Ork!!
Thanks for the video Make sure you all have alot of ventilation when using odourless thinner to get rid of the grime Breathing it in is not good Bob Ross used Thinner with his painting and mixed it up breathing it in all day long with no ventilation and His son thought it was a likely reason he got cancer I personally do that part outside Take care all
Its all I paint. I just prefer the more realistic look. i mean honestly why would they look brand new on a battlefield that could be 10 mins or 10 days. They wouldnt.. Esp Chaos or Orks....Looks great imo for your first try man. thanks for the vid.
I’ve watched Zats videos as well and I can never figure out how much of the actual painting process to do before I grimdark it ..My models come out like yours, just looking dirty and muddy..I’d like to see what you learn in the process. And maybe a bone video, as the look amazing
Anyone who thinks that it takes no skill to paint in a grim dark style, should probably say that to John Blanche... considering he literally inspired the entire range of 40K models and armies. The grim dark style is heavily influenced by Rembrandt.
I think your result is pretty darn good. While I don't think it is that hard core grimdark you were looking for, it still turned out very well. From what I've seen, a few colours and one bright colour post wash is the way to go. You may want to check out Gravehammer for other grimdark methods.
Thank you, and I will definitely check out Gravehammer. Yeah this guy turned out ok in terms of just looking pretty cool in general, but not quite "grimdark" the way I had imagined. I'm going to try again, probably with Kill Team orks.
I think it somewhat worked but you needed to leave the darker parts darker and highlight the lighter areas to push the contrast further. I was also frustrated because I kept trying and always got a washed out look to my grimdark minis. It only started working when I started to push hard on the highlights and shadows
But I'll be honest it feels good to know that trying and not liking the results when doing something that apparently everyone does great makes for a good relatable video
Your orc is AMAZING! Don't push yourself too hard on it. For the grimdark part, I think you missed the weathering part: applying additional textures, rust, some water streaks. And last but not least, desaturation. I struggle with it myself as well. Accustomed to "fantasy/DnD" style of painting, I find it extremely hard to switch myself instantly to this desatorated, weathered and sloppy painting style.
My first atttempt was on an Ork big boy and it's garbage. I did keep the model though and dated the bottom of the base so I could always go back and see how I've progressed. I'm still learning the grimdark techniques and it's definitely getting better but not good yet. Fortunately we're in the golden age of painting tutorials : ) As someone else already commented, something I've noticed is that the folks in the traditional hobby painting space of WW2 planes and tanks seem to have really influenced and almost already perfected the grimdark technique. I was recently in a local hobby shop, friendly staff but they are all about WW2 models. I noticed several of the display models they had were using all the things I had ready about in the grimdark techniques. All those dry pigments and enamels were in painstaking detail everywhere in the store. That's a side of the hobby I definitely need to learn more about as apparently there's some really good crossover that can be learned from that side of the hobby and after watching some videos of weathering on a panzer, I've got a lot to learn.
This is great - I'm going to look into that side of the hobby. One big concern I have is avoiding it just looking like a "lump of brown or grey" per se. Making sure it still has enough contrast and visual appeal.
@@TheMiniJunkie I think you nailed the concept of how that part is done in your video, in that you can't use a GW box art-style paint scheme for grimdark. Sounds like you're on the right track and I look forward to seeing how you progress as I'm learning it myself and I will certainly learn from your experience. GLHF!
Yes and no. Actual "Blanchitsu" style grimdark is more than just a dirty paintjob. But too many people think its "slosh AK streaking grime over it" and that's where you get a ton of low effort, low skill "Grimdark" painting. Actual grimdark painting is more than just using streaking grime or oil paints. There's nothing WRONG with that approach (I like it myself) but it's not some revolutionary thing.
I'm not much of an expert myself, but I think your color choices for the Ork may have been a bit too saturated and bright, whereas Zatcaskagoon tends to lean on pretty muted color palettes. His approach is more about making something look realistic, which doesn't mesh very well with a GW box art color scheme. If you haven't already, I'd take a look at his Death Guard videos. The way he transforms something that's normally a very cartoony green into something grimdark is really impressive.
Ya I have tried a few of his tutorials, and I was like, okay it looks easy enough, but it’s not a low skill based style like he says lol. At least not to get it to what his looks like.
I think you're giving yourself a hard time.. looks great to me. I get that you didn't get the results you wanted, but I enjoyed the video nevertheless :)
The problem with this style is that people who are not very experienced with the hobby confuse STYLE and METHOD. To me, style is all about color palette, overall feel and certain staples, for example it can be more or less realistic, use more or less texture on flat details and so on. And method is basically what techniques you use to achieve the result. And you can be as complex with your methods while aiming for basically any style. You could aim for grimdark style with both noob friendly and golden daemon tier techniques. But there is an ongoing misconception that grimdark us about, basically, aiming low and overusing drybrush and washes, heavy use of wash-based rust effects and complete lack of highlights aside from very basic. Thus most of the time miniatures look bleak and dark not because of actually good combination of colors and purposeful use of techniques, but because they are, quite frankly, look like undercooked crap with now readable contrast, a way to avoid actual learning how to paint, a way to cut corners. I'm not trying to gatekeep what's considered good or not, and I'd rather have everyone around play quick and dirty "grimdank" style instead of grey plastic, but this idea of confusing style and method needs to stop.
Personally I'm not a fan of the afore mentioned channel, and I've watched all of his videos. I think a lot of the work in the tutorials are kinda pointless as it's covered up by streaking grime 9/10 times, that said holding the model in your hand maybe it's a different story. I think Marco's reductive technique and work with oils takes true skill
It's definitely not a low skill painting style, unless your definition of grimdark is to just smother the miniature in streaking grime, rust and dirt and call it a day.
Have you tried grimdark painting yet? How'd it go - any tips for me? Check out chikhai's comment below for some really great advice on this!
Grimdark Painting style is becoming more common and it seems to be inline with GW going more and more less Grimdark over the years with their art style. Alot of people grew up looking at the old art and now have the skills or developing the skills to paint in that style :-) Also when trying Grimdark it is also a good idea to go slightly harder than you think you should with oils and or enamel's remove them and can go back in with acrylics again to bring some attention to brighter points to create more contrast :-) or of course use oils to lightly blend and or highlight areas super fast.
Just some advise on the paint job preperation. In a word, desaturate... you don't need to desaturate all colours, but some colours lend to grim dark better then others, also choosing where to place your high contrasting colours will help. In my experience ork skin for example is to bright. Mixing it with subtle grey or earth ones might help. But my most successful attempts of grim dark incorporate alot of shadow from the zenithal hightlight and contrast paint base layers. Either way have fun exploring the techniques and what works for your particular concepts.
@@tangoc9149 thanks, I will try that!
I want to do grimdark but still have to get better at some of the basics. Just like the dirty & threatening style because that is what I expect to see on a battlefield.
I think a question could help your next attempt. What is "grimdark" for you? Is it dirty, shadows wit osl, blancitsu, limited palette, damaged equipment, blood & gore, washed out colors?
There is more then one way to succeed with this style. You could do more research, there are some wonderful photos and videos out there... but also look at art/comics etc... maybe a bit of Hellboy? Spawn...
Another trick could be to tell a story about the model. Who is he and what has he done? Can bits of that story be added to the paint?
Your model looks grimdark to me. I think he was a good choice in general but my personal taste agrees with your observation. Maybe a little bit of OSL and some deeper shadows would have improved it... but I love extreme light contrasts x) Hellboy art ;)
I have been painting grimdark for a while now and it isnt just about the paint itself. It is about choice of model , pose, extra's often converting and kit-bashing really helps, if you start with a model that is for want of a word 'gritty' it really boosts the end result, desaturation and contrast of lights and dark areas are very important.
"Painting bravely" - oooh! He said the thing!!
Guest appearance on the podcast in the future?… I believe that would fall into the “must-see” category.
Googles “what to do if a huge CZcams celebrity comments on your little video” 😄
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've felt really inspired since picking up the airbrush, and understood what you meant at the end. I've tried more styles and experimented more than in the past 2 years. Great job getting out of your comfort zone, and thanks for sharing your experience, Jarrett!
Thanks, man! Yeah it's quite something how much "trying new techniques" has re-invigorated my painting mojo. I'm finding myself drawn back to the painting table like I haven't been in quite a while.
You got it in one; painting your model "traditionally". I've been using this style for a good couple of years now, and that was my first failing.
An ork painted in the traditional fashion is just going to look like an ork with a heavy wash. Orks do lend themselves to this style of painting, but you're going to have to put your preconceptions of dayglo boyz from GW back on the shelf. To get them looking right you're looking more towards Lord Of The Rings for inspiration.
Orks are a great example of this technique done right, and done wrong. If you look at GW's ork sculpts they have a very caricature feel to them. The musculature is blown out of proportion, even in their faces. In the traditional GW paint schemes this gives them a very cartoony look. When they're painted right in the grimdark style they have a very menacing appearance (as they should do).
A couple of tips when painting like this are to over-emphasise your highlights and your shadows, and not to limit yourself with just the good old streaking grime. Any enamel or oil washes are going to act as a filter, in a much more pronounced way than say an acrylic glaze will. Consequently you need to bump up your contrast to account for this, but also be wary of your colour choice.
Theres a danger of "grimdarked" models having an almost monochrome look to them when you're finished. You can counter this by your choice of washes. The best thing I ever did was go back to watching traditional modelling videos where they were painting tanks and other military vehicles. Their use of washes as filters is the cornerstone to the grimdark style of painting. Streaking grime is obviously a big part of what traditional modellers do when it comes to weathering, but even their base paint jobs will use a wide range washes; like Panzer grey, dark yellow, wood washes used for decking on ships etc. The list goes on. Their use of enamel and oil washes, weathering and damage techniques, how the different paint mediums react with one another etc is essential viewing if you're getting into this painting style.
I think Zatcaskagoon is right to a degree about it being "easy", but thats only in the application of the techniques he's using. Getting the look right though? Thats a different story entirely. The guy is an absolute legend, and like you said; is way more talented than he lets on.
Thank you so much for this detailed reply - it's going to help me rethink my approach!
PS avoiding an overly monochromatic look is something I'll need to solve for with your tips!
@@TheMiniJunkie No problem at all man. Theres a school of thought that just thinks grimdark painting is slapping an enamel wash on it and calling it done, and that was my mistake when I first started out. Once you get into the swing of things this painting style is a lot of fun and the results speak for themselves. You have a lot of room for experimentation too, which lends itself to the subject matter. I'd urge anyone who watches some of the painters on YT who make things like NMM, wet blending etc look like child's play (and then get disheartened) to give this method a try. It isn't a magic wand, but once you get a feel for it you can get some stunning results.
A lot of the monochrome can be worked out pretty easily, by going back in and re-addressing those highlights and pulling the color back up from the depths the washes can create (not just on OSL). I think a lot of success can be had by identifying the different materials that are represented on the model and where they've been or how long they've been (in your head canon). This would include different kinds of metal, flesh, hide, leather, ceramite, etc. as there is a wealth of color variety to be found in those differing states of use/disrepair/repair. This is why traditional modelling/railroad/diorama techniques can be very important when approaching Grim Dark as it helps you identify those differences, attempting to achieve better suspension of disbelief, immersion, believability and realism.
Which in reality, is kinda what the Grim Dark style is. Taking the lore at face value, not merely as an advert for models sold to teens, and painting/basing the described world accordingly on to the mini. As you said, Orks in lore, are NOT cartoon characters, nor are Nids cute and cuddely and war against such beings would be brutal and dirty, in awful, forbidding places.
Absolutely agree. I started painting grimdark after falling in love with zatcaskagoon’s videos, with a blood bowl team of orks!! Painted them with olive drab skin, with reddish brown shadows, decayed or black metal for the armor, and dusty off-white for clothes,... some dust, dents, and washes... scary and satisfactory, unlike the eavy metal cartoon style, which I pretty much loathe...
i found out what grimdark was about 3 days ago and looking for examples and videos now
it's funny you picked this ork beastboss as your test model. This was the model my wife got me last month to start up the hobby again after 20 years and with that, the first model I've painted in a very, very long time
I'm about to start a hellbrute now, grimdark as hell. I'm gonna try!
I am not familiar with any style of painting, I just started a couple of months ago.
However, I must say that Ork looks really awesome!
I understand that you might feel you have not achieved what you set out to do, but in the process of learning you have already created something beautiful. So there's only one way to go from here: On to the next!
Don't look at that mini from a grim dark point of view, look at it as a beautiful piece YOU have created. And as an extra bonus it was full of lessons :)
Thank you!
Don’t forget that a big part of this Grimdark style is just a very good camera with high contrast filter… your model looks great.
Dude. This looks great. Especially from 3 feet away
So ive been a follower of Zat for a while now.. and been painting Grimdark stuff for a while as well... If i was to describe it... i would say Grimdark is hyper-realism ... take everything to 11 ... if somethings rusty.. make it hella rusty.. if its chipped.. hella chipped.
that includes the contrast.. things in shadow should be in shadow.. things that are lit, should be lit ( the OSL on the necron is perfect example )
grimdark is about a mood and narrative for the mini.. not ticking the streaking grime box.
I'm happy to have seen this become an official "style of painting" as specifically defined. I've always gone for a more grimdark look, usually erring for darker colors, heavy in the washes, etc. But now I get a plethora of amazing painters to learn from and increase my skills. Historically I was just kinda on my own to learn, getting inspiration from non-GW models people would paint in the style.
Yes, you cannot paint a model in a typical GW-marketed style then "grimdark" it. While your model looks cool, and if that's what you wanted I'd say it's a great model, but if you want it "grimdark" as a style you have to ignore small details, use fewer and darker colors overall on your base. The spectrum of colors on your model will be smaller. This style is more concerned with presenting an aggregate holistic aesthetic, as opposed to GW's normal style of demonstrating well-painted details that each pop in their own right. I'd say the difference between grimdark and GW (idk what they call that style they do) is that grimdark is a holistic approach, GW's is a technical approach. If that makes sense.
Looks pretty amazing to me
The contrast of your scowl in this thumbnail and you smile in the Channel pic in the corner is great
Lol!
I had not even heard of this style before this video!
I left a like. You are a good person and create some very interesting paint schemes. I hope you keep it up!
"I got low skill - I have that so I should be able do this" 😂😂 absolute savage
Lol 😂
the grimdark theme is why i came back for miniatures!!!
Thumbs up as long as it's not sponsored by squarespace. Cheers and keep up the amazing work!
I'm not up with the modern trends of the cool kids, but when I started painting minis back in the late 80s, the epitomy of what is now the grimdark aesthetic was John Blanche's miniatures.
Honestly, he was amazing and it is as far from low skill as possible. Very limited, muted palette, and skin tones would have greens and reds and blues throughout. It was the sort of thing I learned more about when painting in oils (as in canvases, not miniatures).
If you look at other painters like Boris Vallejo or Simon Bisley, you will see the range of colours in their skin tones that don't look like they should work, but do. It's an interesting way that colours work and if you look at complementary colours and what colours to add to produce a darker tone, it's sometimes surprising.
I don't normally paint minis with that artistic style or colour palette, but I did for my recent Blood Bowl Treeman. I used a lot of muted greens and reds in the bark and it looks amazing. I wouldn't call it grimdark necessarily, but it uses a lot of the same stylistic choices, and it looks a heck of a lot more realistic than brown with a tan drybrush. :)
Dawg, all I see is an amazing weathered Ork boss. For a first try it’s rad.
I know nothing about grimdark (until watching this), but I do like this video and the open, direct nature of your delivery. Looking forward to your next one!
Thank you!
"im not satisfied" model looks great
I think it looks great
personally i love the way this turned out and will probably do something similar with my orks
1. I think that for the Grimdark style it is helpful to desaturate colours even when painting the base layers. Nothing should be too bright. So I would use beige instead of white for example.
2. I would also use less or more subtile highlighting than you're used to from other painting styles.
3. In my eyes, streaking grime doesn't work on skin. Skin doesn't get dirty the same way cloth or metal does. I think I would wash the skin with an oil wash that is a mix of green and brown, thinned down with mineral spirit.
I usually paint the skin when I'm done with the streaking grime, but when I paint skin it's usually only faces. I guess that wouldn't be a solution for an ork.
bahaha the "im gonna take this time to tell you im not sponsored... YET" killed me. subscribed and liked. keep it up.
I just completed the details for my Strike and Breacher squads. Now onto Grimdarking them
Well I think this model looks great :)
Thank you! He looks pretty good but not grimdark per se.
Great video! I've had two test models sitting on my desk to be airbrushed with grime for weeks now, guess I should do that this weekend, thanks for the motivation!
I’m slowly making a transition from much larger scale figures to way smaller figures, such as Warhammer figures. The Grim Dark style is intriguing to me because I guess I have been painting this way, although much larger, for many years. I’ve always used colors such as smoke, umbers, and sepias in my color recipes. My work has always had a “dark” undertone. I enjoyed the video. Very thought provoking.
I have tried it for my deathwatch, and is more about weathering then using spesific pruducts.
Rust and and gore realy hepls a mini look grim and dark 🙂
First time viewer, for your first attempt it may not be what you expected, but what first attempt is. I can't think of any time its come out right the first time trying something new. Always something to develop. Great video, thanks.
Thanks Dan!
looks great! perhaps adding some blue or cool colors to offset all the warm tones. But it looks great!
I no the video is old but speaking to models that just look grimdark bestaraim miniatures make some really scary dark characters, got one coming in the mail can’t wait to grimdark it!
Interesting video and I think I agree. ‘Grimdark’ seems like a stylistic choice for the entire model/painting scheme that’s brought together by the oil step, the oil step itself isn’t what makes an otherwise conventionally painted model grimdark (if that makes sense). That being said, great scheme that was enhanced in its own way with the oil washes!
Thanks! I'm going to give it another go at some point for sure.
I don’t know if it turned out grimdark or not, but the end result was grimy and exactly how I would like my model to look.
That miniature may not be grimdark (I wouldn’t know), but it sure looks great! Thank you for the great content. 😀
Another great video! Thank you!
I've seen you over on IG and discovered you have a YT channel awesome stuff mate love your content. One thing I took from a video from Grimdarkau here on YT was make your darks darker and your brights brighter. Which you mentioned here too with the OSL.
I’m gonna try that for sure.
Great video! Thanks for sharing! Cheers 🍻
"Grim Dark"
Just means to look at a model and make it as real looking as you possibly can.
U can even achieve this with Acrylics all u wanna do is try an make ur model come to life as much as ur imagination will let u.
Good luck can't wait an see u turm that beast snagga into a Real "Grim Dark" worthy of a "Zatcastagoo?"
That looks fantastic!!
Thank you :)
I just fell in love with the style and ran I to the same issue/idea. Not sure if best to just paint a normal model then muck it up, or if the grimdark style is all muck from the start
Yeah I never really mastered it tbh!
My painting has always been grim. As though I was painting in a dark room.
My two cents would be 1. to start with a black basecoat it looked as though you used a zenithal, you need a dark foundation. 2. to try and stick to the Zorn palette, have a look at John blanche's art/miniatures. and 3. use de-saturated tones ie. use black/white/grey/flesh to create highlight and shadow tones.
love the higher cadence of videos!
Thank you :) No idea if I can keep it up....
From what I’m seeing, this style is different from the “traditional” painting style, in that it’s a form of tonal painting. If you look at the art world, you can find a lot of videos on YT, if you search for that term. It’s a different attitude towards painting, which, in broad terms, emphasizes the overall composition against painting lights and shadows on each part, and uses only a limited palette as the foundation of the tonal expression.
Low skill? You? If I was a fraction as good as you I'd be happy. I think it looks amazing
Done a bit of it, during my now bypassed Necromunda period, but seeing folks who can really do it...yeah...I did not execute it optimally. I still do some on my other post-apoc stuff but I have yet to really deep dive into it and develop the actual skill. Cheers!
Thankyou for appreciating what people often make the assumption of..... Grimdark isn't just about adding muck and grime to an already painted mini.
Zat does amazing work but I will say that he does neglect the early stages of a paint job where much of the tone and atmosphere is set.
When doing my Grimdark tutorials I always try and show the early stages of building up a paint scheme as getting those dark shadows and bright highlights in the right places is just as important as the streaking grime etc.
It's quite possible to get a good Grimdark paint job on a mini without using Enamels and Oils etc, they are just an effective way of doing it. They aren't magic though.
Thanks! I'm trying again on the new Kill Team Orks and definitely trying to be mindful of the "pre weathered" paintjob.
PS I'll check out your videos too! Looks like some good tips and teachings there for Grimdark!
I think the model turned out really nicely. It might not be as grimdark as you'd like, but I still love the finished look.
Thank you :)
Personally, I love that style and think your mini turned out fantastically!
Thanks, Tony! It has a certain appeal for sure, just wasn't quite the grimdark I was going for.
It may be just me, a noob, but I think that your test model came out looking pretty good. Keep the videos coming.
It's ok in terms of looking a little more "gritty" but it's not quite the right level of "grimdark" I'm aiming for :) Thanks!
Your CZcams recommendations match mine 1:1
Great video as always. I know that it didn't turn out the way you wanted but your mini looks amazing just the same. I am at the moment starting to fool around with oil washes and streaking grime on my minis. I am still learning. Like any technique it will take patience and time i suppose. keep up the awesome work. Look forward to your next video.
Thank you!
When I started drawing GW's model, I stard in GW video. Later I watched your video and began to try the spray gun, but my English wasn't very good, so I just watched videos in study. Thank you very much for your sharing. I like your expression of color very much. Maybe it's because your painting technology is poor and you don't master light and shadow very well, so I like to express it with color.
Great video MiniJunkie, loved the humour and grimdark has been a paint style I haven't tried yet either.
Looking forward to learning from your mistakes especially on $35+ models :)
lol thanks!
I thought that looked pretty good and appropriately grimdark as a model With large organic components, skin and bone etc….
Really enjoyed this video... And your model looked great buddy... You were right, it wasn't very GRIMDARK, but still you did a great job and the model look beautiful
Thank you! I’m going to try again :)
Brilliant video.
I learn alot more from mistakes than successes.
Thank you, Nicholas!
I think you should aim to be less clean with your pre-painting. I don't mean to commit more crimes as such but try and increase the tonal variation more before you apply the grime. For example, with the white bone that you painted, maybe try stippling on some bone, brown and yellow-green sections to build up some texture and contrast. You don't need to be super smooth with the transitions here because the grime will act like a glaze and tie the colors together. I think this helps to sell the gritty feeling more than having large flat surfaces which aren't broken up too much.
I find the most important part of painting in the grimdark style is having reference material. Blanche is obviously a good choice but the palette he uses is similar to Rembrandt, which he has said in the past. Understanding the colours and tones that go into the mini before oils and washes are very important for creating contrast and texture is also very important. Orks, especially more recent sculpts are a hard sell for grimdark because of the cartoony nature of them.
I'm painting up an inquisitorial warband for fun and it's turning out well by keeping these things in mind. The great thing too is that if you make mistakes, a bit of white spirits cleans it all up.
Good points. I'm finishing up an Ork "Grimdark" Kill team but then might try something grimmer. Maybe Death Korps.
I'm in the same boat. Just tipping my toes in this oil wash stuff, I don't have any of the AK options. Mostly muddy looking to date but I see potential. (I'll take the learning curve of Nuln Oil, still don't understand the appeal of that crap.)
That said, I think yours looks great! And in an unusual twist this comment section is worth the read. ;-)
lol at the Squarespace joke haha
:D
I prefer blanchitsu style my self.
which funnily enough has warm palette, but the result is grimdark.
reds and yellows and brows, and a ton of unnecessary kitbashing just for looks.
Yep! I’m not much of a kitbasher but his style is great.
I (personally) like to use a more muted colour palette. Try to get away from the standard colour scheme's and use more "natural" tones. Try to avoid heavy saturated colours. But I do like your Ork!!
Not sponsored by squarespace!? Hahahah ill give you a follow for that! :D
simple in theory... insanely difficult in practice. a good start is a limited colour palette and keep it mostly desaturated.
Thanks for the video
Make sure you all have alot of ventilation when using odourless thinner to get rid of the grime
Breathing it in is not good
Bob Ross used Thinner with his painting and mixed it up breathing it in all day long with no ventilation and His son thought it was a likely reason he got cancer
I personally do that part outside
Take care all
Isn't there an Ork grim dark video on his channel?
Its all I paint. I just prefer the more realistic look. i mean honestly why would they look brand new on a battlefield that could be 10 mins or 10 days. They wouldnt.. Esp Chaos or Orks....Looks great imo for your first try man. thanks for the vid.
I’ve watched Zats videos as well and I can never figure out how much of the actual painting process to do before I grimdark it ..My models come out like yours, just looking dirty and muddy..I’d like to see what you learn in the process. And maybe a bone video, as the look amazing
Glad it’s not just me then 😀 I’m trying again with more Orks and still struggling.
What about your model were you not satisfied about? I’m new to the concept of grim dark so didn’t know what aspect of the model was off to you.
Anyone who thinks that it takes no skill to paint in a grim dark style, should probably say that to John Blanche... considering he literally inspired the entire range of 40K models and armies. The grim dark style is heavily influenced by Rembrandt.
I think your result is pretty darn good. While I don't think it is that hard core grimdark you were looking for, it still turned out very well. From what I've seen, a few colours and one bright colour post wash is the way to go. You may want to check out Gravehammer for other grimdark methods.
Thank you, and I will definitely check out Gravehammer. Yeah this guy turned out ok in terms of just looking pretty cool in general, but not quite "grimdark" the way I had imagined. I'm going to try again, probably with Kill Team orks.
I think it somewhat worked but you needed to leave the darker parts darker and highlight the lighter areas to push the contrast further.
I was also frustrated because I kept trying and always got a washed out look to my grimdark minis. It only started working when I started to push hard on the highlights and shadows
But I'll be honest it feels good to know that trying and not liking the results when doing something that apparently everyone does great makes for a good relatable video
Thanks, Raf!
Looked freakin' awesome sir! If it's not enough for your taste, just pop some highlights and redo another pass of grime!
I only paint in the Grimdark style
Your orc is AMAZING! Don't push yourself too hard on it. For the grimdark part, I think you missed the weathering part: applying additional textures, rust, some water streaks. And last but not least, desaturation. I struggle with it myself as well. Accustomed to "fantasy/DnD" style of painting, I find it extremely hard to switch myself instantly to this desatorated, weathered and sloppy painting style.
Thank you!
The thing with textures is mostly completely overdone and out of scale
I agree it doesn't look "grimdark" but it looks right. Like its looks like you painted it normally and well to i have to add
My first atttempt was on an Ork big boy and it's garbage. I did keep the model though and dated the bottom of the base so I could always go back and see how I've progressed. I'm still learning the grimdark techniques and it's definitely getting better but not good yet. Fortunately we're in the golden age of painting tutorials : ) As someone else already commented, something I've noticed is that the folks in the traditional hobby painting space of WW2 planes and tanks seem to have really influenced and almost already perfected the grimdark technique. I was recently in a local hobby shop, friendly staff but they are all about WW2 models. I noticed several of the display models they had were using all the things I had ready about in the grimdark techniques. All those dry pigments and enamels were in painstaking detail everywhere in the store. That's a side of the hobby I definitely need to learn more about as apparently there's some really good crossover that can be learned from that side of the hobby and after watching some videos of weathering on a panzer, I've got a lot to learn.
This is great - I'm going to look into that side of the hobby. One big concern I have is avoiding it just looking like a "lump of brown or grey" per se. Making sure it still has enough contrast and visual appeal.
@@TheMiniJunkie I think you nailed the concept of how that part is done in your video, in that you can't use a GW box art-style paint scheme for grimdark. Sounds like you're on the right track and I look forward to seeing how you progress as I'm learning it myself and I will certainly learn from your experience. GLHF!
Yes and no. Actual "Blanchitsu" style grimdark is more than just a dirty paintjob. But too many people think its "slosh AK streaking grime over it" and that's where you get a ton of low effort, low skill "Grimdark" painting.
Actual grimdark painting is more than just using streaking grime or oil paints. There's nothing WRONG with that approach (I like it myself) but it's not some revolutionary thing.
Grim dark blocking of colors is simple. Don’t highlight too much. Keep the base colors more prominent.
I'm gonna give that another try!
I'm not much of an expert myself, but I think your color choices for the Ork may have been a bit too saturated and bright, whereas Zatcaskagoon tends to lean on pretty muted color palettes. His approach is more about making something look realistic, which doesn't mesh very well with a GW box art color scheme. If you haven't already, I'd take a look at his Death Guard videos. The way he transforms something that's normally a very cartoony green into something grimdark is really impressive.
I shall! I'm trying again with the kill team orks.
Good video sir, but don’t sell yourself short my man. Your skill level 100% pro.
Thank you sir - but I do hope I can do even better with this style!
Ya I have tried a few of his tutorials, and I was like, okay it looks easy enough, but it’s not a low skill based style like he says lol. At least not to get it to what his looks like.
Not sure what exactly about it your not happy with but if that was the end result of my work Id be happy!
4:27 stop whining. It looks great, send it over to Netherlands if u dont like it. I will take oké every time of the week
:)
I thought it looked great
Thank you :)
I think you're giving yourself a hard time.. looks great to me. I get that you didn't get the results you wanted, but I enjoyed the video nevertheless :)
If you enjoyed it then - mission accomplished! Thanks!
The problem with this style is that people who are not very experienced with the hobby confuse STYLE and METHOD.
To me, style is all about color palette, overall feel and certain staples, for example it can be more or less realistic, use more or less texture on flat details and so on.
And method is basically what techniques you use to achieve the result.
And you can be as complex with your methods while aiming for basically any style. You could aim for grimdark style with both noob friendly and golden daemon tier techniques.
But there is an ongoing misconception that grimdark us about, basically, aiming low and overusing drybrush and washes, heavy use of wash-based rust effects and complete lack of highlights aside from very basic. Thus most of the time miniatures look bleak and dark not because of actually good combination of colors and purposeful use of techniques, but because they are, quite frankly, look like undercooked crap with now readable contrast, a way to avoid actual learning how to paint, a way to cut corners.
I'm not trying to gatekeep what's considered good or not, and I'd rather have everyone around play quick and dirty "grimdank" style instead of grey plastic, but this idea of confusing style and method needs to stop.
Personally I'm not a fan of the afore mentioned channel, and I've watched all of his videos. I think a lot of the work in the tutorials are kinda pointless as it's covered up by streaking grime 9/10 times, that said holding the model in your hand maybe it's a different story. I think Marco's reductive technique and work with oils takes true skill
I’ve followed his guides to a tee, they only look good in low lit rooms and photography, looks like messy crap in person
It's definitely not a low skill painting style, unless your definition of grimdark is to just smother the miniature in streaking grime, rust and dirt and call it a day.
No, all the other styles are just overachievers..