Painting Guide | Painting The Jailer in the Grimdark Style using Acrylics

Horror as my motivator for painting - the process and techniques to reach that ugly beauty.

The gritty, the darkness and the so-called ugly is what I find most attractive in art. It has always been like that since I was a kid picking up my first trash metal vinyl at the age of 12. I was drawn by the artwork and the brutality of the sound. It really kicked in when I discovered Michael Kviums paintings. He´s from the same city where I grew up, so I had easy access to his huge disturbing pieces at the local museum.

I got into D&D, painted with those old enamels. Then adulthood struck and I was in a hobby hiatus for more than 30 years. During covid I got back into the hobby and have been painting and building dioramas since. My focus is on building from natural materials and trash.

I love corrosion, decay and everything disturbing with an attention to details hidden in tiny things. I like the stories that a diorama scene can create - it gives the miniature a place to live, and adds to the stories we create.

Two years ago I discovered the great art from Bestiarum, and I was hooked. Only recently have I been able to get my hands on the minis - so the journey begins here.

The Jailer was the first Bestiarum sculpt I saw, I just had to paint it - so this is my take on it.I thrive on watching other artists process, so that's what I try to share here too. Thank you to Bestiarum Games for the opportunity to share what I love so much. And thank you to Conclave Obscura for their dedication to the horror miniature community. It´s an honor to be a part of.

This is how the scene looks without The Jailer - check out the process below.

I cut up an old shoebox and coated it in spackle mixed with sand, PVA and paint. I made the edges with leftover balsa wood, then made a truckload of bricks from cork wine stoppers and some leftover foamsheet. I glued them onto cardboard and coated everything in the same mix I used for the shoebox.

Next, I cut a hole in the bottom to fit the base from the mini. I covered the floor with small stones and the spackle mix, then painted the floor with washes and drybrushing. Finally, I prepared the pool of blood so it would be ready for resin or shiny paint.

I added details with moss flock made from old sponges and paint. The lanterns are leftovers from a sprue of zombies and the doors were made from leftover balsa wood and some brass pipes.

I made the hanging cages from brass pipes, string, cork and an old button from my grandma’s needlework box. Yes, I have that, and it’s awesome for tiny work! I also added some skulls and bones I had laying around.

For the bound bodies, I wrapped two misprint minis in string, then painted them with washes and Dirty Down Rust. Once all the details were ready, I added everything to the diorama and moved on to the last bit of painting.

Let’s make it dark and scorched!

As I want to make this process as accessible as possible, I will only use acrylics. Usually, I use oils for weathering to get that gritty effect, but let’s try and see if we can get there using only acrylic washes over the base colors.

I wanted more texture on the cloth pieces, so I added some cloth with diluted PVA. The skin is my main focus here, so that gets the most attention. I started from a white base color and worked my way through a basic paintjob.

First, I used AK Blood Effects as a wash in the recesses to leave them darker. Then I did some layering for the base skin color with Decomposed Flesh by AK, followed by Luminous Flesh, also by AK. I went back and forth until it was ready for the washes.

For the rust effects, I slap on TAP’s Dark Rust Effects to add more texture, then apply Dirty Down Rust. Later, I drybrush a dark metallic over it and reactivate the Dirty Down until I’m happy with the result.

Now for the skin—worn and scorched. I work with four wash colors: green, yellow, blue, and red/magenta. Just play around with it, and try not to apply too much—as I did a lot of times.

The base color for the cloth was red, as I originally wanted to make it red/orange. But as the skin turned out quite yellow, it was too bright. So let’s try to make it dark and somewhat fit into the scorched theme. Burgundy and black? Let’s do that.
I painted the bones ivory and added Citadel Seraphim Sepia. The leather got some browns and some weathering by scratching and stippling.

The magic at the end is to always varnish with my favorite ultra-matte varnish from AK. All that shine from the washes makes it impossible to read the details without a matte varnish.

That’s it—just a couple of small corrections and another coat of varnish. I’m happy with it, and I could do a run of highlights, but as it’s a larger model, I won’t do that.

This sculpt was such a joy to paint, all those lovely details makes it cry for washes and weathering. I learned a lot in the process, and next time I think I will try to add the washes before the basic colors. It might save me some time, and makes it easier to sketch the light. If you want to paint this, there are so many ways of doing it - my suggestion is to paint it in a way you like to paint. What I mean, is that I could have painted this in the classic way with attention to every brushstroke - but I didn't feel like doing that this time. You gotta go with the flow, as this has to be fun.

It was for me, and I hope you enjoyed having a look at the process.

There are so many cool models to paint, and if you subscribe to Bestiarum you get a welcome bundle containing The Jailer. I did that, and now I get showered in monthly disturbing creatures to paint.

You are very welcome to contact me through Instagram, for a chat or any questions.

Cheers!

Jesper Borup / @figurinescapes