Speed painting Blackstone Fortress: Dahyak Grekh

Learn how to paint Dahyak Grekh in less than one hour!
Music by Choirgiant, listen here: • Grimdark Music For Pla...
Buy our album: midwinterminis...
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Here are some useful links for stuff we use. Amazon gives us a few pennies if you buy using these, at no extra cost to you!
The affordable brushes I mostly use: amzn.to/3dJA6Lu
Cheap detail paintbrushes: amzn.to/30t81EL
A great all-in-one beginner paint set: amzn.to/3h44RNi
My favourite beginner airbrush & compressor set: amzn.to/3eSo8iS
The airbrush I use for finer work: amzn.to/2Uh7rps
The compressor I use for long sessions: amzn.to/30iTL1c
Cool aquarium filters that look like industrial flooring: amzn.to/2XFeniv
Brass couplers that look like scale model barrels: amzn.to/3dFDnvz
Cheap pastels that make great DIY pigment powder: amzn.to/3cJKTnI
The only palette you'll ever need: amzn.to/3eVljOb
The paints used in this episode are:
Black
Vallejo Black / Citadel Abaddon Black / Army Painter Matte Black
White
Vallejo White / Citadel White Scar
Medium grey
Citadel Mechanicus Standard Grey or Dawnstone / Vallejo Heavy Grey or Cold Grey
Rich red
Vallejo Red / Citadel Mephiston Red / Army Painter Vampire Red
Mid-brown
Vallejo Saddle Brown / Citadel XV-88 / Army Painter Leather Brown
Medium green
P3 Iosan Green / Vallejo Intermediate Green / Citadel Warpstone Glow
Bright yellow
Citadel Flash Gitz Yellow / Vallejo Flat Yellow / Army Painter Demonic Yellow
Flesh-tone
Citadel Zandri Dust / Vallejo Dark Flesh / Army Painter Barbarian Flesh
Gunmetal silver
Vallejo Gunmetal / Army Painter Machinegun Metal / Citadel Leadbelcher
Black shade wash
Citadel Nuln Oil / Vallejo Black Wash / Army Painter Dark Tone Ink
Brown shade wash
Citadel Agrax Earthshade / Vallejo Umber Shade Wash / Army Painter Strong Tone Wash
11 paints, not 9. I count good.
#paintingwarhammer #blackstonefortress #minipainting

[@MidwinterMinis]

Hah, so apparently a random flash of green appears on his knee. I think I must have taken some paint from the green side of my "green and flesh tone" mix on the palette without seeing the difference, and tidied up an edge. The colour-blindness I have is called "deuteranomaly" which basically makes greens really vague and hard to judge. Hope my little mistake didn't ruin your viewing fun!

[@euansmith3699]

I've recently lost my sense of smell; so I can sympathise with your issue; though, of course, I used to know that things smelt different to each other, for you these colours have always looked that way, and it is down to others to take exception at it :D

[@MidwinterMinis]

Woah, how did that happen, if you don't mind me asking?

[@euansmith3699]

@@MidwinterMinis Apparently it might be linked to me having memory problems. You know how smells can trigger memories; well, apparently the reverse is true. I've maybe forgotten what things smell of. Either that, or I've got a Space Marine helmet stuck up my nose. :D

[@tvmuffin4666]

:( im so sad when i heard this i dont like when people are sad or when tau are sad to :D and i cryd a little idk why when i watch when you said that you a little coler blind and that you are a little smell blind?

[@Gumby777]

@@euansmith3699 Its probably the later in my experience, those things are always getting stuck somewhere they don't belong

[@ZorrroUK]

The Kroot are such a cool species in the lore, I remember in a Deathwatch book they were fighting Tyranid/Kroot hybrids and they couldn't tell which species ate the other to evolve. Another note: I'm really happy that you don't let your colour blindness stop you from loving this hobby, great video as always

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, yeah, it's a great sculpt too. We're almost at the end of our campaign, but if we play again, he's definitely coming along for the journey :)

[@kefallinos]

2

[@mt-ti7lt]

Your voice is weirdly relaxing when layered with the fantastic music in the background. Sort of an ASMR video

[@MidwinterMinis]

A lot of people are saying that! Glad you enjoyed the video, whatever the reason, haha.

[@reallymiish]

*sees new MWM video* *slaps inner elbow* Inject that shit right here, doc.

[@MidwinterMinis]

I mean, Penny's a doctor. She can administer.

[@reallymiish]

@@MidwinterMinis PENNY, I NEED YOU!

[@torymiddlebrooks]

You mean "Dr. O to MWM! STAT!"... do they actually use the term stat in hospitals?

[@ltjosh9584]

Each of these episodes edges my wallet to being empty 😂awesome video, and gotta love that 6am grind

[@MidwinterMinis]

Everyone loves the 6am grind. Heh.

[@jonharper8963]

The fact that you were doing this at 6am shows your dedication to the fans. It is much appreciated! I wouldn’t wish 6am on my worst enemies! Amazing job as always, thanks!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, I just came back from a business trip too! Hardcore.

[@DarkWatch-Ian]

Hi Guy. I started painting miniatures during lock down and been following your tutorials for some time now. I really enjoy your work and found them very useful and inspirational too. I've recently acquired a set of Kroot and found this video very useful. My friend met you at Griffcon 2022. Wish I'd been there to meet you too. I find your presentation really friendly and I feel like I'm painting with a friend. So thank you so much for that. Anyway, keep the good work coming and take care. Kind regards Ian

[@jamiebestminiatures]

Can't stop watching your tutorials. So helpful no a noob painter. I'm not looking to speed paint, I don't yet play any games. Just looking for techniques. Class stuff.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Nice! Well, I hope you find these useful in your new hobby :)

[@euansmith3699]

A bit of spot colour on the bionic eye could have added a bit of extra pop; but the over all paint job is super cool. I'm very impressed with how you make your limited colour palette really work for you.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks Euan. Yeah, I agree, a little red or maybe blue would look great on the optic-implant thing!

[@Zaprozhan]

Grekh looks great! Natural tones, wear and scratches, nice washing and highlighting on the cape!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks! I'm just glad the colours make sense, haha

[@1nicerboi759]

Ahh, my daily dose of ASMR...

[@MidwinterMinis]

It's only weekly at the moment! ;)

[@1nicerboi759]

@@MidwinterMinis Due to your supreme quality im willing to accept the lower quantity...

[@typoholic]

Absolutely love these videos. You do a great job showing a variety of speed-painting techniques to quickly bring a fig up to table-top standard. The extra finishing parts are also valuable. These are great. Need more! :)

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks Mark! Happy you like the format, it's definitely really effective for getting things done fast!

[@jaycewesterlo7100]

Very forgiving tones indeed, this takes me back to how I painted my Kroot merecenary army back in the day. My meatshield consisted of two Krootoxs 12 hounds and 30 something warriors all painted very similar tones, I think it really suits it!

[@julvatn]

Brilliant vid as always! Doing more with less always impressed me more than pushing it to the stratosphere 👍

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks Jostein! I'm glad you like the format, less edge highlighting for me! Haha

[@krakenslayer9376]

Ahhhh the sweet simplicity of your speed painting still amazes me, great work again there Guy!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks mate! I love that my laziness inspires people, hah

[@krakenslayer9376]

Its contageous! Lol

[@rambozambo5601]

Great video, nice voice, a slowly spinning mini on a turntable.This is the best "last" YT vid, before going to sleep. See ya in my Dream 😀 Greetings from Germany!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Should I start a bedtime story channel? Haha

[@astrozombiac3535]

I love these videos. The techniques you use seem easy enough and the results are great and they make sense for people like me, who don't have a lot of time and resources to devote to the hobby. Thank you so much for the inspiration.

[@MidwinterMinis]

No problem Jesse! Glad I'm able to help you out and give you a bit of inspiration to paint :)

[@mrogface]

I used this to paint Grek a few years ago, now i'm using it to guide painting up the kroot kill team. 👍

[@JDClark-cb6eq]

just purchased Blackstone fortress yesterday and stumbled across your videos. They are great and have already given me several tips to painting the figures. thank you for posting this. keep up the good work.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Woohoo! That's what I like to hear :) good luck painting up the set!

[@peterlavalle]

Might be my favourite so far. Not sure; they're all pretty sweet.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks! Certainly one of the most satisfying to paint.

[@EMsBF]

so i came back to rewatch this because i bought some kroot and 6:17 got me laughing because you said a WHOLE squad of kroot in one evening, being generous since kroot aren't as detailed as dahyak lets say they take 30 minutes each, thats still eight hours regardless my kroot konga-line will look heaps better now (much thank)

[@keanueraine]

Didnt even watch the video before I liked it. Knew it was going to be a good tutorial. Weird how no comments loaded the first time though. Had to refresh for comments to appear. Thank you for the guide. Looking forward to Rein and Raus. What I like to do if I'm not sure about a color in an area, is I load up the Games Workshop official 40k page, find the model in question and then load up the 360 degree spin view of said model. Has helped me out a few times.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah definitely! I also have a look on instagram to see if anyone has done some cool alternate schemes :)

[@paulmiles3000]

Nice to see a red-green colour blind painter. I am also red-green colourblind too so its inspiring to see how good your work is despite the vision issues. Im constantly checking with my flatmate that what im doing is correct to thier sight too

[@buddyrolf1065]

Very nice, and the accompanying music was fantastic!

[@joshb9672]

Another terrific video! Thank you for sharing your painting technique and enjoyment of the hobby!

[@MidwinterMinis]

You're welcome Josh! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@jahvyn]

Great stuff. Thanks for your early morning efforts! I'm going away for the week tomorrow, so I'll have to get my kroot and navigator done next week. Bless up

[@MidwinterMinis]

Sounds like you need to do some 6am painting yourself ;)

[@jahvyn]

@@MidwinterMinis pa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ain't that the truth

[@Prettykitty7890]

"munch his way through the the Blackstone Fortress" lol. I see what you did there. 😉 Thank You very much for this series! I returned to the grimdark when 8th dropped after a nine year break, but kinda went crazy buying kits. 😏 Your straightforward style and great music have been a great reference and motivator to get my models done. Oh, and you guys are totally adorable. Keep it up! 👍👍

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, thank you! Glad we're helping you get back into the swing of things. I had a break between about 1999 and 2015 as well!

[@lonestarminis]

I have a small Tau force that has one unit left to paint- that's right- the Kroot! Thanks Guy!

[@3rdForfar]

Got a painting competition on Saturday. Gonna be entering this guy into. Thank god you put this up in time for me to use it :D thank you!!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, good luck mate!

[@HeroesBosses]

What's the competition called? I've never been in one before, but it seems like it would be a lot of fun :) Also best of luck!

[@3rdForfar]

Heroes & Bosses it’s just at my local GW :) it’s an Ambull painting competition but I’m having my Kroot face off against him. Thank you both though for the luck!

[@HeroesBosses]

@@3rdForfar Right on :)

[@TacoLibreF-CKYT]

Thanks for the vid. Mine was realmshit through our following this but that brown wash at.yhe end really brought it together.

[@BaijoGosum]

Love this series. Look forward to it all week. Thanks!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thank you! I love making them :)

[@theandf]

This paintjob is fantastic! I'm watching all your videos, and here is what happens to me every time: at the start of every video I feel hugely skeptical about your color choices, everything looks messy and the colors don't seem to match. Then as you progress, something magical happens: hey, this is starting to look like a real miniature! And by the end, the result is fantastic. Somehow you go from "this isn't going to work" to "a simple color scheme that looks great". I mean all of this in the best possible way. I just bought Blackstone Fortress and was despairing at the prospect of painting them all in a reasonable time and with a reasonable number of paints. Your videos are the way, I think!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks Andrés! Yeah, every time I paint a model, I get that "this isn't going to work" feeling, about half way through, but then it all seems to come together ;)

[@grantmahoney1328]

Another fantastic video. Great paint job as always. Keep them coming

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thank you! I'll do my best :)

[@maxschmidt666]

You deserve more followers. Way more followers.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks Max! We've only been posting regularly since January, so hopefully we'll get there :)

[@hellboy2097]

finally Awesome job you never disappoint!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thank you! Glad you liked it :)

[@hellboy2097]

@@MidwinterMinis delighted, its a really lovley earthy paint job, really natural, I love those earthy tones!

[@vanilla5214]

Great video I love the results of this model and all of the previous models. I also want to say thank you for the paint recommendations especially the spray cans as I had been using the citadel spray but I got the Halford sprays and they are amazing so thank you so much

[@MidwinterMinis]

I know, right? The Halfords primers leave such a nice surface to paint on, and they're so cheap.

[@tvmuffin4666]

Omg you paint so good i just painted my 1st kroot and i used this video as a guide :D

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks very much matey :)

[@aiwass8866]

That's a very cool way of Blanchitsu

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah! Just add a bit of stippling and you're done ;)

[@aiwass8866]

@@MidwinterMinis Sorry mate, it's too early for me in the morning, what do you mean (I know and use the technique, but don't understand how or when to apply it in your process)?

[@MidwinterMinis]

Maybe I'll do a video on "easy Blanchitsu" so you can see what I mean ;)

[@aiwass8866]

@@MidwinterMinis That'd be awesome mate

[@Tipperbodda]

Another fantastic tutorial. Cheers man!!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks Marc, glad you enjoyed it :)

[@padraighegarty7114]

Great job. I ended up buying practise kroot to try out some of the techniques from your other videos on him. He's been constant in the party so far and I felt bad for keeping him grey. Keep it up

[@MidwinterMinis]

Nice, I haven't used in him our campaign yet, how does he play?

[@padraighegarty7114]

@@MidwinterMinis he's fun. Pretty powerful and resistant to damage. His trap is quite useful and his ability to move and set the traps before the start can be super useful. I always forget though which is a waste.

[@misterlemyn1233]

ur speed paint looks better than my 3 hour Model

[@MidwinterMinis]

Oh no no no, I'm just good at cheating ;)

[@plasmofandwedge7142]

If your going to put your models on a paint pot with sticky tack I would recommend using some tamia pots there perfect size and there flat on the top plus there only like 2.50 a pot

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah! Good idea, I have some actually. I'm also just really lazy and priority goes to things at arm's length ;)

[@plasmofandwedge7142]

Lol yea that makes sense

[@ubiquitouspov1060]

Nice. Work. Ork. Lover.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, thank you!

[@asz3337]

Ah yes,.... Finally! Although this will be the first model in my group not looking just like yours....still alright I guess but I needed it last weekend already 😂 I still enjoyed it as usual!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Ah, my favourite warboss! Thanks mate! How are you enjoying the game?

[@asz3337]

@@MidwinterMinis ha, two expeditions in and the next gaming night will be a stronghold! Pious alone is carrying.... I think five clues? 😂 And you were right mate, she's a BEAST in combat..... Good thing the Blackstone Fortress has no sprinkler system! 😂 But I feel I need a break from painting Blackstone for a little anyway.... What do you think? 11 stormboyz (the "proper" ones with the shiny uniforms), a bunch of space ork raiders, or five old bad moon bosses in mega armor? Oh...... Oooooor the runt-bot I just acquired?

[@MidwinterMinis]

My friend got me an old metal Bad Moon Mega Armour Nob for my birthday recently!

[@asz3337]

@@MidwinterMinis Midwinter Minis ..... Let me guess, Ant? 😂 I got a feeling I should put my metal pile of shame together and send you a few pictures once.... You'd squeak like a snotling with joy.. I even have an old squig catapult and pulsa rokkit! You did not answer the question though, what to paint next??? (once I finish up the "Green Baron" that is.... 😂

[@HeroesBosses]

I'm also "guilty" of painting while my guests sleep :) Serves them right for sleeping in so late!

[@MidwinterMinis]

Shh, it'll be our little secret!

[@13Robzilla]

First thing in the morning means you can feed of their Dream Ether while they sleep and let it inspire your paint job (I mostly plan or prep in the mornings for the same reason.)

[@MidwinterMinis]

Creepy! I love it. "What are you doing, Guy?" "Oh, just feeding on your dream ether, go back to sleep..."

[@HeroesBosses]

@@MidwinterMinis Haha :) Make sure you have your BSF soundtrack playing in the background when you say it.

[@spike-km9je]

In the grim darkness of the far future... The chicken eats YOU....*BWAWCK*...

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, BWAWCK

[@greysky1252]

I was starting to doubt the colors until the brown wash came in.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Me too, mate. Me too.

[@jazzj2]

kroot feel so easy to paint specifically because you can just cover the whole thing in an agrax wash and not care. not so easy with regular tau when you have to be careful not to get them too dark

[@309freddie]

Clever.

[@bananapants76]

looks good

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks!

[@gigamesh780]

We love TAU EMPIRE

[@MidwinterMinis]

For the greater good, my friend.

[@keanueraine]

I was hoping for a new Tau model this year. Grekh will do I guess. He's pretty bad ass for a Kroot.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Didn't Tau get a huge update a couple of years ago? New troop sculpts, suits, and heavies?

[@keanueraine]

@@MidwinterMinis I don't know, I only got into 40k late 2017. Tau was my army of choice starting off....really it was a distraction, should have spent all that cash on that army on Ultramarines as the Ultra Smurfs and Bobby G are my main team now.

[@athollmcnicoll256]

Penny must have been working this night you did this , as no sound of her dulcet tones inflicting her weird humour!

[@julvatn]

Atholl McNicoll she was entertaining guests methinks.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, this was all done when everyone else was sound asleep.

[@ancientswordrage]

Me, a tau player before watching : I don't think I want a kroot detachment. Me after watching: lets add all the kroot! (Also I want green knee patches on all my kroot)

[@ceilingface]

Not a bad looking fella for a canibalistic xenos; even more so considering the circumstances in which you painted him! We’re youplanning on finishing the protagonist bases using the same technique as you did with the antagonists?

[@ceilingface]

Mobile autocorrect is terrible...

[@MidwinterMinis]

I am indeed! I'm not sure what main colour to go for yet, though :)

[@FIRSTNAMELASTNAME-zt4kf]

Thank God I couldn't tell if it was an armor panel on his belly or what feeew

[@Slyfox1775]

I just bought Blackstone . I have all my models primed and ready to paint . Watching your videos . What type and size brush do you use ? Thanks for the videos

[@papabagoat]

Love your work! 👍 I've used dry brushing before (my personal fav part of painting) but am unfamiliar with what you refer to as over brushing... it looks to be a similar technique. I googled "dry brushing vs over brushing" to see the difference but all of the hits were about dry brushing dead skin off your body 🤢 which is NOT what I was looking for. You probably already have a video about this technique but, can anyone give me a quick recap of how it differs from dry brushing? Thanks and stay healthy!! o/

[@patrickgonnschorek5551]

Please do the Rogue Trader Minis! :D

[@MidwinterMinis]

We'll see what we can do! :)

[@Markain]

@@MidwinterMinis would be so cool

[@leventeacs8606]

I absolutely love kroots but never digged the vibrant green color most people use for them so this video is a dream come true. Im just sad I’ll never be able to own every expansion of this game as they are no longer available. On a sidenote, how did you make the beak stand out so much yet so subtle? Was it the drybrushing stage?

[@ETH5626]

Is that figure part of the Tau? I know it's part of Black Fortress but he looks like a Kroot.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah! It's a Kroot mercenary :)

[@ETH5626]

@@MidwinterMinis Cool, i guess Tau players will like Black Fortress. But i'm still waiting for loyalist Space Marines expansion packs for this game.

[@Darkvoidninja]

Explains why u use orange instead of red sometimes

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah, poor old crappy eyes, haha

[@karstenvonfjellheim5321]

What's that neon green that suddenly appeared on his knees...oh....you're colorblind...Penny can fix it!

[@MidwinterMinis]

I honestly can't see what you're talking about :(

[@zarlus8]

@@drpenny9844 Penny/Peny? The Penny?! We missed you. You might try some lighting gels; (color plastic film), to look through while painting to shift the colors enough to see differences. Similar to these: images.app.goo.gl/b6TMDA2v1vAE2nYz8

[@TopG_Bazzah]

Seeming the game board pieces are just cardboard pieces. Would it be wise to paint the sides of them with pva or mod podge? Just to stop them from fraying or peeling back

[@torymiddlebrooks]

As long as it's not too thin, the excess water can cause warping or separation

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah, PVA is a good shout. I would probably not dilute it though, but definitely wipe away any excess with some paper towel.

[@a-nittwit]

How can we send you pics of our minis to let you know how we are getting on?

[@MidwinterMinis]

You can find my email address on the "about" tab on my channel, or you can tag your pics on Instagram with #midwinterminis or tag my @mwminis account :)

[@plasmofandwedge7142]

Noiiiice and kool kool

[@MidwinterMinis]

Thanks mate!

[@jonathonfreeman9233]

General question - atm I'm looking at painting my figures from Star Wars Imperial Assault (new to the hobby). I wanted to make a couple of the storm troopers have a dust-covered effect (similar to how Grekh here just looks like he's had a nice stroll through the wasteland). Do you have any recommendations on how to achieve that on white armor? Would the brown wash alone work (with some dust dry brushing) or do you think I should sully the base white coat as well?

[@popburnsy3207]

Brown wash and dust colored drybrush would work. Just be careful with the brown wash sometimes it stains darker than expected, that thumb wipe thing he does with washes, works wonders.

[@jonathonfreeman9233]

@@popburnsy3207 thanks for the heads up warning with the wash. :)

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yup, some great advice there! Don't be afraid to fix things with your fingers :D

[@keanueraine]

You could put some crackle paint on them too with a sand colored dry brush, sorta like his Necron video if you want them really dusty dirty. Sorastro's Imperial Assault videos are some of the best Imperial Assault walkthroughs but they are standard paint schemes for the most part.

[@jonathonfreeman9233]

@@keanueraine yeah, I've been watching a lot of Sorastro's vids. It's been really helpful regarding fundamentals for sure. I'm also getting blown away by what you can accomplish with these technical and advanced techniques. I'll check out that Necron vid for sure. Thanks!

[@poshboy4749]

First 'tasset' now 'rifle furniture', aren't you just a font of obscure technical terminology. (Thanks for another great vid)

[@MidwinterMinis]

Haha, it was actually a viewer who told me about "furniture" being the correct term. You learn something new every day!

[@peterlavalle]

... why does the video say "Music by Choirgiant, used by kind permission?" Are you "Choirgiant?"

[@MidwinterMinis]

Choirgiant is a friend of mine, he made this track for my channel! Watch the FAQ video I uploaded last week for more info on the music :)

[@zpettigrew]

Good paint job though.

[@tommy2dice885]

Who's here for the new kroot painting ideas?

[@DoomyDrummer83]

Why the grim music tho? Does it has to do with the lore or somethin’?

[@nickosgood4591]

Love these videos but the music in the background is horrible and makes them so uncomfortable to watch!

[@_saintyork_2333]

This music is creepy

[@Flindo911]

the only model us kroot players got in around 15 years and hes not even that good, GW why must you forsake us?

[@antmanthegnome]

I hate this model. This is probably going to be the one that remains unfinished.