Painting Guide - Kingdom Death: Monster (Monsters)

If you've read my review for Kingdom Death: Monster (and I see no reason why you wouldn't have, because it's awesome) then you know that the the miniatures remind me of statues or chess pieces, moved around by the whims of a monstrous deity.

The best thing about this idea is it meant I was able to paint up my miniatures very quickly and easily. I painted all of the survivors to look like they were carved in stone, and I painted all of the monsters to look like they were carved in bone. The result is a set of miniatures with a classical appearance that I think is totally in-keeping with the atmosphere of the game.

Recently, I finished off the massive phoenix bigature, which has been sitting on my top shelf for a little while. I thought I might as well snap a few photos and share the process here, although frankly, that process is so simple it's a bit insulting to put it into a guide.

What I used:

Army Painter Skeleton Bone spray primer
Army Painter Soft Tone
Army Painter Skeleton Bone
Army Painter Matt White
A really frickin' big drybrush

Stage 1:

Coloured spray primers are my new favourite thing. One coat of Skeleton Bone spray primer, and most of the work on this miniature was already done.

Stage 2:

Army Painter Soft Tone works well for bone. It isn't as dark as the other options, so you don't end up with a model that looks really brown and muddy; but the depth of the shade still really brings out the details. Be prepared to slop on loads though. Also be prepared for the model to look a little bit shit at this stage.

Stage 3:

Find the biggest drybrush you can. Then chuck it away and buy a bigger one. Drybrush the whole model with Skeleton Bone to restore some of the colour the Soft Tone took away. When that's dry, add a bit of Matt White to the Skeleton Bone and drybrush again.

(Special note: Use a circular motion when drybrushing the large, flat base. It looks nicer, I reckon.)

Stage 4:

Now just keep drybrushing. With each coat, add a little more Matt White to the mix. Keep going until you feel you've done enough, or you get a bit bored. Whichever. Obviously, save the lightest colours for the most exposed parts of the body, such as the beak and wingtips.

Finally, add a coat of protective varnish, such as Games Workshop Purity Seal.

And that's it. It's not going to win any Golden Daemon Awards; but I managed to paint a miniature the size of my head in about an hour. That's a win, as far as I'm concerned.


All of the Army Painter paints and brushes used in this guide are available online and from all good hobby stores.

To get an easy-to-follow PDF for this painting guide, please visit my Patreon page, and back for at least $3 per month.