Grimdark Challenge – July 2023 – Grimdark Nids (Judged)

Greetings friends! Summer is well underway here in the Appalachian Mountains. Luckily, in the shadow of the mountains, the days remain cool and the skies are almost constantly greyed by rolling storms. The worst part about mountain summers, though, are the uprising of massive hordes of bugs, both crawling and winged. Some are quite blood thirsty, too. It leads my imagination to wonder what humid environments would be like on some far off planet where strange creatures dwell, which leads me to our next painting challenge theme. So without further ado, welcome to the Grimdark Compendium’s painting challenge for the month of July! Are you ready to showcase your painting skills and compete for awesome prizes? This month the Grimdark Compendium wants to test your understanding of the grimdark style as it would appear on the infamous Tyranids. We want to see the best work you can muster, a work that shows an understanding of what makes a Tyranid a truly horrifying creature from the dark future. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting out, this is the perfect opportunity to show off your creativity and talent. To participate, simply build and paint a single Tyranid miniature to the best of your grimdark abilities and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #grimdarknids. The winner will receive a special prize from Grimdark Compendium and Dark Ages Workshop and have their miniature featured on their pages. So what are you waiting for? Grab your bits and paints, brush up on your techniques, and get ready to show the world what you can do!

Official Rules Summary

Post one WIP and one Final image (1000×1000 pixel) of any miniature or miniature terrain that has been built and painted by your own hand. Use #grimdarknids and mention @grimdark_compendium in the description.
Miniatures created for this challenge should be built and painted with the sole purpose of showcasing what you think makes a miniature grimdark and how to appropriately depict a Tyranid Monster from a dark and dystopian world.
Kit-bashing is welcomed but not mandatory.
Models must be modeled painted in the grimdark style.
All submissions must be posted by July 31st, 2023. It is highly recommended to email high resolution images of your final submissions to community@grimdarkcompendium.com to guarantee your submission is considered.
Eligible miniatures – Any brand of miniature bits maybe used in the building portion of this challenge, including figures outside of Games Workshop’s product line.
Submissions must include a clear and well lit photo.
Have fun, spread the word, push yourself, and encourage others!
By entering this challenge you agree to allow the Grimdark Compendium and Dark Ages Workshop to use your images in social media posts and video content related to the grimdark challenges.

Eligibility

This challenge is open to anyone who has painted in the grimdark style and is intended for everyone in the hobby. In short, the grimdark painting style seeks to recreate the terrifying reality of dark and dystopian worlds that have suffered from perpetual war and nightmarish hardships. We will look for things like surface finish variations, grimdark modeling aesthetics, battle damage, chipping, rust, grime, blood, skulls, muted color palettes, high contrast lighting, OSL, decay effects etc…

Eligible Miniatures

There are no limitations to what brand of models can be used for this challenge. However, the finished product must represent the grimdark style.

Kit-bashing

Please explore your kit-bashing skills!

Basing

A base will be required for your miniature to be considered during the judging process, unless your submission is a terrain piece.

Submitting an Entry – READ CAREFULLY

Entering the competition can be done by posting a WIP image showing the early stages of your project. The entry WIP must contain #grimdarknids and the @grimdark_compendium must be mentioned in the description. Participants shall be limited to one entry per challenge. All entries should be posted to either Instagram, Facebook, or the Grimdark Community Facebook group using the #Grimdarknids hashtag before or on the 31st of July 2023. Any other WIP images and the Final images must be hashtagged appropriately and appropriately mentioned. Again, it is HIGHLY recommend to email high resolution images to community@grimdarkcompendium.com

Prize

The first place entry will win a painted Tyranid miniature from Zatcaskagoon Miniatures and a one year premium access membership to the Grimdark Compendium.