tyranids
from the void they come
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Tyranid course on Grimdark Compendium.
Join us as we delve deep into the lore of the Tyranids, understanding why they are such visceral and interesting creatures.In this course, we unveil a brand-new technique involving glue — an artistry that renders flesh and carapace with unparalleled realism and charm.
We’ll provide a comprehensive list of required materials and tools to ensure you’re fully prepared for what’s to come. Get inspired to create Tyranids like never before, portraying them as the embodiment of the twisted cosmic horror they were always meant to be.
Number of Videos: 5
Curriculum
- Episode 1 – Overview and Introduction
- Episode 2 – Neurotyrant and the Glue Technique
- Episode 3 – Von Ryan’s Leaper Standard Grimdark
- Episode 4 – H.R. Giger Broodlord
- Episode 5 – Biomorphic Psychophage
It’d be great to get a rough timeline for releases. Can’t wait to get started.
Episode 2 is already finished and will be released next week.
Love the intro video and can’t wait to follow along with my own Leviathan set. You fellas know how to hype us up.
Awesome thanks!! Cant wait to get into the meat of the course.
Great introduction. Really got me inspired.
Awesome! Thank you!
Will there be an example of filing/modifying the eyes of the termagant in the next video?
The next video will showcase and give a full explanation of the the glue technique.
Can i use paint instead of Pigment?
Oh and, when’s the next video coming up?
The moisture in paint will kick the glue. The next video will be out this coming week.
I have had semi success adding pigment to the glue. I am using BSI super thin and AK pigment. When I add the pigment it clumps up and doesn’t even add to the color. I tried adding pigment first down and trying to spread it best I could in a thin layer of powder it sort of worked. What am I doing wrong?
Totally mindblowing, can’t wait to try this!
Awesome ! Thank you!
The glue technique is very intriguing! Do you think it would work with more pigments for a slightly more saturated colour palette?
Yes, You can mix it heavily with pigments.
Thank you!
Pardon the silly question–are these videos only available to download for folks with a subscription? Is there a way to pay for them individually?
A sub allows streaming access only. Typically you can buy courses individually but we are currently redesigning the website and that feature is currently unavailable for some courses. We will be adding the ability to purchase all courses individually back in asap.
How do you guys feel about using colourshift paints? For a beetle-esque looking carapace, for example. How well would these filtering techniques work ontop of it?
This is not something I have tried but have seen it used a good bit. The best thing to do is test the filtering applications over top of color shift paints on a scrap piece of plasticard.
Just a PSA, you can strip models with superglue on them with degreaser( I’m using LA’s totally awesome). Takes a couple days but the layer will begin to shed off.
Episode 4 is mind blowing
I might have to re-up for these. I’m very interested in getting a similar look for my Nemesis minis.
Awesome! Hope to see you!
Episode 4 is amazing. You truly understand the themes of Giger, and applying them to the Tyranids with a focus on cyclical life rather than just devouring is a brilliant idea. On top of all of that excellent conceptual work, the tutorial itself shows so many skills and techniques. The last one using the nail building material to get the translucent dome of the original Xenomorph is pure genius. I am going to try some of this on my old Kryomek miniatures which have been laying in boxes for far too long. Thank you, and I would absolutely love to see a dedicated series to explore the biomechanic horrors spawned from the mind Giger.
Many thanks, wholeheartedly appreciated.
How many minutes should the enamel be left to dry before putting on the acrylics and superglue?
As long as the “wet” appearance on the enamel has vanished, this means the mineral spirits will have evaporated.
Although I suggest using at least 40 seconds of hair dryer to flash off and make sure it’s dry enough.
For acrylics on top of that, there is not much of an issue – granted you at least did a reductive technique.
While for the glue on top of enamels, there is actually a secret technique involving that, that will be covered in EP5.
Overall, it’s safe to just use a nice pass of hair dryer after removing the enamel with a q-tip, and you’re good to go with either acrylics or glue.
As long as the “wet” appearance on the enamel has vanished, this means the mineral spirits will have evaporated.
Although I suggest using at least 40 seconds of hair dryer to flash off and make sure it’s dry enough.
Overall, it’s safe to just use a nice pass of hair dryer after removing the enamel with a q-tip, and you’re good to go with either acrylics or glue.
I’m getting a lot of white frosting from the loctite superglue on my practice minis. How do I stop this from happening?
Yes, this is a warning I always give: you must be absolutely sure that the miniature is 100% dry both before and after any glue application.
Water or mineral spirit will react with glue and create white crusts – frosting.
Same if you apply glue, and spray some paint over it while the glue is not fully cured.
A pass of hair dryer is highly encouraged both before and after applying the Loctite.
Also, is it the one just like in the video? Liquid, with a brush applicator?
Let us know if you encounter this problem again, I’ve been using the Loctite glue multiple times now even outside the Tyranids course, and it works wonders. Frosting only happened during my first tests.
Thanks for the reply. I made sure all the previous layers were dry and I was using the applicator that came with the bottle.
I found after some more testing that moving to a much more ventilated room fixed the problem completely.
Is it possible to get a complete materials list from each video?
would love to see a list of all materials and paints used on these new videos.
How do you buy this video set?
I already signed up but I can’t find the videos. What should I do?
If you signed up for premium access you can navigate to courses and watch them all there. Free Access will give you access to the Learn Grimdark Course.
I’ve got two question on Part 5:
How do you keep the superglue from fogging?
Would thin layers of UV resin have the same effect?
Using alcohol 99% or mineral spirits on top of the layer of glue will inevitably make it a little bit foggy and reduce the “glossy” factor. Is that what you mean for foggy? Like it’s not 100% transparent clear and glossy? Or perhaps it became foggy after the application with no solvent pass?
In that case it could be the room temperature and humidity.
I have not tried using UV resin instead of glue, they are both very dangerous materials that need exceptional handling and control.
I prefer superglue because I can manage the application, control the amount of texture and has a super fast drying time.
I don’t know how I would feel about UV resin, as it would try to self-level itself every time (very hard to create new texture this way) and you would need to pass UV light. It can have some uses for sure. I would have to experiment with that before giving a definitive answer
Has anyone tried clear UV resin instead of using super glue in the neuro tyrant video?