The Grave Digger: A Step-by-Step Painting Tutorial

Quick answer

Prime The Grave Digger in a dark neutral, basecoat the coat, rifle and gas mask separately, then layer highlights from the top down. Keep the palette muted and finish with a matte varnish so the 25mm round base reads as part of the figure. Work in this order and you can paint grave digger models consistently in a single evening.

The Grave Digger is a compact 25mm round base miniature with a grave rifle, gas mask head and a cig head option, so most of the detail sits in a small area. That makes it a good test piece for anyone learning to paint undead infantry without a huge time commitment.

This miniature painting tutorial walks through a repeatable order: prep, prime, basecoat, layer, weather and finish. Each step includes the mistake that most often ruins the result, so you can catch it before it costs you a repaint.

Prep and prime before any colour goes on

Wash the parts in warm soapy water, rinse and let them dry completely. Trim any mould lines with a sharp blade, then test-fit the gas mask head and the cig head so you know which one you are committing to before primer locks in your choice. Mount the figure on a painting handle or a spare base.

Prime in a dark neutral grey or brown. Dark primer under a muted undead palette keeps shadows readable and hides the small gaps that can appear around a separate head. Two thin passes beat one heavy coat every time.

• Checkpoint: if you can still see bare resin in a recess after priming, add one more thin pass rather than flooding the surface.

Block in the coat, trousers and boots

Basecoat the largest fabric areas first, because they set the value range everything else has to sit against. Use a mid-tone for the coat and a slightly darker tone for the trousers so the legs read separately from the torso at table distance.

Keep this stage flat and opaque. Do not worry about shading yet; you are establishing clean colour boundaries that later layers will follow. Leave the rifle, hands and head untouched for now.

• Common mistake: trying to shade during the basecoat. It muddies the colour and forces you to repaint the area.

Paint the grave rifle and metal fittings

The grave rifle is the largest single object on the model, so treat it as its own project. Basecoat the stock in a warm brown and the barrel and fittings in a dark metal. Keep the two materials clearly separated so the eye reads wood versus metal immediately.

Once the base tones are dry, add a thin dark wash into the recesses of the receiver and along the underside of the barrel. This is where an undead miniature gains most of its grit without extra sculpting.

• Checkpoint: if the wash pools on a flat panel, wick it away with a dry brush before it dries.

Layer the gas mask head and skin

Paint the gas mask head as a separate element rather than blending it into the coat. A slightly cooler, greyer tone on the mask separates it from the fabric and makes the silhouette easier to read on the tabletop.

If you are using the cig head instead, paint the exposed skin in a pale, desaturated tone and keep the cigarette itself light so it draws the eye. Either way, layer from mid-tone to highlight rather than jumping straight to your brightest colour.

• Common mistake: over-brightening the face. Undead figures look better slightly duller than you think.

Weather the coat and boots

Grave digging is dirty work, so push grime into the lower third of the figure. Thin a brown wash and apply it to the hem of the coat, the boots and the lower legs, letting it dry between passes.

Follow with a light drybrush of a pale earth tone on the boots only. This creates a dust line that anchors the figure to the base and stops the lower half from looking like a clean, unused model.

• Checkpoint: step back to arm's length. If the weathering disappears at that distance, add one more pass.

Base, varnish and finish

Texture the 25mm round base with sand or a textured paste, then paint it in earth tones that echo the boots. Add a few small rocks or debris if you want the grave digger to look like it has just climbed out of a trench.

Finish with a matte varnish over the whole figure. Matte keeps the fabric reading as fabric and reduces shine on the gas mask. If you want the mask lens to stand out, go back with a tiny dot of gloss after the matte coat has fully cured.

• Common mistake: varnishing before the paint is fully dry, which can lift layers and leave a cloudy finish.

The eight-step paint order

1. Wash and trim the parts: Clean the resin in warm soapy water, remove mould lines and test-fit the gas mask head and cig head. Checkpoint: decide the head before priming, not after.
2. Prime in a dark neutral: Apply two thin passes of grey or brown primer and let each dry fully. Checkpoint: no bare resin visible in recesses.
3. Basecoat the coat and trousers: Block in flat mid-tones on the largest fabric areas first. Common mistake: shading too early and muddying the colour.
4. Paint the grave rifle: Basecoat the stock in warm brown and the barrel in dark metal, then wash the receiver. Checkpoint: wick away pooled wash on flat panels.
5. Layer the head: Paint the gas mask head in a cooler grey tone, or the cig head with pale desaturated skin. Common mistake: over-brightening the face.
6. Weather the lower third: Apply a thin brown wash to the coat hem and boots, then drybrush pale earth on the boots. Checkpoint: the weathering should still read at arm's length.
7. Base the 25mm round base: Texture the base, paint it in earth tones and add small debris if you want a trench feel. Checkpoint: base tones should echo the boots.

What you are painting

• The Grave Digger: Grave rifle, gas mask head, cig head and a 25mm round base. The separate head options and single large weapon mean you can decide the figure's character before priming and keep the painting stages focused.
• 10 Bare Close Combat Arms Male: 10 bare close combat arms with trench weapons and laser pistols, five different left arms and five different right arms, hand cast in high quality resin, compatible with Victoria Miniatures Male Guard and popular heroic scale plastic kits. If you want your grave digger to carry something other than the grave rifle, this set gives you ten arm options that fit the same body scale.

The Grave Digger rewards a simple order more than a complex palette. Prime dark, block in the big shapes, layer the head and rifle, weather the lower third, then varnish matte. Follow these eight steps and you will paint grave digger models that look consistent across a whole squad.