How to Paint Age of Sigmar Crypt Horrors: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Quick answer

Paint Crypt Horrors by working from a smooth, matte prime through layered flesh, bone, and gore, keeping each stage thin and controlled. Use Pro Acryl PRIME – Red Oxide for a warm base that flatters undead skin, and buy secondhand Crypt Horror models from Frontline Gaming only if you can accept final, as-is sales. The steps below give you an order that minimizes rework and a checkpoint at every stage.

Crypt Horrors are big, fleshy, and full of texture, which makes them a great project for learning how to build contrast without overworking the surface. This guide walks through a repeatable order: prep, prime, basecoat, shade, layer, bone, gore, and finish. Each step includes a checkpoint so you can catch problems before they compound.

If you are building a Flesh-eater Courts army or just want a centerpiece unit, the same sequence works whether you are painting a single model or a full unit. Keep your paint thin, let each layer dry, and resist the urge to fix everything at once. The model will look better if you trust the process and check your work at each stage.

What you need before you start

Gather your tools before you open any paint. You will need a primer, a base flesh tone, a darker shade, a bone color, a red for gore, a matte varnish, and a few brushes: a large base brush, a medium layer brush, and a fine detail brush. A wet palette helps keep your paints workable, especially if you are mixing custom flesh tones.

Work in a well-lit area and protect your surface. If you are painting a secondhand model, inspect it first for mold lines, gaps, or previous paint. Clean it gently with warm soapy water and let it dry completely before priming. Any debris left on the model will show through your paint.

• Checkpoint: your model is clean, dry, and free of loose dust before you prime.
• Common mistake: priming in high humidity or extreme cold, which can cause a fuzzy or chalky finish.

Step 1: Prime for a warm, matte base

Start with a thin, even coat of primer. Pro Acryl PRIME – Red Oxide is a strong choice for Crypt Horrors because it gives a warm, matte foundation that works well under both pale and ruddy flesh tones. It is formulated to flow through an airbrush without thinning and also brushes on in two quick, light coats. Strong adhesion helps subsequent layers grab the model instead of sliding around.

If you are brushing on primer, use two light passes rather than one heavy coat. Let the first coat dry before adding the second. You want full coverage without filling in the details of the muscle and bone. A warm primer also means you can leave some of it showing in recesses for natural shadow.

• Checkpoint: the primer is dry to the touch and you can still see all the model's texture.
• Common mistake: spraying too close or too heavy, which creates runs and obscures fine detail.

Step 2: Basecoat the flesh in thin layers

Choose a flesh tone that matches the look you want, whether that is a sickly gray-green or a bruised pink. Thin your paint to a skim-milk consistency and apply it in two or three thin layers, letting each dry. Build the color gradually rather than trying to cover the primer in one pass. Crypt Horrors have large, exposed muscle areas, so you want a smooth, even base before you add shading.

Leave the deepest recesses slightly darker by not pushing paint into them. This preserves some of the primer's warmth and creates natural depth. If you are painting a unit, basecoat all the models at once so you can compare them and keep your color consistent.

• Checkpoint: the basecoat is opaque but still shows texture; no thick ridges or brush marks.
• Common mistake: applying paint too thickly, which fills in the muscle striations and makes the model look soft.

Step 3: Shade the recesses and define the muscle

Apply a shade or a thinned darker flesh tone into the recesses: under the arms, between the ribs, around the joints, and along the spine. You can use a wash for speed or a controlled layer for precision. The goal is to deepen the shadows and separate the muscle groups. If you use a wash, guide it with your brush so it does not pool on flat areas.

Once the shade is dry, you can reinforce the deepest shadows with a second pass. Keep the transitions smooth by feathering the edge with a clean, damp brush. This step is where the model starts to read as three-dimensional, so take your time and check your work from arm's length as well as up close.

• Checkpoint: shadows sit in the recesses, not on the raised muscle.
• Common mistake: letting wash pool on flat surfaces, which creates tide marks and a blotchy look.

Step 4: Layer and highlight the flesh

Mix a lighter version of your base flesh tone and apply it to the raised areas: the tops of the arms, the chest, the brow, and the knuckles. Use thin layers and build up the highlight gradually. For a smoother blend, you can glaze the transition with a very thin mid-tone. The key is to keep the highlight focused on the areas that would catch light from above.

If you are painting multiple Crypt Horrors, vary the highlight intensity slightly between models to give the unit a natural, organic feel. Just keep the overall palette consistent. A final, very light highlight on the sharpest edges, like the cheekbones and tendons, will make the flesh pop without looking chalky.

• Checkpoint: highlights are visible but not stark; the transition from shadow to light is gradual.
• Common mistake: highlighting every edge, which flattens the model and makes it look like a cartoon.

Step 5: Paint the bone and teeth

Crypt Horrors often have exposed bone, teeth, and claws. Basecoat these areas with a bone color, then shade them with a brown wash or a thinned brown paint. Once dry, layer the bone back up with the original bone color, leaving the shade in the recesses. Finish with a light bone or off-white highlight on the tips and edges.

Keep the bone separate from the flesh so the two materials read differently. If your bone looks too clean, you can add a thin glaze of brown or green in the recesses to suggest age and decay. This is also a good place to add small cracks or chips with a fine detail brush if you want extra character.

• Checkpoint: bone looks hard and distinct from the soft flesh.
• Common mistake: using the same highlight color for bone and flesh, which makes them blend together.

Step 6: Add gore and finishing touches

For a Flesh-eater Courts look, add gore around the mouth, claws, and any open wounds. Use a dark red base, then a brighter red highlight, and finish with a gloss varnish or a blood effect paint for a wet look. Keep it controlled: a little gore goes a long way. If you want a more subtle effect, stipple the red on with a sponge instead of brushing it on.

Once the gore is dry, check the whole model for any missed spots or rough transitions. You can tidy up with a thin glaze of your mid-tone. Finally, apply a matte varnish to protect the paint and unify the finish. If you used a gloss for the gore, apply the matte varnish first, then reapply the gloss to the gore areas.

• Checkpoint: gore looks wet and intentional, not splattered randomly.
• Common mistake: applying gloss varnish over the entire model, which makes the flesh look plastic.

Crypt Horrors painting steps at a glance

1. Prime with a warm, matte primer: Apply Pro Acryl PRIME – Red Oxide in thin, even coats, either by airbrush or two light brush passes. Let it dry fully. Checkpoint: texture is preserved and the surface is not tacky.
2. Basecoat the flesh in thin layers: Thin your flesh tone and build up opacity over two or three layers, leaving recesses slightly darker. Checkpoint: no thick paint ridges or lost muscle detail.
3. Shade the recesses: Use a wash or thinned dark tone to deepen shadows under arms, between ribs, and around joints. Guide it to avoid pooling. Checkpoint: shadows stay in recesses, not on raised areas.
4. Layer and highlight the flesh: Mix a lighter flesh tone and apply it to raised areas in thin layers, building a smooth transition. Checkpoint: highlights read from arm's length without looking chalky.
5. Paint the bone and teeth: Basecoat bone areas, shade with brown, then layer back up and highlight the tips. Checkpoint: bone looks distinct from flesh.
6. Add gore and varnish: Apply controlled red gore to mouth, claws, and wounds, then seal with matte varnish and re-gloss the gore. Checkpoint: gore looks wet, not random, and the finish is unified.

Secondhand models and supplies from Frontline Gaming

• Pro Acryl PRIME – Red Oxide: Pro Acryl PRIME is formulated to flow through an airbrush with no thinning required and also works great brushed on with two quick, light coats, with a matte finish and strong adhesion. This primer gives you a warm, matte base that helps flesh tones look natural and saves time whether you spray or brush.
• Age of Sigmar Spirit Torment GWB-02: Secondhand Shop Product sales are final and sold as-is. Items are 'What you see is what you get' and are purchased exclusively from clients through the Secondhand Store Program. If you are practicing your Crypt Horrors painting on a similar undead model, a secondhand Spirit Torment is a low-cost way to build skills, but you must accept the final, as-is condition.

Painting Crypt Horrors is about patience and order: prime warm, build flesh in thin layers, define shadows, and keep bone and gore distinct. If you are looking for an affordable model to practice on, check the secondhand selection at Frontline Gaming, but remember those sales are final and as-is. With these steps and checkpoints, you can get a table-ready unit without fighting your paint.