.BVRAXOS SULLA.
.GLADIATOR LVPVS.
I’m in Stockholm for a week or so. This means I’m unable work with my beloved bitz or my two-component love: greenstuff. To keep my w40k mind at ease I painted some concept art of another Gladiator. I really enjoy making these, next up I’m thinking harpy/eagle/vulture something…
Hope you can forgive the coming week’s lack of actual models:I
.HYXOPHANES KARSK.
.GLADIATOR HIPPOCAMPUS.
Though feared by most Pilgryms, the Harvspices Collegium are a group mostly disdained by the functioning organisations on Terra. They often find themselves harassed and threatened. The Aether sipped dull the priest’s body, whatever speed and agility is needed from a warrior can not be found in these men.
Smoke, narcoticae and surgical weaponry can deter a lone attacker or two. But when faced with an organized military opponent priests, even in groups, stand little chance.
The Collegium are known to turn to the Collisevms and fighting pits of TERRA for muscular strength and security. The wealth accumulated from Pilgrym spoils and the flowing gold that comes from above are more than enough to acquire a strong man for each of the groups that thread the floors of TERRA.
Filled with chemicals and with a hideous visage formed by ancient Terran myth, these fighters fit well into the narcotic enhanced mysticism of the Collegium groups.
The mere presence of a single of these Gladiator monsters makes even a competent soldier doubt his and his allies chances.
* * *
So after I saw John Blanches latest fantastic contribution to the Pilgrym project (check it out!) I simply had to make something with a robot crabclaw.
I made this rough concept sketch and then got to work on finding appropriate bitz. Here’s what I got so far:
Still a lot of work remaining. I think I’m gonna let him rest for a While and keep working on the first Harvspex priest.
I think he’s coming along nicely. Need to add a hood and some fur + add some more length to his robes so that he’ll look taller and more gangly.
Alright, to follow-up on the post from yesterday.
I’ve been concepting a small group of minis for TERRA. At first it was mostly meant to be one guy, but I got hooked on the idea and the theme and decided to make a few more.
I’m taking alot of inspiration from Tonis’ awesome stuff and fluff over at ironsleet, Hopefully it won’t come of as a steal…
The scavengers of TERRA come in many forms. Ill carrion worms and birds, sanctified eagles of prey. The weak and meek billions of Pilgrymmes who trod the filthy floor of TERRA more often than not find their cloth and hides ripped apart by the greedsick and foul natives.
Among these predators few are as self-righteous and austentatious as those of the Harvspices Collegium. In their trade the official and self-aggrandizing manifesto proclaims their God-given right to foretell the future with whatever means necessary.
Most of the Sub-guilds and groupations under the Collegium are made out of frauds, opportunists and criminals and lack any pedigree of note. But a sacred few are rumored to have lineages tracing back to the techno-barbarians of old TERRA.
In its origin their practises would mostly concern the opening and reading of Ur-Capri-Corn and similar ancient mammal Innards. But in this tyme and age these seers have found a far more gilded and holy beast to open and read. The Pilgrymme is a tired and “willing” victim. Once arriving on TERRA their tired limbs and incapability to fight back is taken as a sign of their supreme personal offering to the Collegium. They offer their bodies as charts over the future and the Collegium humbly accepts.
But it is, as is all on TERRA, a business. The fine clothing cut from Pilgryms and the jewlery they’ve gathered on their long treacherous journey is also “accepted” by the Collegium. Because of this many of their priests and augurs are clad in the finest spoils. Amulets and exotic hides cover their bodies. This brings in a certain material wealth into the Collegium, which in turn has led to numerous investigations by branches of the Administratum.
But the ever-important monetary wealth comes from elsewhere. The Collegiums priests on the floor of TERRA would say this wealth comes from above. But a more accurate answer would be that the money flow from the spires of TERRA. For the socialites of the higher levels it is not uncommon to have predictions and signs delivered from the depths of their world. The superstitious elite secretly often ask for financial advise from this “occult” source. But many with more wealth than they could hope to spend find it an amusing pastime to receive fresh blood soaked news concerning the state of the Imperium. Or for that instance the information about their esteemed neighbours medical situation.
It’s fashion.
Here are some concept scribbles of the group I’ll be trying to construct, excuse their laziness.
Desc.
and a super rough concept of the group
and lastly
a wip teaser
prem+1672/SVLFVR-AGVS
=
Kroeppspulsader like a root.
A stench of fat oil, burnt harsh.
* * *
Ah, in the bowel and liver I see,
a green man walk with me.
* * *
-/make a note of it. Dispose of this holi body.–
= = =
—————————————————
A note
At first this painting was meant to be in colour and with white smoke.
But with the loss of the great painter Wayne England yesterday, the smoke will be black and the painting will be gray.
Wayne England’s painting of the stretch faced man engraving skulls is one of those paintings that really took a hold of me as a kid. It’s a huge reason why I first fell in love with 40k.
He will be missed greatly.
Some things were swept aside for the moment. The forge re-ignited. Ancient relics and ornament cured overnight and pushed out in a feverish hurry.
The floor of Terra will be filled.
Gold, Oil and Bone.
Metal smell in the air, scorched engine oil and burned ozone.
(Molde V-adviced- to be retired, note Dux Gilde Ferrarios. Caution, last such -advice- led to flogging of 13 men, 5 of which did not survive.)
Just a small update today.
I’ve received so many wonderful comments and thoughts from so many people in the past two days! I also received a supercool feature over at Ironsleet, complete with a nice analysis by Scriptor Patrick Gray.
It feels great to receive such a fantastic welcoming into the blogosphere.
now to business
I got some odd wips for you today
Firstly, I did a super quick test paint of a Sicarian gun. Just to get some ideas for how I want to paint metal.
I’m pretty happy with the result. But as someone who paints on large canvases I know that small-scale hides faults. I enjoy adding agrax earthshade in pretty thick chunks. It gives neat matte negative spaces on the model that somehow almost seems to have an inner soft luminescence.
And now for the clay.
I decided to test sculpting a custom face for the Adeptus Astarte in my last post.
(flagellant head as size comparison)
I used some of the faces from forge-world as a reference. I still have to fill the eye socket with some actual eyes. But I’m waiting for the greenstuff to cure. I’ve left the back of his head a bit thin and weird as I’m planing on filling it with cables.
Cheers!
Until the Pilgrym overtook me and brought me back to Terra and the Emperor, I most recently delved inteo Chaos and mutations, those legionaries who had burned in the corrosive Eye first and longest.
But now I’m rediscovering my old wip casket filled with techpriests, administratum officials and alike.
Here are some wips, you’ll have excuse the tackiness of these chaps.
A group on a mission.
A variation of the Mechanicvm henchman on the left.
Idea for greenstuffing.
closeups of a fighting gimp and a sinister priest.
on a separate note: this striding nightmare might be walking in the golden bowels of Terra.
I was reminded of him and his cathedral face yesterday when I saw John Blanche’s superb painting over at ironsleet .
—
I have never recorded my thoughts on stories behind my minis and I won’t go into deep storytelling mode just yet.
These men are searching for something. They were first conceptualised months ago. Back then they where hunting an ancient mechanical construct named the “AETHER HORSE”.
This mystical being was sought out with great fervor by the Adeptus Mechanicvs as it was said it held records of mankind’s efforts and ideas during the Dark age of technology. The sanctified men of the imperivm sought after this being as it was seen as the pure embodiment of the Omnisiah. Machine and meat in natural beauty.
It’s ability to teleport, as well as having a natural occurring disruptive field forming for miles around it, has made the being incredibly elusive. In this century it has only been seen twice.
+ AETHER HORSE +
marcominius 