Looking good Fin, I agree simple is better for that kind of design aesthetic! I can see this having huge potential and perhaps becoming the next big thing forget nmm it's gonna be shadow patterns all the way i'm loving the Harlequin, the colours are so nice and I can't wait to see him finished, the pathfinder is coming along too, it'll be interesting to see how he turns out in the finish!

and in regards to awesome pimped out Nerds

Ooooh yeah, bringing the nerd love in pure polyester! check out the shadow feathers, inspired much!

Looking good as always, congrats on getting on the front page (if you hadn't already noticed )

I didn't even notice I was on the front page! lol (I did have to scroll down a bit)
Thanks as ever Krell : )

Thanks for the pics Nerd ; ) They're also pretty good examples of shade vs tint - the top shot makes the shirt look as if it's been highlighted with colour, as the highlight is a yellowy-brown, but the bottom shot is highlighted with a tint, buy adding white to the base colour. See how different they come out?
I suspect you could be right about ghost patterning being the new nmm. Looking at the shirt (and your dread - very nice work!) I think it helps to have LOTS of pattern, either in a repeat/geometric, or just more on show as it helps the viewer figure out it is actually a pattern. I think the Ranger potentially suffers because the pattern is a bit minimal.

I'd now like to see a shot of the flares, your floor-length fur coat and pimp hat, complete with feather ; ) You also need some big-ass 1970s frames for your glasses Go NerdDaddy!
/plays the Theme From Shaft in my head

Troupe Master finished, and I'm really rather pleased with him, both dark and light, and there's a nice balance to the colours as well. He was a joy to paint : ) Onwards and upwards!

I really like the face on the master...It has a lot of dark personality!

He's sinister isn't he. I had the thought while I was painting it that it'd be cool to do a version painted like The Joker from Batman, that'd be extra creepy!

Wow those shadow patterns are awesome.

Real nice work.

D

Great stuff Fin! he looks excellent, at first I was thinking that the face needed something else as it wasn't as good as the rest of the model, but with the last shot where you show us the 3 together it works! really works :-) very creepy (although not as creepy as me in the bath!) how many more do you have to do of them?

and thanks for your comments on my Dread, I do realize the freehand could have been smoother but it still looks o.k when you take in the whole mini as one.

now I want to see and paint more shadow patterns! :-)

 finnan wrote:

so, here I am, returning to the world of painting and modelling after a loonnnggggg break - 17-18 years break! Here's some of the stuff I've done in the last few weeks - I know I have stuff to improve on, particularly in the basing area, so ignore that for now. Enjoy : )

How did you get the Eldar swords to look so much like crystal (what paint and techniques) maybe PM me

Thanks in Advance!

@Eldar Man - have a look at page 34 on here, I did a mini tutorial on how I do my sword blades : ) Hope it helps.

@Nerdfest - I agree about the mask - if he were a stand alone model I think I would have done something different, but I want all the Harlequins in the squad to have crystal masks so that there's some cohesion in the unit despite them all being in different colours. The base for it was one of the drybrush paints - Hexos Palesun - I really like them as basecoats for lighter colours, they're really vibrant. So base with that, a wash of Cassandora, and then highlight with Ceramite : )
I have 7 more to do, plus the Death Jester to finish, so I'll have a sizeable squad when I'm done : )

Well then you are going to be a busy man aren't you! because we all (everyone following your thread) want to see what else you paint! I've noticed you've either gotten quicker at painting to that exceptional level or you have a stock of photo's to throw up when we pester you! :-) lolz

no, I think I've gotten faster, definitely. Well, I've gotten faster at what I WANT to do... that bloody Death Jester has been staring at me for months. I'm going to tackle him today - I only have the weapon to do! He's not going to be spectacular, but at least he'll be finished.

Righto - another Harlequin done! This guy just seemed to come together really easily, and I was really surprised that I finished him this quickly. I wouldn't say he's my best work, or that the colour choices are superb, but he's certainly not a stinker. I tried out some diamonds on his thigh, and they turned out pretty well, but I certainly wouldn't want to do that over a whole model! Also some more ghost striping on the blade.
Originally his whole mask was the pastel purple, but it looked a bit too happy, and he's a sinister looking guy, so, I gave him a dark half to the mask, which really kicked the sinister into high gear. This guy kinda creeps me out...
Also a shot of the growing Troupe, with the Death Jester - again, not my best work, but doesn't compare too unfavourably against the others.
Enjoy : )

Your painting is superb, finnan! A question though: why do you leave so many of the details unpainted? (well, I guess they're technically painted, but not a different color than what's around it) An example would be the latest Harli's sword: you painted some sweet ghost stripes, the teeth, and hilt, but left the spirit stones (except one) and other details purple. I imagine it is intensional, but I can't figure out why.

Anyways, looks great regardless
Rawson

I was feeling a bit lazy is the easy answer
you can't see them too well, but the other jewels on the sword are purple; I was surprised at how dark the purple was, it was hard work highlighting it up enough to show. Purple isn't my favourite colour, so I was fairly content to leave it as it was.

I also want a fairly simple, clean aesthetic for the Harlequins. It's really easy to go over the top and just have too much going on. I'd rather have it simple (and potentially be able to go back if I want to) than have it too busy.
Also, the fluff-based answer is in the Imperial Armour 11 book - an Imperial report says that many of the 'jewels' on Eldar armour aren't jewels at all, but sensor bundles/equipment storage kind of things. I now have no problem not painting them up as gems! ; )

 finnan wrote:
I was feeling a bit lazy is the easy answer
you can't see them too well, but the other jewels on the sword are purple; I was surprised at how dark the purple was, it was hard work highlighting it up enough to show. Purple isn't my favourite colour, so I was fairly content to leave it as it was.

I also want a fairly simple, clean aesthetic for the Harlequins. It's really easy to go over the top and just have too much going on. I'd rather have it simple (and potentially be able to go back if I want to) than have it too busy.
Also, the fluff-based answer is in the Imperial Armour 11 book - an Imperial report says that many of the 'jewels' on Eldar armour aren't jewels at all, but sensor bundles/equipment storage kind of things. I now have no problem not painting them up as gems! ; )

See? I knew there had to be an answer somewhere

If you painted every gem on an Eldar model you'd end up insane and with an over cluttered silly looking model. It's common practice to pick out only a few of them.

Harlequins have never really been to my taste but I love the strong colour theme you've applied. Simple, clean aesthetic and Harlequin don't often go together, but you've more than made it work.

I love your blog. There aren't many others who can just paint a model one colour and make it as joyful to look at as you. Keep the Eldar coming.

A lot of nice people have said very nice things about my work, but I think that's the nicest Temujin, thank you very much; it means a great deal to me to get such response. I'm very glad you like the blog - I certainly intend to keep the Eldar rolling out!
I'm considering entering the Harlequins for 40k squad in Golden Demon... I don't think they're really up to scratch, but it'd be nice to show them off a little!

Thanks for this thread, so much inspiration going on here. Just looked through the entire thing and it is all fantastic. I wish the best at gamesday with the golden demon.

This question goes back a bit, but is the FW wraithseer worth getting, i love the model and want to own one for my own eldar

Young Logan

Glad you enjoy it Young_Logan. I like the Wraithseer, probably because of the spear option more than anything else. I have no idea of it's worth in gaming terms though!

The latest Harlequin : )
I actually did all this yesterday, but I went into work today, no no painting progress. Not too bad so far, I'm liking the blue for the body suit, even if it wasn't quite what I was after; I looked a someone's work on here, and they said they used Sotek, Temple Guard and then Ice blue - their results were this really bright, swimming pool blue, lovely. I used the same paints and got this lol Not that it's not nice, but just not what I expected. It might be the proportion of the paints that is making it look darker and greener, but there you go - even using the same paints as someone else can have different results! ; )
Just the one spot colour at the moment with the magenta, but for some reason, I'm tempted to give her pink hair... not really sure why.
That's Balthasar Gold with black wash on it for the pistol and belt - a bit darker than I wanted really, but I can highlight it up a treat.

Oh Fin, totally go pink hair man! that would look epic and kind of remind me of the old Necromunda house Escher ladies ;-)

I like how it's coming along so far, the blus is actually quite nice and I like the slightly greenish tinge it has, matches the sash!

It's ALL about the Harmonious colour choices Nerd ; )
I actually find it quite hard not to do Harmonious, and really hard to do Complimentary. Even my tough, hard as nails craftworld colours have been softened down by doing a red highlight on the black. Basically I'm a big old softie ; )

I'm digging the idea of pink hair - I thought I was kind of doing her in the same colours as the character Oracle from the Imperial Guard in the X-Men, but when I looked, I've done her in reverse - oracle had pink clothes and blue hair... Lots of happy accidents with this one! (even the sash has come out more startlingly green than I anticipated!)

Latest Harlequin finished, and a shot of the growing Troupe (must think up a name for them). Enjoy : )

Ooooh... pretty

I like how the different colour schemes contrast against each other without clashing

So, the 'Road To Golden Demon' [Year 1] year is almost up, a month to go in fact, and considering I'm back at work next week, that will leave little time for significant painting. The plan had been to do an entry for almost every category - after seeing someone do the same last year and snag a handful of trophies, it seemed like the strategy to go for. I haven't quite managed that, but I am pleased with what I've achieved.

The next question - because, as ever, I am full of doubt - is what to actually take. On the Definitely Going list so far:
- the Wraithseer - I worked the hardest on this, and he was always going to be my main entry.
- Cirdan for my Lord of the Rings entry. Not great, but the LotR category always seems thin on the ground, so we'll see what happens.
- The Farseer - again, I worked really hard on him, with the express purpose of Golden Demon. That he inspired the Bonesinger who in turn inspired my craftworld colours, which in turn prompted me to do the Autarch, Warlocks and Guardians is just a happy turn of events.

But... do I take anything else? I have the Avatar from last year, but he doesn't seem that special any more, not really sure why. I could also take the Harlequins, just for a laugh. I have no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't win anything, but as I said in a previous post, it would be nice to show them off a little.
After last year's incident with the Avatar falling to pieces in-transit, I've bought myself a sturdy case with lots of foam - the Wraithseer is already packed in and ready to go. As it's a half-case, room is somewhat limited.

So, what do I take? Thoughts/opinions?

I say take it all and enter everything you can.
Including the Avatar.

Show off your pretty models and hopefully take home more than you went with.

I agree with Ovion enter as many category's as you can, you have nothing to loose (as long as you have space). I'd love to see some of your Eldar in WD .

I concur good sirs, young master Finnan should indeed enter the majority of category's as his work is exeptional across the board! nary has he produced a model that has lacked that exquisite touch he has procured on the many visits mine eyes have glanced across this thread of seamless beauty!

500 odd views, 3 pieces of advice... hmm, I was kinda hoping for a few more opinions... and Nerd seems to be in Shakespearean mode! Curiouser and curiouser!

Take as much as you can! As long as its not going to be detrimental to your best pieces. I reckon its an all or nothing thing, if you enter at least one piece you may as well enter as much as you can.

Oh yeah, definitely take the avatar too, you owe it to yourself to see what could have happened, and get over the disaster of last year

Hey Finnan,

I would love to see you take the lot to Games Day including the Avatar.

I do not know how the judging goes, but it could be a good way to show the judges how your choices of models and painting techniques have evolved.

Besides your paintwork will stand up to the best that has been out there.

Just a shame that I cant make it this year :(

I had hoped to have seen the avatar last year.

 finnan wrote:
500 odd views, 3 pieces of advice... hmm, I was kinda hoping for a few more opinions... and Nerd seems to be in Shakespearean mode! Curiouser and curiouser!

Well, I think a few of those views are mine, so I'll post something to encourage you I think your work is amazing. True story. I don't have near the patience that you display to paint all those layers and blends. That being said, I've never entered anything in the GD or even been, so I don't have much advice to give, but (assuming that you don't have to pay an entry fee for everything that you enter) it seems like the more you enter, the more chances you have of winning Best of Luck!

I would enter as much as you can, just to get a feel of how each unit fairs in a competition.

Having said that, I rarely enter anything I haven't purposely intended to enter from conception. Although one GD did come from a "hey, I like this guy I think I'll enter him!" entry.

That's more like it fellow Dakkaites! As you probably know, my default state is general indecision, and that's really helped, so thank you all : )

In light of that, I have packaged up:
The Wraithseer - 40k Vehicle
The Farseer - 40k Single miniature
The Avatar - 40k Monster
Harlequins x 5 (Troupe Master and 4 Harlequins) - 40k Squad
Cirdan - Lord of the Rings

... and, because Elrikr put the thought of doing something non-Eldar into my head, I have ordered a few goodies in the last few days for my post-Games Day painting. A couple of cryptic clues:
First lot of goodies starts with S and ends with Uper Dungeon Explore. The second lot starts with D and ends with Warves

Cool sounds good

First lot of goodies starts with S and ends with Uper Dungeon Explore. The second lot starts with D and ends with Warves

Dammit man! you're gonna have to give me more to work with than that cryptic miasma of letters! eh not even a hint

Say it with me: Duh-war-vuh-zz
and chibi-manga fun! : )

Hey finnan, really like your Harlequins. Really colorful and cool.

O.k,... O.k, lets see if i can get this *damned tongue twisters!* ...... Duh-war......Vuh-zz,..... there! got it! .... Duwarfves!

Dwoar-vzzz

Thanks Iron Father, much appreciated

Hey Fin.

Good to see tou've decided to enter multiple units. Your painting is great, so fingers crossed for you. Looking forward to seeing your post GD painting too.

D

I am almost speechless(no mean feat).the colours blending and general style of painting is truly top drawer.Best of luck at golden demon mate.

for the golden demon, a shot gun approach ususally works well.

I like the harlies but i'm not sure the basing does them any favors. I feel the static grass looks like an afterthought and it's colour takes away from the models.

I really think of all your models I prefer the farseer

Basing has never been my strongest area - thank goodness for resin scenics! And damn the Harlequins for being fairly flimsy and without their micro-scenic as part of their base.
I doubt the Harlequins will win anything, but the last two years I haven't entered stuff for GD and then when I'm there, I wish I had, so we'll see how it goes. If I'd intended them to be GD entries from the start, more effort generally would have gone into them.

As ever, thank you all for the positive comments : )

And now for something completely different lol
As a little warm up before the dwarves arrive, I've finally made a start on my Reaper Frost Giant Princess - such a lovely sculpt, and the start of my Nordic/Celtic Dwarven adventure ; )
She's a big girl - that's a 60mm base she's on, but really lovely. All I've done so far is block in the bone areas in Screaming Skull, and the main leather areas in Snakebite Leather, and then two liberal washes of Gryph's Sepia over them both.
The plan (and in my head, The Plans always sound very doable...) is to have her very warm and earthy in her clothes, and then contrast that with a nice cold blue for her skin. Hair I haven't decided on yet, it's either going to be ice white or a dark, stormy blue...

That is a nice model! In the first pic she seems to be so serene, and then the second pic shows the string of skulls she carries around. It was the equivalent of an epic plot twist in a blockbuster hit!

Good luck! Always a pleasure to follow your projects!
Rawson

I agree, she is a bit calmly sinister - that mask is hiding a an manic, psychotic grin I think ; )

I love that model. Been considering jumping in on the Reaper KS because you can get her in their new "Bones" material.

If this blog gets any better I'm going to have to unsubscribe or risk suiside... As always, amazing. Those harlees are BEAUTIFUL

The paintwork on that princess so far looks beautiful, kudos!

Interesting model. Liking what you've done with it so far.

D

urgh... the kids aren't even back at school yet (tomorrow...), and I'm already knackered, although that may have more to do with my new fitness, My Body Is A Temple regime (yoga tonight. I'd like to say that I pretty much laid down and breathed for an hour, but I feel as if I've been stretched and pulled like nobody's business).
Thanks for the comments on the frost giant - I have done a bit more work, but haven't taken a shot yet, I'll try and do that tomorrow. It's a deceptively tricky model to paint - it looks really simple, but there are lots of nooks and crannies that are hard to reach. I've just about finished her clothes apart from the cloak, and I've blocked in the base for the skin... photos to follow : )

photos of the Princess as promised.
The darker leather and the skullz not done yet.
Eyes: I was aiming for them to be big chunks of amber inset into her mask... not quite sure that I pulled it off. May have to be highlighted further.


The bottom of her mask and part of her necklace need to be re-highlighted after I was a bit enthusiastic with the blue when blocking in her skin... but you get the idea. The plan for the studs by her mouth are to have amber inset in gold, but I'll do them towards the end.

What size base is she sitting on?

60mm - the cloak didn't fit on a 30mm or 40mm. It's just for display purposes, so there aren't any gaming implications.

Looking sweet Fin! I do think you need to up the amber on her eyes a bit with a neato reflection and your signature blending expertise! the browns really do look like soft leather garments! well done good sir!

what series of models is she from? and does it give you freedom of painting whatever you think will look right?

more orange would do the trick on her eyes I think... I started from an orange base, a couple of washes of Devlan, and then orange and yellow highlights. I don't want the highlights to be too harsh, and they're not the largest of areas...

It's from the Icingstead (?) range - search for Frost Giant on the Reaper store and it'll come up. There's only one painted example on there, and I haven't found too many others, so I've taken those on board, but gone in my own direction a little with her.

I think I want my dwarves (when they arrive! grr... impatient) in a similar style - very warm leathers, fairly bright/strong colours for the fabric (mostly their trousers from what I can see), and fairly realistic-looking animal skins for furs. Blond hair, strawberry blond and greys/silvers for hair. All very Nordic. I've already done a bit of research and have got some stylised hounds, griffin and dragons that can go on the shields (with any luck!)

Sounds good, more orange from the god or orange! you should be able to thirty or so layers with your eyes closed! i'm looking forward to seeing her all done!

a little bit of work done on the Princess - my new (un)fitness regime and being back at school has severely cut into my painting time.
I've highlighted her skin, tried to deepen up her eyes, done her boots and made a start on her cloak.
The first of the Red Box Dvergr have also arrived, and my goodness they're small! Especially when next to the Princess! I've just tidied up and based the first four so far as I've told myself I can't start on them until I finish the Princess. I think I might have a go at doing them mainly in washes, like I did for my Branchwraith...

This princess looks awesome! Cant wait to see her finished!
And your Eldar are top class too.

Nice Finnan! Blue boobs? well painted, but not for me thanks

I love the skin!

Yeah the blue skin is pretty damn cool.

D

i can't believe someone doesn't approve of blue boobs! :-) have they not seen Farscape!?

aaaaand on a proper note, still looks good and i imagine your lack of Dakka time means you're painting her and taking pics!

I will try my best Nerd, it seems like painting her is one of those projects that takes lots of little steps rather than massive leaps of progress. Not really too much left to do though, and then I can have a crack at a dwarf. (and hopefully Super Dungeon Explore will turn up soon as well)

No painting done yesterday as I had to go to a conference/exhibition thingy for work (which sadly involved an extremely leisurely lunch with some work chums - damn having to work hard! ), and I'm not terribly sure about the prospects of painting today either.
With that in mind, I suspect that this might be the last major post before Golden Demon - yikes!
I've spent a year preparing for this, and while I know it's just for fun, I am taking it fairly seriously too. I'd REALLY like to come away with a trophy of some sort (minimum of a silver please!), but if I don't, it'll just mean that I have to try harder for next year : )
I keep running various scenarios through my mind, but none of them seem likely at all! I genuinely think that (some) of my work is good enough to enter the competition, but as to winning, I really couldn't say. I'm very excited for next week, but also terrified of them looking poor next to other entries, and of them all falling to pieces en route, but we'll have to see what happens. I will of course let you know how events unfold...

As ever, a big thank you to everyone who has a look at the blog, and to those of you who are so positive and encouraging. If any of you are going to be there and want to have a chat, just let me know : )
>crosses fingers<

Consider my fingers crossed for you Fin! I will be suprised if you don't walk away with anything, all of your work is absolute quality and it's your unique approach and results (and patience) that lured and snagged us all to be so enthralled! whatever happens we'll all still be here to support you and see what majestic painting you will pull out of the proverbial hat!

Watching your painting progress over the last year has really been a trip and treat, whereas seeing your colour blending and selections evolve has been an inspiration. Best of luck Fin.

Nerd, Dark_Gear, you are true gentlemen; a heartfelt thank you

Best of luck

I've only recently stumbled upon this thread but I really like what I'm seeing. I wish you the best of luck at the Golden Demon!

Forgive my ignorance Fin, but when is the GD-D-Day for you? is it soon?

Games Day UK is this coming Sunday; I'll be papping myself all week

Good luck buddy, I hope you've got your packaging strategy worked out this time!

Do you have your stuff to enter?

Luck Fin!

Good Luck Finn!

Let us know how it goes (I'm sure you will anyway!)

D

packaging strategy sorted - bought a KR Multicase and everything is snug - the only dodgy one is the Avatar as the spear is so bloody fragile.
Cutthroat:
Farseer, Wraithseer, HArlequins, Avatar and Cirdan are the entries : )

Go Fin GO!

Ive been following your blog since i picked up my first miniature at the beginning of the year and ive been amazed with the quality of your work and even picked up a few pointers as well, so cheers for that.

Good Luck Fin!! Ill be waiting to see your showcase on the website and in White Dwarf!!

Thanks as ever guys
(no pressure then... lol)

Ha, no, no pressure dude! none at all..... nope not even a little bit! *nervous laughter*

... tested the transportation of the entries today with a quick visit to the local GW store. Seems okay - everything still in one piece... Thunderbirds are go for tomorrow!

Good luck and may the force be with you!!!

Good luck finnan!!

can't wait to see how you go Fin! make sure we're your first port of call as soon as you get the results! good luck mate!

Hope it went well today Fin.

D

:(
No Golden Demon for the Fin.
The Wraithseer got into the finalists of the 40k Vehicle category, but all the others got wiped out in the first cut :(

Reflection:
- I genuinely think that the standard of competition was quite high this year, certainly when compared to last year and the year before, and I suffered because of that.
- One of the GW staffers on the coach said that he was truly shocked that I didn't place, and the other staffer said that GD is quite political, and that I should have placed in the Vehicle category.
- Interesting to note that of ALL the winners, there was NO Eldar, only one Dark Eldar (and she was getting her head kicked in), NO Tau, two, maybe three Tyranids, a couple of Orks, and the rest were Imperium. Hmm... bias, anyone?
- While the winners were undoubtedly GOOD, I did think they were a bit dull. They were very much of the GW aesthetic of highlight with white and weather anything that moves - which is okay, I have no problem with that, but it doesn't really reward originality.
I think that there is a whole set of criteria for the judging that the competitors aren't aware of. The brief for the competition is very brief indeed, and I'm not sure it gives enough direction.
This isn't sour grapes. Okay, maybe it is a little, but it was very much a GW corporate event - the big screen in the arena only showed ads for current releases, which I thought lacked subtlety...

... I dunno. For my first Golden Demon, I'm pretty chuffed that I got into the final with one of my pieces, but I'm disappointed I didn't get further. Like last year, there were a handful of guys who won multiple awards - it seems like a very elite boys club and I don't know the secret handshake, or rather, I DO, I'm just not willing to compromise my own aesthetic to join.
I'm not entirely sure at this point if I'll aim to enter next year. Games Day itself was not much fun, and I don't know if I could repeat that experience. I'll give myself a few days to think and reflect and see how I feel.
As ever, thank you all so much for the support over the last few days and the last year and indeed the last couple of years. I feel as if I have misplaced your faith in me a bit :(

Finnan

I found that it's very much a case of being basically the same event each year, so unless you're specifically going for Golden Demon, it's not worth multiple outings (unless they change how it's done heavily).

As it is, your painting is really, really good (certainly puts mine to shame and then some), and you should be proud regardless.

It would be nice to see a shot of everything you took to enter all together though.

Tough luck finnan! Your Eldar and your painting has continually blown me away. It's a shame that your work won't reach a potentially larger audience to inspire. :(

Misplaced my faith in you?? I'm totally shocked and I'm never going to talk to you again. Very DISSAPOINTED. I'M JOKING! Everything you produce is awesome. Its a shame about GD, but your stuff is just so awesome. I'm always exited when this thread is yellow in my subscribed list. KEEP CALM AND LIKE FINNAN'S PAINTING. That's what I say!

Damn thats a shame! I definitely think you deserved better, (i didnt see the other entries ofc but im sure you did!) but at least you made the cut with the wraithseer.

I totally understand what you mean about the judges being locked into one frame of mind, ive seen that a few times. It seems like if you arent painting ultra gritty realistic military techniques or super clean eavy metal style you dont get a second look.

Having browsed some pics of the other finalists I think its remarkable that you didn't place for your models. Not to disparage the other entries, which were obviously excellent but they were quite similar to each other. I think GD benefits from people putting their own stamp on it, as you have done-so don't be discouraged, the more who see that there are other ways to paint and think about painting the more everyone gets out of the hobby. Chin up!

"Keep Calm & Like Finnan's Painting"
Bwa-hahahahahahahaha!

Awesome Urien - I demand a t-shirt with that on it immediately!! I feel cheered up now ; )

The Golden Demon 2012 gang : )

...

A very impressive group of models.

... and yet apparently too Xeno (and therefore not to be trusted!) and colourful for the judges... ; )

 finnan wrote:
... and yet apparently too Xeno (and therefore not to be trusted!) and colourful for the judges... ; )

Can't blame them: I heard the =][= was about Sorry the eldar didn't get more love. I was rooting for you

Ooh, I do love a good GW conspiracy theory. Interesting that politics seem to be involved... always heard stories that GW and their entourage was just one big boys club.

Anyway, unlucky Finnan. I've never been to Games Day / Golden Demon, so I have no opinion as to whether you should give it another go.

Sorry to hear that Fin.

I think you're painting is great, and thanks for that group shot of what you entered, it's a great selection. As everyone else has said, hard luck. I hope you're not too discouraged, and hope you will enter GD in the future.

D

Greetings. I have been watching with interest for a while now. I am also returning from a long break from the hobby. (Children, deployment(s), career) And I want to tell you not to loose heart Finn. I think your work is awesome, and I may have some tips to pass along.

I myself asked at this years American Games Day what make a mini a Golden Daemon Winner as it does seem political at times.

1. When you think you have your light shading light enough go one or two shades lighter. Not actually whiter, but lighter or brighter, thus further deepening your effect.
2. Put the same amount of time into your basing as you have your figure. If you put 100 hours into a figure put at least 100 hours into the base.
(3. The last piece of advice was little or no airbrushing, but I don't need to tell you that one.)

Other advice was don't over weather or over damage a vehicle. Object source lighting is very trendy right now. So is mirror horizon effect. And water effects.


You have inspired me to start a blog for feedback as well.

So, Keep up the good work. I am inspired from your drive.
So have a cuppa and get back in there.

Tikibelly : )
Interesting tips there, especially the highlighting one. I did notice that the lighting in the Demon cabinets was very bright, and that would reinforce any shading/highlighting... I suppose the problem is that to get a true picture of how your mini would look at Games Day would be to have the same lighting levels at home as well...
I know basing is an area I really need to work on, and I suppose it's telling that the one I did go to town on was the one that got into the finals.
... the winner of the 40k Vehicle was weathered to within an inch of its life but if it's done WELL I suppose the results don't lie.

As ever, thanks for all the support. Still mulling things over...

your eldar are damn beautiful and dont let anyone else say otherwise!

I have been following your work since I first registered to dakka. Your work is outstanding, at no point let this result get you down. You WILL win a GD, all you have to do is keep trying.

If at first you do not succeed....

Criminal, those swords alone are works of art.
Don't give up and keep trying, hopefully you'll be the one to change the bias towards the Imperium.

Just looking at the models... awesome. Just awesome. I think, as said, you maybe should invest sometime in creating some really beautiful bases too. I don't know, maybe some really bright ice to contrast the fiery colours.

Take some time to let everything sink in and mull it over before making any rash decisions

Your work is always a pleasure to view, and while it's disappointing not to place, with some reflection I think you will find you are in a much better place now to attempt again should you so wish (and I hope so - even if for purely selfish reasons....)

Do not despair fin.

You didn’t win, but look on the bright side you entered and got through to the final in one section that’s more than 99% of people have achieved who are into the hobby.
Plus I can see 44 pages of praise and amazement at the quality of your painting skills.

If your still enjoying it, I say go for it, try again, work on what you think you could improve on.
And if after a couple of months you fancy working towards GD again with the same craftworld or something entirely different there are hundreds of people here who will give you all the encouragement you need.

If you don’t want to enter again but your still getting personal enjoyment from it keep going, as long as you keep putting updates on here (although my quality will never be as good as yours I have learnt alot from your blog - so cheers for that) you never know the feeling to enter may just grab you when you least expect it.

CoyoteCub

P.S If you want us to send "the boys" round to the judge’s houses it can be done for a nominal fee!!

Ah Finnan, I'm gutted that you didn't win anything, your models continue to inspire so don't loose heart. Honestly your blending is some of the best I've ever seen, I think its a shame the narrow-mindedness of the judges when it came to style might have hampered your efforts. Don't stop! we still all think your great here!!

Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement and support, it truly means a lot to me that I have a community to support me, and I hope I can keep up the good work and keep improving so that you continue to enjoy what I do

I think I've sulked and whinged enough, so I need to get on with it... I'm kinda thinking that the New Plan is actually part of the Old Plan... More thought, research and planning needs to go into this, but all I'll say at the moment is:
- pile of dead and chopped up daemons
- NMM (silver & gold - eep!)
- white-hot blue blades
- freehand heraldry and book pages
- converted banner

hmm...

Go Team Finnan!

 finnan wrote:

- pile of dead and chopped up daemons
- NMM (silver & gold - eep!)
- white-hot blue blades
- freehand heraldry and book pages
- converted banner

hmm...

Squats?

lol
not quite...

 finnan wrote:
lol
not quite...

lots of discussion between myself and Nerdfest tonight - I'm off to bed, but I'll fill you in tomorrow. Plans are afoot! Still at the early stages, and research and designing is needed, but an idea is forming...

Good Job man, now knock their socks off!

can't sleep, so... The (Cunning) Plan:

- Grey Knight(s) - at least one, maybe a squad, but not sure about that yet.
- Non-metallic golds and silvers for the armour (scaryscary)
- smooth shoulder pads so that I can get some freehand in on both of them
- a) good, solid heroic pose on top of a pile of dead Bloodletters
or
b) at the end of a sword stroke, lopping off a Bloodletter's head, with a spray of blood coming from the wound (I think that this idea would push it into the Duel category, but that might not be a bad thing)
- Bloodletters to contrast a deep red against the sliver/white of the armour.
- converted banner from a Forgeworld Rhino door

And that's the plan so far. Lots of thinking, researching and planning to be done first. I like the idea of the Bloodletter, but I want to have a good look into the other daemons before I make a final decision... Plaguebearers would also be good for a contrast between clean man-made and organic, but it might be too light and sickly (no pun intended lol)... or maybe Daemonettes for a male/female-ish contrast? I also wonder how well dead Bloodletters would fit on a 25mm base...

Thoughts?

I like the idea....actually, I like it a lot.

If you're using red as a spot color on the Grey Knight, then a plague bearer may be best, the red of the bloodletter pushing the level of red too high, maybe. I like the idea of mid-decapitation, perhaps with the head flying off, attached to the diorama with a trail of blood and gore... A good, solid heroic pose would work great as well, though bloodletter corpses won't fit too well on a 25mm base without some serious contortions.

I'm excited to see how this goes

just looked at the categories - Duel can go on up to 50mm bases, so that might be the way to go, just to give me room to have corpses strewn on it...

Excellent! The last enemy decapitated, falling among the bodies of his companions. The grey knight, of course, looking heroic.

not heroic - epic.

Heroic pose, epic paintjob

I like the idea a lot, especially that you're facing down the Demon's preference for Imperial models, and bracing yourself by deciding to work on what you need to do to increase your chances of winning yet still give yourself a canvas you will be happy to work on. It's a Very smart and measured response to your frustrations but it shows that you have friends who give great advice and ,better yet, that you're willing to listen and follow that advice. Hat's off to you.

Regarding the idea of getting big flat areas on a Terminator so you have room for freehand, Master of the Forge posted a great tutorial on how to make Artscale Termies which is right up your alley.

Another thing to keep in mind, for a piece to be entered in the duel category, both models need to be portrayed as having an equal chance of winning the fight, so if the Bloodletter's head is chopped off, well, needless to say he isn't winning.

That being said, a Bloodletter on a Juggernaut charging towards a Paladin that's leaping into the air just in time to dodge the charge and hopefully bring down the full fury of a gleaming blue power lance, which you excel at painting, would be a very dynamic scene and add even more contrasting red to the dio as well.

Whatever you decide, keep the ideas flowing, pick your direction, let the paint fly and only look forward. We, your little online painting support group, will be there when you need us.

We, your little online painting support group, will be there when you need us.

We totally need stickers and T-shirts....

Let's coffee cups, for cleaning our paint brushes...

Oh yeah, now you're talking my language! :-) with Fin's old avatar pic on it.... so cool!

It's amazing to hear two people say almost exactly the same thing Dark_Gear and Nerd
/blubbers a little (but still in a tough, manly way - grrr!)

(I'm not fooling anyone)

Anyway... with great respect M'Lud:
Duel - "... dynamic pairing of two well-matched opponents in some kind of combat or other dramatic situation." I'd call having your head lopped off dramatic
You're still only restricted to a 50mm base for duel, and while I'm embracing the Imperium temporarily, I'm not sure about the athletic grace of a man in a trash can... er, I mean, supreme defender of humanity, flipping about in a suit of power armour - I'll leave that to the Harlequins... er... >looks nervous< Xeno heretics that they are!



I'll try and do a neater sketch, but the concept has developed a little. Still Grey Knight (and I was thinking the normal guys, not a Terminator - I'm just not sold on the Terminators, while I think the normal ones look really quite elegant, but that tutorial is great! Definitley not convinced of y Greenstuff abilities to even try it though! lol), but instead of lopping off the head, cutting the daemon in half with a wide sword swing, with dribbly bits in a wide arc describing the path of the sword. I'm leaning a little bit towards a Plauguebearer as this would allow me to be extra-dribbly, and the Knight could be squashing a Nurgling as well, for extra comedic effect.
I think I could fit them both on a 50mm base (especially if the daemon is leaning backwards off the base due to the impact of the swing), and still maybe have daemon bits on the base as well.
However, one of the staffers at GW today suggested a cool thing: that if I used a Bloodletter, I could have him turning to ash where the sword's hit him, and have fire instead of blood coming out of him.

I've also had an idea for Warhammer Fantasy figure... Empire Battle wizard, with the book, make him an Amethyst Wizard, and have a spirit being summoned and coming out of the pages of the book (and use one of the banshees from the Mortis engine as the summoned spirit)... ?

A Nurgle themed dio would be good because then you could model a lot of mushrooms into the project. And as everyone knows, he who models the most mushrooms always wins a Golden Demon. hehe

here's the idea:

Your work is fantastic with that smooth blending. I am interested to see though what your space marines color scheme is for this. Nice sketch by the way.

Ha, i lol'd at the eldar :-)

Yep, that's the sort of idea i had in mind with the pose, but I kinda saw the GK as the raindrop in the centre of a splash of water (if you get my drift?) with the foes forming the higher sides as they fall slashed open from the blade?

or on the other side of the coin, a pose or imagery akin to the cover art for the 'fire warrior' game?

... I do like the Fire Warrior idea... would I have enough room on a 25mm base to do that though? I definitely would on a 50mm, and that would give him the height to lop off the head?
It's the sodding base size that's killing me!

I would say go with a 50, gives more room for it and allows for a nice basing and extra effect of battle.

I concur good sir! you need that 50 for the scene to be set properly, can the models overhang much or is that not allowed?

I'm not sure Nerd - this is where the criteria gets a bit vague. You're supposed to have it on appropriate gaming bases, but I've seen entries (and winners) on bases that are much bigger, so I don't really know what the go is... I think overhang would be okay, and if the daemon is kind of falling off the base, it'd technically still be ON it...

This is sounding really good, would the plague bearers blood be corrosive? It would make it interesting with a semi dissolved floor where blood drops have landed, think Aliens.

Or even corroding some of that super polished armour?....

lol it wouldn't be too hard to do a Bloodletter a very dark red and shiny, remove the horns and give it a tail and Xenomorph it up a little ; )

just imagine the GK as the centre of this drop with the plague bearers or Bloodletters as the spatter?

hmm...
... if I could make it look like he's done a spin/twist and hit each one, that might be interesting. Too crowded?
(I like the Matrix-ness of it though!)

Yes, that's the ticket! sort of matrix-ish almost stop motion so the closest to his front face are still more upright than those behind him as he's swung around?

more ideas... I like the one where he's kicking the daemon in the face


Automatically Appended Next Post:
it does say "... a dynamic pairing of TWO well-matched opponents..." ...could I get way with multiple daemons?

I will buy your sketch book when you're done fin :-)

kicking him in the face is diferent and not oft seen! perhaps even kicking him in the face while a backhand sweep disembowels another?

I did wonder about having him kick the daemon in the nuts...

this is a rubbish sketchbook! Some of my others are much better!

Awesome, it's great to see such motivation from you Fin.

I'll be watching this closely!

D

this is the part of any design job that I like the most - I love trying to figure stuff out and finding the right solution

I love trying to prise your good sketchbooks from your grasp! :-)

but, yes, this is the best bit, also the hardest part too, once we find a solution to our idea dilemma's it's all exciting and paintbrushes and rainbows and unicorns....

ooh, rainbows and unicorns - pretty!
(thoughts turn to Hive Fleet Kylie and My Little Chaos Pony...)

You could have one in front on his knees with the grey knight about to finish him off with an overhead chop but actually impaling a daemon through the head behind him if that makes sense.

Grey Knight slapstick ; ) liking it

more ideas...

I'm not sure about the grey knight something seems a bit off about his pose.

The Necromancer drawing looks excellent.

the kicking leg needs to be higher I think, and the right arm further back

Shame you didn't get anything in GD :(
But honestly I love some of these concepts especially the 300 Grey Knight, I'll have to start following you more intensley now
The only thing I can suggest right now is not to call it "I have a cunning plan" because the only other guy I never knew to say that was this fellow.

And we all know how that turned out...

 Krellnus wrote:
Shame you didn't get anything in GD :(
But honestly I love some of these concepts especially the 300 Grey Knight, I'll have to start following you more intensley now
The only thing I can suggest right now is not to call it "I have a cunning plan" because the only other guy I never knew to say that was this fellow.

And we all know how that turned out...

lol yes, yes we do!

In regards to the GK pose, if you were considering pursuing the slightly toungue in cheek posing, perhaps if he's kicking him so hard in the groin that his skin has split and ruptured and the GK leg is travelling up into his soggy body?

AWESOME! I want all your sketch books or I'm never ever posting again.

Like the idea of the GK/daemons... Would it be cool, maybe rather than a kick, as it just seems abit un-Space marineey, if you had a backhand sweep decapitation or somin'?

I feel a little confused at the moment... and at times like these, I ask myself: What do I want to achieve?
- Grey Knight
- looking cool, strong, in control
- some evidence of an enemy and/or a battle
- extra feature to the basing
- something that will be unusual and catch the judges' attention (and therefore, has to be in GW theme)

in which case...
- I think the kick might have to be out - as much as I like it.
- underarm sweep upwards for a vertical bisection might be out, purely because I don't have the confidence in my sculpting skills for that.
- the backhand sweep for a lateral bisection might have to be the go as it has lots of movement in it and it tells a story (they keep harping on about cinematic gaming. They want cinematic, I'll give 'em cinematic). Is it perhaps a bit less of an obvious choice than the decapitation?
- decapitation might be an option, if I have the Knight standing on a pile of bodies to give the height - because of the shoulder pads, I'm not confident on how high he can raise his arms. That gives me stuff to work with in terms of basing and cinematic look. And dribbly bits flying everywhere.
... I am more fond of the lateral bisection though...

(I don't know why I feel pressured about this, I have plenty of time in which to make a decision...)

 finnan wrote:
... I am more fond of the lateral bisection though...

O.k now you're scaring me!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
But yes, I feel this way is the way to go for you if you don't want to attempt too much sculpting, it will still give you the movement and cinematics you want for the project!

and you better hurry up Fin! you ONLY have 12 months left!!!!!

12 months??!!
How will I ever get everything done?!

I do not know Fin, I'll send you some anti persperant for the sweating you're doing with it being so close an' all! :-)


Automatically Appended Next Post:
You got Skype yet?

 finnan wrote:
I feel a little confused at the moment... and at times like these, I ask myself: What do I want to achieve?
- Grey Knight
- looking cool, strong, in control
- some evidence of an enemy and/or a battle
- extra feature to the basing
- something that will be unusual and catch the judges' attention (and therefore, has to be in GW theme)

Perhaps try a Grey Knight posed at the end of a small battle head held up high admist the bodies of slaughtered daemons at his feet?

I am excited to see which you choose finally.

the problem is the bases Krell - if it's just the Knight by himself, I'm stuck with a 25mm base; if I do for Duel, I can go up to 50mm. Diorama can go up to 300x300mm, but I'm just not confident of my skills in filling that much space - plus the fact that the dioramas tend to be spectacular, so if I went for that category, I think I'd have to go with another concept.

Skype is on my list of Things To Do Nerd ; )

Fascinating. How to win a competition when almost every entry is awesome. I wouldn't have the spleen for it myself. I'm sure whatever you choose will be worth gawping at!

Ohhh there some ideas guys, looking forward to seeing the progress.

Just had a look and overhang is definatly allowed.

If you look at the previous finalists there is some serious overhang on some of the modles.
It also looks like it can be the final throws of a battle/fight, there is one with a skeletons head been blown clean off.

Have a gander, will also it will give you a good idea of what they consider to be a finalist material.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/articleCategory.jsp?communityArticleCatId=3300001&articleCatId=3300001&catId=§ion=community

They have them going back to 2007.

I like where this is going. I like where this is going very much. Please work! Fast!!!

Nice.... nice..... I LOVE IT! Can't wait to see some progress!

If you're looking for a GD, I would recommend against having the GK high-kicking an enemy. You're ascribing agility to a heavy suit of armour in order to create a tenuous link to a six-year-old movie, and that feels gimmicky.

GW wants to promote it's own fluff, particularly for the top winners. Muddying the waters with a pop-culture reference shows you don't have confidence in telling your own story. Tell your original story, and play to the strengths and fluff of the models. Add tension by making the enemy more threatening, rather than a lop-sided battle "eat my foot" roflstomp.

I'd also recommend taking advantage of what makes a GK model unique; the halbard. A two-handed thrust into a demon's chest as it lunges forward shows a battle that can go either way, which increases tension. A two-handed thrust allows you to dynamically pose the grey knight, without playing against the expectations of a heavy suit of armour. The blade of the halbard will be a focal point between the two models, so it can be painted in a bright manner that draws the eye.

Anyways, just suggestions, I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

GD 2009 - duel entries - how could the Silver and Bronze possibly be on a 50mm base?! This is the stuff that annoys me (but it's also possibly my literalism coming into play)

slightly more confused now... I take on board what you're saying about the halberd... trickier to pose with though because of the shoulder pads and arms. Repositioning the hands, while not impossible by any means will make the halberd shaft a lot weaker.
Confusion! >head hurts<

Definitely more complicated, but that's what garners attention and raises the level of an entry; breaking the expected silhouette of an established model.

(I thought I'd done that with the Wraithseer, and look where that got me! lol)

You did, and it was a beautiful model. I think the problem was that you didn't use your tertiary colour effectively. The blue could have been used to counterpoint the orange and black and really made the model as a whole pop with the contrast, but by having it in the blade far above the model the eye was drawn away from the model itself. Besides using a cool colour to contrast the warm orange, you effectively used white to bring the blade forward, while the eye pushes the dark colours into the background.

The human eye is always looking for patterns to bring understanding to what is sees. As beautiful as the build was for your Wraithseer, you need to pull the eye into the mass to appreciate the silhouette as a whole, rather than to an extreme point on the edge.

You've definitely got the technical skill, the next step is understand how to use contrast and colour to focus the viewer's attention so they appreciate the whole model. Your guardians do this very effectively; there's very little contrasting blue, but the eyes and the chest gem form a triangle that very effectively draws the to the upper half of the model.

Hey Finn!

1st: I'm sorry about your luck with the GD. We have a local painter who has won a couple of silvers and a gold and your stuff is as good or better than his. He too says that he refuses to take anything not an Ork or a Space Marine into the competitions. He painted 3 Eldar and 3 nids, including the best Tyrant I've ever seen, and got nothing. He slapped down some ideas for a SM killed an Ork and presto, GD.

2nd: The only critique I agree with on your Eldar was your blending was soooo good, that the model became about your use of Orange and little else. I wasn't a big fan of your seers pose, but i loved it's paint. Also, your other colors could have been more present, like Mastiff said. (Also, I wonder if your blending was unfairly assumed to be airbrushing? )

3rd: Good luck with the GK's. I was thinking of some cool heroic positions myself but there's likely a lot of GS and resculpting that needs to accompany it. I'll upload my sketches later, if you care to see any suggestions? (I dont want to intrude on your project.)

You have some of my favorite Eldar ever. Please do me a favor and in your free time, consider doing a little diorama of a Striking Scorpion and a Incubi fighting back to back, a little token towards the new alliance rules! (Eldar and DE battle brothers indeed!) I think you could do this better than anyone.

I must say, a lot of what Masiff has said makes sense.

I especially agree with the point about adding more drama and tension into the piece.


D

I confess to have felt somewhat stumped and odd for the last few days. I'm not so sure about the Knights now, as the concepts don't really seem strong enough.
I think part of the problem is that I just don't like the models all that much - both the Knights or the Daemons. They just don't do an awful lot for me visually.
It also feels strange to be tailoring my entry like this - I accept that it needs to be done if I'm in with a shot of winning, but it doesn't sit very well... I'm not sure I like the idea of bowing that much to GW sensibilities.
Does that make sense?

I think I could probably do the Knight ideas, and possibly do them justice, but I'm not so sure that my heart would be in it.

I don't think I'm being terribly coherent here... and I'm struggling somewhat to stay positive and take everyone's suggestions on board AND do something that I like and will enjoy AND that will tick the GW GD boxes AND that's good enough to win AND push myself further.
I was looking this afternoon at the GW site, at the 40k armies, and literally nothing caught my eye other than one of the Necron figures (and that was Finecast - boo, hiss); all of the marines left me cold.

So I feel kinda stuck.
I've got bitz coming so I can have a go at the battle wizard, but I suspect that that might just be a bit of fun rather than a GD entry... but having said that, I don't know. It's not as if the wizards are a new product to be revered, so I doubt he'd be current enough to warrant enough attention.

/grump

At the end of the day you need to do something that your happy with and not pander to the latest GW trend.

No point doing something if you don't enjoy it is what I say. Winning a GD is a bonus, I think the best part would be the experience of bringing your concept together and to accomplish that goal for yourself.

Besides its not just GD there are tons of other painting contests , Wamp as one nearly every month from different companys.

Perhaps a conversion is in order? You could always go down custom guard character/inquisitor route. Xenos inqusitor vs an eldar perhaps?...

I've always like this image, which might inspire you a little...



D

 finnan wrote:
I confess to have felt somewhat stumped and odd for the last few days. I'm not so sure about the Knights now, as the concepts don't really seem strong enough.
I think part of the problem is that I just don't like the models all that much - both the Knights or the Daemons. They just don't do an awful lot for me visually.
It also feels strange to be tailoring my entry like this - I accept that it needs to be done if I'm in with a shot of winning, but it doesn't sit very well... I'm not sure I like the idea of bowing that much to GW sensibilities.
Does that make sense?

I think I could probably do the Knight ideas, and possibly do them justice, but I'm not so sure that my heart would be in it.

I don't think I'm being terribly coherent here... and I'm struggling somewhat to stay positive and take everyone's suggestions on board AND do something that I like and will enjoy AND that will tick the GW GD boxes AND that's good enough to win AND push myself further.
I was looking this afternoon at the GW site, at the 40k armies, and literally nothing caught my eye other than one of the Necron figures (and that was Finecast - boo, hiss); all of the marines left me cold.

So I feel kinda stuck.
I've got bitz coming so I can have a go at the battle wizard, but I suspect that that might just be a bit of fun rather than a GD entry... but having said that, I don't know. It's not as if the wizards are a new product to be revered, so I doubt he'd be current enough to warrant enough attention.

/grump

I think you're being very coherent. I think you're conflicted in your objective. On one hand you want to follow your own eye and build/paint what you want. On the other hand you are really looking for that GD. I think you need to make a decision: Either you step away from the GD and do what you want or you look at the GD as a job, a client.

I haven't been involved in this whole hobby for very long. I've followed this thread for a while, though, and I'd say that it sounds like GW chooses winner based on their asthetic. I think the only way you'll win is to bring more of that asthetic into your work. Think of them as a client and the GD as a review. You want to push the envelope, but that seldom works in client reviews. Clients like something different, but not too different (it shakes their self-esteem). They want to have their tastes and preferences reinforced, not questioned.

That said, I think you have a fantastic eye for how to push these little plastic army men beyond what everyone's done before. I haven't seen the same ideas anywhere else on this forum and there is a ton of awesome work out there. Personally, my opinion is that you should concentrate on your style and not worry about the GD. It seems like this past contest has shaken your confidence and it shouldn't. You're an artist. Trying to win this contest, with it's apparently strict rules, is going to be frustrating for you. You listed all the things you are trying to accomplish in your post and I just don't know that you can or that it's worth it. I think you have to pick - either do something for yourself or do something for the GD. From your sketches and skills you've shown in this forum, (if you could convert the figures) I think that you could have a stunning piece for the GD.

No matter what, keep doing what you like doing - even if it means that you're doing the GD on the side.

Space Wolves can often be the answer.

They're Marines, so in the favoured corner, but a lot more interesting, especially in their characters, with all the iconography, necklaces, pelts, etc.

I mean, at the end of the day I don't like Marines but I'm... OK with Space Wolves (especially some of the silly character combinations you can do... 8 Special Characters in 1 list anyone? )

 mars2024 wrote:

I think you're being very coherent. I think you're conflicted in your objective. On one hand you want to follow your own eye and build/paint what you want. On the other hand you are really looking for that GD. I think you need to make a decision: Either you step away from the GD and do what you want or you look at the GD as a job, a client.

Hey, I was just about to write about the GD as a client!

I've been a designer all my life, and occasionally an artist. I define "art" as something you produce for yourself; "design" is producing for someone else. If you're looking to win the contest, you are already producing an entry to specifications other than your own. The contest is the client, not you. An art piece can still win an award, but the chances are reduced because you need judges in line with your own way of thinking. I entered a GD years ago, and when I did, I had a checklist of things I thought the model needed to achieve in order to have a chance at winning. But the first thing I did was choose a model that I absolutely loved; it made all the other steps easier to accomplish.

If you're not excited by any models, then you're already moving away from art into design. It'll be purely a technical enterprise, rather than trying to emphasize and enhance the aspects of a model that speaks to you.

I'd suggest putting GDs on hold until you find a model that really excites you. You might even move away from GW for a bit, and try other miniatures to see what they can offer. It's a great way to stretch your boundaries and try other aesthetics, and learn what makes you happy.

Finnan, I totally see your point. As Mars2024 said, you have to choose between your beautiful xenos and 'spectrum blending' (wow I'm happy with that phrase!) or the crappy imperial GW white here and white there. So... DON'T CHOOSE DO BOTH! I think you should definately do a diorama, maybe with a Harlequin ('cause you love them ) poking a 'Kiss through a guards man, a bit like the spider splicer at the start of Bioshock. You can have the mesh exploding out, REALLY gory, so you barely have to bother with the guardsman, and you still get to weave your magic

@Mastiff

...?
a change of direction, and I'm not entirely sure how achievable it is... Dark Eldar, meet Neo, Trinity and Morpheus.

Forget GD and just keep sketching up such cool pics Fin! :-)
the matrix style leap in the first image is my favorite but i imagine more of an assassin than DE? maybe an assassin V Marine diorama like the fight (if i recall correctly) in one of the space wolf books?

I was thinking a squad of DE in the Matrix style, or maybe even DE vs DE duel...

DE v DE would be cool and again something you don't normally see? even for a diorama if you think you're good enough :-) perhaps an Archon on a throne with another DE trying to sneak up on him amogst pillars etc.?

LOVE IT.

Wych v banshee maybe? Actual DE v DE arena...

LOVE IT

Wych V Banshee would be cool but the Wych models are so much more lythe and sensual than the fatty boomba Banshees it may look unbalanced?

Nerd - re: sketching. Dunno if this will work - let me know, okay?

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4524856454.9706.563551454&type=1&l=7952b53881

I'll have to have a squiz and let you know when i'm home :-) work blocks any social media pages :-( and youtube! damn them!

damn their eyes! What do they expect you to do all day - *work*?

Fin - what is your new Avatar of?

Where's it from and how do I get one? (Not necessarily in pink.)

it's just a piece of artwork I got from an image-sharing site. I've had it for a while, so I it might be tricky to find again - I got it off www.ffffound.com I think

 finnan wrote:
damn their eyes! What do they expect you to do all Night! - *work*?

There, that's better and yes strangely they only like me to be browsing Dakka for 7 out of my 11 hours a night! scrooges! (actually it's better they don't know eh!)

Your avatar would be a cool head for The Avatar of Khaine.

 mars2024 wrote:
Your avatar would be a cool head for The Avatar of Khaine.

Since Nerdfest posted just before you, I thought you meant his avatar

An Avatar with glasses would be awesome!

Yeah what's so silly about that? :-) isn't a grinning skull grimdark enough for you!

Shame you didn't win anything. Doesn't surprise me that it's mostly political over there. I like what you've done and those harlequins in one shot look really awesome.

Hey Finnan,
Thought I'd post a link I found, where a guy lists some of his favourite stuff from Games Day.
Just scroll down a bit, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
http://theveilsedge.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/uk-games-day-2012-pt-iv-golden-demon.html
- Gutsnagga

fame at last
>weeps tears of joy<
thanks for that Gutsnagga

so... back in the hobby saddle after the slight fall. Still very much a working piece - Battle Wizard. Not a whole lot of work done so far, but just getting ready for assemblage. I found that when I got the bits off the sprue, the arms were really quite close and tight to the body, so I've opened out his left arm somewhat, and I'll probably do the same to his right arm, although maybe not as much as in the shot. I can already foresee that he's going to be a pig to paint because of the hunched posture - I think it's going to be hard getting into certain areas.
I did a hand swap so he could have the book, and I did a blade swap on his staff for the scythe from the Mortis Engine (because I thought that the roses on the supplied scythe were just far too cheesy). Also a skull from the Mortis Engine has been whacked onto the gravestone.
He'll be going on a 25mm base, and he'll be standing on a grave... the semi-plan is to have a zombie's arm bursting out of the grave as if he's being summoned, but I'm not so sure about that any more. The other plan is to have a banshee being summoned out of the book... not so sure about that at the moment - either I have it with all it's flowy goodness, but that might be a bit much and it might not be obvious that i's coming out of the book... or, have her truncated somewhat, just to hammer home the point that she's coming out of the book.
Also, there's a raven to go on top of the staff-blade.

 finnan wrote:
The other plan is to have a banshee being summoned out of the book... not so sure about that at the moment - either I have it with all it's flowy goodness, but that might be a bit much and it might not be obvious that i's coming out of the book... or, have her truncated somewhat, just to hammer home the point that she's coming out of the book.

This plan has my vote! I think the banshee via spellbook is much more original than zombie out of the ground. I think the truncated banshee is a good idea, just to be clear than she's being summoned. A few bits of CC if you're interested: 1) I think the scythe, while super cool, is going to make the whole scene too crowded. Maybe save it for another project instead 2) I forsee problems with his head alignment. I would seem more natural for him to be looking at the banshee that he's just summoned than down and past the book, which is what he looks like now. Anyway, my $0.02.

Glad to see you "back in the saddle"
Rawson

Whoo Fin, love it! I for one actually like the summoning of the corpse from the grave, it suits the image of the necromancer but i'd steer away from anything materializing from the pages of the book, but what i can imagine is mist or fog falling like the smoke from dry ice, you could use some bitz from the limited edition chaplain from DV's backpack or some smaller bits from one of the numerous Fantasy models recently released? it would strengthen the bond between him and the earth and the corpse rising!

 nerdfest09 wrote:
i'd steer away from anything materializing from the pages of the book,

 Rawson wrote:

 nerdfest09 wrote:
i'd steer away from anything materializing from the pages of the book,

yourself rawson! lol

argh! Conflicting (good) advice!! What's a poor Fin to do?!

When in doubt, more skullz!!

(rubbish shots, he's going to be a bugger to photograph; but you get the idea)

 finnan wrote:
argh! Conflicting (good) advice!! What's a poor Fin to do?!

Umm, obviously listen to me and ignore Rawson *chant fades into background* ignore....ignore,...ignore

serious face again I like the spirits Fin, they look good and now i can see him atop a stone but the undead hands are emerging from the ground only in parts directly under the spirits? something to lead your eyes along the model.

or, you can have him on the gravestone kicking a ghoul off the stone in a 'this is GRAVEYARD' pose? ...... No?...... whataya mean No!

I think I'll stick with the grave for the base

... although I was tempted with "Come on Bob, we have work to do"
(although, technically, this would be Harry with Bob and Evil Bob)

 finnan wrote:
I think I'll stick with the grave for the base

... although I was tempted with "Come on Bob, we have work to do"
(although, technically, this would be Harry with Bob and Evil Bob)

Not.... understanding.......... joke...... ..... feeling stupid.............now........

(Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files books - highly recommended reading. He's a wizard and has a talking skull called Bob that helps him)

Oh, that's why i didn't get it lol :-) nope, never heard of him! but I am going to have to check it out now aren't I

So the spirit skulls are a previously undiscussed third option? Or will there also be zombies or banshees?

Shhhh Rawson, ..... go....back to sleeeeeep....... there's a good boy :-)

I'm gonna vote for just the spirit skulls by themselves and then i'm gonna place a bet that rawson will disagree with me lol! ;-)

 nerdfest09 wrote:
i'm gonna place a bet that rawson will disagree with me lol! ;-)

I only do it out of principle

I like the spirit skulls more than the zombie idea, but I still like the book banshee the best

Gah! book banshee Pffft, who hasn't seen a book banshee before! do somethin' different....... Book banshee pah!


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Lols :-)

yes, the skullz were the undisclosed emergency option
While I do love the banshee sculpts, they're just a bit too BIG to work with the book - if the book were bigger too, I think it would be better, but as it is, they've been voted out of the graveyard; maybe on another project ladies!
The zombie has also been voted off too - I got hands from the crypt ghouls, and they're enormous! Not terribly subtle. The skullz are cool enough by themselves, and because they project out from the base a fair way, I don't think there really needs to be anything else (famous last words).
Just have some greenstuffing left to do on his right shoulder, and probably on the joints of the skullz, and then he's ready for undercoating

This looks great! Really looking forward to some painting and more modelling. As one tiny-weeny criticism the arm you re sculpted looks abit too far out, but that might just be angles...

it might be, yeah - the right arm was a bit of a bugger to position.

lots of bitz have arrived, so a bit more planning done on the Dark Eldar (The Black Sons/The Black Suns). It all seems fairly doable, but I have yet to have a go!
Lots of weapon-swaps.
I'm not totally sold on a couple of them, especially the one with the spear - just doesn't seem strong or dynamic enough.
One of the problems is that my sketches aren't really in GW miniature proportions, so the real things might be somewhat dumpier and less elegant... but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

The hardest part that I foresee is getting the legs and hips to fit to the body. Lots of greenstuffing I think.

... I have no idea about basing yet...

Awesome sketches- particularly like the last one with the double handed grip on the sword.

Man I WANT THAT BOOK.

Very beautiful work, definitely gives me some ideas for my own recently acquired Eldar, looking forward to some serious conversions for the wraithlords

Very nice.

I think eldar of either type are a good outlet for your skills; you seem to be quite good at fluid, dynamic poses. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do.

Nice drawings Finn, I really wish I could draw!

Looking forward to seeing what you produce

D

It's the holidays thank goodness, so I can have a bit of a rest and recharge my batteries for next term, and hopefully get some hobbying in too. What with the start of the year and my new fitness regime (loving yoga, but bugger me, pilates is HARD!), I haven't had the time or energy to do too much.
All the Dark Eldar have their bitz now, and are bagged up and ready for clean up and assembly. I might do a banner on the double-handed sword guy... not sure yet.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
there is something more boring than watching paint dry - waiting for sodding glue to dry! Working on the first of the DEldar; one of the hands a bit dodgy, will probably have to do some greenstuffing of fingers, but otherwise coming along okay. Pics to come.

This makes me happy that I am not the only one who uses small bags to keep models together!

First of the Black Suns on the way - still some greenstuffing left to do around the arm and the hips.
Pretty happy with him so far - left leg a bit dodgy to attach. I was going to pin it, but it actually got in the way a bit, so I took it out, and shaved off a bit of the hip and it fit snugly enough to glue, and the greenstuff will help too.
Whip arm was pinned, and the greenstuff was needed to fill in the gap in the armpit. Left arm was WAY too short - damn GW scaling! So I chopped it in half, drilled both parts, inserted some pin and am in the process of greenstuffing it back up, so it can be attached at the shoulder and still have the fingers touching the ground. I'll probably have some filling in to do around that shoulder too, and I'm wondering whether to put a shoulder pad on that side, just to disguise things a bit.

Looking good already.

Well, I think you hit your sketch pretty much dead on. That's pretty impressive to be able to transfer an idea from paper like that. Well done!

Sorry I missed the explaination earlier: these guys will be allies to your eldar?

Wow, Fin this is already looking brilliant! so smooth on the GS work and the pose is eye boggling good! the transfer from sketch to model is perfect, i think you may just be a little bit better than you think you are mate! this is going to be truly inspiring and with your paint...... I just can't wait!

Oh, and good luck with Pilates dude! that gak is nasty when you start!

thanks everyone : )

There was no explanation Rawson, so you didn't miss anything lol I was wondering yesterday whether they could be an allied squad for my Craftworld. The original plan was just to do something funky for Golden Demon, but an allied squad could be fun too. I'm tempted to paint them with a slash of yellow to show their support to the Craftworld, but not convinced on that... have no real idea/plan for their colour scheme at all yet! (Still can't decide whether to call them The Black Suns/Sons or the Dark Suns/Sons!)

nerd - pilates is a bitch, but they do the trick! Luckily I'm not going this week as it's the holidays (and my birthday to boot)

Looking awesome Finnan, your GS is amazing! Look forward to more progressm soon!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and Happy Birthday!

note to self: don't try and reposition stuff with a scalpel, you idiot.
... I need to go and tidy up the blood now...

(although, thankfully, I didn't stab myself through the nail this time)

Unlucky Fin...

very aware that I haven't posted anything of substance in a while, so although they are nowhere near ready to be seen, here's what I have of the Dark Suns so far, after all, this is a WIP blog after all.

On the whole, I'm actually fairly pleased. The greenstuffing is okay (all I can say is thank all that's holy for liquid greenstuff, as I could never have done this with the normal stuff), but I still have a lot of it to do - it takes a while to dry so I can only do little bits at a time. I originally planned to get one mini finished at a time, but I've revised that now, so I can have multiple minis drying at the same time.
Crouching Whip Hidden Eldar I'm fairly happy with. Left arm looks awkward in the shot, but I have yet to 'stuff the shoulder.
Jump Trinity! is pretty cool, although I'm going to have to think a bit on how I'm going to attach her to the flying base.
Cartwheel Guy - not really happy with - he's just too stiff, which was always going to be a potential problem. The weight-bearing forearm is also splitting, so I think I'll have to cut it off and glue it back together.
Dodge This is pretty cool for a quick build. I had to flip the pose from the sketch I did because the legs were twisting the other way, but that wasn't a big deal. I have his whip to greenstuff now... which I foresee taking a while...

A fun project so far, so I'm guessing I made the right choice to go with them. Lots of work to do yet : )

Looking good. Nice poses.
I see what you mean about Cartwheel guy, I think the problem is with the legs. I think when doing a cartwheel, the legs are held straighter. Maybe a slight twist of the hips in the direction of travel might help as well.
Just a thought, I've not spent a great deal of time studying cartwheels...

Keep up the good work.

Looks great, look forward to seeing the one with the powersword. As you say, bit iffy left arm on whip guy. Other than that, brilliant!

Just signed up to dakka so I could reply to your post. I've been a lurker for a while now, but since I didn't have anything to contribute I didn't bother with joining - until now! Well, I very much like your artistic skills, modelling/painting as well as drawing. Your work is on a level I can only dream of! Well, I practice...
Expecially your newest sculptings had me. There is something special in your sense for frozen movement, and as you so skillfully demonstrated by providing your drawings, the medium doesn't matter, it's your inner eye and the ability to transfer your vision into expression that exalts.
Yet sometimes there is a moment when you need a look from the outside to improve further... have a close look at that guy touching the ground. There was a reason you had to stretch the arm and why you think about a shoulder pad - the shoulder is not in the right position. Imagine an axis through the spine with the shoulder joints positioned on. You need to bend and turn this axis,the shoulder following the downward arm, so that the torso is - well, torqued, while the whip-lashing shoulder is set back a little bit. Understand what I mean?
Considering the cartwheeling one, I would imagine the key is where are the legs impulse-wise in relation to the overall movement? The upwars leg has given the first impulse, being forwad and FASTER than the overall movement, dragging the rest of the body with it. Now the second leg is lagging BEHIND the movement, because of it's mass, But it will be thrusted forward for the second impulse, So you will need to bend it back at the knee a little bit, because the upper leg is tense preparing the thrust, while the lower leg follows mass inertia.
Or maybe it is much more simple... Just bend that whole figure, so that the upper leg and the arm are not exactly vertical anymore. Then you have movement again, instead of balance!

I am looking very much forward what you will achive with these minis - the beginning alone is so much more than most of us (including me) can bring into realisation!

Hruotland - good to have you on board, and glad I could prompt you to replying... although I wish it was for a better reason than to correct my rubbish posing attempts! ; )

Whip guy - the problem is that the arm isn't crossing over the front of the chest. This is one of the problems with using existing parts rather than sculpting from scratch - the back muscles aren't stretching across to the left to allow for the crossover, it's just the shoulder that's rotating which makes it look off. Not sure what I can do to solve the problem, other than having the arm at less of an angle, which would destroy the cross-diagonal of the composition. I'll have to find another solution I think.

Cartwheel guy... not sure to be honest. I think it's just an awkward pose to make look right in that I think you need to see it moving to understand what's going on.
Having just had a look at some reference images, the vertical leg needs to be more in line with the weight-bearing arm so that the centre of gravity is maintained. The other issue is again muscle-stretch; the shoulder should be on top of the torso, not stuck to the side of it. Not entirely sure how to fix that on the mini as the shoulder has to be attached to the torso somehow... there's a twist and a rotation that needs to take place that I haven't got at the moment. it's also the fact that the pectoral muscle isn't moving with the stretch either.

If I'm thinking Golden Demon for these (which isn't entirely certain yet), definite re-thinking has to take place. Maybe the best of them can be worked into a Duel of some kind. I'd need a minimum of five if I was going to go for Squad.
If they're just for fun I guess it doesn't matter too much either way...

Elbow's to thin.

on cartwheel guy? I haven't finished 'stuffing his arm yet ; ) lol
(or his legs)

I see. The problem is with the rigidity of the torso, which fixes the position of the shoulder and it's associated muscles.

Maybe go for more flexibility where the body will allow, e.g. the waist. Although I'm afraid what I'm about to suggest will probably mean completely dismantling them...
Whip guy; A twist of the torso at the waist will bring the shoulder nearer the ground and allow for a more natural look to that shoulder. But then, you'll have to lower the other arm to make that horizontal again.
Cartwheel guy; similar thing, rotate the torso anti-clockwise (as we look at that picture), but maintain the arm and leg vertical (bend at the waist to bring the leg forward). If you see what I mean?

and don't knock your posing, you've done a better job than anyone else I've seen and you're very nearly there.

 Dr H wrote:


and don't knock your posing, you've done a better job than anyone else I've seen and you're very nearly there.

That's what I think!

whip guy I'm fairly happy with, I need to come up with a solution to the arm... it'd be relatively easy to have the other arm out horizontally for balance, but I'm a bit reluctant to do that because he'll be similar to Trinity Jump gal. I might give him a go with a bent-arm with dagger arm instead. The trouble with his pose is because it is so extreme - it's an odd pose! lol Maybe only Trinity (when she's in the Matrix and bending reality) can pull it off?!

With cartwheel guy, if I could (easily, quickly and painlessly) put a bend in the torso, I'd happily do it. Maybe I should have used a wych torso instead of the Reaver one... might have to rethink him from scratch and make do with the bitz i have left. I could probably salvage the legs

I approve of this thread. Where are those heads from?

they're heads from the reaver jetbike riders.
Glad you approve Lt : )

You could just stick a rock or something in front of whip guy so he's not having to stretch all the way to the ground...

But, anyway, they are your models so you can do what you like with them.

I like whip guy as he is really, I would probably just stick a shoulder pad on and just give people funny looks if they notice that the arm is too long and suggest they get their eyes tested...

Whip guy = arm off, and there are a couple of possibilities:
- sword from the Scourges, extended straight out. Plus = adds length and creates a nice long, shallow diagonal from the sword tip to the whip tip. Negative = the sword and the whip lead you out of the composition, not in.
- razorflail from the wych sprue (the extended one). Plus = nice and curvy and dynamic, and the 'flail will lead the eye around the mini, and add a nice sense of movement. Negative = too much movement and going in conflicting directions? Will have to reposition the 'flail a little as at the moment it's a bit close to the whip arm. It'll probably be a bugger to paint.

There are a couple of other options, but i like the sword and the razorflail the best. It also suggests that all of the squad members could be armed with flaily, swingy-round weapons...

Carwheel guy = arm has come off, and I'm thinking of starting again with him with a new body. I'll have to salvage the legs, the helmet and the weapon arm to do so. The new body has a little bit of a bend in it though, and the weight-bearing shoulder is higher, so it will help with the positioning. I think I'll have to do some fairly extensive reconstruction on the weight-bearing arm though, and I only have so many bitz left, so we'll have to see what happens.

righto, let's have another go shall we?

Cartwheel guy - not entirely sure if he's better, worse, or exactly the same lol
Different body, right leg, left arm and head. ...probably would have been quicker to say that only the gun arm and left leg were the same!
Now, bear in mind: no greenstuffing has taken place yet, so there are great honkin' gaps everywhere. I haven't glued him to a base yet, so that's not the final position. I think there'll be more of a lean to the right, so there'll be a more obvious angle going on.
I think he's better...

Whip guy - MUCH better. I went with the sword because even though I liked the razorflail, the sword creates this lovely long line and finishes off the curve beautifully.

Onwards and upwards

Agreed. Both much better. Good job.
Would be nice to see a different angle of cartwheel guy, if you get a chance.

Sword looks great with lash whip DE, I think it looks very fluid and deadly and graceful, that's the one I am most looking forward to seeing finished! cartwheel is cool but it's still a little bit away from paint so I'll wait and see how he/she progresses :-)

Look good fin. I love seeing the WIP shots.

Can't wait for the next update!

D

The lash girl(?) is looking excellent its a very fluid pose. Hard to see how cartwheel guys legs are positioned from that pic could you take one from his side?

Yes, Lash wielder is pure movement frozen. Great!

And cartwheeler looks even better now, too, somehow now there is tension in it. Tilting it slightly too the right sounds good, though.

Just had a thought: how about modelling a string of blood drops forming an arc from the left shoetip-blade further to the left and down? Not too much, no splatter, just a handfull of droplets like pearls on a thread, that would emphasize the notion of movement and in the same moment provoke images of kung fu style one master against lots of thugs?

Yet I hope your original idea for the whiplasher with the hand down will find it's realisation in the end, too. It is a great classic posture wich promises a lot of power to be unleashed. And with your crafting skills you could for sure sculpt a complete torso bearing the necessary twist of the shoulder?

Incredible what you achive posture-wise. Looking at the photos at dakka one tends to forget how small those little figures are. And most people would not show such skill trying out sculpture with lets say action figure scale.

I love the whip guy. You've nailed the flow across the figure. I think the problem with the cartwheel guy is that his center of gravity isn't over the supporting arm. Can you spline his torso a bit maybe? So that it has more of an arc to it? That might give you a nicer 'S' curve from the foot to the ground.

Like Hruotland said, you're dealing with a figure about an inch tall. It's pretty amazing all the same.

more shots you want, so more shots you shall have. (apologies for the wonky angle on a couple of them!)

Not finished with the greenstuff yet, so ignore gap-issues (you can still see the eye on the helmet too - that'll be blank when I'm done so ignore that).

Also, next one done... was feeling lazy on this one, and really couldn't be bothered to reposition the hips/legs, so he doesn't look quite like his sketch, but these things happen. Haven't started the greenstuffing on him yet.
I actually don't mind him, and I kind of like the wind-up on the flail arm for the swing. Not too sure what's going on with the base/his feet - I'm tempted to put him on a bit of a flying base so it looks like he's mid-leap sort of thing...

I was wondering about adding some blood/gore to whip guy's sword, but I'm not sure. I agree with you in that it should be delicate and not overpower things... I'll have a think.

I was imagining blood drops not on whiplash guy, but on the bladed boot of cartwheel. Although seeing him from different angles now I feel it is not neccessary to emphasize movement this way, In my opinion you have nailed down the rotation now.
And even a figure you "don't mind" has sooo much movement in it...
Wow!

Yep, cartwheel guy looks perfect, the leg positions sell the movement.
And wind-up guy looks great.

Your posing gives me hope that it is posible to make these models look like they are doing something other than just standing around.
I have a saw that I'm planning on introducing to some Eldar models I have, I'm not going to be producing anything as dynamic as you have here, but certainly more than what you get in the box.
Actually, do you have any advice when it comes to hacking up Eldar? I have an idea of what I'm going to do; cut through joints, avoid armour plates, make it look natural... is there anything you have learned that may help?

thanks guys

I think the advice I can give Dr H is to have a plan before you start hacking - having done the sketches, the cutting and hacking went much swifter and I knew what I had to do, so at least do some rough plans first. I'd also advise to have more bitz around than you think you need, as plans always change, and you might need extras!

Thanks, that makes sense. I'll be starting small anyway (reposition a leg here or there) and see where it goes.
I have the battleforce, so plenty of pieces to play with, although no spare legs, but I do have plenty of milliput...

the squad is all assembled, let the greenstuffing begin!
Flik came together fairly easily, but again the shoulders are a bit awkward, but not a whole lot I could do about that.
The last guy is again a bit different from the initial sketch, but there we go. Decided to go for it and add the back banner as it'll give me the chance to do some freehand on it. Considering how top-heavy it is, it balances remarkably well.

I still have the basing to think about - I'm still liking the idea of a DEldar arena, so I could go for some sand and a few DEldar bladey-spiky things coming out of the ground... ?

Dark Eldar Harlequins, yup, that's what you've just done. You had a dance-off with GW and your crew won.

that actually made me laugh out loud - and I am now envisaging Space Marines breakdancing (a la Wheelie in the seminal Transformers: the Movie)

Always happy to cheer a fellow converter onwards to greater heights. But seriously, you've really nailed the poses on this crew and the GS is very well blended into the existing model. Even now, I can tell that once the primer goes on, seams will be all but invisible.

I hope so! Otherwise it'll be back in with the file. I have to repeat: liquid greenstuff = GENIUS

I've been trying to figure out an alternative Harli squad (I hate the lapels on those coats) and these are awesome! Very nice work. Thanks for the inspiration.

Dude, those look amazing!

Really makes me wish I could sculpt! My Wyches now look like trash

Each poseur in its own is impressing, but the group shot, or shall I say Troupe shot is incredible! This is so much more than squads out of the box, it is breathtaking! Were these figs actually starting to move forward and hack my marines-on-parade into pieces of lead junk, I would buy that without questioning. Again: wow!

Butiful just don't quite cut it. You are gifted ma friend, gifted.

Holy flailing flails Batman! Fin, they look abso-freaking-lutely amazing all together! I just have to echo others comments by saying you nailed all the poses to your sketches perfectly and the troupe shot is just fantastic! I hope when they;re all painted you might be tempted to take another similar shot and do some digital manipulation to make it appear forge world Esq and have them bounding around terrain and perhaps even make it available as a downloadable poster we can print out

Holy Product Placement Robin!

lol I'll see what I can do - I have to paint the buggers yet, but thank you as always.

If you could somehow model a spray of blood coming off of the foot of that handstanding one, that would really emphasise that its toe-blades are deadly weapons.

Very cool squad though.

Inspired me to go back and finish of my eldar/dark eldar. Thanks

Also looking forward to seeing more, especially the corsairs

Young Logan

I'd love to get your thoughts on converting Banshees to Harlies. I don't think that the models are as flexible (as in options for conversion), but you've got a good eye for the potential of the figure.

Fantastic job on these models. Now get painting!

@mars = Banshees, dunno really. That they're in Finecast now will help with the chopping up and carving, but I don't think there's as much potential in them because of the nature of the sculpts in that everything is attached to something else - legs to loincloths, shoulders to helms and hair - it's be tricky to separate them all out to get clean parts to work with. What's nice about the DEldar stuff is that it's all pretty much interchangeable, and all the limbs are separate. It might be more achievable by kitbashing Guardians, Dire Avengers, Scourges, and Wyches together...?

Yeah, I'm coming to that realization. Can you do a little tutorial or at least a list of ingredients for what you've got here? I looked into doing it this way, but jumped (the wrong way) to HBs.

the bitz I used for these guys you mean?

- torsos, arms, legs and heads from the Reavers
- crew from the Raider
- legs, weapons and a torso or two from the Scourges
- legs, torsos, weapons from the Wyches

If you click on the more detailed images for each one, you can see I put in a list of what parts I'd need for each one (hopefully my handwriting is readable!)

(just checked - my writing is teeny-tiny as ever, but when you zoom in on the pic, you can just about read the list)

Thanks for sharing. Are you planning on painting in a harlie scheme or more of a DE scheme? What are you going to play them as?

You should paint them like harlies, but in dark tones. Just sayin'.

The squad is looking fantastic Fin you've captured loads of movement with them.

I was planning on a DEldar scheme - lots of blacks and greys, dark metallics, pale skin, iridescent helmets, and stripes of very bright colours... but haven't thought about it too hard yet. There's still a possibility of them being a Corsair band that will support my Craftworld, and have a reference to that in their paint scheme.
They're allegedly (still not sure) one of my entries for Golden Demon for next year, so not too worried about playing with them, but if I were, I'd consider them Wyches.

Man, I can't wait to see some paint on these guys.

D

just looking at the handstand guy and it looks to me like the hands are on the wrong way round. When you do a handstand, your hands are usually fingers pointed out towards the sides or fingers pointed behind you. I don't think the wrist works the way you have it posed.

Otherwise, great models.

holy crap, you're right! What a bonehead... some emergency surgery needed - I'll have to chop the hands off at the wrists and turn 'em around, or swap them so the thumbs are in the right place... or maybe at the forearm... Good catch!


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Fixed : )
Took them off at the shoulder as I hadn't done as much greenstuffing as I feared, and swapped them - hopefully they're in the right position now! >paranoia kicks in<

Ummmm pics or it didn't happen fin! :-)

haven't taken shots yet lol

Just a small update really as I haven't actually done anything concrete in the last few days.
But what I have been doing is thinking about my Cult/Clan markings and what to do with the bases. I need the bases to really stand out and be strong (but not take too much attention away from the mini), and I also want them to be DEldar-themed as I haven't seen too many around like how I imagine.
So, lots of sketching - some more productive than others! I think I'm convinced on the Cult/Clan symbol, and I'm getting there with ideas for the bases, with the idea at the moment being that I'm going to have DEldar makings on the floor of the base, and I''m going to cut the markings out of plasticard, so they'll be recessed. The second half of the plan for the bases is that I'm going to have bladey-things coming out of the base, again, made out of plasticard and a few bitz I have knocking around.
I'm happy with the ideas for the bases so far, but they're not SPECTACULAR, and if I want these for Golden Demon, I feel as if there has to be something special to the bases if I'm kicking it up a notch. So, if anyone has any ideas, please suggest them, they'll be gratefully received

(I'm also toying with an idea - I know a couple of you are liking the sketchbook, so maybe I should give it away when I'm done with all my designing of the DEldar?)

(and because you know I like this sort of thing, they're called Fir yi Ish'yirrik Oriosa - Clan of the Dark Stars [literally Clan of the stars that do not shine])

what 'oh what must i do my liege to obtain this book of divine inspiration? shall i flay my skin and craft for you a chalice for supping wine? or perhaps use my bones to build a container to house sweet meats and memories of past battles? or even unleash my moistened brushes to create for you a Nerdish masterpiece in paint? I am yours to command!

That second to last page, the one with the iconographic filigri square, that design is just genius (or a happy sketching accident which you were brilliant enough to put down on paper).

and about giving away the book, don't, except maybe to a book designer so he can make a compilation/project book for you to sell online in order to fund further hobby projects.

sadly I can't claim credit for that on Dark_Gar - it's a slight adaptation of Drake's glyph from Blade 3. I made the inside of it a bit more DEldary. I quite like it and I still might use it for the banner, but it needs work so that the positive and negative space is more balanced and you see both.

lol I've never given a sketchbook away before -finished pieces, yes, but not a book. Usually I'd say that my sketchbooks are far too personal for me to even think about giving away, but this one is a bit different, and if it brings happiness and pleasure to someone else, that's reason enough

OMG that looks awesome! My favourite symbol was actually on the first page, the sun surrounded by the branching off blades. You could consider an adaption of the Dishonored dude's symbol?


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Oh yeah, and that sketch book would be awesome to have too. But, as you say, they're probably precious to you!

I totally don't remember that glyph from Blade 3 and I'll have to watch it again to refresh my memory. Very good find indeed.

What you say about trying to achieve a better balance of positive and negative as the shapes do seem to get a bit crowded at the internal borders of the squares. The bottom left square on the right side glyph, for example, could probably do without the top most claw protrusion as it doesn't seem to slot in gracely with the square above it. Overall, however, the designs flow very well together and look a very contemporary re-imagining of mayan glyphs. They look both alien and familiar, which is one of the keys to great sci-fi.

As for the book idea, if you've ever seen any "book-on-demand" or "photo book" services online, those that allow you to layout and design your book online, you could easily make a short 20 page book of design notes and sketches chronicling your project over the year and publish that for very little expense. You get to keep the sketchbook, which is key, but your interested subscribers would get to obtain a copy of your material. Personnally, I think that would be awesome.

Can't wait to see where you take this.

apparently it was on his sarcophagus? I haven't rewatched it either. I thought about looking at the vampire glyphs and that appeared too.

the balance isn't quite there - you should be able to see the black shapes, but also see the white cross in the middle and the white circle.

I've done a Blurb book of my own work before, basically to update my portfolio as it was over 10 years old! Never even crossed my mind to do one of my sketched work... good thinking Batman!

You're Welcome<bow>

cutting plasticard is a bitch! Thought I'd give the bases idea a go just now, and it was a lot of effort for pretty poor results! I'm going to investigate whether plasticard can be lasercut without it melting into a slag heap - if it doesn't, I'll use the laser cutter at work to get them cut out ; )

Don't think it will melt... what ideas are you specifically going for base-wise?

at the moment being that I'm going to have DEldar makings on the floor of the base, and I''m going to cut the markings out of plasticard, so they'll be recessed. The second half of the plan for the bases is that I'm going to have bladey-things coming out of the base, again, made out of plasticard and a few bitz I have knocking around.

Sounds ambitious.

For the markings on the grounds, it might be easier to go with plaster instead of plasticard as it's a lot easier to engrave. Barring that, getting engraving chisels might also help.

As for the bladey things coming out of the base, you might want to check an old post in my Nid P&M. Back when I was sculpting boneswords I stumbled upon a handy technique for sculpting shapes that look a lot like the parts you had sketched out.

If you go about 20% down the page here, you'll see how I sketched the designs directly on the platicard and then used drill bits to create the holes for the cut outs in the blade. The next step is then to cut along the sketched outline using a sharp blade. The thing to keep in mind about plasticard is that you don't cut it one heavy cut, but in multiple light cuts, each one going gradually deeper. It's slow, yes, but it's the best way that I've found to get clean cuts.

Once every thing is cut you then round out the contours with needle files.

Hope that helps