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Hey there, just hoping for a few suggestions for making my ToS better. One thing I am going to do is add more field grass, and some more static grass. Something else I am thinking of doing is painting over the horrific designs I managed to do on the 2 upright skulls on the right side (as you go up the stairs) and paint on some better ones.

The general colour of the rock needs to stay about the same, as that is the colour of my gaming table and other terrain (such that it is).

Anyway, pictures:





The offending skulls can be seen in this picture:

I actually quite like the designs on the skulls. Doesn't matter if some aren't as polished as others, as they would have been hand painted by some slightly nervous cultist...


Hard to tell from the lighting in the pics, but the red on the chaos star could possibly stand to be a little darker.

Other than that, the only real problem with it is a general lack of contrast. One fix would be to darken up the colour of the actual temple stone (just the cut pavers and the pillars) so that they stand out a bit more from the skulls and the underlying rock.

The red certainly has been bugging me since I added it. I will try darkening it and see what happens.

I think you are also right about the temple stones... I will give them a few different shades to help distinguish them from everything else.

Cheers for the ideas.

Maybe you hate them, but I think the skulls look pretty decent. The thing I see that stands out as cheesy is the painting of the chaos symbol on the floor(it just seems out of place in color and style compared to the more realistic looking skulls).

As you said it could use some little odds and ends to make it look better. How about some spears with skulls, stretched skin, skull piles(like the ones GW sells), more blood splashes (or brown crusted blood), etc. The main part of the temple is really well done from what I can see, but it could just use some little finishing touches.

edit: wrote this before insaniak posted, guess we thought alike.

Like everyone said, the symbols are pretty damn fine.
The one thing that erks me is the brightness and general cleansliness of the star. Remember it's an evil shrine dedicated to the gods. It should be dirty and filthy with the taint of the warp on it. But all in all, a damn good job.

Hmmm, general grime sounds good... I will definately dirty it up a bit.

Though I am still redoing a couple of the skulls as I think they look terrible

I will also have a rummage in my bits box for some suitable things to leave lying around.

But why? It's great!

This is great. Just weather the insignia and add some contrast to it, and this will be perfect!

Maybe add some heads and arms from the ole bitz box with blood ozzing from them?

Hey where did you get that sig? It's funny!

My Temple is mostly one color as well, so I made the Chaos Icon a brass color to stand out, then mixed a wash of Gryphonne Sepia and Baal Red to make it look as though it had been drenched in blood many times.

Came out better than I hoped. Maybe you could try it.

I'd agree. Weather and chip the symbol. Streaks that all go in the same direction, like from dirty rain could look really good. Thinned GW Graveyard Earth low-lighted with Gryphonne Sepia should look nice

I will probably redo 2 of the skulls to have similar designs on them, it is just they look a bit sloppy at the moment and they really bug me.

I was planning on doing the stonework a kind of greenish colour to match the plinths, but make it slightly bluer so it looks a bit different and adds another colour on there.

I might try my hand at using a sponge to add chips etc onto various places.

I will try and find some generic WHFB/40K bits to add in (I use this piece for 40K and may use it for FB if I ever start playing).

And GRASS FOR THE HULA GOD shall be added, perhaps half hiding some of the extra bits, as if they had been there a while.

Like most I think the skulls look great and it's a really imaginative idea to have painted them up like that.

As for the chaos star I'm not sure I'd do it red at all, perhaps go more for a different stone colour, maybe grey then add some old blood effects in dark browns and very dark reds to make it look like a place of sacrifice?

Silver, if you take no other advice here you must take what I am about to give with the utmost consideration. In all of my years dispensing with artistic critisisms nothing has ever been so blatantly obvious and needed in any work than what this Temple of Skulls cries out for: Beer cans! Lots and lots of beer cans! Not just any beer, but cheap American (or Mexican in a pinch, Tacate per se) beer. I mean, really when it comes down to it Chaos really are nothing more than a bunch of frat boys trying to use their Greek who-joo crap to intimidate other frats. See where I am coming from? Maybe even throw in a braw and panties to illustrate a story long-gone.

Okay okay okay, in all seriousness just some darker washes and you are good. Darker washes might make the skulls and chaos emblem pop a little bit more since as it stands they tend to fade passivly into one another. Oh, and uh.... Beer cans!

The star is definately too bright and clean. If you could make it look like it's been painted in blood, for example, or look like the stone underneath is cracked/chipped, I think it'd look better. Restatement for the restatement god!

Ok, changed the colour of the temple stone slabs + steps, which I am pretty pleased with. Also darkened the symbol, which I am also pretty happy with.

Only thing I am not sure about now is the blood splatters. Not sure if they are too OTT.

Still to add is more grass (static and field - I didn't want to add it only to get paint all over it ) and one skull to repaint.

The darker stone and star are perfect.

The blood spatters are a little bright. If you dull them down a bit, stipple a bit of grey through them, it would make them look more like old bloodstains.

I think I have darkened them quite significantly now with a mix of flesh wash and codex grey, as well as actually wearing away some of the original red with a sponge.

Go packing material

Do you have any other suggestions for improvements? To be honest my imagination is somewhat lacking at the moment

A few things for the blood splatter.

a) blood is actually darker o_o
b) Blood splatter is almost never a pool like that , when and if there is a pool like that , there is usually a body . But since there are none , it would look very dramatic to have some smears going away from the pooled blood. As if its been dragged away.
c) Have some blood pools near the stairs run / flow down the stairs.

Whats the story behind the blood OP o_o

@ Luna: I might add some body parts next to/in the blood, though the smears sound like a good idea.

I will probably reduce some of the pools and make them more splattery.

SilverMK2 wrote:@ Luna: I might add some body parts next to/in the blood, though the smears sound like a good idea.

I will probably reduce some of the pools and make them more splattery.

How about a body or 2 being speared and still hanging off the spear ( where the blood pools beneath )
like this:

It is possible, though I want room to have models move around on it

SilverMK2 wrote:It is possible, though I want room to have models move around on it

Yes i was thinking that but i was afraid of possibility of offending some people if i suggested adding some crucified bodies><
Or make a tree near it , with the leafs = body like the movie 300 @_@ <= good idea!

Uh, and where are the beer cans?

I really like it as it is. By the way, where did you get the inspiration for the runes painted on the skulls?

I like what youve done with the place!

warpcrafter wrote:I really like it as it is. By the way, where did you get the inspiration for the runes painted on the skulls?

The 3 laying down skulls were just random swirly doodles (roughly inspired possibly by some tribal markings, but not based on anything in particular)

The skull at the side of the stairs has "letters" based on the iconographic alphabet, such as that used by Japan and China, but obviously made up.

The next skull around has the 4 chaos symbols on the front, and now has simmilar letters as to the skull next to it.

The one on the end was actually originally inspired by Voyager (if you can guess which crewmen/women, you get a cookie ). Now it is a fusion of that and the more tribal skulls on the other side.

@ MachineSlave: I might add one in just for you

Do it and I'll be gettin that SilverMK2 tattoo after all!

Lookin' great. Much better now that you've darkened things up.