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Great progress, i wish i could get my hobby mojo back at the mo. I really liked the electric blue Actaeon's Zoidzilla was basecoated in, i am sure the final product will be great though.

Actaeon's teknosaurus is looking great

Nice job on the Inq tower, nice to see it again

As to the model layouts - do you think they'd let us play epic on them

Don't actually recall 'Flight of Dragons' though the narrating wizard looks really familiar.

THIS IS WHAT YOU PRODUCE WHEN YOU'RE WORKING ON 'MAINLY THEORY'? :O

Absolutely LOVE all your 3D terrain, it's painful, but for a game intended to be easy to follow I think you were right to simplify it. It's so easy to get ambitious with building, and your results are beautiful. Feel free to send me all the extra stuff you made ! Really like where you were going with the tunnels and water effects - do you think you'll carry on with the board at some point? Or is it detined for the attic for a little while?
Love all the inspirational pictures too - I really enjoy just trawling through your thread occasionally just for the stunning artwork in your concept composites

Great to see you updating again - apologies for the unsubtle nudges!

Hey folks , I managed to finish Actaeon today , i had a fair few problems with the painting of the lizards skin , failed pattern work , and not much detail, forced me to really try hard with this piece. I am very happy with the bold colours , though , i think its quite tricky making grimdark mechanicus , dinosaurs and bright napleonics work together i did a really nice dino pattern , but because the model is so busy , it clashed like a xmas jumper so i had to repaint , this in turn led to a problem with detail , as their wasnt much to begin with on the dino( heroscape )model , i tried to solve this with highlights and wash's it works better on his good side , but over all i wasnt happy with the qaulity of this effect , in future a higher quality dinosaur will be required any hooow, i do like the model and he looks cool on the table top especially from above. Actaeon has some colour at last , he will make a fine Arch enemy of Valrick now. Watch this space for the final instalment of his story.

@Baiyuan i read up on the shanghai one it was something like 150 artists for a year straight.

@Lil Loser , i know what yuo mean matey , kinda puts every thing you ever saw to shame in some ways and welcome to the jungle , we got fun and games

@que evil laughter

@peter, i thought that too typical 150 artists millions of pounds and a years work , and we still critisize well thats dakka for you and thanks matey

@Perkustin Cheers Perky , good to hear fom you again matey, i notice you now have the afformentioned mojo back in its rightfull place too

@Monkey thankyou sir, as for the tower i had to brush off a layer of dust a cm thick shame you cant get dust jackets for models well we can only ask about the epic gameplay , we could say its a world record for charity , but knowing the chinese goverment , that wouldnt immpress probably, we would be locked up for spreading grimdark fantasies no doubt. well do you remeber monsters and mazes then? with tom hanks

@Scarper, Thank you for the usubtle nudges , it worked obviously glad your still enjoying the plog matey , i do like to waffel on , and its good to know its not always to myself


so the villanous Acteon has arrived.. C&C most welcome.... well except for Baiyuan.. ( kidding )
Many thanks to Monkey Vik and perksutin in the development stages of this guy , i really appreaciate the advice you gave

All I can say is, "That is awesome." Great job, Neil!

Thanks Moltar

I like it! The blue has come out nicely. I love the group shots, they are actually starting to look like an army now!

very disturbing blue...looks ill...so it is fitting^^ for the actaeon...by the way... than nae wants me to write it always like acetone...coincidence? who knows^^
seems the steed of actaeon got first dibs on some of the best purity seals they produce in the manufactorum...very nice and small writing on those...brush or micropenwork?

and did i see some hints on the base of nerons there or did i imagine things only?^^

the base is really col and worn looking, you`re a scrap man and i do mean this with all due respect!

cheers mate!

vik

Hey guys, cheers ,
@Perky thanks matey they are comming along now , i am really enjoying the feel of these guys , they are so petite and colourful. the blue is actually turquiose but doesnt really show up too well.

@Vik yep he is ill , acetone is a fitting name too, and as we both know scrap and junk are what i do best , my painting skill is only very gradually improving , but i think my colour theory is better than it was.


so just to let you guys know their will be another fluffy Acteaon post later today if i get my ass in gear , and just to recap here is whats happed so far...


Diary Entry 9th semester 4th Cycle 28thth lunar 009M42
Captain Actaeon

By the Emperor ! Can these Vulgus do any job right? If I am to be selected for promotion to Hunt Major , I will be dammed if I shall turn up looking like a serf ! Is it too much to ask , to expect one's uniform to be cleaned to a presentable standard .I shan't be seen unkempt . We are not all content to be seen sporting ragged coveralls , or the limp robes of the scruffy Mechanicus.
If this happens again I fear I shall not be responsible for my actions!



Hospitium Data log vox castor entry personnel Audio log Date 10th semester 4th Cycle 7th lunar 009M42

[“They say I am lucky to ...cough... be alive, they say I took a beating that most men would have succumbed too,...cough..... I should be happy to have not lost both eyes..cough....I don't feel lucky. Why..cough.”. End.]




Hospitium Data log vox castor entry personnel Audio log Date 10th semester 4th Cycle 15th lunar 009M42

[ My injuries are healing better than the Medics imagined , I have an appointment with the egineseer in two days , the medics say that they don't perform biotic operations. My attacker has a name now, Valrick A newly commissioned officer of the hunt no less ..cough.. he has fled to the Vulgus quarter apparently. As soon as I am fully recuperated , I think I shall pay him a visit.



Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 3rd lunar 009M42
Major Actaeon

Great news, My injuries are fully healed. My new ocular appendage , is working much more efficiently than my previous eye. My greatest thanks go to the imperial Enginseer ( and to think I once looked down on the freaks in red ) And to top it off , The commissar has promoted me to Hunt Major . My first task was to create a Noble riders company dedicated to myself first and foremost. I named them Riders De la Morte for their duty will be to seek the death of my would be murderer VALRICK ! Emperor save those that try to stand in my way.


Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 8th lunar 009M42
Hunt Major Actaeon , Riders de la Morte

Bah! Damb and blast. Buggering feth! Filthy gutterscum! Valrick has escaped me!
Those damnable bloody filthy hive bottom gaks warned that feral monkey and his mangy hound that we warranted him! I was this bloody close. I could smell his fething stinking hound , his pungent scent is in my BLOOD! I will have my revenge on this coward. I have asked the apatus Provendum to withdraw rations to this sector. I guess the rank of Major has some useful privileges.
My men have started questioning those thought culpable in his , desertion. Its paramount I wrap this up presently , I am already behind on my new found responsibilities. The quicker I have him in custody the better. He cant evade me forever.


Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 13th lunar 009M42
Hunt Major Actaeon , Riders de la Morte

These bloody headaches, will they ever cease, I have had no success in tracking down the Criminal Valrick. , his accomplices are doing a fine job of hiding him amongst their own. And the ridiculous
Arbite, judge Lion , refuses to send in her enforcers , what is the point of an Imperial Arbite if not to help capture Criminals and subjugate unlawful citizens? “Its not my jurisdiction” bah! Do I have to do everything myself. The only positive to come from this weeks , fruitless endeavours, is the Vulgus have started to react to the rationing...hits em where it hurts.. well if no one else shall help I think I shall speed up the progress. I have ordered my riders of death, to enforce the curfew. Someone must know where he is ?


Diary Entry 11th semester 4th Cycle 15th lunar 009M42
Hunt Major Actaeon , Riders de la Morte

Ha! I knew it ! If he was in the city I would have had him by now. Valrick has fled to the wilds. I have conformation. The young Corporal Talien beat the truth out of a rioting Vulgus after curfew . This boy has potential. Well the Vulgus didn’t know where he was exactly ,if he did he took it to his grave!
If it weren’t for these confounded headaches I would be out their right now. the medics say its probably the Occular implant. Some times it takes a while to settle in . The Commissar has asked me to Organise a ceremonial Hunt for the Young heir, Antal . I told him if he could just wait a few more days I shall be fully focused on the job. I have to find his lair soon. But, If I cant have the man I shall have his friends... I ride with the Morte tonight, we shall feast on the dead, and I shall have my revenge.

good idea to make a review of the acteone fluff...thus sparing lots of peeps here to frantically search for his first cameo^^

and concerning your painting skills...well what do you expect to improve when you are already fit and able? ^^

awaiting now that you go into gear^^

Cheers Vik

So something a bit special tonight..... I am working on Acteaons fluff at the moment , some may remeber in the form of a diary , well , i wanted to have have a visual story for what happens to him that fatefull night he rides with the De La Morte and faces his arch enemy Valrick! So i put together a series of sequential art to illustrate what happened that night.
The rest of the story will be probably back to the diary to show his progression from stable and noble officer , into gibbering mechanicus servitor.

Thanks for reading

Sweet! I love the way the riders are drawn it looks fantastic! Especially the panel with the man being rode down.

I like that one too mate, although they are not drawn as such , all the images are from royalty free sources that i have messed around with , i have added a fair few hand drawn bits , but mostly they are old napoleonic paintings and photos. , i was gonna draw them but to tell the truth i liked this effect more for this story. the horses are form the victorian muybridge horse photo collection lol, with added chainlaces and silly hats though.

Nothing is awesome without 'added chainsaws and silly hats' though....

wicked comic story! i like it alot, recently you have worked rather ambitious and to a great effect with photoshop ... do you use a graphic tablet or do you draw by mouse? very stunning work...very graphic novel like! we definatly need to see more of that kind of kidney story telling!!!

vik

That is pretty awesome. Thank you for the putting in the effort with your sequential art (you snob, why didn't you call it a comic - jk), it looks great.

Will we be seeing any more? Love the models too. Great plog.

LilLoser

Aye up ! glad you like peeps , i really enjoyed making them and they were relativley quick to make too! only took two days , unlike the hand drwn comic pages that took one week per page ! saves time not actually having to draw .... who da thought!! :/ not so keen of the second page , as that was the 1st one i made , but so long as thestory gets through .. mind you it wasnt a complex tale though ...lol
man sees vulgus man chases vulgus , man sees wolf the end!

@ Perky qoute " Nothing is awesome without 'added chainsaws and silly hats' though.... " i was gonna sig that when i realised i didnt have space

@Vik Cheers mate, glad you like , i know what a tough critic you are on comics i dont use a tablet , i wish i had one , but then i would probably want a more recent version of photoshop than 5.5 thats 1995 to everyone bloody virus's !! i would like to make more images , and will probably go back to line work as its more versatile , this worked because the story was really simple imo ( whats Kidney story telling mate ) but if its what i did then i will try but you know me i am a lazy bugger sometimes

@LiLloser hey LL thanks for checking it out mate, qoute " Thank you for the putting in the effort" your welcome matey i would love to say it was all for me and i dont care what other peeps say , but their is something about dakka that makes you quite anxious for your work to be like d by your peers ... well for me anyhow so THANK YOU for taking the time to comment mate, it means a lot when your proud of something doesnt it and as for "SEQUENTIAL ART" well you got me bang to rights thats my contemporary art degree saying hello right there And your not the first to call me a snob although your fisrt to say kidding normally pretentious gakker why are you wearing a skirt or do you call that art must be my privelleged upbringing

and speaking of great blogs you Blog is pretty AMAZING if i say so myself http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/30/337010.page your pretorians are just sublime , PEEPS SHOULD CHECK IT OUT !!

No problem. It's praise well deserved.

And thanks for the plug, and the friend request. I feel we will be dating soon, inside each other, then married forever and ever.

I understand the sequential art thing. I'm a huge dork myself about classifications or comic books, graphic novels and any sequential art form. I wrote my final year dissertation on literature and the holocaust, and I wrote a chapter on Maus.

I'd love to see more sequential art in this blog. The more abstract the better!

Neil, awesome work!. Nice graphic bit with the imagery of the riders hunting, and I like the fluff add ins above.

Wow Neil, very ambitious idea! I wouldn't have thought of such a way to present fluff and I certainly wouldn't do it because it would feel like taking too much time from the actual project, but that's just me and I admire what you did here.

@LL qoute " I feel we will be dating soon, inside each other, then married forever and ever. " may be a cheap date , but even i dont give up that so easily, besides vik is first in line
as for your essay sounds interesting mate , maybe you could pm it to me if you still have it. i have seen Maus in the shops and thumbed through it a few times , but couldnt bring myself to consciously buy something that would probably make me upset. Kudos to the writer though , i think we probably share the same dark soul!!
btw here is a link to my fiction section blog that has most of the writen stuff compiled into easy read chunks! if you fancy getting some more back story to Valrick..
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/320799.page will be updated soon..

@Shazo thanks Shazza, i actually found loads of cool refernce pics that i could use after i finished , so i will probs do another short one for the end of his story. I have a cunning plan..

@Baiyuan Cheers Baiyuan I have wanted to draw comics as long as i have played with miniatures , so it was enevitable that the two would cross eventually , i did some more stuff earlier on in the blog , infact you could say the story for Praxus and its charaters is actually more important to me than the miniatures themselves , i dont see it as fluff really , i see it as an oppertunity to tell a story , and I am a story teller...cue music




I feel very lucky to have found a creative outlet in dakka , where i can share my thoughts and ideas with other creative folks , and i feel i have an unwritten book inside me , that escapes bit by bit in every new character i create. This is compounded by the fact i dont game with my minis , so i feel like i need a reason to create them. Stories for me is that reason.
Every thing i do is orientated towards telling a story , and i feel . frustrated that i dont do it more ... but compared to painting and converting for me its bloody hard !! and doesnt really get the credit it deserves , ( anyones fluff ) just look at the fan fiction section , harldy a soul enters but thats because this is a modeling forum and not a writing , art or comic forum doing it as a comic , will hopefully make the stories more accessible to casual readers. and i rarely have the inpetus to do as much as i know i should. It feels good to be back to Praxus again , and i only hope that i shall eventually present the story of Antal Adalaise here eventually.
but for now a few short stories for the surrounding peeps will suffice.

your audience is most grateful for every breadcrump you can give^^

I think you should revisit doing that comic you mentioned at the start. You can set it in the 40kverse and submit to Black Library.

No harm in trying!

@vik like swans in a lake

@ Manoknok , yep i still need to write it out completely , so i ahve a script to work on, but i really would like to finish it . It was always set in the 40k universe though , just not the one set in stone like it is nowadays , the one from my youth that was always in flux and still in its creationist stage , where new worlds popped up every other week.

i like the idea of a meta storyline that is brewing and growing with your personality ever since you came intothe writing/playing scene...thus you could collect lots of inspirationa and the final product will be ripe with ideas and insights...

Delightful little intro clip, besides the lack of a legitimate stereotype of clothing for America

But yeah, the idea of telling a story is a really cool thing to merge with your force. The past is essential for any sort of force like these, like how I have Imperial Guard with a background of serving a Rogue Trader. Having their origins really allows a person to build a force based more for what would be made, not as just another army but one with individuality, one with purpose, a rather more realistic (insert disclaimer/ suspense of disbelief here) force with their own quirks and oddness.

Keep the cool up- Kaesar II

Really like it....especially this piece so it is now my desktop.

Thanks Neil

Peter

cool, hey neil, another one that uses your pics as a desktop theme...you should charge peeps like us or draw not so good^^

by the way... this pice would too make a great painting on a wall... very artistic...i expect to see it in one of our neighberhood banks or postopffice to be hanging in the next coupla weeks^^

I can relate Neil, I'm a story teller too, that's why it kind of saddens me that my necromunda projects don't leave that much room for stories. Gaming has become less and less important to me over the years, I enjoy it no doubt, but it's the story around the game that makes it real good.
I have lots of narrative projects on my endless list of things to do and I'll get back to these once my necromunda hype has cooled down a little. Most prominently there is that novel I started writing some time ago and the twenty 54mm miniatures I have started/planned conversions to create the most important characters of the book in the flesh/putty/metal.
Now I understand why you said that two days was relatively short time to come up with your "sequential art", most people don't care that much about their creations, more like "there is this guy and he has weapons an' all, great story, ain't it?".
I hope there will be more yours and that I can show you some of mine too any time soon.

Delightful little intro clip, besides the lack of a legitimate stereotype of clothing for America

May be completely wrong, but the line was, "in England I am John."
Think the series was European and dubbed into various lingos.
This is obviously the intro for the US version

apart from that was there some sweet doings in Neil's thread?