Monday 29 June 2020

Devil in the detail


This took far longer than it should have done.  I'm going to put it right up there with new Guilliman model in terms of being a fiddly nightmare to paint.  I wanted it to be intricate and baroque but seeing the finished product I reckon I went too far.  The base in particular is very busy and a lot of the detail is obscured.  It's difficult to tell what is actually going on.  The idea is that he is locked away in a remote, forgotten corner of the Imperium performing unethical experiments on a Canoptek Scarab.  



I should have left it at that but just kept adding more and more stuff.  He is utilising proscribed texts and has some daemon familiars helping him out under the watchful eye of the servo skull.  Taking notes with a quill pen and ink as well as keeping a fire extinguisher handy along with his trusty Volkite blaster in case things go wrong.  I even threw a spanner in the works.



But you can't even see the Scarab unless you look at the model from a very specific angle.  If I'm trying to tell a story with a vignette like this, its important to actually tell the story rather than saying, 'ooh look how teeny-tiny the details are!  How clever I am!'.  The end result has too much going on and doesn't draw the eye to a focal point like a painting would.  It's all over the place.



Despite this, I still like the model.  Its a cross between a mad scientist and a wizard and sort of painted itself.  I didn't really plan it out or think too much.  The spell book he is perusing was inspired by the Necronomicon from Evil Dead and I painted it in one session, with no do-overs or mistakes.  If I'd stopped to think about it, the whole thing would have taken days.  I started painting the cogitator and immediately realised that it was just a Sinclair Spectrum 48k with a few modifications (more 80's references. The Space Hulk C.A.T. is from 3rd Edition but it's still Space Hulk).



Maybe the little nurgling should have been green but he is leaning out to grab green Tyranidy bits whilst holding on to the tail of the greenish book familiar for balance, so I chose to paint him red.  Aside from that, I didn't really think about the colour scheme and all the practice of painting 30 odd Skitarii was extremely helpful.



So I kind of like it, despite the fact that I have a tournament in 3 weeks and no hope in hell of being ready now. There's a lot of me in this model, and not just the 80's references.  I always wanted to be a sorcerer, conducting absurd and fairly pointless experiments whilst procrastinating endlessly. There's a lot going on but much of it is irrelevant or unnecessary.  A whirl of ideas with no focus, fuelled by inner demons who pluck little pustules of evil out of the basement of the subconscious and fling them into the mix.


16 comments:

  1. I can see what you mean about a lack of focal point, but sod it man, that only adds to its beauty!
    I think it brings across the Dominus' multi-tasking skills and his obsession. I think the details draw the eye in...maybe not to where you want it to...but they make me want to pick it up and discover its secrets.

    I've found that particular head to be a challenge to paint because the face is so intricate that it's very difficult to add any kind of colour to draw the eye to it. My final Necromunda renegade mech champion uses the same head and the glow from his gun pulls the eye away from his face. For the life of me I can't think of away to pull it back. I think you've done a much better job accentuating his face than I have with mine.

    I think he's outstanding and more than a worthy addition to your army.
    The Omnissiah approves....the one that talks to me does anyway ;-)

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    1. Yeah I was torn on the head (not literally) because the other one is my favourite. But I'm glad I went with it now. I think the staff, gun and flasks on your Dominus are amazing so who cares about the head!? Oh no, wait, you have another one?

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    2. Yeah, I have another model that uses the same head on totally different body, one that you haven't seen yet. Hopefully it'll appear on my blog sometime this week if I can overcome my lockdown ennui ;-)

      P.S. Just put my first order in for some more models (my first this year!) and I resisted the urge to buy some Armiger Warglaives to try and recreate your Sawberus. I was feeling dead chuffed that I didn't buy them but having had yet another look at the model, I'm thinking I should have...curse your heretical skills...you tempter you!

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    3. I still haven't sat down and worked out how much money I spent to make that model. I have decided that I don't actually want to know. Be strong. You just have to put up with the voices in your head saying, 'Go on, you know you want to', all the time.

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  2. Loving all the details and it does tell a story, one of a very busy person. Messy desk/floor/stairwell proves how busy you are right? You might be able to solve the messy desk problem but then you will never solve the messy floor problem..

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    1. If by 'messy floor problem' you mean the demonic pustules in the basement then I wholeheartedly agree!

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  3. I like that there are that many details to look at. Especially with the rotating view. Lots to look at might not stand in the way of telling a story - just thinking of Hieronimus Bosch or Pieter Breughel the Elder here - you simply have to take the time to let the story unfold.

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    1. Thanks I didn't think of that. I guess I spent too much time looking at it!

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  4. That model, and everything you describe about it, captures 40K and especially the Mechanicum in great detail! I agree with Castigator's comments. If this is about 40K its a perfect model.

    Well done.

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    1. Thanks DAM. However, the Inquisition would like a word with you!

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  5. That’s a great diorama and HQ choice. The TechPriest Manipulus has a floppy disc on his belt. Love the ZX Spectrum.

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    1. Cheers Siph. Didn't like the Manipulus at first but it is definitely growing on me.

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  6. Replies
    1. Cheers Mike. I struggle to love painting but quite enjoyed this one.

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  7. True there may be a bit too much going one but...there's no doubt that your gaming buddies or whomever will no doubt have a lot of little 'ooh' moments every time they look at it, spotting something not seen previously.

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    1. True, its nice to have a 'proud parent' moment during a game. My tournament opponents tend to just see them as playing pieces to be destroyed however. Perfectly understandable.

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