Hi grade, low validity army books by Mathias X

Hi bloggers, a new post so soon? Yes of course! I'm 'working'  so I've found all kinds of interesting things to share with you. I came across a site hosting some high quality custom homebrew armybooks filling the nooks and crannies of the warhammer word. Click on the link below to download the books:
http://battlereporter.freeforums.org/warhammer-army-books-fan-made-unofficial-f88.html

Sorry for the delay!

Sorry for lacking any backbone in keeping this blog updated. I know, I've been lazy and haven't updated my lavish and rich stories on how my undead army is proceeding, because indeed it is! No pictures now since I'm at 'work' but that can change.

In the mean time I'd like to focus some attention on the new gw miniatures comming out next januari (of februari for that matter). As some of you might know they're expanding the skaven line with some awesome new stuff. Too bad I came too late with the idea of hosting these myself (and profiting from the extra influx of viewers to my most wonderfull of wondrous blogs).

As of yet there's new models spotted for:

1. Hellpit Abomination
2. Doomflayer weapon team
3. Hellpit catapult
4. Warplightning cannon
5. A guy named Ikit Claw

Background foundation of the undead army of Miragliano

Shadowqueen of Miragliano (Vampire lord)

The shadowqueen of Miragliano is a vampiress that has lived for many centuries in the city of Miragliano where she was born. Before she became the shadowqueen, she was known as Constanza da Miragliano, princess of the city state. However in the endless layers of deceit, adultery, pleasure seeking and other abominations in court she met with the vampire count Reinhart Guhlfach from the empire. As the two met more and more often under the shadows of the night, enthralled by the counts embrace, Constanza finally accepted the counts embrace of the dark kiss, turning her into one of the undead.

Continue?

Yes, the black coach is still a fiction of my army, but yesterday I've been building a prototype out of cardboard to check for scale purposes. I felt like a genuine arts and crafts wizzkid building his own foldable dice as the entire model was cut out of one piece (at first).

It was clear that the first model was too high for scale purposes so its size was decreased a full cm in height to result in the picture. Although I'm satisfied with the scale, the model itself wasn't perfectly cut and measured resulting in flaps not fitting for example, but the idea was met. Of course it will need ornamentation, driversseats a carrosery/suspension, a place for the baggage carrier to stand, a baggage storage, yoke, horses, paint for that matter and some TLC. Though the part that might rub in to my hairs is that is an angled box, whereas the concept has curvature.

I used google sketch-up to make a basic print (free software) of the fold out without flaps with you can download here (for all those leeches).

The ornamentation will probably be made of greenstuff while I'm still looking at dollhouse things for the ornamental metal brackets that suspend the driverseats and such.

Keep you posted.
IG

Continuing the undead horde

So still not sure how I want to go at the coach. I continued on my undead figures today and finished the necromancer. Another great confrontation miniature that is joining my, still storyless, vampire army. The guy with the banner to the right will be my wight king BSB, while the skeletal figure on the left has no true purpose yet. The figure originally is a Lich, but I'm considering him as another necromancer or as a wight king. The picture also shows the scale of the worg I finished earlier, and you can see it's impressive!

Tried some OSL on the necromancer both from the tip of the staff (poorly visible in this angle) as well as the open hand. I'm considering to to the reflection of the light also on the figure that is supposed to go besides him, although I'm utterly uncertain who that is going to be. Hope I can get some comments there!

IG, out!

Working on a black coach idea

So I finished the vhargulf, and I'm working on a necromancer (no WIP shots sadly), and I was thinking; what do I do for that black coach? I find the idea of the coach awesome, but I just want an aristocratic coach, probably with a seductive vampiress inside. Not a hearse coach that has nothing but a coffin inside. Of course this is proving to be a challenge. I've made up my mind, but that doesn't make things easier. I'm going with the black death coach from the movie "brothers grimm". No plan yet as to HOW, but any comments are more than welcome.

Another day, another rant

At work at the moment, so time's o-plenty for writing something for the blog. I'd like to dedicate this post to some of the great artists out there in 2D art. Why 2D in a wargamers blog? Because I like it, but more importantly we can learn more from looking at other, but similar art disciplines then we can from looking at other miniatures. This is because, and thats especially true for those art forms you have little experience in, you have to take a fresh new look at techniques.

All too often painting miniatures is all about brush techniques. How can you dry the brush just enough to drybrush easy detail without getting a grain. How do I thin my paint just enough to blend different colors into each other or how can I get the tip so fine that I can paint a multi colored iris? What miniature painters forget are the basic art principles that trouble a 2D artist. Because he has no small annoying to reach corners, nor relief to but a wash or drybrush on, he has time for the other problems. What colors do I use, what composition do I like, how do I give the painting a feeling of comming to gether rather than an individual on a backdrop. Looking at these and more such problems, and seeing what insights other artists have to offer changes the way you look at painting miniatures to get that feeling of it all comming together. If all your colors come from the same palette you can create figures that really capture the essence, the ambience of what you have in mind.

To often good or even greatly painting figures still portray figures rather than composisitons. If you look at the current top 10 at coolminiornot, you'll see the images have a certain rightness about them which sets them apart from other well painted miniatures. It are mostly diorama's with great compositions, completenting colors of a similar palette and somewhat of a story to it. Looking at the high elf, we see that chose a color on the flag and clothes that matches that of his ocean; this is a common technique, bringing back a color in different parts of the image, to truely bind the image together. We also see work ahs been done on artificial structure on the rock. Patterns and color diversity is common in nature, while mini-painters tend to think and paint in surfaces. Adding a grain with toothbrush splatter or a sponge will greatly enhance the sense of realism. Thats what makes pigments so sucsessful, as they attach less reliable to the surface you get a random, natural look.
Another thing that great images have alike is that the artist had one or several lightsources in mind and stuck to it in such a way that light direction gives it a natural feel. But I digress, I meant to focus on 2D artists and yet again I averted to the wonderfull wargame hobby.

In my 2D art I prefer gritty over clean, heavily ages over tight, misterious over grand. My favourite artist in that aspect is Paul Bonner. I know him from his work on the Rackham confrontation line, although the other art is great as well. It is similar to an old Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet, who, besides farmyard and natural illustrations, drew the early gnomes with the pointy hat. Another artist I greatly admire, Steve Argyle, has a more clean and modern style, although his methods are chaotic and more similar to the other styles then you'd think. What you can see in the images of these artists, and especially the digital works, is that the palette is carefully chosen, the lighting hits not just everything but those area's that create a more interesting composition. Stuying these images, and copying their way of thinking greatly enhances your look on painting mini's that now your technical training should try to equal.

Keep the juices running, IG out.

A little update on the worg - varghulf

For those of you who are just as anxious as me to get this one online...I've finished it and here it is:

It will be running around on a grave yard (just like the other undead) which has been abandonned and long since forgotten. The size of the model disables good detail on the overall shots, but I'm too lazy for detail shots in the current light. Will try to get a video online of this guy soon as he's huge!

Another day for creativity, and ... for plotting the future

Hi fellow bloggers, today's another day to celebrate creativity. Yesterday I've finished the earthborn dire troll I've started only the day before. I think it looks awesome and I'm particularly content with the way his eyes turned out. I went for a 'standard' colorscheme to go as the scheme is simply fantastic (why change right?). For those interested in stealing my colors:

• P3 troll blood base 
• Vallejo white (highlighting the blue, adding more and more)
• Black wash (home made, similar to badab black)
• Vallejo model colors ochre green, bone white and ivory for the teeth
• Hormagaunt purple for the mouth parts 
• Schmink airbrush brown, scorched brown, calthan brown, snake bit leather (in that order) for the rocky parts
• P3 Rucksack tan for the cloth, adding devlan mud 
• white, black, foundation orange and tau sept ochre for the eyes.

Today I've started painting the Worg of the Waxing moon to act as my uberbad-ass varigoulle for my vampire counts army. The vampire count army shall contain very, and i really mean very, little games workshop models, as their vampire count line is simply horrendous. Absolutely hate the dire wolves and zombies, but apart from the skeletons and overprized blood knights, all other models suck as well.

Here's the stand-ins I'm planning:

Lord and heroes
Vampire - 1 2 3 4
Necromancer - 1 2 3
Wight king - 1 2


Core:

Skeletons - games workshop skeletons

Zombies - mantic games zombies

Dire wolves - gamezone dire wolves

crypt ghouls - Heresy ghouls and 6th edition medal gw ghouls

Bat swarms - Reaper bat swarms

Corpse cart - games workshop corpse cart 

Special

Grave guard - Still a big ?, anyone idea's?

Black knights - Confrontation zombie cavelry

Fell bats - confrontation gargoyles

Spirit host - some cool spare figs painted ethereal

Rare

Varghulf - Confrontation Worgs

Cairn Wraiths - Probably some confrontation limbo d'acheron figures, not sure which yet though

Blood Knights - Games workshop high elf dragon princes

Black Coach - Not sure on the actual models yet, but it will have to look like this

So to show you some of the first WIP's of the Worg/Varghulf:

On an entirely different note; today me and my girl went and ordered our wedding rings. Although the ceremony, party, flowers etc. all are still miles away we've decided on a date (21 june 2011, mid-summers eve) and we have the rings in the pipe line. Now hopefully the rest will fit in snugly with the job hunt etc. 

See you all and till next time.

IG out

New dawn, the starting of a blog

Welcome to everybody. This is the first post of my first blog, a series of mind-boggeling ventilations of a biologist, an artist, a wargamer, or simply said...me. My name is Jeffrey, although I go around by the name of the purposefully misspelled irongollem, which refers to an metallic version of the creature we know also as smeagol.

Enough about this, I'd like to initiate this first post with something interesting to read and see. I was recently asked by the people at CoolMiniOrNot.com to provide them with some better shots of my awesome plague hulk. They are creating an annual picture book with the most awesome figures on their site, and I'am invited! No ofcourse I am honored to be asked for this. Eleven years of playing and painting off and on in the wargames hobby finally (took a while) paid it's dues. I've added a picture of the beast. It's largely a mix of airbrushing different sickening colors along with some hand painting of the actual diseased parts. Also the rusty area's have quite some pigment powders on it.

Awesome plaguehulk

So thats about it this first post, more a starter than a well-thoughtout message into the world. Hope some of you will think of this as interesting and come along into the next bundle of posts so it will be worth while to keep this one flowing.

Keep creativity flowing..irongollem out