Leman Russ (Primarch) - need the Info! + PROCESS IMAGES

[Bran Scalphunter]

So I think it's safe to say that Russ was a short (at least for a Primarch) but stocky and well-built. He would have been muscular overly so. Now, how was his hair and facial hair (did he even have any)? Don't say he is a ginger or by Russ's sacred left butt cheek, you will face the wrath of the Scalphunter and his Exterminatussock! :lol:

[Beef]

Bran nowhere does it State Russ was short by Primarch standards, He did not have a beard and was clean shaven, atleast in all the artowrk i have seen and he does have ginger hair in one picture and yellow in another, To be honest ginger seems more in keeping with his teperment

[Bran Scalphunter]

*sniff* I'm sorry Beef, I was just trying to settle the whole "Russ's height" argument by compromising. *sniff*

 

By ginger I meant the red hair and pale skin with freckles. Fans of South Park may know what I'm referring to. I don't doubt he had red hair, just that he wasn't pale skinned, more likely to be tanned.

[BerraGud§]

Actually the fluff about him doesn't make sense.. He is very much a Norse God. His wolfes are named after beings that belonged to one of them and his homeworld fenris is the name of a giant wolf that comes out at the end of the world (Ragnarök)

 

The sword he wields is Mjalnir. That in fact is the name Mjölnir the HAMMER of the thunder god Tor. So in fact he should wield a hammer instead. but that is just real world stuff and not really needed.

 

This is according to Norse mythology, which i know mainly because i live in sweden.

 

 

 

 

For Russ and the Emperor !

[Colrouphobic]

A bit of an update-

 

My Internet is down completely. Apparently my notification to my ISP about my issues let them find a HUGE fault whih means digging up cables and exchanging switch-boxes in several lines... great! What it means is that I have to sit at the local library with my laptop to post this message.

On a positive note- I have begun with the image.

 

Size will not really be that much of an issue. No other humanoids will be in the image. My main concern was that if he indeed (as I still remember it) was shorter then most primarchs he would be stockier and more powerfully built, which would reflect in his armour.

 

Thank you for the help with finding the tidbits on his looks.

 

 

As it seems right now (and please correct me if you think something below is REALLY wrong) I will be making Russ appear as follows:

 

*Bulky- His bodycomposition will be similar to that of Wolverine of the x-men comics (not the movie, the comicbooks).

*His hair- he will be a redhead- I agree that it fits more with his temper, but also, all the later artwork seem to depict him as a redhead.

*Feral- not sure just yet but I am leaning towards some facial hair- not a full beard but something that makes him look more feral and "in touch" with the wolf of fenris on a more physical plane.

*Teeth- Wiplash said the canis gene (shouldnt it be helix?) would be strong in Russ and thus he should have long fangs... Im opting for some form of fangs showing but mayhap not as large as those of a long fang- I believe it is said the helix mutates and gets stronger and stronger (or am I wrong?) and thus Russ might have had fangs but most likely not that bigg'uns (he would also have been put mióre to scrutiny then, like Magnus was because of his eye and Sanguinius because of his wings, but there are no accounts of RUss having been tested for taint because of his teeth..)

 

*Wolfes- Freki and Geri will appear on the image. Im making them bigger then Russ. I said earlier in this topic that size doesnt equal physical strength. I see no problems with Russ' "brothers" being bigger then him, yet weaker physically. It's also a strong image to show a human(ish) leading two HUGE wolfes through the snowstorm...

 

*Mjalnar- As far as it seems I will be making a sword with some form of powercurrant through it. Most likely, to make the colourbalance of the painting work the best, it will be a red spark, but it is not decided 100% yet.

 

*Wolf Helm of Russ- If I can properly depict it (skull-helmets are notoriously difficult to paint because they have a tendency to look like they wont work to put on, or are not proper skulls) it will hang in his belt.

 

*Cup of Wulfen- will sit on his belt.

 

*Spear of Russ- Most likely it will not be in the image, but I might paint it as hanging on his back, depending of the size of the painting.

 

 

*Armour- Alot of own interpretations of the armour will come out- I do not intend on depicing his shoulderpads as they have been depicted by Adrian Smith (for instance) but it is not decided exactly how just yet.

*"The wolf that stalks between the stars" will appear on his armour as it is Russ' personal emblem.

*The colour of his armour might look like "modern" Blue-grey, but mainly because of ambient lighting (the general colour of the painting will be blue-white as I intend on depicting Russ walking through a snowstorm).

 

I expect the ISP to have fixed the problem this weekend, but I go on vacation abroad on monday- coming back home on the 4th of January, so Im not sure if I can upload any previews before that.

 

Because people asked nicely ( :( ) I will post progress images here when I have a chance.

[Colrouphobic]

Hello again, I have started the conceptualization part.

This means Im going through various forms of how Russ will look, how his gadgets will look and how his armour will look.

Here is one such concept of a slightly older looking Russ.

Im leaning more towards a slightly younger Russ then this, but still an older Russ then most paintings depict.

 

Note, this is just conceptualiszation, even if I would later use this as a base, it still is VERY rough. This is more like a 15min sketch then anything else..

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e44/colrouphobic/oldrussconcept001.jpghttp://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e44/colrouphobic/oldrussconcept002.jpg

 

 

Thought you guys would want some sneakpeek of the process, and this is VERY early. :huh:

 

I will probably post a couple of other varients also, later on.

 

Edit, aded a slightly younger version. 5 more mins.

[Combat_Vet]

Didn't Russ have osmotic gills (sp), due to lung damage?

 

Or is that just from before he was a primarch and was still a lowly imperial commander?

 

Better days,

 

+edit - Great work. It really has a primal feel. The hair is a little stiff, but you are an artist, what do I know. lol - edit+

[hendrik]

Didn't Russ have osmotic gills (sp), due to lung damage?

 

Or is that just from before he was a primarch and was still a lowly imperial commander?

 

Better days,

 

+edit - Great work. It really has a primal feel. The hair is a little stiff, but you are an artist, what do I know. lol - edit+

do you know what a primarch is?=/

 

some more information about russ

in wolfs' honour the members of bulveye's warband talk to ragnar about leman russ,as how they knew himnduring and before the heresy

on page 329 it says:

"they spoke of Russ himself, not the blessed primarch Russ, but the black haired, flame eyed warrior who was more wolf than man.They spoke of his rough manner and intemperate heart, of his wild oaths and petty rivalries, of his melancholy nature and his mercilless rage."

 

about his spear

on page 320 they say:

"Truth be told, he hated that big boarsticker, but the allfather gave it to him as a gift, so he was stuck with it.He dragged it out for ceremonies, and then he'd stick it in a corner somewhere and forget about it.Drove his huscarls mad."

[Combat_Vet]

According to what I have read Russ was:

 

Born: 2612016 M32 on Guranta D of the Gurantan system

 

Commisioned by Adeptus Terra as Special Agent 0134041 M32

 

Appointd Imperial Commander Lucan 0333042 M32

 

Instumental in founding Adeptus Astartes unit 4 - Space Wolves

 

Suffered severe alviola damage from acid storms on Susa

 

Wears a cybron pattern osmotic gill

 

---I am well aware of what a primarch is :whistling: , I just like to play devils advocate from time to time. I also love how much our fluff has changed. Maybe you could look for a happy medium Phobic. cable in the throat or something. keep the feral aspect of the character and carry a little of the old fluff forward. I love all you work as I've told you in the past. I'm sure this one will be no different.---

[Ra1stl1n]

Well it can't be that really because if we say that the 13th company was in the EoT for 10k years (and they left during the Prospero battle) then Russ wouldnt have sticked around for 2000 years.

And why are we astarted unit 4? and what's Susa(Russ was a primarch i dont think a storm could damage him after surviving fenris as a baby with gigantic wolves till the Emperor found him) and gurantan(excuse my lack of "geography" knowledge of the system)

[Colrouphobic]

Thanks Pius, this is just a conceptual sketch or two, there will be more.

About the fluff for how to depict Russ, I have chosen to try to stay away from Rogue Trader fluff as much as possible, and keep to 40k fluff as close as possible.

This for a simple reason, even by going by 40k fluff, there are so many things that shift alot from edition to edition, however, the leap from Rogue Trader fluff to 40k fluff is in many aspects just aeons longer then that leap from edition to edition in 40k.

 

Though I appreaciate the try to help finding more fluff though, so I dont mind it at all ^_^

 

The hair is stiff, yes, this is obviously just to try finding a general feel for the character. 15min doesnt give much more :lol:

[Colrouphobic]

I believe the refference ius gives comes from Rogue Trader, the earliest fluff related to warhammer 40k, whereas the refference to the spear comes from EoT book, which is..edition 4? So that is what I meant with sticking to 40k fluff..

[Combat_Vet]

Cool. I just wanted to drop the "little" Russ knowledge I had. LOL

 

It makes sense to use the more "main stream" and up to date info.

 

I'll be watching the progress as I really do love your work.

 

Better days,

 

+edit- I know you are going with newer fluff but...

 

I seem to remember the old 2nd edition wolves book (no longer have it I'm afraid). There was a story about the waking of Bjorn. In the story he describes Russ and states " it is hard to believe a giant of a man had walked among them" or something to that effect. Now as I see it Bjorn, as a marine captain, would have seen or even been familiar with the other Primarchs. If this is the case and Russ was a "giant", it stands to reason that Russ was in fact not smaller than the other primarchs. But that may just be me defending Russ in my own mind - Edit+

[obs0l3te]

wow thats some great old material. I haven't read most of that since the rogue trader days.

 

 

yeah he had the gills. due to an acid storm.... it said that not even his space marine implaints could handle it.

 

and back in rogue trader he did found legion 4 the space wolves... all that is in the old books :angry:

 

I think some of it can be found in a few of the old space hulk referances. as well.

[Colrouphobic]

cheers guys.

Here's another update of Russ concept.

 

Slightly younger middle aged Russ.

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e44/colrouphobic/oldrussconcept003.jpg

 

I posed this question on aother forum, but I think I should do so here also-

 

Russ with facial hair or without?

Every singel image of Russ so far portrays him without facial hair... I personally like the fact that facial hair makes him look more feral, bt I wanted to know what you guys think.

I will take anything into concideration...

[obs0l3te]

I think none, since every single picture of him has no facial hair at all.

 

kinda like rangar blackmane.

[Combat_Vet]

That is a tough question. Most pics that we have show no hair (even the original Russ mini).

 

I see several schools of thought on this:

 

1) Space Wolves are based on earth's barbaric past. Feral, furry, un-educated "wild men".

With this school of thought, the wolves should all have beards (which would be the oppisite of the barbarians on the

rhine)

 

2) Space wolves are based on fictional barbarians popular in culture. Large, primal, gore drenched, "savages".

These people see more of a Conan feel to the Space Wolves. Especially the Conan from the "saga" and "savage

sword" era. Long hair, large frame, clean shaven, "worldly" barbarians.

 

3) Mixed - some see a combination of the two.

 

When all is said and done, it's up to you. We spend out time in a world that has 10,000 years of jumbled history. It has been lost, erased, forgotten, found and changed. I doubt anyone could say your idea's are right or wrong. But, many will be willing to offer opinions.

 

Sorry for the rant. Better days,

[Colrouphobic]

Understandable Pius, but what is your opinion? Would you rather see a cleanshaven, or a beardy Russ? regardless of what "school" you belong to, which would you perfer?

[Colrouphobic]

and one more, even younger middle aged..

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e44/colrouphobic/oldrussconcept004.jpg

[Combat_Vet]

Me? I'm old school :lol:

 

I see Russ as a Barbarian by birth, not a savage or a wild man.

 

I would say long black hair, clean shaven, with a dark and brooding aspect. (but I also think that Conrad Curze was the same only slimmer LOL )

 

Look at the work of Frank Frazetta (amazing artist). Especially the "Death Dealer" and "Conan" works. Very somber, very primal. I'm not saying that he looked like them, but it is what I think he looked like.

 

Also, keep one thing in mind. As a gifted artist, you could cause the fluff to change! I am a huge fan of Frazetta and the works of Robert Howard. That is why Russ looks like he does, to me. When people see your work, they may start to see Russ as YOU see Russ. I promise you one thing, within three months of your finished work, at least five conversions will be based on what you make. No pressure :lol:

 

Better days,

[Beef]

If you look at fenrisian Fluff you will relise that depending where about an aspirant came from decide his apearance, some were very pale skinned whilst others were tanned. Some had long hair and some did not. Some had facial hair whilst others did not.

Therefore SW can be any combination of the above. It cant ever be wrong.

 

I personnaly think Russ should have had a beard but fluff has always depected him without and thats how he is more easily recognisable.

[Colrouphobic]

Allright, thanks Pius, and Beef.

Yeah, no preassure.... I just have to make sure this s one cool image then ^_^

 

Here is my youngest version of Russ, it has alot to do with the beard, but still...

 

Im still exploring Russ somewhat, but he will be painted after one of these younger versions. The first one wont be the model after which I go.

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e44/colrouphobic/oldrussconcept005.jpg

 

Also, Black hair? Im going to have to disappoint you Pius... he will have a redish tone to his hair as that is what fluff seem to have put him in....

 

No worries, I will try my best to get the Barbaric tone to him.

 

edit,

yeah, btw, incase it wasn't obvious, I created the individual images after one another. so it's about 5mins of painting fae, then five-10 mins cropping and posting to photobucet and then here... so they arent really that elaborate...

[Combat_Vet]

Red hair is cool too ^_^

 

You have already inspired me! Although I don't see Russ in the last pic, I do see a young Bjorn. When i am finished with my shoddy work for the LPC, I will be making a new Wolf Lord. The facial hair (chops) will for sure be going on the new mini. So thanks for the pic and good luck with the project. I'll still be around this post, playing devils advocate and stealing ideas.

 

Better days,

[Vassakov]

I'm no Rune Priest (but Beef has made his presence known, so that should do you) but I believe Russ was clean shaven, with long, wild red hair and massive sideburns.

 

Big Frostblade, and standing around 9', as he was a shorter Primarch (was Magnus something in the order of 12'?)

 

That last image looks the best to me, remember Primarchs don't really age much. The first ones look too bestial for my tastes, perfect for the 13th but Russ was more human than that.

[War Angel]

"And yes, he used a frostblade... a truel ornate chainsword made with teeth taken from small tyranid spaceships that are slain in the oceans of fenris."

 

i had always been told that frostblade's where made with the teeth of kraken that inhabited the seas of fenris, i even made my wolf lord teeth to go on his frostblade