++ From the Abyss - A Word Bearers Log ++

[GhostMalone]

Look forward to it ;)

Great work brother and I look forward to more, any chance of shield bearers in big cathedral style hulk like armour?

[Noctus Cornix]

Look forward to it

Great work brother and I look forward to more, any chance of shield bearers in big cathedral style hulk like armour?

 

Hmm... Never thought about it, but I'll try and look into it.

[Biohazard]

The Sorceror looks outstanding, I love the grimy effect you've achieved and the purple spot colour is great. Your Typhon conversion is coming together as well.

[Noctus Cornix]

We begin this update with a model I promised I would be repainting, and here he is. This is my first of many Plague Zombies, though he's the only one I'll be working on for a while. I think he came out well, but I also think I could have done parts better. Always open to criticism, of course, guys.

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140327_055643_zps179880eb.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140327_055701_zps1f7f00b0.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140327_055727_zpsbe44d0fe.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140327_055714_zpsec04121c.jpg

 

Next up, we have the results from our first test needed for the paint scheme of a particular upcoming project that will not be named. The results of the test are positive, yet ultimately inconclusive. More tests must be made.

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140327_055456_zpsbf2ebeff.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140327_055512_zps48dcc274.jpg

 

Enjoy.

Edited March 27, 2014 by noctus cornix

[Flint13]

I love everything about the plague zombie but his helmet. It looks a little too clean and "unmolested." His flak armor looks like it was painted the same green, but that looks well and suitably weathered.

 

Looking forward to seeing a whole shambling horde of these guys! ^_^

[Noctus Cornix]

I love everything about the plague zombie but his helmet. It looks a little too clean and "unmolested." His flak armor looks like it was painted the same green, but that looks well and suitably weathered.

 

Looking forward to seeing a whole shambling horde of these guys! ^_^

You bring up a very good point, Flint. I'll be sure to add some weathering or blood to the helmet.

[Noctus Cornix]

"What man fears the most, even in the deepest corners of the dark, is his inability to protect those he cherishes.."

-Ancient Terran Scholar: Hoban

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnoZG6iCbjU

 

 

 

           The warmth of the crimson sun did not reach the vast darkness of the throne room, a boundless chamber chiseled into the very bulwark of an ancient city that once sailed across the black sea. There was little light to disturb the dark, immense braziers of flickering flame and burning incense that lined the marble walls and the very steps that led to the palanquin of true rule, yet their dancing fire could not pierce the shadows, as though dulled to a flicker lest they tarnish the soothing calm of the darkness. The sweeping pathway of smoothened tiles was flanked by towering columns of that same white stone, each pillar engraved with the image of some ancient saint or hero from both a faith and a world long dead. Yet, despite the intricacy of each immaculate statue, and the great pains that each artisan must have endured to ensure these works of wondrous art come to fruition, the visages of these marble figures had each been weathered by acidic components down into a smoothened featureless face. It was as though the memories of these lost martyrs were meant to be forgotten, or perhaps that the chamber itself was to be guarded by featureless specters that shifted between reality and the unseen.

 

There, in that empty chamber that had, in a time long past, held audience to hundreds of delegates and warriors, only three figures remained. The first sat upon a throne, a towering image of a noble figure cleaved in crimson armour and flowing robers. His noble features lay obscured beneath a helm wreathed in a crown of horns, each surface of his encased outline engraved with intricate sigils and scripture. Beyond that, something ancient sifted through the air, an ancient star of tarnished silver and dyed bones that bore upon the figure’s aura like some great halo depicted in heathen tomes. There was a time when the presence of this figure alone could silence Demi-Gods and force warriors to kneel. There was a time when the throne itself was a symbol of power, of unity, and of purpose….

 

But now that image was shattered, and what was once a seat of authority was now a prison. That figure’s armour was now pierced by tubing and fleshy tendrils in equal measure, weaving through flesh, armour, and marble that locked a man to the very heart of an ancient city, and equally so the floating star of a callous pantheon. The proud figure remained in silent repose, his noble visage flawed by careless sprawled posture and his head hung low staring to the flickering reflection of brazier light that danced along the marble steps.

 

The second figure knelt beside the first, a creature that seemed so distant from that of the crimson monarch that sat upon the throne. Its figure was that of a woman, a small and frail creature beside the monolithic form of the silent lord, and yet though none could compare to the truest aura of majesty that clung to the ‘He’, hers was an immaculate magnificence of its own. Hers was a simple demeanor, flowing robe of the purest white that clung to dusky unblemished skin. Her hair remained in golden locks that swooped down her back, splayed across the floor beyond like a mantle of wheat. Eyes of an equally gilded color left fixated upon the enthroned figure, small hands resting upon the idle digits that hung from a slack limb. Mere whispers escaped from her lips, soothing words and muttered hymns relayed only to the one who bore all her devotion, yet her affections offered little more than the occasional twitch of a finger.

 

And then there was the third figure, the only one who dared stand in the presence of the rightful monarch. He stood alone in the darkness away from the throne itself yet resolute in the very centre of the chamber. Clad in a baroque suit of heavy crimson warplate, the figure remained in silent repose, gaze fixated upon the door that earned passage into the chambers of the king. His was to stand in pure darkness, the constant hiss of burning purified incense sifting from the pressurized containers that marred his armour before venting through the censer pores and every vent of the antique warplate. Both gauntleted hands lay upon the pommel of his ancient weapon, a great maul that oozed the same mist in great plumes that purified the air of contaminants and interchanged them with the sweet scent of stone petals. His shield lay strapped across his back, his figure resolute and unmoving as the statues engraved into the flanking pillars.

 

What lay beneath that armour was perhaps a mystery, for the ancient warrior that had once born the armour had not shown his face since before the divide of the monarch and his God. Even now, it was likely that the warrior himself had long since perished, unmoving from his position in two months since the last soul that dared request audience with the crimson king. The incense sifted from the slits of his helm, a purifying scent that seemed to now encompass the very nature of the unyielding sentinel. Yet even now, as his empty gaze remained fixated upon the obelisk doors that sealed the throne room from the outside world, only one word sifted through the guardian’s mind.

 

Protect.

 

Velstadt, the Throne Defender

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140328_062059_zps341f122c.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140328_062114_zps8c4637b6.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140328_062140_zpsdd003603.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140328_062204_zps6ed19a3d.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140328_062216_zpsec23ae5f.jpg

 

 

[KBA]

Looking great! Each painted model you post, you get better and better. Really clean lines on this guy. The red for the Word Bearers you've got going on is perfect. That shield just pops; the orange on the horns really complements the steel and the red. The metal portions on the model could use a little variation in hue. Right now, all I really see that in is on the back on the legs. Your fluff is great, but you don't need that music video. It cracks me up that the best writers on this board think they need to set tone and mood with music. Your awesome writing does that :). Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

[Noctus Cornix]

Thanks KBA. That really means a list to me to know that I really am improving. I owe it to all the comments and criticism everyone's given me. As for the music, I know I don't need to, but I do it to show my inspiration. I take an absolute huge chunk of my inspiration from listening to music just like I do from certain books, movies, and games. I like to share them because they show what inspired me and what set the gears in motion in my head.

 

Besides, I did it first anyway. :P

[KrautScientist]

I have to agree with KBA, both regarding your painting and the music being slightly superfluous -- but hey, it's your thread, so you get to call the shots ;)

 

Back to the model, though: I think your improved painting is really evident on this guy! Great job! My one suggestion would be to maybe contemplate painting the helmet in a different colour (metallic? or bone?) to make it more of a focus point for the model: The element is slightly lost within that solid red torso, otherwise.

 

Oh, and amazing fluff as well! Makes me want to learn more about that Ruined King fella ;)

[Noctus Cornix]

Back to the model, though: I think your improved painting is really evident on this guy! Great job! My one suggestion would be to maybe contemplate painting the helmet in a different colour (metallic? or bone?) to make it more of a focus point for the model: The element is slightly lost within that solid red torso, otherwise.

What colors would you suggest might work? Generally I see Word Bearers using different helmet colors like black or silver (some times even gold) for their higher ranking men. I don't think silver would work because he has the cross piece and I would like that to stand out.

 

Oh, and amazing fluff as well! Makes me want to learn more about that Ruined King fella

Than my writing did its job. ^_^

Edited March 28, 2014 by noctus cornix

[KrautScientist]

Hmm, if he were a World Eater, things would be easy: I'd paint the helmet bronze and be done with it (the cross across the faceplate could still be picked out in silver for some extra contrast). But since bronze doesn't appear anywhere else on the model, that may not be the best approach.

 

Tell you what: Why not paint the helmet black (or rather, in a very dark grey)? That way, you can keep the metal on the cross, but also gain some definition against the rest of the torso? And maybe add a blue-ish glow to the holes in the faceplate, while you're at it...

Edited March 28, 2014 by KrautScientist

[Noctus Cornix]

Tell you what: Why not paint the helmet black (or rather, in a very dark grey)? That way, you can keep the metal on the cross, but also gain some definition against the rest of the torso? And maybe add a blue-ish glow to the holes in the faceplate, while you're at it...

 

Hmmm.... If I do the blue-ish glow, I would probably have to add it also to the plumes of incense venting from the maul. How do you think that would look?

[KrautScientist]

Hmm, I think that might look pretty cool, actually. Or you could alternately go for green (both for the glow and the incense), which would nicely hint at the fact that the fumes are noxious to anyone but the initiated ;)

 

The one thing you would need to change when introducing an additional colour, though, would be to get rid of the purple Marine helmet (and replace the colour with something a little closer to the colour you want to choose for the glow and smoke).

 

Anyway, just my two cents ;)

[Tyrannicide]

I'll admit, I was not sold pre-paint. Thing of the past, dude, he's awesome!

 

Using a lighter application for washes results in a crisper paint job, and that's evident here. Keep at it, you're improving with every new mini. :tu:

[Noctus Cornix]

I'll admit, I was not sold pre-paint. Thing of the past, dude, he's awesome!

 

Using a lighter application for washes results in a crisper paint job, and that's evident here. Keep at it, you're improving with every new mini. :tu:

Thanks mate. Here's to hoping I can apply the same improvements to my Kindred. ;)

[Noctus Cornix]

So, as per Kraut's suggestion, I gave to a little bit of editing to Velstadt in between waiting periods of letting paint dry as I painted an entire baneblade in 5 hours. Here are the results. Really want your thoughts on this, guys.

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140329_030822_zps31d116d9.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140329_030834_zpscd55a67d.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/20140329_030848_zpse0007340.jpg

[Grotsmasha]

I'm borrowing BCK's image, it's just so appropriate.....

 

http://i.imgur.com/ra4vcaF.gif

 

...in regards to both the Zombie and the Typhus conversion, seriously outdoing yourself lately Noctus :tu: :tu:

 

Cheers,

Jono

[KBA]

Love the subtle changes you've made, man. He just got twice as menacing with that helm painted back.

[Noctus Cornix]

You think so? Honestly, I wasn't sure if it looked right or not...

[KrautScientist]

I think it's definitely a change for the better: The head reads more clearly as the head now! I'd like to see a photo taken by daylight (outside, preferably) at some point, in order to get a more accurate impression of the colours, but I like the result of the changes! One thing I'd maybe think about is to get rid on the purple on the marine helmet and maybe replace it with a very dark blue to keep the overall colour palette of the model limited. Oh, and one small thing: It looks like the blue glow doesn't extend to the lower right part (if seen from the front) of the faceplate, so you might want to change that.

[Noctus Cornix]

Thanks man! :)

[RolandTHTG]

Looks really good, especially with the added blue. I was at first worried that the mace didn't contrast with the mist coming off it, but now that you have the blue effect it really pops out as not being part of the mace head or natural.

[Noctus Cornix]

Thanks man. Honestly, I was really worried at first because I just really didn't think it came out right (the helmet or the smoke) when I went around the second time. Have to admit, you guys are really dispelling those worries. I really appreciate it.  :D

[disease]

typhus conversion is inspired, really liking the idea