The Alluminarch, Abbot and High Lord of Anaryn, spiritual and militar leader of the Alluminarchate is finally completed!
This model took me some time, between converting and painting I have bee working on him for almost a month, but in the end I am really pleased with the result, a suitably imposing model and a fitting leader for my warband.
The conversion was aimed at creating a mini that blurred as much as possible the line between the archetypal cleric, warlock and warrior... As I imagined him he should embody the spiritual, martial and eldritch aspect of the Alluminarchate and to achieve this on a single model was quite a challenge.
As for the rest of my warband I painted him in a very simple, almost bichrome palette of cream and light blue whites, using gold trims and blue gems to bring it to life.
The base was again quite challenging... I envisioned Anaryn as a strange land filled with the magical wind of light and based it on the illustration of the Shamutanti Hills by John Blanche, one I was particularly fond of since my childhood. I really liked the overgrown mushrooms and mossy rocky outcrops, really in line with my vision of Anaryn, so I set up to create a base that screamed "warhammer" as much as possible with a touch of old school and a hint to the High Fantasy settings of Moorcock's Elric. It took me several hours to complete it as I had to sculpt mushroom caps, roots and rocks, but I feel happy about the outcome.
What do you guys think?
[I just edited this post to show some WIP pictures of the Alluminarch as some of you have asked for them. The pics are not great unfortunately but they should give an understanding of the process... I started with a sketch, as usual, then moved on to collecting the bits I identified. In this case I used the legs of a Genestealer Magus, torso and arms from the Eldar Farseer, the staff from the HE Archmage on dragon. The head was the most challenging, combining the tall hat of an Empire Battle Mage, the head of a Bretonnian Man-at-arm and the iron mask of a MKIII marine from Burning of Prospero (plus the usual trims in GS). The stoles hanging from his chest piece (sculpted in GS to resemble the one of the Skitarii Princeps I used for the rest of my warriors) were done in plasticard bent to shape using the heat of a candle to which I glued two sun symbols taken from 30k Ahriman (I actually had to buy 2 of the models to get these bits... Don't judge me, it was worthy!).
All in all it was a quite complex conversion, but I really enjoyed the process of creating a new aesthetic but keeping it in line with GW spirit and bits.
To make something like this is very important to plan ahead of starting with your tools, I find that sketching really helps me putting together ideas while I surf the web for interesting bits.
I hope this was useful!]
Hagen
Absolutely stunning work! Reminiscent of the Menoth from the Warmachine series. ^^
ReplyDeleteThank you Gretchin! I have been told of the similarities between my Alluminarchate conversions and Warmachine though it's completely casual as I never explored that particular range of minis. I guess the archetype of the clerical warrior leads to similarities: flowing white robes, tall ceremonial hats and weird armour types... Also the decision to use bits from 40k into a fantasy conversion push the boundary between sci-fi and fantasy aesthetic a bit, blurring the line between the two (which is something AoS is really doing now, look at the incoming Kharadron Overlords).
ReplyDeleteHagen
This is excellent. I think you've successfully created a credible looking character that fits the setting, model and backstory.
ReplyDeleteYou've combined pre-existing parts, removed their faction-defining motifs, and then reordered it all back under a new set of icons and livery. The effort speaks for itself.
I think when you're making a head out of four sliced-up parts and greenstuff, then you're firmly in design territory. I find this kind of thing far more interesting than the standard conversion fare.
I'd say the Menoth comparisons come down to the cream, gold and rivets, but apart from that, the connection is tenuous.
And the base is great! I totally understood the lumpy-mossy-'shroomy Blanche grass reference.
Thank you phiq for the nice words. I agree with you that designing is the part of the hobby that I am most interested in. Taking something done by others and alter it to fit your own ideas and stories is an incredibly rewarding process that has much in common with the development of a good design.
DeleteReally nice looking bluish white, the transitions are very smooth. The Farseer kit is a good choice, specially for the pose, the Empire Battle Wizards look a little hunchbaked and less arrogant than this model
ReplyDeleteThanks Gonfrask. The white is super simple to achieve, just mix a bit of blue to it and then add a drop of white until edge highlight... kid's job!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more no the battle wizard kit... while I was designing the look of my Alluminarch I considered using that kit but it definitely lacked the arrogance as you put it and it was quite difficult to convert, so I opted for a good mix of kits (farseer for the upper torso and genestealer magus for the legs plus bits form the battle wizard kit (like the tall hat) and high elf archmage) for a more imposing result.
Aye, superb work. I really need to invest in a theasaurus to mix up my feedback. The model is a great addition and after the warriors, you get to see the tone of the theme grow as it crosses archetypes :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Sebastian! Glad you liked him, I am back painting some warriors now, hopefully will be able to post some soon.
DeleteAny chance we can see WIP pics? As much as I enjoy your painting - it's the kit-bashing and sculpting that I really enjoy seeing!
ReplyDeleteHi Christian. To answer your request I just edited this article to show some WIP pics and a talked a bit about the conversion process and what bits I used. I hope this helps!
DeleteThank you!
DeleteSorry, just noticed I called you Christian! :)
DeleteNo worries! Beautiful work as always!
DeleteEverything in this blog is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteIs there anyplace else that your work is showcased? I saw mention of Bretonnians and they aren't on this blog.
Great work.
Thank you eMills!
DeleteYou are right, the blog is just showing my latest projects but I did showcase my work on Warseer and WHEmpire back some time ago... You can find some pictures at these links:
Bretonnian army:
http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php/topic,51031.0.html
Mordheim projects and table:
http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php/topic,51032.0.html
Averland Empire warband:
http://warhammer-empire.com/theforum/index.php/topic,51016.0.html
All of them with terrible pictures I am afraid... When I will manage to take proper pictures of them I might upload them on my blog as an archive of my work in the past 5 years.
Thanks Hagen. Bad pictures or not that is still beautiful work. Thanks for taking the time to post the links for me. I look forward to seeing good pictures.
DeleteThanks mate... I am really sorry about the quality of the pictures, I should really invest in a good camera! These were taken with my crappy phone in a dark room back when all I knew about photography was "don't put your thumb in front of the camera". I will certainly make an effort to produce better images but the problem is that all my old models are now laying in a cabinet back in my old house in Italy and I don't have that many opportunities to go back there unfortunately :(
DeleteNo worries. You get to them when you can. As it is I've saved what you do have in my inspiration folder.
ReplyDeleteYour Luminarchate strongly remind me of the Dawnguard from Skyrim for some reason. I've started gathering bits to do a conversion along those lines. I will be using your helmet and shield as a guide if you don't mind.
Did you ever sort a solution out for your putty allergy? I ask because I've read about others' similar difficulties and some have had success with using gloves to handle the putty, using petroleum jelly as a lubricant, and a particulate mask when sanding. Just thought I'd share that in case it helps you.
Of course I don't mind at all people taking inspiration from my work, quite the opposite! I would be keen to see the results of your conversions once you're done.
DeleteThanks for asking about the allergy, it's going way better... I discovered that, if I don't sculpt for more than two hours in row and I keep the room well ventilated, I am able to overcome it. This allows me to convert minis quite easily, since the amount of sculpting involved is not massive, but unfortunately I don't feel comfortable at the idea to sculpt from scratch again at the moment... Hopefully in the future!
So Good, I can't wait to see what you do next
ReplyDeleteJust stopping in to say that I stumbled on your blog from Pinterest- inspiring work you have here. Keep it up! Do you post anywhere else?
ReplyDeleteHi! I used to but nowadays it's mostly here on my blog or on italiam forums... If you happen to be italian as well go check Forum gw Tilea where you will find me along with lots of seriously talented hobbyists!
Deleteanywhere were i can contact you please your work looks awesome maybe facebook
ReplyDeleteHi Jean Pierre! I am not on fb but if you want you can contact me on this email address: matteogallo088@gmail.com
DeleteAlways happy to talk hobby!
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ReplyDelete