John Blanche's Pyratii of the Voodoo Forest - Gunwhayle

So, two months ago, I proposed on the INQ28 Facebook group the idea of doing something artistic in the 40mm scale based perhaps on the popular Femme Militant miniatures. Instead, Mr Blanche commented that perhaps I should look to making something more piratical for his own Voodoo Forest setting.

She was actually finished just over a fortnight ago, but I hadn't gotten around to taking some (rather terrible) photos of her until yesterday. She ended up being quite a few firsts for me (such as her pistol) and in the end she became something of personal vignette of myself. Unintentionally, I might add, although I do worry that my posterior really is that....large.

I called her Gunwhayle, spelled in that typical Blanchean way, for a nautical nod.

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Minimalism in AoS28

Okay, so perhaps I should start by explaining a little on what AoS28 is.

Following on from the successes of the INQ28 movement and it's ethos in exploring the darker, forgotten corners of the 41st Millennium and the people who dwell within. AoS28 proposes the same ideals, but naturally, focussing on the Mortal Realms following the cataclysmic events of the Age of Chaos. Inspired by the likes of that which came before (such as Mordheim), AoS28 seeks to move the action away from the frontline 'big battles' and discover what happened to those poor souls that did not have a safe haven in which to wait out the apocalypse. Coupled with the Blanchesque aesthetic that proved very popular in the INQ28 circles, AoS28 attempts to move away from the 'luminescent' vision of the Mortal Realms promoted by Games Workshop and instead delve into a much darker pastiche.

Okay, onto explaining what I mean by 'minimalism'.

Instead of the art/music movement popular in the 20th Century, what I mean by minimalism is rather the characters in the Mortal Realms that represent the 'Man on the Clapham Omnibus'. Now, the Blanchesque aesthetic, especially in miniatures, normally includes loading characters up with all sorts of trinkets, gewgaws, furs and such, treading that fine line between what is artistic and what is overloading. But what about turning that philosophy on it's head?

That is what I mean by minimalism, the dichotomy of the heroic in the simplistic. Compared the grand armies fighting on the front line, in these forgotten corners that the AoS28 ethos espouses, the lowly spearman would become the mightiest of heroes, defending the boarders of their besieged little niche. Essentially, with minimalism, I ask how would I (or anyone living an 'ordinary' life) fare should the forces of Chaos suddenly rampage about my doorstep? What kind of weapons could I find in my own home? What kind of armour, if any?

With minimalism in mind, gone are the mightiest heroes to be replaced by Fred Bloggs armed with a kitchen knife tied to a broom handle. Gone are powerful archmages to be replaced with Jane Doe the hedge witch and her bag of petty magicks.

Just a thought.

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Green Fingers and Chainaxes

Carrying on from The Green Death post earlier, I've been beavering away at this little warband for about a week, determined to create a small host of characters that were simple to build with only a little greenstuff intervention.

Black and white photos seem to be en vogue right now

Most of these characters (with the exception of Quayle) have gone through a number of rethinks on particular parts, but I'm rather pleased with how they've turned out (especially the Argyraspides).

Inquisitor Dimmock (name pending) still needs a little work, adding extra trinkets, tokens, gewgaws and fetishes, so I will be rooting through my bits box before painting her.

 The Argyraspides

As I've said, I'm rather pleased with how he eventually turned out, using an old plastic Goliath that I was donated by a friend.

Quayle

Quayle was actually made for a different project idea I had several months ago, but was discarded. I'm really looking forward to trying out some new painting techniques on him, more specifically, painting his blades to look like pink/yellow coral.

Holy Arborists of the Orders Botanicae

I was drawn to the idea of including a couple of bizarre lumberjack-warrior monks. Indeed there is a rather nice quote in which the term 'lumberjack' is first used:

"my misfortunes have been brought upon me chiefly by an incorrigible, though perhaps useful, race of mortals called LUMBERJACKS, whom, however, I would name the Cossack's of Upper Canada, who, having been reared among the oaks and pines of the wild forest, have never been subjected to the salutary restraint of laws."

Anyway, looking forward to getting these guys painted and maybe even get a game in (if I'm lucky)!

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John Blanche's Pyratii of the Voodoo Forest

John Blanche has been busy working on some world building of his own devising, wholly separate from anything GW related. Some of you may have heard talks of the Voodoo Forest; on here, on personal sites such as Iron Sleet who work (and have worked) closely with Mr Blanche on numerous projects in the past, which started somewhat with this first artwork piece:

The Voodoo forest is a vast malignant woodland of twisted trees seemingly without boarder and within its darkened boughs and mangled roots dwell the most harrowing and unwholesome of creatures only conjured in the most macabre of nightmares. Only the very desperate, insane or those aligned in unnatural pacts with its denizens dare to make the perilous journey through the Voodoo Forest by foot.

Many choose to pay the, often exorbitant, fees for the relative safety of riding the aerial ley lines and trade winds on airships; baroque galleons constructed from sturdy lighter-than-air woods. This choice, however, is not entirely without danger; for trading vessels and passenger ships are not the only ones to sail the skies....

The dread pyratii often prey upon these ships, as selachii prey upon shoals of wyrdfische, the scarred and blackened hulls of their ships plunging forth without warning from cloud cover to descend upon the unwary and ill-prepared. Some are unscrupulous reavers interested only in what they can pillage, others are quirky freebooters with their own peculiar set of codes and moral, but the most feared are those that revel in the thrill of the hunt and the sport of bloodshed.....

Lately, Mr Blanche has been producing individual pieces based upon well-known naval personnel from both classical literature and historical reference transposed to his setting in the Voodoo Forest.

There has also been a lot of discussion regarding the limited release range of the Femme Militants recently, their classic Blanchesque visuals and how they might tie into the imagery of the Pyratii of the Voodoo Forest. So I was challenged (in a round about way) to build a 40mm scale pyrato of the Voodoo Forest and I made a start a day ago:

Please keep an eye on the horizon.....

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The Angry Beefcake

As promised, finally, one of my miniatures gets a lick of paint! I can only apologise for the poor quality of photographing and of the painting in general. The Angry Beefcake is based upon the sublime John Blanche piece which I think was entitled 'The Bloodied Lords'.

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INQ28 - Oldhammer style!

Sometimes, when you're searching through your lead bits box (that one that has been around for about two decades now), you find those little diamonds that you completely forgot about and aren't entirely certain when it was you acquired them.

Anyway, some of you may have noticed that I've been building the world of Glebe IV with a view for something playable in the future, so when I found this little diamond, things instantly clicked around a new (more militant) warband.

Photo courtesy of Solegends

So, I discovered that this little diamond is a rather old Aly Morrison sculpt from the Citadel Miniatures AD&D range. Obviously she has a very 'classic witch hunter' look to her, so she is destined for the Ordo Hereticus. I planned to change her 'stop in the name of love' right hand/arm so that she is hold a pistol of some sort (to properly tie her into the 41st Millennium). The only unfortunate thing is that she is at 25mm rather than 28mm, meaning she is a tad on the small side, so I will probably put her on a base elevated with some kind of scenery. Actually, her petite-ness puts me in mind of John Blanche's very own Hilgardius.

Photo courtesy of Iron Sleet

Now I must figure out what sort of weapon to give my female Solomon Kane!

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Sculpting the Mona Lisa's Face

Okay, so my next project is pretty darn challenging: a miniature based on this most classic John Blanche piece of artwork.

Wish me luck!

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Outgard - Barquentine, The Luddite-General of Lindisfarne

It has been far too long since I made regular posts, which is a pity because I've got two entries for RYR (Grime Lights) awaiting photos, along with two fantasy based projects and something of a Grime Lights prequel warband waiting in the wings!

Anyway, on Ammobunker right now, a group of phenomenal Scandinavian modellers have been working on something called Outgard, an INQ28 project aiming for a really low-tech medieval setting in the gothic majesty of the 41st Millennium. I've not been invited to participate, but it doesn't stop the creative juices flowing and idle hands are the Devil's playthings.....

Barquentine, The Luddite-General of Lindisfarne

Stories of the Luddite-Templars of Lindisfarne are told in whispers over guttering fires in the night. For their spies are everywhere, hunting down blasphemous wytchtech before summoning the true might of the Templar army to ensure its disposal.

The fortress-city on the large island of Lindisfarne, on the northern coast of Überwald, is considered (by its inhabitants at least) to be the last safe and free city on Outgard, providing you adhere to its strict ascetic laws laid down by the city's founder, Saint Edvard Ludd (who was in fact one of the last Imperial Fist astartes to die on Outgard before the 'Great Exodus' nearly ten thousand years ago).

Barquentine has served as general to the Luddite-Templars now for nearly two decades, but as age and severe old war-wounds have weakened his body, he has adopted the role of Spymaster, allowing the young, but firebrand Joan D'arquebus to take up his mantle.

Obviously, Barquentine is based on the wonderfully sublime John Blanche sketch below.

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Grime Lights - Astropath Wulan Juni

I actually finished her nearly two weeks ago, but have only just got around to photographing her. The theme this month was 'half and half' and immediately I leapt on the idea of making an astropath as they are typically thought of as walking in both the material and immaterial world, living a half-existence in either realm.

 

To be honest, when it came to visualising her, I instantly hit a brick wall and it wasn't until I was thumbing through The Emperor's Will, that I came across an almost hidden piece of artwork that was to serve as inspiration. Aside from the head, which I deliberately and shamelessly stole from the Borg Queen, I endeavoured to remain true to the image.

 

 

 

 

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Confrontation - Spyrers

The first White Dwarf I ever bought was numbered 190, the edition that saw the first release of Necromunda. Even in those pages they mentioned the previous prototype Confrontation which later became the template for Inquisitor six years later. Confrontation seems to have its fanbase amongst the INQ28 community, possibly because of the level of freedom of design it gives you as opposed to Necromunda (but who doesn't love muscled himbos who look like they've been ripped straight out of Streets of Rage?).

Anyway, back in 2013, I was lucky enough to discover the Confrontation project done by the Spiky Rats (and the subsequent battle report posted on Opus Maius) and I was inspired by the sheer majesty and madness of the whole endeavour. I started to design my own spyrer warband because I really didn't like the originals as they were far too colourful and manga-esque to deserve the flavour fluff of feared daemons stalking the shadows of the underhive.

I pulled inspiration from the bio-suits that the Engineers wear in Prometheus and decided to go Gigeresque with my design. The first one I started with was the Malcador mostly because it seemed the easiest, especially with the arms from the Dark Eldar Wracks set with the hand scythes. After the Malcador, I set the whole project on the back burner until about a month ago. The Orrus was inspired by John Blanche's illustration and the Jakara went through one design remake before I was happy. The Yeld, however, was the trickiest to nail down and I'm still not sure it's right, I think the wings are a little too organic looking and I may change them before painting.

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Pilgrym - Magistrate Danforth

Magistrate Danforth is the leader of my Pilgrym warband and I've already written a little piece of fiction earlier. The only thing missing from this photo is his little servo-lamp (seen in the sneak peek group shot). The model is based on John Blanche's amazingly quirky piece of art.

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Pilgrym - Judge Hathorne

Whatever you do, avoid this man at all costs. He's ruthless and dogged in his pursuit of the law. And he has this sociopathic stare that bores right through you. They say he's even made Inquisitors cower. He's memorised the Book of Law from cover to cover so he knows exactly what to charge you with and he's not afraid to prosecute, whoever you are; highborn or dirt-scum. That he stays on Terra should tell you something about the state of this planet.

Baldwin Galligaskins, third heir to House Galligaskins 

Sentenced to lifetime incarceration for delinquency and doryphorism

 

 

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Moonface - The Sign of Hell's Winter

This was the last miniature I finished in 2015 sometime in the summer before I took a break to manage my ill health. Naturally he is based upon the eponymous figure that has appeared in a number of John Blanche art pieces, but more specifically this one;

Moonface has been seen throughout the Imperium of Man at numerous points in time and every sighting has been at the height of calamitous misfortune. When and how Iacomus co-opted Moonface to his cause is unknown, but what cannot be denied is that the corrupted warp-dabbler now has a powerful ally by his side.

 

 

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Iacomus Moribund

We're almost at the end of my back catalogue and in March of 2015, I embarked on a new warband project. I wanted this one to have a more heretical bent than Odesskr's warband and to be something of a rival. I also wanted this one to be steeped in mysticism and warp dabbling, with grotesque and abjection being bywords for their look. Iacomus himself has roots in a lot of John Blanche 40k artwork, with a sorcerous background inspired by an old INQ54 character a friend of mine made a long time ago.

Little is known of Iacomus Moribund's origins and indeed his name first crops up within the last decade on an Arbitrator custody file mere days before the precinct and all staff were obliterated in a freak localised warp event. Some rumours say that he was once in the employ of the Ordo Malleus, others that he was a lowly Administratum clerk who became dangerously knowledgeable in forbidden lore. Hushed whispers speak that he is recruiting a small army that will unlock the seals of some unutterable astrological machine with the potential to wake 'old gods'.

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Ganger Zonya 'Redd' Kalashnikov

Truthfully, this version of Zonya looks nothing like her 54mm counterpart (who very much looks like the John Blanche painting she was based on), but at that time in 2014, I was still a little unsure about my abilities to sculpt in 28mm, so I approached her cautiously. I may end up remaking her entirely someday now I am a little more confident.

 

 

Zonya 'Redd' Kalashnikov was one of the downtrodden denizen-scum of Necromunda when she first crossed paths with Svetlana. Originally she ran with the notorious spook-cartel gang Pandemonium Riot before striking it out alone as a gun for hire. Svetlana was hiding incognito on Necromunda following the failed Lighthouse Stratagem when Zonya found her eking out a meagre existence as though punishing herself in an act of atonement. Zonya and her newfound comrade in arms began a joint venture as huntresses for hire, all the while growing closer together as an amorous couple. When Sister Rebekah and Interrogator Klondike had final tracked down the whereabouts of Inquisitrix Odesskr and implored her to return to her duty, Zonya followed her beloved to the stars without a single thought.

 

  

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Grime Lights - Exemplar Tsuki Shōgatsu Part 2

Okay, so it's been about a fortnight and she is finally finished (well, painting not withstanding). I cannot say that she hasn't been a pain at times; her hair for example took me a couple of tries (and lots of squinting at the John Blanche sketch she is based off) before I was satisfied I got it right.

Sadly she won't be painted before January ends because I need her in her nude form for something afterwards, but I will get around to painting her up during February.

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Tsuki Shōgatsu has served as Exemplar under her mistress, Lady-Inquisitrix Mejila Osu, for half a decade now, having operated for another three previously as a capable agent. Exemplar Tsuki Shōgatsu epitomises the notion as 'first amongst equals' in holding her unusual title, as an Exemplar is not a rank of Inquisition acolyte, but rather is considered to be utterly trusted to lead a cell without direct supervision. Typically, Exemplars maintain a coterie of Inquisition agents as something akin to a head of household, ensuring their readiness for when their master or mistress may need them. Occasionally this can also mean leading them into the field directly to ensure the cell operates with flawless synchronicity.

Recently Tsuki Shōgatsu and her team has been sent on a mysterious investigation into the assassinations of an entire cabal of Inquisitors....

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I do intend to write some more fiction-bites as things progress, focussing on Tsuki Shōgatsu, her team and their investigation.

 

 

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