Saturday 12 November 2016

Colleges of Colour magic: Jade Wizard


During my last visit to the Foundry, I was lucky enough to pick up the Time Warped Wizards set and painted up two of the Russian looking models for the City of the Lead project. Now, I have switched my plans around and opted to go with Skaven (and more on that project in another post) but I was keen to press on with painting up the rest of the figures in that set. 

Being a fan of a project with an over-riding theme, I decided to paint a figure for each of the Colleges of Colour Magic mentioned in two articles published in '80s White Dwarf. Here are the articles if you are unfamiliar with them. 


Now having studied the Time Warped Wizards, there are several clues that lead me to thinking that some of the models may well have been designed with the Colour Magic background in mind (more of those ideas in a later post) though the models Foundry cast up in the summer come from a range of different periods. For example, the model I have just painted is very similar to the 1987 cleric range (or which a number of models saw large scale production) of which I have a number of examples.

Sorting through the seven wizardly models, this figure with his 'druidic' look and owl familiar looked perfect for a Jade Wizard. Always being a fan of old school Warahmmer fluff, I re-read the articles to uncover as much as I could about this particular college's place in Third Edition Warhammer.

I paraphrase thus:

A Jade Wizard has an almost symbiotic relationship with the seasons and the agricultural cycle. During the summer months, they are full of energy and enthusiasm as the natural world swells with the sun's warmth. As the year turns and the plants fade and die, so the Jade Wizard's power diminishes and they suffer from a reluctance to use their magical arts. It is no secret that Jade Wizards regularly sacrifice agricultural animals or crops to appease natural deities, though there are darker rumours of human sacrifice in gigantic wicker men - though few believe them possible.


With this background in mind, you will no doubt agree that this miniature is just a perfect choice to represent this college. The countryman's cudgel, the sturdy leather shoes and the druidic toga all fit this theme and it was quite simple to mix two different naturalistic greens for the wizard's clothing. Browns, oranages and purples are colours closely linked with the agricultural world outside my window, so I included them as spot colours here and there too.

I love him.

I have two further Colour wizards that need my attention on my bureau and hope to have finished them soon. Though, like many of my painting projects this one might just slip away into the ether unfinished and unmourned.

For now, I am just glad that another lovey Citadel miniature is painted and can be added to my collection. 

6 comments:

  1. A lovely model and a great project - one that I'm sure many of us have day dreamed about over the years but few have put into action. Thanks for the link to the WD article too. Interesting to see how the concepts behind the Colour Colleges subtly shift between 3rd and 4th Editions.

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    1. I find the articles in question really interesting - largely due to the Gary Chalk artwork. I do find it interesting that so much artwork was produced just for a WD article. It makes me wonder what the material was originally developed for!

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    2. Hmmm. Good point! I think you've hinted at a possible lost 3rd Ed Magic Supplement before haven't you? Or am I imagining that because it would be awesome?

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    3. There were a great many ideas and suggestions flying around the Design Studio back in the good old '80s. Sadly, few of them were ever realised but the little nuggets of information we can uncover about them are tantilising!

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  2. He looks grand. I love the details you brought out on his owl -- it really makes the owl pop!

    I'm such a curmudgeon, I have mixed feelings about the College of Magic scheme of things. It was a big part of games that I love (Advanced Heroquest and Man O'War) but it my mind, it is mainly associated with the new style of sculpting that GW adopted during the early 1990's: clunky, large accouterments, splayed postures. But, that's why I like this mini you've selected for your Jade Wizard. He is none of those things.

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    1. I am glad that you think so. Though none of the models from the TWW range are clunky, though the wood elf has some early '90s substance to him. This figure reminds me a great deal of the unreleased druid (from the same range) I painted up a while back - very similar in style and form only he is holding a frog.

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