It is a chill eve.
After the sun fell, this enthusiast finally found time and inclination to wander down to his workshop to complete today's figure. The walk is becoming second nature to me now. A magical stroll past the large frozen pond at the foot of my garden, our neighbour's Christmas lights twinkling in the darkness. Distant lights reflect from the frosty surface as the ice hardens and spreads.
Soon to be over.
The cold is interesting inside the workshop. It is almost too cold. By this I don't mean like a fridge or freezer. My workshop was long an abandoned place and on these chilly nights it seems to recall it's long period of silence. The small room is still and quiet most of the time with only the odd stray pigeon scratching across it's flat roof. The sound of their claws can be quiet unexpected and startling. Especially when in deep concentration.
Those footsteps remind me of the chittering hordes of Warhammer. The Ratmen. The Skaven. So it was just such a figure that I sought to complete tonight.
Skewer is another one of those 1985 sculpts from the initial range. So early, that the name 'Skaven' was yet to be coined. The tag reads 'Ratman'. And a rat-man he is. I always liked the subtlety of the skaven, and chaos, in the 1980s version of Warhammer. They were both secret forces working to destroy society from within, without and of course, in terms of the skaven, below. According to the fluff, these creatures didn't exist and were just tall tales to be spun on frosty nights.
Secrecy and denial played right into the hands of the skaven back then. The old lore was well conceived and dark. Unconcerned by social justice or virtue signaling.
I used pretty much the same methods and I did with Warpeye. Only instead of green I opted for a blood red shock when it came to the tattered clothing. This red was simple: Blood Red washed with Brown Ink, Highlighted with Hobgoblin Orange and Sunburst Yellow.
The shield uses the same colours to match the rest of the paintjob. I found this added some coherency. I also didn't have much space to work with for a classic freehand design so its just as series of lines. It seems to work, at least to me. I see it as a looted shield from some forgotten storeroom.
The skaven were supposed to be scavengers.
It grew late. Dark and cold. I took these three pictures before retiring to the warmth of the house. My workshop is a spooky place late at night. Those of you who enjoy the BBC podcast 'Uncanny' may have recently listened to the 'Priest Hole' episode. 1980s Warhammer plays a role in a terrifying tale of a teenager boy's encounter with a supernatural force.
Search it out if you haven't heard of it...
All alone in my workshop it is easy to imagine spectral powers at work. Did I really place that paint pot there? Did I really fold up the grey piece of card I use as a photographic background?
What are those scratching noises on the roof?
Is it the roof?
The walls then...
Orlygg
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