Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The Pilgrym: Bronwen vox-owl

Burn the Witch.
While I am still hard at work creating more members for the Church of the Red Athenæum, I realized that I never posted any finished pictures of Roland's owl companion, Bronwen.  I painted Bronwen to look like a Great Horned Owl due to his pronounced ears/horns.  What do you think?



I painted his bionic eyes a deep red to contrast with the sharp, sickly yellow of his biological one.


I spent a lot of time trying to create a smooth transition between the dull brown of the tree and the dusty pallor of the skull on the skull tree, trying to make the viewer question its biology and nature of existence.


I painted the post and flagstones in muted, faded colors, trying to impart a sense of desperation and the passage of centuries.

- Adam Wier

13 comments:

  1. Model of the year -- and I'm only half-joking! The combination of the brilliantly augmeticised owl and the stylish base really makes for a striking playing piece. And the paintjob seals the deal. I've had that same owl bit in my bitzbox for ages, saving it for something special. Now I can basically throw it away, I fear, as this model has set the bar incredibly high when it comes to owl-based conversions.

    A triumph! :)

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    1. Wow! Thank you for such high praise! When the idea struck me to augment the owl, I was uncertain of how best to achieve the conversion, and even less sure of what to do with the base. Spending a little time looking through bits allowed me to find the post from the frame of the Corpse Cart, however, and things started to fall into place. I am pretty happy with how he turned out, particularly because of how different it is from other 40k models, yet still has a place within the dark universe. Looking back, I think basing the owl by itself, rather than with another model, was important for achieving the strong narrative/vignette.

      Oh, and owl-based conversions are still possible in your future! If anyone could do something unique and captivating, I would bet my money on you. Don’t force it though; something will come to you when the time is right.

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  2. Replies
    1. Thank you! I am quite enamored by the feathered chap too.

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  3. Quite nice work, not only on the painting, but the base composition. Could work as terrain or as a figure, which is rare, and handy.

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    1. Thanks! Coming up with the base was the hardest aspect of the model. I experimented with attaching him to other character models, but it always seemed off, and somewhat cluttered. By basing him by himself, this issue was solved, and it allowed the focus to be placed back on the mechanized owl. :)

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  4. Absolutely stunning! Beautiful composition and beautifully painted!

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    1. I am glad you like Bronwen as much as I do! He is the most unlikely agent of the Holy Ordos ever ;)

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  5. When it was a subject on being an add-on for Roland or being on a separate base I'm really glad you choose the latter. As the others already have pointed out it achieves the balance of being both terrain and a character. It really does offer a lot of fun options because I'd imagine in-game you'd quickly dismiss the owl due to other more obvious threats.

    Brilliant.

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    1. Yeah, I am really happy we eventually decided to keep Bronwen by himself. Such a small creature, with the ability to fly should offer unique opportunities for us in terms of gameplay!

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  6. Awesome. I love the contrast between the whole being a relatively large (but spindly) model, but the actual character focus being such a small detail of it. It's really quite ingenious. And well done, of course.

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    1. Thanks! You are right it is quite an interesting composition, quite large in some regards, yet the focal point is so small. The owl almost blends in with the surroundings, seeming very natural in his surroundings, despite his higher calling by the Ordos.

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  7. I missed this when you first posted it, Eric. It looks great, excellent bionics on the owl!

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