Anthonicus' Circle Oroboros

[PG_Murch]

Simply love the shading on the Blood trackers. The re-sculpt on both the Stalker and especially the Feral are amazing. Keep up the fantastic work!

[BENDER]

Thanks Anthonicus!

[WintersChill]

Great work on the stalker. Have you by chance doen a re-pose for Megalith? I would be interested in seeing what you do with him.

[anthonicus]

@OtherworldOdd: Lots of pins my friend, lots of pins! :P
@Gannon, Lurch, and Murch: Thanks for the kind words fellas! I'll do my best to update as regularly as I can!
@Bender: No worries! Feel free to ask on the thread or PM me if you have any questions regarding converting these beasts

Great work on the stalker. Have you by chance doen a re-pose for Megalith? I would be interested in seeing what you do with him.

HA...funny you ask. I actually did re-pose Megalith. This time I went from a dynamic pose to a more static pose :P I thought Mega's original pose made him look a bit too limber, not like he's a wold made of stone. So I sought to re-pose Mega using the art in the Circle book as inspiration. This is what I have...i like that he looks more like a lumbering hulk...


So what I did was:
- chopped off Mega's neck, which is an easy way to make his collar look much larger, like in his art.
- cut his shoulders from his arms
- cut his right forearm from his arm
- cut his torso from his hips
- cut his legs at his knees

[WintersChill]

I approve of that Megalith. Great work. It is definitely an interesting direction to go, since most re-poses I have seen have gone towards more dynamic. But, as you point out, he is a giant monster made of rocks, so he shouldn't be too nimbly.

[Woldwrath]

This is how I want my Megalith to look, THANKS! I think with him, basing work will be what makes him pop.

[desertwarlock]

Thanks man! that means a lot, your stuff is pretty nice too! Your druidic stones look really cool. What kind of clay did you put on the styrofoam? did you mix the clay with water to make it a paste/liquid first and then painted it on the foam?

I put the clay on in as thin a layer as I could, right out of the bag/box, then used a little bit of water but just enough to help spread it over the foam. I let it dry for about two days before spray sealing it and then painted it.

[anthonicus]

I approve of that Megalith. Great work. It is definitely an interesting direction to go, since most re-poses I have seen have gone towards more dynamic. But, as you point out, he is a giant monster made of rocks, so he shouldn't be too nimbly.

Thanks man, since all the PP art is so awesome and characterful I try to use the art to inspire conversions and painting as much as possible.

This is how I want my Megalith to look, THANKS! I think with him, basing work will be what makes him pop.

Yep! glad to help give you ideas of how to make your own Megalith, be sure to post some pictures! And you're right on about the basing...I think i may model some vines stretching out from his legs to represent undergrowth...

I put the clay on in as thin a layer as I could, right out of the bag/box, then used a little bit of water but just enough to help spread it over the foam. I let it dry for about two days before spray sealing it and then painted it.

Hmmm cool...i just may try that out...thanks for the suggestion!

[PG_somnicide]

Looking good! I love the choice you made with megalith. I can't wait to see the counterpoint between the resculpted feral and the megalith when they are on the table together.

[anthonicus]

Looking good! I love the choice you made with megalith. I can't wait to see the counterpoint between the resculpted feral and the megalith when they are on the table together.

Thanks Som! the feral may not see the table...ever... :P the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking of converting it into a Ghetorix!

Heres a mini update...

I managed to finish sculpting the stalker over thanksgiving in a cabin in the local mountains...


and here are some better pictures of a tracker and gorax...

The white balance was off on the other picture...its actually more grey and less brown


and the lil lady...

[Avragehuman]

Your re-sculpting is some of the best I've seen in a while, well done. Your painting is beautiful and your blending is really damn good, their is nothing I can say to improve, you're better then I. I tend not to find flaw with the ones that are better then me. I love the theme and the execution of the color. Hope to see more up soon

[redmanphill]

Really awesome work on the circle stuff here. I will be using it for some inspiration. Megalith looks especially nice and I guess he is a lot easier to transport like that?

[anthonicus]

Your re-sculpting is some of the best I've seen in a while, well done. Your painting is beautiful and your blending is really damn good, their is nothing I can say to improve, you're better then I. I tend not to find flaw with the ones that are better then me. I love the theme and the execution of the color. Hope to see more up soon

Thanks Avrage! I have a long ways to improve for sure :P hopefully you'll be able to see the process through this blog!

Really awesome work on the circle stuff here. I will be using it for some inspiration. Megalith looks especially nice and I guess he is a lot easier to transport like that?

Glad to be an inspiration! I hadnt thought of Mega and his transportation issues before i converted him but now to think about it I'm sure he fits in foam better

Next up...2 darker skinned bloodtrackers with maroon hair and a wilder painted up to look like Storm...and then the Stalker get a coat of paint! (:

[DrDugong]

Fantastic re-sculpting of the Feral and Stalker. I just started Hordes (with Circle) a few weeks ago. I have lost two drill bits and a bit of flesh to the Feral Warpwolf, and he's only half assembled. Your work is amazing.

I also like the blue hair on the bloodtrackers. It's not too vibrant, and it breaks up the browny-greeny colours that Circle can fall into.

Looking forward to the Stalker when it's finished.

[Warcaster Feiss]

Thanks Som! the feral may not see the table...ever... :P the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking of converting it into a Ghetorix!

Please, for the love of all that is holy, please don't convert that Feral into Ghetorix. That's far and away the most beautiful Feral resculpt I've seen in a LONG time!

[PaintVagrant]

Beautiful conversions, im going to probably do something similar to my stalker because i love yours so much. Keep up the good work!

[anthonicus]

Hokay so...here is a small update. Mohsar is nearing completion...seeing if there are any comments or critiques that I can address before I start on his base...
I've tried to adhere to the zenithal lighting technique and made the lights brighter in the upper parts of the mini. I highlighted up the runes on his cloak a bit more to make it pop more. so yea...any comments are welcome!


click on the image for a bigger picture, you can also zoom in on the dakka page

[anthonicus]

I also like the blue hair on the bloodtrackers. It's not too vibrant, and it breaks up the browny-greeny colours that Circle can fall into.

Hmm yea thats a good point...i was going to do some green...but I already have too much green...sooo maybe ill go for purple, maroon, and turquoise

Please, for the love of all that is holy, please don't convert that Feral into Ghetorix. That's far and away the most beautiful Feral resculpt I've seen in a LONG time!

O_O but...the feral sucks!!! :P well i guess i may use a feral in a eKaya list or something. Just sad to have the sculpt not see much action

Beautiful conversions, im going to probably do something similar to my stalker because i love yours so much. Keep up the good work!

thanks man! i'd love to see some pictures of your version of the stalker too!

[PBartholdy]

I think the reposing you did on your feral and stalker is quite cool. I like the more dynamic poses that you did with them, and there's always the satisfaction in personalizing your minis.
there is room for some improvement on the anatomy however. I would recommend that you take a look at various bodybuilding pictures to get some hints on how the muscles should be shaped, and how they interlace. That's what I did when I sculpted my Gorax and my Stalker. If you get more realism into your sculpting, you could really make them look awesome. You're already very good, and your sculpting looks very smooth, so the extra realism would really make them great!

[anthonicus]

there is room for some improvement on the anatomy however. I would recommend that you take a look at various bodybuilding pictures to get some hints on how the muscles should be shaped, and how they interlace. That's what I did when I sculpted my Gorax and my Stalker. If you get more realism into your sculpting, you could really make them look awesome. You're already very good, and your sculpting looks very smooth, so the extra realism would really make them great!

Thanks for your comments PBart! I've seen your stuff and its all really cool. I have yet to do a complete resculpt, its a bit intimidating haha. I hear ya about using references...I use this book called Anatomy for the artist by Sarah Simblet. Its cool because they have pictures of people in difference poses and drawings of the underlying musculature and skeletal structure. I followed it more closely on the feral but took some liberties on the stalker haha. So yea I agree about the lack of realism on the stalker and can likely also improve on the feral since it was my first big resculpt :P I may go back and shave down some of the extra muscles on the stalker haha...

I've been really busy lately with my dissertation and hope to give another update on my progess on two more trackers and a wilder later this week.

[anthonicus]

Alrighty...took a bit of a break from painting but I'm about to get back into the swing of things. First up what I've been up to...I recently finished up some commission work for Will Pagani aka Skilt...pics below...

Sketch mock ups of two guardian poses...


Guardian 1 lunging


Guardian 2 with a left hook

[anthonicus]

And heres a Megalith I converted for Will.


He seems to be walked a bit faster than mine :P the pose is a bit more off balance which makes it a bit more dynamic

Here's my Megalith walked over a rock with some Undergrowth action happening.



hopefully the next update will include some painted miniatures :P

[Dawnlord]

Awesome love the Guardians, Megalith looks great too!

[menothswrath]

Hmm yea thats a good point...i was going to do some green...but I already have too much green...sooo maybe ill go for purple, maroon, and turquoise


O_O but...the feral sucks!!! :P well i guess i may use a feral in a eKaya list or something. Just sad to have the sculpt not see much action


thanks man! i'd love to see some pictures of your version of the stalker too!

You can still throw w/ the Feral if you're concerned about getting more milage outta him. XP



Back to the blog: These are amazing sculpts and paintings! I can only hope to reach about half your skill someday. XS

[anthonicus]

So yeah, I entered mohsar into the single mini category, megalith into the large mini category, and a group of the tracker girlies into the group category at LnL 2012. I managed to come away with mohsar in gold, megalith in silver, and the girlies in bronze. I had already posted the pics in my other LnL2012 masters painting thread but I wanted to post them here again just for completeness sake. So here's mohsar and mega. I'll post of picture of the girlies tomorrow probably.




And as always I value your constructive critiques!

[The Antipope]

Really wonderful work. The resculpt on the beasts is particularly worthy of note. As was pointed out to you at the competition, I think the shadows on Mohsar are a little too harsh, with too much black in the recesses and also as was pointed out, the face needs more definition, but really just minor niggles. Look to the previous infantry models you painted where your shadows and highlights are, IMO, perfectly balanced.

Also, and this is just me, I'm not a fan of the 'tree' on Mohsars base. It doesn't look like a tree, it looks like what it is, a twig. But I found I feel this 9 times out of 10 when someone tried it and it's just a personal niggle. It looks OK, I can see what you were trying, but I don't think it scales well.

Regardless, thank you for sharing your beautiful work.

[anthonicus]

Thanks mr Antipope! Funny, as you pointed out my original style tends to be less contrasty but I was trying to achieve that style from the advice from other painters. Now that I've gone down one extreme I'll have to pull back a bit and go back to using colors to shade.

How do you think I can add more definition to Mohsar's face? More highlight on his nose/cheekbones?

[The Antipope]

The 'Mr' is really not necessary, just THE Antipope will do. Could we see a close up of the face? Right now, and maybe that's part of the fault of the sculpt, or maybe the distance, it just looks like a blob. I don't mean your painting looks like a blob, rather what i can see does.

Ha, I don't mean to be a tool when I say that. I just can't see it.

[anthonicus]

haha ok I'll add a close up of Mohsar's face to the list of pics to take after the girlies. I actually like the face sculpt...he is a cranky old man scowling at the kiddies at the crazy tharn party next door. Can you see it? haha...

[The Antipope]

Aye, I can imagine that. Grumbling into his hood. Look forward to the pic.

[Gladius]

Those are some pretty fantastic models. Congratulations on the awards!

[Blue Claw]

How are you going to stack all those pillars of salt on top of each other :P

[anthonicus]

@Gladius: Thanks buddy!

@Big Claw: Hmmm...very carefully? :P good point though...i guess i give the tops a bit of a trim

@THEantipope: Ask and ye shall receive...

So here is a cropped blown up version of the same photo. I tried to give Mohsar's face some definition by adding shadows to give him a gaunt cranky look. I added glazes of red to give his skin some life so he doesnt look like a toy. I highlighted his nose the brightest because ancient old ppl have big noses right? O_O Added highlights to accentuate the bags under his eyes. Glazed extra red along his mouth to accentuate his sneer. Now do you see it or does it still look like a blob >_< his face is SOOOOO small....

Here are the girlies that won bronze:

These girlies were a quick job about eh my high table top quality. The blending isn't the smoothest and some details were left out like I couldnt figure out how to do their eyes lol. Maybe I should have painted their eyes darker so it looks like they were shadowed...oh well.

[The Antipope]

First, nice girlies. They are super.

Now, face. It's a difficult one because the model has so little face as much of it falls underneath the cowl, but I can see why your esteemed advisors told you to look at it. Could be the angle on this one but there is a dark line that begins below his nose on the left cheek and seems to run down all the way over the lip. I'd be tempted to assume this was part of the sculpt but the line doesnt run as far down on the other side and it's weird that it would carry onto the lip.

Also, same side of the face on the cheek is a little round area of darkness where it looks like a glaze has pooled.

Finally, and I don't know what you can do, there is an expensive area between his chin and robe of just dark brown and it 'cut's off' the lower half of his chin. But I think that's the sculpt.

Close up though it does look better and consider even the greatest mini's looked at under this conditions will have flaws revealed.

[anthonicus]

First off Antipope, thanks for your critiques...this is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for!

So I turned the mini over and the line of the left side of his face is a part of the sculpt and it ends up in the corner of his mouth so from this angle it looks like it goes over his lip. I can probably darken the line of his mouth a bit to get rid of the illusion that his cheek is running over his lip. -_- that dark pool on his cheek is a bag under his eye also modeled onto the mini! So I highlighted the top part of it so that it would look like an eye bag...I apparently didnt do a good job haha. The dark brown area under his chin has some material there. Before I had it flesh colored but then it looked weird next to his scarf. Maybe I could have made that area a little lighter to make it look like his chin is not as recessed. His face was EXTREMELY hard to paint... :P His face is soooo freaking small lol. To get a sense of the scale his hand is the same size if not bigger than his face!!

Yeah I think I'll ask Matt again what he had in mind when he mentioned Mohsar's face needing work.

[Seventhprophet]

On Moshar: The blending on the osl is outstanding. I think that you paid a lot more attention on the blending there than in some shading areas though. Maybe because the bright green stood out more, maybe because it was tougher to blend so it got more attention, but I would take more time on the whites of the wrist wraps. (it's actually tough to come up with critisim here, this is better than anything I can paint)

[MrMiyagi]

Very clever glow on the fists of the wold-dude. Great stuff.

[The Antipope]

I can see from the pics it's a hard face to capture...ANY face like that is. I don't like some of PPs sculpts but I feel the expressive faces on many of their mini's are one of their highpoints. The close up does allow me to see what is what on the face at any rate.

Don't get the wrong idea by the way, it's a fantastic job. I think anyone would struggle with a face like that because so much of it is hidden or recessed.

[jmswillow75]

You can tell some time was spent on the osl. The base is awesome. Another reason pp is awesome that this style of painting wins out over nuclear edge highlighting. Congrats on winning with an awesome model.

[anthonicus]

@seventheprophet/jmswillow: I did take more time to make sure the blending on the OSL was smooth and without major flaws. Good point about the arm wrappings...I think I can make them more brown, the color transitions where may have been a bit too abrupt. Thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it!

@MrMiyagi: Thanks I'm was trying to do something a little different from what has been done and also tried to push my own painting ability to try to achieve a swirly crystal ball feel.

@theAntipope: No for sure, I hear ya and your critiques. I looked at the studio mohsar paint job again and the face itself actually looks very different. Mine face looks much more gaunt and smaller I think due to the deep shadows on the face. Hmm crazy how a paint job can do that...

My next post will probably be some wold stalkers and stones that I'll try to finish up today or tomorrrow.