Well, with the end of the year in sight, winter spreading its wings all over the place (at least in the northern hemisphere), it seems apt to celebrate the dead, or even better, their living kind.
That must have been the thinking behind this all (or probably something better) when our esteemed Rab came up with his Deadcember idea following the success of orctober.
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| Illustration by Zhu |
Since I wanted to paint something for the occasion but had other painting commitments, I've opted for the easiest kind of model you can think of : a zombie.
Good thing is, the only metal zombie I owned was one of the best I could think of by Kev Adams. Everything looks right about that lad, the stance, the textures, the details.
Now since I last played frostgrave, I wanted to have an undead force for skirmish games but had no idea about any colour scheme or real composition. I think I'm going to build this force organically, by dding whichever model I find cool and we'll see where it leads us.
The photos might be a tad overexposed because the colour difference between the cloting and the rotten flesh is hard to see and easier to feel IRL, the flesh is also a bit more nuanced.
I honestly didn't spend much time on this guy, I primed him black, then gave a sub zenithal spray of grey and a zenithal one of white (I should have added a little drybrush of white at that point. The rest were just glazes and washes for a quick result,
In the end I rather like this simple and sinister colour scheme and I'll probably add him some friends once in a while when I pick some cool model (I have a few in mind).
Hopefully, this guy won't be the last I paint before the end of the year, I should have some more to come !
Truly a creepy looking zombie, his skull really jumps out at you (probably all the pressure from his decomposing brains). This is probably the best zombie ever, full of gruesome, visceral, eyeball popping details - and the crow chilling there, having a feed - just great! Well done mec :)
ReplyDeleteFell in love with that guy ages ago and he might be th efirst undead I've owned. Still love him and I'm happy to have him fully painted at last !
DeleteThe rapid painting style that you describe doesn't take from the finished product in the slightest. It suits it perfectly really.
ReplyDeleteOne-off my favourite old Citadel zombie models too. Very nice.
I'm eager to apply the recipe to a few other candidates I have in mind really.
DeleteThanks !
I love the bird eating on the walking zombie ! One thing still amazes me : your skin tones. This one is no exception. Veeeery nice !
ReplyDeleteAh cheers, this one is a glaze of Khemri brown over a zenithal prime followed by agrax, crimson carrobourgh, purple and blue washes here and there as I felt right.
DeleteHe's probably my favourite Kev zombie. You did a fine job on him too. He looks very much like he's been lying in a ditch for a few months. I can almost smell him.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I wanted to have something simple and realistic to some extent (credible at least) the rest will follow that path with perhaps some spot colours in due time.
DeleteAbsolute classic model, and another quality paint job! Is "The Outsider" a reference to the short story btw?
ReplyDeleteNice spot, a reference to the short story indeed !
DeleteThanks mate !
An excellent reference to make ;)
DeleteI've actually never seen this model before. It's very evocative. Your painting does it justice.
ReplyDeleteIt might be one of Kev's most popular zombie but you don't get to see that range that often on the other side. A real pity since It's absolutely gorgeous.
DeleteCheers !
He's such a characterful little sculpt, it has that jaggy complex thing that both Kev and Bob excelled at at the time. It's something that has been lost in the age of ultra-smooth hyper scuplting. A bit of texture goes a lone way.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you here, modern sculptors have yet to fully master the constraints of their tools like the old guard did.
DeleteI didn't know of this mini, and it's so cool! You made it stand out within the restricted palette, that's quite meritorious!
ReplyDeleteCheers amigo, everything's on the sculpt, it's taking your hand and helping you all the way, a real pleasure.
DeleteOne of my favourite zombies, I painted my version many years ago but look up enviously at the quality of yours. Looking forward to seeing a little band growing organically!
ReplyDeleteI have about 4-5 friends in mind for now, thee might be more in little time !
DeleteAny link to yours ?
Looks great! Those Kev Adams zombies are the best
ReplyDeleteYes, I didn't know they were so fun to paint, that might become a problem... ^^
DeleteBraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainz! Luv it!
ReplyDeleteThis guy looks, smells and probably feels like shit but everyone loves him !
Deletewicked :)
ReplyDeleteWicked is good.
DeleteI never realized that it was a crow on the zombie. The first shot seems to match the usual product shot and I could never figure it out (I thought maybe a feather or some terrible hairdo thing). It's so much cooler once you know it's a bird stealing a snack!
ReplyDeleteI think I fell in love with this one because of a Canadian guy in WD displaying th ebest Nurgle army I'd seen (Jake Vlemynx IIRC) and he had put this guy on top of his dreadnought.
DeleteA few friends and I were joking about the crow actually piloting the zombie by picking his brains.
Have always loved that fig. So much going on from Crow eating brains to his eye hanging out of it's socket.
ReplyDeleteGreat paint job - the colours are dank and grumpy, perfect for a zedhead.
Most evocative zombie of all in a way.just the right spot between jolly and grim.
DeleteCheers !
Seeing that the figure's colour scheme is very limited ... you did an AWESOME job!
ReplyDeleteThat was intentional, I'll try to keep that vibe going with the others.
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