Sunday, 27 November 2016

CXI. Forest King

I present the conclusion of the WIP from my last post. The Forest King:

 
 


The Forest King is a spirit that dwells in Waywode Hunting Grounds. He was tamed long ago, along with the Wodewoses, by a Waywode ancestor. The King is bound to protect the Chapel and the woods. His death would have terrible consequences on the forest.

From the notebook.

INSPIRATION and REFERENCE

The idea for this character stems from Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. I watched it for the first time when I was a kid, and it left a deep impression on me.  In the film there is a creature called the Forest Spirit.


I wasn't going to recreate him in miniature, but to provide my own interpretation.


 Deer body, human-like face, grows plants where it steps.



For the head I wanted something like this; elflike, with sharp facial features and an outlandish skin colour. I don't know who the artist is, but I suspect it's by the late Wayne England. If anyone knows for sure please enlighten me so I can credit the image appropriately. 
*EDIT: yes, the elf head is Wayne England's work.


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31 comments:

  1. Modeliani27 November 2016 at 13:57

    It looks so great. The Mononoke reference mixed with the Wood Elves Symbol it extremely creative. The Wood Elves Codex from 1996 includes the Artists John Blanche, Wayne England, Mark Gibbons and Des Henley. In comparison I would say you're right. The Wood Elf Symbol was drawn by Wayne England.

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  2. Wilhelm27 November 2016 at 15:36

    Lovely model!
    How did you make the texture on the Kings neck, the long fur?

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    1. Ana Polanscak30 November 2016 at 21:47

      Thanks Wilhelm! The fuzzy neck was achieved by pasting a few layers of spongy flock with PVA. I use this one from Noch: LINK. I painted the flock afterwards along with the rest of the mini.

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    2. Wilhelm6 December 2016 at 18:26

      Nice, I might have to try that when making some more Beasmen!

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  3. Alexander27 November 2016 at 17:09

    He looks amazingly strange, a majestic fae for sure.

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  4. Watashi Taisho27 November 2016 at 19:05

    Wow... the idea of the Forest King is so charming... it remembers me all the folklore about faerie stags from Ireland and the Arthurian myth... Fantastic figure.

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  5. Viruk27 November 2016 at 20:27

    Very impressive work, I like the earthly tones you've used and the contrast with pale blue face makes the whole thing look eerie.

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  6. Zzzzzz27 November 2016 at 21:02

    Just found your blog. Wow. That's a whole load of great stuff.

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  7. Unknown27 November 2016 at 21:21

    Outstanding! One of your very best :)

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  8. Don Hans28 November 2016 at 19:07

    Ace work! /Hans

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  9. Michal DwarfCrypt28 November 2016 at 19:50

    Excellent work!
    best regards!

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  10. potsiat28 November 2016 at 20:25

    The spirit of both your sources of inspiration is truly vivid in the model - both Mononoke and the pale King of the Woods. Outstanding work :) Love sketches in the notebook as well.

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  11. krautscientist29 November 2016 at 15:22

    Another fantastic model, Ana! I immediately thought "grimdark Princess Mononoke" when I saw the first pictures, then felt very pleased with myself after scrolling down ;)

    The pale face is a fantastic focus point for the model, and the green grass where the Forest King's hooves touch the ground are a wonderful little touch -- that entire base is looking wonderfully natural, in fact.

    Also, even if I am really late for this, congratulations on the blog's recent anniversary!

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  12. Christian Schwager30 November 2016 at 09:50

    Wonderfully strange and creepy. :D
    Personally I find the contrast between the blue face and the rest a tad stark, but that might be due to the photos. Either way, it's a really great figure!
    I absolutely adore the sketch you did for it, though. :)

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    1. Ana Polanscak30 November 2016 at 22:12

      Thanks Christian! :)
      Because of the face the mini was difficult to photograph. There is actually some of the bluish colour on the front legs as well, near the hoofs - in order to tie the body with the face at least a bit. But unfortunately this was too subtle for my camera to capture.

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  13. Dai1 December 2016 at 00:54

    Nice to see your take on the Forest Spirit. And yes, definitely your own version - what a take!

    From the pose to the painting it really is a lovely piece. What kind of special/magical abilities are you planning to give it in-game?

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    1. Ana Polanscak5 December 2016 at 11:18

      Thanks! I'm not sure yet what exactly it will do in game.

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  14. Mark2 December 2016 at 20:26

    Your work is amazing, and I'm glad to have discovered you. :)

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  15. quidamcorvus3 December 2016 at 14:45

    Great work!

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