As part of my RPG group's growing penchant for miniature use (totally commendable of course
), our DM approached me one day, requesting me to deliver a huge troll, for half of the group to fight, as a sort of end-level-boss.
And because he had a very clear picture of what he wanted to see, I first had to source pictures off the net and scetch out some ideas, to see if my vision of the monster matched his.
I finally found this picture, which served as the main inspiration for my creation. Of course the scale is way off, but the idea of rocks assembling to form an anthromorphic figure appealed to me, as did the shape of the head. He wanted it slightly lopsided though, wanted a tree growing out of it somewhere, as well as a smaller troll growing out of its body. I finally added a small troll riding its shoulders though, as I didn't see the siamese twin look happening really... Also, I clearly wanted it to look like it had been asleep underground for decades, centuries or even millennia, with only its shoulders/back rising out of the ground, like a rocky outcrop.
So, with that settled, I set to work. First I needed a basis to work from, as building such a monster completely out of putty would be too (time)costly. I finally sourced a cheap 'Gormiti' action figure with an already rocky look to it (Half Elf Rogue for scale purposes only, just like the hapless Necromunda Juve in the following picture
):
I cut it apart (the silly head had to go of course) and glued the arms and legs back into a more menacing pose, stooping over a bit, because I wanted him to be massively hunchbacked.
To give him more mass, I used air-drying clay (DAS) to sculpt the larger additions to the torso and limbs, scribing the lines dividing the little pieces of rock, before the clay dried:
As he required even more mass though, I slowly built up his mass, by adding consecutive layers, especially effecting the lopsided look. The basis for the head was also done at this stage. It is that knobly thing on the front with all the little holes, which is more clay over a metal pin. I did this to ensure the ProCreate, which I would be using to sculpt the head around it, would have enough surface to cling to (and also to ensure I didn't have to exhaust my entire stock of the stuff for just this head).
I also added the dead tree on its back from a wire frame covered in Green Stuff:
Because the thicker parts of the clay dried at different speeds, a lucky occurance took place: the clay cracked in places, adding a very real rocky effect to the sculpt. And I wasn't even trying!
I've taken a leap here in the process, to spare you the boring details. The sculpting is done, including the head, I've added real rocks (read: gravel from the garden) and sand to the shape, sometimes even tacking them on haphazardly, to create this manshape-out-of-a-jumble-of-rocks look.
I've also added some dead leaves to the tree, mushrooms, fallen leaves, the skull of a hapless soldier, on what will become the part of the troll which had been above the surface, and a little troll friend, which is more of a fantasy version of Salacious Crumb than anything else... (note that here, he still has his sculpted sword in his right hand. I will later decide to give him an icicle to swing around. In the painted pics, you can see the hole I drilled to accomodate this).
Here, the entire figure has been undercoated a light brown (with a cheap acryilic spray paint, approaching GW's Vomit Brown in colour). The shiny spots are those I missed whilst spraying, and I had just touched those areas up with a brush (and actual Vomit Brown
)...
And then on to the (almost) completed product.
I initially wanted to add ice to his fists, with icicles hanging off them, snowy patches here and there, as that was what the GM explicitly requested. However, due to time restraints, I was only able to get him painted, without the added ice effects. That's why the little guy is still missing his club here...
As the figure got used immediately after (and performed horribly underwhelmingly, I fear to confess), it ended up in my miniatures cabinet, without ever getting properly finished as it should.
But I'm planning to do that some time soon. I will then add those pictures here of course.
So, without further ado, here he is, my 'Vampire: Dark Ages, Faery Winter Court Stone Troll 'Endl-level Boss' Antagonist':
PS: the last picture best approaches the actual colours of the paintjob; the first two completely washed out for some reason; I still suck with a camera...
03 July 2010, 03:36:33 PM