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Sunday, October 28, 2018

Great Basilisk

And I'm finally back to the basilisk. Like I said in the WIP post already, here I am going with monsters that are in no way usable in my army, but they fit the theme. Perhaps I will find some use for them later! Here I am starting with a basilisk - a GW cockatrice converted a bit to resemble a rooster a bit more.

When it came to painting, I also decided to reference roosters - the idea was to make it really just a giant snake-chicken with crazy eyes. That's how I chose the colors for the feathers, beak, face and the mane. The snake parts were then painted to resemble a viper commonly found in Poland, with a characteristic zigzaging pattern. When it came to wings and skin I had to think of something - so I referenced the colors I already used and made an organic pattern to make it a tad more interesting.

It was nice to paint a well-sized monster like this, not too small and not too big - but damn I don't like painting wings!


If asked about a basilisk, most Varsavians will tell you that it’s a snake-rooster about the size of a housecat, whose famous petrifying gaze will cause only slight numbness at worst. It’s a rather common pest. Only an unfortunate minority will tell you about a giant monster capable of easily tearing an armored man to pieces and easily petrifying anyone for long enough to be hauled back to the nest to be devoured. That is the Great Basilisk, a scourge that has been terrorizing Varsavia for many, many years. Wise men tried to deduce how it came to life - some say a beast like that is born once every 100 years from an egg laid by a rooster, while others say it’s just a chaotic mutation of a normal basilisk. No matter what’s its origin, this basilisk just appears from time to time to wreak havoc around the countryside, attracting foolish heroes to die while trying to kill it. Even those trying to turn its own gaze against it with mirrors discovered that the beast is simply immune to its own powers and can still use its beak and claws to tear and rend. Until someone manages to kill it once and for all, both villagers and armies marching through Varsavia have to factor in the possibility of a great basilisk attack.

Painted, converted Cockatrice miniature for Warhammer, made to resemble a Basilisk more. It has big, petryfying eyes and a rooster's crest. It is standing on its tail, with clawed feet extended forward.

19 comments:

  1. Impressive! The original model is a total mess, but with some converting and this beautiful paintjob you managed to turn it into a proper cockatrice.

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  2. Nie no pojechałeś po bandzie! Rozumiem, że to jest model na FKB :D

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    1. Dzięki! No właśnie miałem pisać komentarz u Ciebie, żeby potwierdzić jego uczestnictwo w FKB ;)

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    2. A może poprowadzisz listopadową edycję?
      Jakoś ostatnio ciężko z chętnymi :/

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    3. Niestety, jestem wyjątkowo kiepski z wymyślaniem tematów, a poza tym mój blog jest po angielsku i wolałbym nie przełamywać tego systemu i robić przerywników po polsku. Ale widziałem, że Ty się przyznałeś do posiadania jeszcze kilku pomysłów na FKB ;)

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    4. W dobie netu każdy może sobie wrzucić tekst do translatora :D

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  3. W sumie to mógłbym napisać to samo co Ana. :)

    Świetna robota!

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  4. That really is awesome. I love the way you've got such a range of colours on the skin but kept it looking natural and organic.

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  5. Bardzo mi się podoba kolorystyka. Odważna i pozornie chaotyczna, ale jednak przemyślana i bez pstrokacizny. Świetna praca.

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    1. Wielkie dzięki za komentarz, doceniam! Zwłaszcza, że uważam moje malowanie tutaj za bardziej stonowane niż odważne, szczególnie w porównaniu z innymi przykładami z internetu - ciekawie przeczytać inną opinię :)

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  6. You have such a lovely theme running through your work! Thank you for sharing your hobby work with us!

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    1. As long as there are people to watch I am more than happy to share and post! Thank you for you comment ;)

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  7. That's an awesome mini and a fantastic paint job. Makes me miss painting terribly.

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  8. Perfect. It's got the ideal blend of reality and fantasy, monstrosity and weirdness.

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