Blood Bowl Nurgle Head Coach - WIP

As you could see with the Plague Doctor already, I couldn't leave my beloved Putrid Punters alone when other teams were getting staff members - so now I'm back with that topic, bringing you a WIP version of my properly massive Head Coach for those diseased and disgusting.

I had plans for this mini for a very long time now, but just about the only thing I was sure was using an ogre's body - the rest was being invented as I was going. This naturally proved to be problematic, as I was really unsure of several design alleys that I wandered into... Still, he is as he is - almost completely covered with greenstuff, becoming almost a humanoid version of my Rotspawn, especially with that big tentacle! To give him some Roman elements, tying with the loose theme of the team, he has a laurel on his cap and a piece of cloth vaguely reminiscing a toga. It's all only superficial because he's a 'modern' character just barely trying to fit in his ancient team somehow.

I can also admit that this is the first project (or a phase of one) that I did in its entirety after getting into the "hiatus", rather than just continuing it from the olden times when I had plenty of time for hobbying.

Old Knutr the Slayer

Next installment of my 'Hill Dwarfs' project - a colorful Middlehammer force with a whole backstory of a hilly, grassy fort no dwarf wants to visit for too long - all to explain bright green bases and vibrant tufts.

While Horik was my favorite model from the whole Dwarfs range, this slayer here was easily the second favorite - and it was like this ever since I saw him on an old GW website. I got him some time ago and now he is one of the three models to kickstart this project - and just like them, I managed to take photos of him a day before I found myself without time for hobbying!

Unlike the Lord Commander, this guy here doesn't have any armor on him, which allowed me to try a little bit harder on the hair, skin and various freehands. Other than trying to devise what is what on this model, he was a real pleasure to paint! Also, probably the first time when I had to paint so much red hair!

Once every few days a grizzled slayer comes down to Karak Valldar from the surrounding hills, dirty and weary, to restock his supplies, tell some stories and go back to the wilderness. While not a part of the ‘Hill Dwarfs' officially, the old slayer Knutr grew to be an integral part of the 'fort' - and one of the reasons why the service here is so unexciting. With a hardened, veteran slayer who spends his days wrestling trolls and busting orc tribes, it’s nothing strange that the younglings here are so bored. Well, at least they can entertain themselves devising various backstories for the mysterious Knutr, every one more colorful than the other - and trying to confront them with the slayer without getting his axe in the face for their trouble.

Artwork - The Bog Hag, Concept

Second artwork that I am showing you to pass the time during the hiatus - one that I drew not much later than the first one.

I came with the idea for a Bog Hag when a Mourngul became an extremely popular choice in Undead armies (although I don't remember if it was WFB or AoS) - and I started wondering how could I make something similar, but also more fitting with my collection.

I choose a hag because the term is vague enough to allow for some creativity while staying close to the Slavic roots of my army. Then, to make her similar in stature to the monstrous Mourngul, I decided to make her big, creating not only just a hag, but the Hag, a terrifying Ghoul Mother of the Black Bog. The bigger scale will also make her much easier to sculpt - and any mistakes will be covered with all matter of moss, warts and hair. The pose that I drew is off and I hope to fix in 3D when I'll finally get to actually making her.

Blood Bowl Star Player - Bulla Shardhorn

Neglected for a long time, the Nurgle Star Players (WIP post HERE) are back - this time, after vaguely human Tolly Glocklinger and Guffle Pusmaw, it's time for a crazy mutated Pestigor, Bulla Shardhorn. He's the one that comes with half of the possible mutation upgrades, being just a step from turning into a spawn.

When I was doing my standard Pestigors I dismissed the one sculpt provided in the official GW box and converted ones designed for an unaligned Chaos Team. When it came to Bulla, though, it was just perfect, with two alternative heads, lots of horns, and an uncommon pose. I crammed both heads there, added some extra arms, spikes, and quite a lot of branches - doubling as Nurgle-themed horns. The final effect is messy and difficult to read, but I think it fits this particular player.

Bulla Shardhorn, as probably the best known Pestigor in the Blood Bowl business gets invited often to hold speeches, training courses and coaching sessions for other players. Not many stars enjoy doing this, but Bulla really hates it - but the things we do for fame, right? Every time he tries to find another beastman to "translate" his incoherent ramblings. The "assistant" can improvise whatever they want and Bulla will still get praised for his "unique and chaotic" wisdom. Last time it was Mu'mulgor who was helping the star and he did so well, Bulla decided to help his team, the Putrid Punters, at a discount one time. They will use it surely!

Banner of the Old Alliance

It's time to bring out some more oldies - after Signieur Crinierre, the Bretonnian Lord on a Hippogriff, now I will show a standard-bearer that I painted somewhere in 2010.

The funny thing is, while I normally recognize numerous flaws with such old models, this one here still amazes me - I wonder how I was able to paint this freehand! (Well, maybe my eyesight was younger and better!) I freehanded numerous banners and logos throughout the years, but this one is probably my favorite - and most intricate - to this day. My wights get a lot of patterns on their cloaks, but that's only two colors, here I went way beyond that. Such craziness fits Bretonnia way more than Undead, so here's an excuse for such a lack of progress...

Another funny thing, this guy is not even a Battle Standard Bearer, but just a common standard-bearer for a common Knights of the Realm unit. I planned a BSB to ride in the same group - and while his banner wouldn't have as much space for freehands, it would have lots of embellishments and actually sculpted detail. Maybe one day I'll paint him too!

Seven generations ago the Sagremor family was in a very difficult situation - weakened by internal strife, economic issues and beset by the undead and greenskins. Faced with the obliteration of his lineage, the senior Armand Sagremor left his forces and went to speak with his vassals. Discontent and rebellious, they were eager to wait for their senior to bleed out, but they decided to hear him out. What he said during the long meeting he held while the ramparts on the borders were burning is unknown - but on the next day, the nobles showed up on the battlefield and managed to drive the invading forces away. The previous economic turmoil, coupled with the fresh destruction marked the rest of Armand’s rule and he died exhausted and stressed several years later, but he managed to bring his fellow Bretonnians together and push his family forward into the future. To commemorate this event, a banner was sewn - a beautiful one, which is still held by one of the Sagremor lances to this day. The vassal’s families either crumbled or vanished outright during those years, but the event is still fondly remembered as one of the turning points in the history of this part of Bretonnia.