In yet another instalment of Oldhammer here on H&H, I can present to you my original Eldar Farseer in all his glory. I had so much fun painting this, yet another miniature that I have always wanted to paint, and I’m very happy with the results. I’m also throwing him into an online painting competition, but before I do, let’s take a closer look at him here. We’ll start off by taking a gander at my freshly painted fellow compared to the original that was painted all those years ago which featured in the old 2nd Ed rulebook.

I don’t know what it is about this miniature that I’ve always loved, but it’s always been on my list of things to paint. The weird, knobbly helmet, the pointing finger, those huge eyes… so much about this miniature makes me smile, and that’s why I went out of my way to pick one up recently. My collection of old metal miniatures continues to grow, and I’m thrilled with this addition.

I wanted to pay plenty of homage to the original mini from the Eavy Metal team, but I also wanted to update a few things and add my own spin to it. I can tell you right now that the Yin Yang symbol is just about the toughest thing I’ve ever had to paint. It’s so tricky to get it balanced (which I suppose is the whole point of the symbol really) and I can tell you right now that what sits at the bottom of those robes is not the first attempt. It’s not even the third attempt. It was actually easier to paint the Eldar runes on the scarf/sash. I only went about half way up with these as I didn’t want it to be too busy – there’s a lot going on here. I also went with more of a galaxy/star-field look for the cloak instead of the almost-paisley pattern of the original.

I never knew what the rear of this model looked like, so the big sword on his back has been given a tiger stripe pattern which I’m quite happy with. The base has also been updated from the original (sorry goblin green fans). I went for a sort of floating rock pile look and a desert feel that fits in with the other Eldar I have in my collection. I also added sand-dust to the bottom of the robes to make him sit a little more in his surroundings. The camera struggled to pick out all of the vibrant colours on the back here, but it looks very vivid and colourful.

And you’ll no doubt have noticed that I’ve actually employed a little OSL lighting here as well, which is something that I rarely do. I like the idea of that finger summoning a star, just like the ones on his cloak, before hurling it into the oncoming enemy, or divining the future from it. It’s literally just a small ball of greenstuff that was left to harden and then glued to the finger tip.

There’s also a lot of spirit stones here, and while I was tempted to make them all different colours, I went with green for those because, well, I do a good green spirit stone. They also echo the original, and help to complete the rainbow scheme on this guy. I’m particularly happy with the eyes on this guy too – they’ve got a nice glassy quality to them with plenty of depth.

And there you have it. I’m going to add him to the competition on the Eavier Metal facebook group so keep an eye out for it there. Back to more modern things soon I reckon. I hope you’re having as much fun painting as I am. Onwards!

What’s that I spy on the GW blog this morning? Could it be? Yeah, it is. Boom. 🙂

smug

My Eldar farseer that recently featured on this blog is being shown on the GW blog, which I’m quite chuffed about. I always submit a picture from each post to my flickr feed, which you can find by clicking right here. And when I add an image, I always then add it to the Games Workshop group too. I actually got some Plague Marines on there a long time ago, but it has been a while. It makes me very happy and I’m really proud and pleased with the reception this miniature is getting. Maybe I really need to get back into my Eldar a bit more!

Anyway, this is post is purely recording this for posterity so here’s another image below. Oh, and if you’d like to see it on the GW site, you can by clicking here (for the next couple of days and then it will all be just a memory). I’m also really happy about Talisman getting a full release on iOS, but that’s for another blog on another day…

still smug

Eldar Farseer

Well that was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed painting this miniature for a number of reasons. For one, the Eldar Farseer is a great model that’s easy to assemble and you can make it as complicated or as simple to paint as you want it to be. For another, it was a break from power armour that I really needed.

As well as being a great miniature, tactically it’s very useful. As well as being a really strong HQ in its own right, the Farseer gives my Eldar force a lot more flexibility. My only other two HQs are Karandras (great for my style of play but too expensive for small games) and a Wraithseer (who can’t be the one mandatory HQ in a force and still requires a minimum unit of Wraith Guard) so this guy gives me a cheaper option with some hefty psychic clout too.

Painting this model started out with my ambition getting the better of me slightly, but I think I recovered quite well. This is what I’m talking about…

When I started out looking at the blank canvas of the cloak, I had the idea of falling autumn leaves. As well as being a great colour palette to work with, it resonates with the Eldar race being in the fading light of their existence. So I thought of all those falling leaves and that was what I wanted to put over the cloak. While I eventually rescued it at least to a level where I’m ok with it, it looked really ropey at some times. I met the level of my current abilities and this is where I’m really going to have to spend time learning.

As for the rest of the miniature, I do a good spirit stone so I added a few with different colours around this mini. I don’t like overusing them as a rule, but I figured with one of the Eldar’s spiritual elite, I could use a few more than I usually would. I really enjoyed doing the blade on the singing spear – it was a complete rip off of my Grey Knights work, but it’s an effect that plays well and I enjoyed it. Oh, and I like the effect I got on those red robes too.

Below are a couple more shots for you to enjoy. It was undercoated black, I used Citadel Paints throughout and I used a Windsor & Newton Series 7 Finest Sable 000 brush.

Any comments or questions? Stick them below, please!