Crusaders

Here's some pictures of my latest miniature - Black Templars High Marshal Helbrecht. I have always really liked this sculpt, it's got great movement and the character of the whole piece is really strong. I wanted to make him look like he's been out in the field on campaign for a while, so I made all of the colours a little faded and opted for quite strong lighting from above. I think I am most pleased with how the cloak came out - the lighting works well, and it's nice to add a rich, strong colour to the inside.

Black can be tricky to have as a main colour - it needs surrounding with lighter and brighter colours to give it some shape, so the white fabric really helps to bring the anatomy of the figure out. I definitely didn't want to make the white too stark and clean, so opted for an off-white instead. It's a mix of light bone and black, shaded down with black and blue.

I'm pleased with the base. The figure has such a sense of direction and movement that I wanted to have him on a path or road. I decided that he was on a Pilgrim's path, littered with bones and discarded weapons - the wall has the prayers and messages of the pilgrims nailed to it. The warm ocher colours are a good contrast with the miniature and suggest a dusty, desert setting