Stepping down the tunnel into the pitch black of the Chamber of Darkness my heart beat faster... Greyscale!? I’ve never done that before! Indeed I was slightly concerned that this task was just a way of wasting a figure that I’d never use again. However, it actually proved to be a really interesting exercise in my painting skills. I chose this Orc because I’ve got him in abundance and I already had a load spray undercoated in Matt black! Secondly he’s a bit late for my liking. I guess he’s from 4th or 5th edition WFB and the early 90’s which is when I started finding these monopose sculpts a bit dull. Actually he was a much nicer model to paint than I thought he would be, so it has enthused me to paint a few more. I’ll donate him out as my Curtgeld prize for this year.
I took the pictures on top of the wood burner. It seemed the best thing around with a matt black colour. Luckily Christmas Day has been a lovely sunny day on the South Coast of the UK today.
The technique certainly got me thinking more about light sourcing and made me wonder if I’d ever be brave enough to do a small skirmish game based at night time all in grey scale. It’s also made me consider wider dioramas with light sources like windows or flaming torches.
I’ll add this last picture just to prove I haven’t simply added a filter to a colour model! This was the Orc before I painted the base! It’s funny how the camera makes him look more blue in this picture. I guess it is adjusting for the different colours in the picture.
So that’s the Chamber of Darkness done for now. Just 5 points for a 28mm figure, but 20 more for the challenge = 25 points.
Cheers
Mark Backhouse
