Monday, January 4, 2016

Almoravid Black Guard


My enthusiasm for adding more to my Impetus Almoravid army continues into the new year. I decided having a Black Guard unit in my Almoravid army was a must as they are both elite and look quite intimidating and if you have seen El Cid they give the quintessential Almoravid look.

I decided to equip the whole regiment with Hippo shields which is made from hippopotamus hides which looks either dark brownish or greyish depending on how it is cured. I prefer the brown and went with that. I feel the darker shields combined with the black clothes gives the unit an even more sinister and intimidating look. In addition to the black clothes the uniformed shields will further help differentiate them from the wooden ones carried by the rest of the Almoravids and mark them out as an elite unit within the army.

The figures themselves are a mix of Artizan and Gripping beast. I made a few modifications by adding veils to some of the figures that didn't have them to keep uniformity. One would think all black would paint up fast, but actually it didn't as I had to use several layers of grey adding gradually to get the effect I wanted thus taking longer then anticipated. The banners were downloaded then hand painted by myself.

Thanks for viewing!:-)
Miniature Company- Artizan, Gripping Beast


52 comments :

  1. Nicely done. I have just started a unit of Black Guard of my own.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Paul. I like your Spanish Reconquista project as well.

      Christopher

      Delete
  2. Brilliant (in a dark, sinister way) brushwork, Christopher! The Impetvs basing really makes for a handsome unit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Jonathan and indeed Impetus bases do make for the best presentation.

      Christopher

      Delete
  3. Very nice paint work Christopher,and a commendable paint job on the black, they look very scary too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you kindly Chris I was hoping for that effect!

      Christopher

      Delete
  4. Superb work :)
    Making a unit wearing black stand out like that is a great achievement!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Mike and yes indeed black is harder to do then it looks!

      Christopher

      Delete
  5. Wonderful paintwork Christopher!

    ReplyDelete
  6. They look absolutely lethal - excellent work on the basing too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. An inspiration. Excellently painted, arranged and based.

    Cheers, Ross

    ReplyDelete
  8. Absolutely gorgeous Christopher.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow these guys look amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Superb work on the Black Guard Christopher!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Really superb. Amazing job keeping the black as black!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow - those are pretty special, Christopher. Wonderful painting. Happy new year!

    Giles

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great work Christopher, especially on the black!

    ReplyDelete
  14. One of the finest Dark Ages units I have ever seen. Completely splendid!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Legatus that's very kind of you to say!

      Christopher

      Delete
  15. Lovely work as usual Chris! I realy can't wait to see them in action on day!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Brilliant work Christopher. I love the feel of the unit, and the hippo shields look excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Fabulous brushwork, Christopher! Your shading/highlighting is flawless - particularly on the blacks.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Replies
    1. Hi Christopher and apologies for a belated Happy New Year. On revisiting this post I could have sworn I had left a comment on it before. Anyway, the colour contrast works really well with the black and green and the right colour choice with the brown wooden shields. The overall effect is superb, as always.

      Delete
    2. Thank you kindly Pat I appreciate that.

      Christopher

      Delete
  19. Fantastic painting Christopher!

    ReplyDelete