Iyanden Guardian

My quest in re-painting the Iyanden Eldar has seen the appearance of one of the rare sights of the Craftworld: The Guardian. With the Craftworld's population much diminished by the devastating Tyranid attack, the basic Eldar Guardians are seldom seen in large numbers in any Iyanden force.

I will be re-doing my old squad of Guardians. Here's one that I painted in the colors of Iyanden.

I like this scheme better as it is Iyanden's official colors. Its much better than my previous paint scheme which was mostly blue with yellow helmets. Yellow was quite difficult to paint back then and required more than 8 to coats to get a solid yellow.

Iyanden Darksun was used this time as the basecoat. This was followed by a 50:50 mix of Iyanden Darksun and Golden Yellow. Then Golden Yellow was layered on. I think the foundation paint really mixes well with the Golden Yellow, giving it a more solid appearance in terms of opacity.

The final layer was Golden Yellow and Bleached Bone in a 40:60 mix. I added a bit more Bleached Bone to the mix as a highlight.

I have always liked the look of the basic Eldar Guardian. I hope I've done justice to a really great sculpt.

Brave (New Worlds)

I also managed to catch Pixar's newest movie offering Brave. My wife and I both found it a  really visually stunning film. The storyline was also touching and meaningful. The beginning short clip La Luna was also really heart warming.

But what i really liked was the feel of seeing another world. The 'world' of Brave does have its inspirations from Celtic myth and culture. But it is its own World.

It has always been my desire to traverse into other Earth like worlds, especially a world whose makeup has a strong Fantasy theme. Its is the strange excitement and relief of leaving this world behind and finding a fresh start in a place where nature still retains its majesty and magic. It is also in some ways the romance of discovering a new frontier, of being a pioneer and explorer.

The only portals i can find to date in touching such worlds are through movies, books and the world of miniature wargaming. I think access to these places of fantasy and refuge are becoming more vital these days. These tales and stories not only serve to inspire, but they also weave in that bright thread of hope, love and courage into our reality that is increasingly permeated with apathy and pain. These pockets of adventures in time can give us purpose, that there are still things worth fighting for.

Perhaps one day, one of these paths can lead me to a real portal, and I will step through it without hesitation, for that one last adventure..

Have a fruitful and enjoyable week ahead all!  And keep hobbying through the maelstrom of work and other daily demands ;)