Keith Robertson talks about Ogres
A quick walk through the Forge World studio can easily come to a screeching halt, because there are just so many cool things to look at. While all the new sculpts are all very exciting, it was this army that really caught my attention. So today, former 'Eavy Metal painter turned Forge World sculptor, Keith Robertson, has come to tell us more about his Ogre army. We don't see many Ogres around here (they don't like the lack of mountains) and we don't get to show them off very often, so this was an exciting opportunity that we didn't want to miss. Not only is Keith a fantastic painter, but he is also a great sculptor, so there are plenty of beautiful looking models in his army, and oh, what an army it is. So, without further ado, I will hand over to Keith, whose going to tell you more about collecting an Ogre Kingdoms army.
Keith: I originally started my Ogre army when they first came out many years ago. It was the combination of a low model count, combined with their 'run across the battlefield and kill' style that really appealed to me. I could paint a nice looking army simply and quickly because there weren't too many miniatures and I would be able to use gaming tactics that I liked the sound of, too. Conveniently, someone decided to run a Studio Battalion Challenge, where a group of us agreed to paint up a full Battalion in a given time frame. I liked the look of the Ogres, so it seemed like the perfect challenge for me.
I found the Ogre models nice and simple to paint, which allowed me to paint my Battalion in pretty good time. When I worked for the 'Eavy Metal team, I got into the habit of painting every model to the best of my abilities. For this challenge though, I went for speed and I only did four to five stages of painting on each Ogre [which is probably still more than some of us, Keith - Dan.], and I batch painted them unit by unit. I also found a good way to keep myself motivated. Having a whole Battalion of undercoated models in front of you when you're painting can be pretty demoralising - it's like they're taunting you because you're a slow painter. So instead I only had out the unit that I was working on, and when it was finished I put it on the shelf behind my desk. This meant that every time I painted a unit, it would join the other painted models, further inspiring me to paint the rest. It's simple, but effective.
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After the Battalion Challenge, I just had to paint up more Ogres and I decided that I wanted one of every unit in the Ogre Kingdoms army book. I've nearly achieved that goal, though I still need to paint a Hunter (he's on the desk at the moment). The model on the right is my Ogre Tyrant, whilst the one on the left is a Slavelord that was given out to Games Workshop staff when the Ogre Kingdoms were first released.
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In total the army took me around six months to paint, which I think is pretty good going considering there are around 4,500 points of models in the army, including plenty of characters like my Butchers, who provide me with magical support.
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This is my Battle Standard Bearer, who looks far more impressive than my Tyrant because of the amount of stuff that ended up on him. I'm going to make a bigger, better, meaner Tyrant at some point to make sure everyone knows who the boss is. The banner itself was converted from two Ogre banners, plus some lovely hanging skeletons from the Giant kit.
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The Maneaters are both rather special miniatures. The one on the left is a Warhammer Forge Ogre, which we showed off at various Games Days last year to celebrate the launch of Warhammer Forge. The one on the right is available to order from the Games Workshop website and shows what happens when Ogre and ninja are combined into one deadly foe.
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Anyone who collects Ogres will know that there is plenty of rust in an Ogre army - they're not too bothered with maintaining their weapons. To achieve my rust effect I painted the metal areas with Dark Flesh, which I then stippled with Vermin Brown and Blazing Orange. To finish it off, I stippled Chainmail around the edges of the weapons and armour plates, to show where the rust has not been able to accumulate. It's an easy effect that's quick to achieve.
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Ogres don't tend to wear many clothes, so the majority of each model is painted in skin tones. I set upon a warm, tanned skin tone for my Ogres, which was achieved with several quick layers. I applied a basecoat of Tallarn Flesh, a wash of Ogryn Flesh, and then a selective wash of Devlan Mud in the recesses. I then re-applied the Tallarn Flesh to tidy it up and highlighted with a mix of Tallarn Flesh and Bleached Bone. See, only five layers.
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When I painted the army, I chose blue as my spot colour. It's all to do with colour theory - the warm skin tones and rust contrast with the blue of the banners, trousers, ice clubs, and so on. To complement the colour palette, I then painted the bases in an old-school green, which ties into the blue and the orange, giving a nice fusion of colour.
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Now, I know you can't have a regiment of ten Leadbelchers, but they do look cool ranked up together, with the great cannons at the front and the mortars in the second rank. I even converted the bellower and the champion for the unit because I wanted everyone to have a cannon (you're not a Leadbelcher unless you have a big gun).
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When Warhammer 8th edition came out and skirmishers were required to rank up (albeit loosely), I came up with this idea for their movement trays. It's a toothed piece of wood, smoothed off with plaster that can be easily removed from the base if enough of the Gnoblar Trappers die. It keeps each of your models evenly spaced apart, whilst making them look neat and tidy on the Movement Tray.
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I love character in my miniatures and the Scrap Launcher and the Halfling Hotpot are both packed with it. So, what better way than to combine the two into a miniature diorama that is also a deadly artillery piece. [It's a novel way to serve lunch, that's for sure - Dan]
What I really like about my army is the fact that it's all fully painted and ready to use. I never have to worry that I've got enough points for a battle or that everything is painted, I can just accept a Warhammer battle knowing that I've got enough stuff to fight with and plenty of regiments to choose from. Aside from the Hunter and maybe a new Tyrant, I'm going to leave my Ogres for the moment to concentrate on other projects; though I'm sure I will revisit them one day when a new challenge arises.
Dan: Wow, Keith's models are stunning aren't they? Thanks for hijacking today's post Keith; it's great to see your Ogre army - it looks stunning. I'm sure everyone's curious to see what else you're painting now and, of course, what you're currently sculpting for Forge World, but I think that's a story for another day.
