mattski44

[mattski44]

[mattski44]

romanticizing your life is such a powerful tool and it’s a shame that it’s mostly used by people on tiktok to justify the purchase of expensive breakfast smoothies when there are few better ways to force oneself through unpleasant shit than imagining a cinematic backstory for your extremely quotidian suffering

[mattski44]

Today my friend insisted that this blog is probably run by a social media team. Thought you might find that amusing.

The nearest thing I have to a social media team is Dan Guy, who looks after neilgaiman.com and sometimes posts things for me (when I'm busy) on Facebook or Xitter (although on FB you can always see who posted it, so you'll know if it's him). Tumblr, Bluesky or Mastodon it's just me. (Instagram and Threads it now seems to be just me again but I need to work out how to make it include Dan again.)

[mattski44]

#badgers as fantasy battle mounts seems to be something of a meme at the moment and I could not help myself when it came to designing some ‘battle badgers’ if my own. These were respectively inspired by the new Halfling badger-riding lore included in recent #wfrp publications and the Dwarf Brock Riders from #kingsofwar by #manticgames. Rather pleased with these two different attempts at exploring the same basic concept. #fantasy #worldbuilding #mantic #warhammer #halfling #dwarf #fantasycreature #creaturedesign https://www.instagram.com/p/CaCE4_XtMyl/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone! Just a quick sketch today due to workload and other commitments at the moment. I've recently been thinking about Seraphon whilst flicking through old editions of the WFB Lizardmen armybook and was inspired by the old Skink Cohort unit. Whilst it's clear that you can simulate this old unit using the current Skink unit profile for AoS, I was intrigued by the concept of a dedicated close-combat Skink unit. This sketch captures my basic thoughts. I took inspiration from several key sources- there is an army, showcased in the old Lizardmen Collector's Guide, where all of the Skinks' shields were replaced by third-party Nguni shields, which have this wonderful compressed-oval shape that I thought would suit a more heavily-armoured Skink perfectly. I was additionally enamoured with the long goad sticks on the Skink Handler models and thought a unit of Skinks with heavy, two-handed Spears would be really cool. In fact, I think adding a large shield and some green stuff armour to some Skink Handler miniatures would be an interesting little experiment. In terms of function, I can imagine them acting as a auxiliary front-line unit that can act as an intermediary between the standard, less resilient Skink unit and the slower but more durable Saurus Warriors. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #seraphon #lizardmen #skink #grandallianceorder #fantasy #fantasywarrior #characterdesign https://www.instagram.com/p/CWxnuddt1l-/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone! With the emphasis on monsters within the new edition of Age of Sigmar, my thoughts have been filled with ideas regarding what gargantuan beasties could be added to the pre-existing factions within the setting to compliment this new focus. Continuing the Greenskins theme, I decided to start with the Gloomspite Gitz, having been recently inspired by the illusions to giant, subterranean insects found in their battletome. I must admit, coming up with this giant, burrowing monstrosity as I was able to draw on all manner of weird and creepy invertebrates in order to make a creature that felt both unique and in keeping with the broader Gloomspite aesthetic. In all honesty, I think the presence of the arachnarok spider in the same battletome might render a creature like this redundant but it was nevertheless an interesting and stimulating exercise. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #grandalliancedestruction #gloomspitegitz #moonclan #grotz #fantasy #fantasycreature #creaturedesign #fantasywarrior #goblin #goblins https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-0H_QIY-D/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone! With the new Orruk Warclans release, I've recently been thinking a lot about Greenskins and what new goodies could be released to bolster those orruk subsections that now look a bit disheveled compared to the wonderfully vibrant Cruelboyz range. Ironjaws in particular feel like they require some more units that might help to bring some more variety to the subfaction. Looking at some of the old Orcs and Goblin models from 8th edition, I was particularly inspired by the old black orc warboss/ bigboss miniature, which led me to consider the concept of a 'defensive' Ironjaw unit. What if, for instance, some 'Ardboyz took their love of discipline to a logical extreme, resulting in a veteran Orruk infantry that fought in tight phalanxes with a surprising level of coordination? I ended up looking at a range of historical infantry from which to take inspiration- roman legionaries, greek hoplites and zulu warriors all helped to inform this idea of well-armed, well-armoured orruks with big shields, whose regiments served as formidable bulwarks on the battlefield. In the end, I wanted them to be armed with something that felt a little different compared to the standard weaponry on the Ironjaws, so I came up with a short, but brutal-looking, thrusting spear, inspired by the zulu Iklwa, which I have christened the 'Gitstikka'. To accompany this, I decided to give these warriors javelins as an homage to the pilum/ assegai and to allow these orruks to soften up any would-be attackers with their trusty 'Lobbin' Stikks'. It was vary fun to come up with these ideas and I am very interested to hear if anyone has any other thought on new, potential orruk units. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #ironjawz #orruks #grandalliancedestruction #fantasy #fantasywarrior #orc #characterdesign #fantasyweapons https://www.instagram.com/p/CUcIkeNMc5S/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone, continuing with an aquatic theme, I have recently been thinking about potential new units for the Idoneth Deepkin and decided to explore the concept of Idoneth 'mermaids', a concept that seems to fit with the aesthetics of the faction rather well and which has been discussed by users such as u/ElCubay. I do not know if these are aelves that have transformed to better traverse their watery home or the indigenous denizens of the waterways of the mortal realms that have allied themselves with the Idoneth but regardless, I wanted to design something that felt more natural and alien than the traditional, 'chimeric' mermaids of folklore and fairy tails. With this in mind, I ended up drawing from all manner of fish, including sturgeon, moray eels, anglerfish, snakefish, scorpion fish and lion fish, as well as aquatic reptiles such as marine iguanas and sea snakes, to hopefully create something that feels both unique and deadly. I must admit, I was quite pleased with the sense of movement the image exudes and feel that this fits quite nicely with the dynamism captured in many of the idoneth models. As a little extra, I have also posted some sketches of the Valay, the aquatic Duardin mentioned in the novel 'the court of the blind king'. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #idonethdeepkin #aelves #duardin #fantasy #fantasywarrior #fantasycreature #creaturedesign #mermaid #conceptart https://www.instagram.com/p/CT_zGDPMH4p/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Very pleased to have played my first game of #warcry with @the_maps_guy at @grnotts- it was great fun and has really fired up my drive to make a serious attempt at building my own warband! #warhammer #ageofsigmar https://www.instagram.com/p/CTu0tgaM3ve/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

“The Shallow Ones are cordial enough, provided you can convince them that you would make a poor meal…” Just a doodle of a fish-person. Rather pleased with how this one turned out. #fantasy #fantasycreature #fantasyanimals #creaturedesign #deepones #fishpeople #fishfolk #fantasycharacter https://www.instagram.com/p/CTMWdvZH2NW/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone, I was thinking about the Lumineth Realm-lords recently and began to consider what other, highly chimeric creatures the Lumineth might ride into battle. I wanted to attempt something that captured the old Chrace battle lions whilst still remaining distinctly Lumineth in design and came upon the prehistoric scimitar-toothed cats, which possessed these really long, stiff legs that gave them this gracile, almost equine quality. Combining this idea with elements from lynxes and other wild felids, I have hopefully come up with something that looks as if it fits seamlessly within the current Lumineth range whilst still preserving a sense of uniqueness. My only real concern is that it perhaps feels a little too mundane compared to some of the other, fantastical creatures currently associated with the Realm-lords. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #luminethrealmlords #creaturedesign #fantasy #fantasycreature #fantasywarrior #aelf https://www.instagram.com/p/CS1iD5TiZ6p/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone! Having taken slightly longer to post than usual, I decided to share another sketch from the archive. This time, I have explored how the Skaven, a faction that I have never really thought about in great detail before, might be expanded. Inspired partially by Jes Goodwin's 'space Skaven' sketches that date back to the rogue-trader era, I began to consider what Clan Skryre's elite infantry might look like. I was particularly taken with the idea of Skryre 'marines', who served as important shock troops that were tasked with assaulting strongpoints and other important, fortified positions that would otherwise hinder the Skaven advance. With this in mind, I came up with the concept of the 'Warren Stormers'- an elite core of specially-trained and mechanically-augmented soldiers drawn up from the clan's stormvermin to spearhead assaults as well as guard vital infrastructure and war-engines. armed with potent warplock carbines and pistols, these troops excel at delivering withering, short-ranged volleys capable of decimating enemy infantry. Indeed, their preferred tactic is to advance under heavy clouds of poisoned gas, the thick fog of toxic fumes offering the ideal cover from which to ambush their confused and disorientated foes. Truth be told, I can see this unit fitting quite nicely in both the Age of Sigmar and the World That Was. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #warhammerfantasy #skaven #fantasy #fantasycreature #fantasywarrior #characterdesign https://www.instagram.com/p/CSY2a8yCa57/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone. With the new Kruleboy reveals, I thought it rather pertinent to post one of my most recent designs for the faction. I must admit, I was working on this in the days leading up to the reveal of the new Gobsprakk/ Killboss on Gut-rippa Vulcha and was quite shocked with the similarities in concept- the last thing I would want to be accused of is plagiarism! Nevertheless, I hope the similarities in concept are a sign that my design fits with the pre-existing themes and aesthetics of the faction. There's been quite a discussion recently about the lack of cavalry for the Kruleboyz and I've been experimenting with several different ideas for a while now. Seeing as these malicious Orruks inhabit the swamps, bogs and mires of the Mortal Realms, I became intrigued with the concept of a stilt-legged creature that could lope across waterlogged ground easily- a boon for a faction of slavers that might want to pursue fleeing enemies through their marshy homes. I ended up drawing on a mixture of bird species for inspiration, especially marabou storks, herons, hornbills and cassowaries, although I think there's also a dash of terror bird in there too! #fantasy #ageofsigmar #warhammer #aos #kruleboyz #orruks #fantasycreature #fantasywarrior #grandalliancedestruction #creaturedesign #characterdesign https://www.instagram.com/p/CRqjrvpFiyk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone! I was looking at the Khainite Shadowstalkers Warcry warband and it got me to really think about what Malerion's 'shadow aelves' of Ulgu might look like. I ended up combining elements from the Shadowstalkers, the current darkling range and Malekith's old model to try and come up with some ideas that clearly had their roots in the Druchii of The World that Was whilst also nevertheless fitting fairly well with the models we know represent Aelves from Ulgu. I'm not sure if Malerion's 'dragon form' is still considered cannon but I could not resist coming up with some strange, unsettling aelf-shadow-dragon hybrids- perhaps they are particularly dedicated servants of Malerion that wish to mimic their master's twisted form? #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #aelves #ulgu #malerion #fantasy #fantasywarrior #chatacterdesign https://www.instagram.com/p/CRbBxg2lnWM/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

My piece for the Tribute To The Disney Films Of Ron Clements & John Musker show at Gallery Nucleus this Saturday!

I’ve also been told they will be selling this as a limited edition print, so get one while you can! 

[mattski44]

Hello everyone, with the recent discussions surrounding a Pachycephalosaurus-inspired seraphon cavalry, I was inspired to have a go at coming up with my own design for this hypothetical new unit. I inevitably ended up drawing from a host of different dinosaurs in order to produce something that felt in line with the rest of the seraphon range but nevertheless stayed true to the the original concept- looking at the current model line, it is apparent that the jungle creatures that accompany the seraphon to war are clearly inspired by prehistoric creatures whilst maintaining a unique visual identity and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to maintain this balance. In terms of rules, I was thinking that these 'pachydon' could be the seraphon's answer to monstrous cavalry, the beasts somewhere is size between a cold one and a carnosaur and capably of an absolutely devastating charge. #warhammer #ageofsigmar #aos #seraphon #lizardmen #dinosaur #fantasy #fantasycreature #crearuredesign #grandallianceorder #fantasywarrior https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7_Jm2F4Ud/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mattski44]

Hello everyone! Having been a long-time fan of all things kroot, I have often thought about what other Krootiforms might accompany our favourite cannibalistic bird-people on the battlefield alongside the kroot hound, krootox and the greater and lesser knarlocs. Flicking through the old chapter approved armylist from fourth edition, I was intrigued by the rules for mounted kroot trackers- the statline suggested a krootish mount that was smaller than the old Knarloc riders and so I set about trying to sketch something that might fit those old rules. Coming up with these designs was quite interesting for making me consider just what physical characteristics define a species as visibly 'kroot'- it became obvious through some experiments and surveying official kroot models that quills, beaks and leathery skin would need to be crucial elements of these designs in order to fit with the pre-existing models produced by Games Workshop. Additionally, I was also leafing through the Liber Xenologis and could not help but be inspired by the rendition of a Kroothawk found within those pages- it was certainly impressive enough for me to imagine some giant, pterosauroid kroot-birds that could be ridden into battle. #warhammer40k #tau #tauempire #kroot #krootmercenaries #creaturedesign #scifi #scificreature #40k #warhammer https://www.instagram.com/p/CQvUTHNlamI/?utm_medium=tumblr