Customer briefing

Yellow in Flames: The Legion Resists

He got to know us the way many people get to know Art-W Studio: through the digital word of mouth that moves between Warhammer and modeling communities. A follower of the studio showed him one of our previous projects and, shortly after, he was writing to us with a commission that left no room for doubt.
His idea was to pay tribute to the Imperial Fists during the Horus Heresy. He wanted his army to represent veteran warriors, hardened and punished by the conflict, keeping the classic legion scheme but with a very specific treatment of attrition: no clean minis, everything had to breathe battle.
He asked us for 70 miniatures in total, including vehicles and characters, all painted with cohesion, with well marked OSL effects and a use of attrition to provide visual narrative. He also asked us for all bases to be magnetized, as he planned to transport this army frequently for games and events.

General picture of the project Ornate

Fragments of Honor: An Army Immortalized by History

The process of this project was almost military: orderly, precise and with a clear cadence. We started with an airbrushing phase to lay the foundations of imperial yellow throughout the army. This way we gained consistency and agility. Then it was the turn of the brush, where each mini came to life with its own wear and tear, combat scars and OSL effects.
Our workflow included sending daily photos to the client. We shared everything from technical details – such as progressive shading of the shoulder pads – to base testing with Epic Basing bits. It was a constant and close exchange, which allowed us to fine-tune decisions almost in real time.
One of the hardest tasks (and one that made us laugh nervously) was painting the hundreds of little balls of the MKIV shoulder pads, a meticulous job, but one that greatly enhances the final result.
When we finally put all the pieces together – infantry, characters, vehicles and bases – we felt that the army was not only finished: it was alive. The wear and tear, the tones and the coherence between units reflected exactly what the client wanted.