Hello again and welcome back,

This feature is going to cover a few concepts about terrain building along with what you will need to start work on your altar of the ancients. Before we start putting this piece together let’s go through the design process. This process is normally applied when you make any pieces and can take a few seconds, to days, or even longer if you are unsatisfied with your results. So lets look at some of the key points that impact our terrain aesthetics and get to building an altar!

This is a list of the items you will need:

-The base for your altar

-Objects to place on top of your altar to represent you ancients

-Additional pieces to add that extra bit of detail

Now originally I wanted to make an elaborate piece with a lot of extra details. However after a few different attempts I was not satisfied with how things were going,  so I started from scratch. For my altars base I am using a wooden footing of a bed post.

Step 1: For the base of your altar you can use anything, but I really liked the cut of this piece and thought it would look great as the base of a statue of worship. Remember this piece lets you be very creative as an altar can take a myriad of forms. I chose to make a statue because I think that statues give the subjects that they represent power and status, as they are placed above others and immortalized for eternity.

Concept 1: Have a set design in mind for your piece before purchasing items and starting the building process. This saves time and money and makes the construction phase a lot easier.

Step 2: Next choose what you would like to sit atop your altar. I wanted something primal for mine. I originally tried to use a couple of animal skulls (fake ones of course) picked up from the local pet store (pet stores are great for terrain pieces.) I also added spare model I had in my bits box ( a minotaur) that was large enough to sit atop the base without making it look disproportionate. Here is the initial result, which I was not happy with.

Concept 2: Don’t overcrowd with too many objects. Making use of old models or even old toys is a cheap and effective way to make good terrain.

Next I decided to try a new approach. I purchased a shot glass with a skull at the base to use on top of my altar. The idea was to add bits around it and use the skull as a sort of pyre placing smoke effects in it. This was my concept piece.

Concept 3: The geometry/shape of pieces and the size and placement of objects relative to one another can make a piece look “off.” Try adjusting these features if possible and if it still doesn’t look right, scrap it and try something different.

I knew by now that I still wanted that primal image and I wanted to make it an altar of worship that glorified the ancients and elevated them on a large base to show their superiority over those that they looked down upon. The skull didn’t work for me and I liked the idea of giving my ancients a form that was identifiable. I went back to my first concept and decided that I wanted to make use of two figures and have them placed in a dramatic pose atop the altar. I rummaged though my bits box and picked out a second minotaur.

I played around with there positioning for a while and finally came up with a position for them both that I felt conveyed power.

Step 3: After selecting what the top of your base is going to look like the next step is adding extra detail. Keeping in mind the concepts from before I came up with, there was one piece I wanted to add. Once again I rummaged through my bits box until I found an icon  that I wanted to use which fit onto my base. It was a simple and effective addition.

Now the symbol I have used is known as the eight pointed star or “The Icon of Chaos.” It features prominently in numerous fantasy games/books (namely Michael Moorcock novels i.e. Eternal Champion) and tends to be a familiar icon with a lot of individuals.

Concept 4: Keep it simple and work with what you’ve got. Sometimes the simplest things can evoke the strongest emotive response.

A very simple piece to make.

I have also decided to use textured paint to make this statue appear more stone-like. I will add some weathering techniques to it and go through how I fully constructed and painted it all next time.

Stay safe and hobby hard.

Rory

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