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NicolasRGiacondino β GHOSTMAKER - Sergeant Oan Mkoll
Published: 2013-09-16 14:12:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 12398; Favourites: 331; Downloads: 0
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Description
It's been a long while since I've visited the Dark Millenium of Warhammer 40,000. Luckily, my return to it is through some of my favorite characters from the great Dan Abnett: Tanith's First and Only, also known as Gaunt's Ghosts.This set of illustrations is part of a big batch of images I was asked to do by the ever-patient and kind :devwolfravenwood:; so, for all of you fans of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade's stories, you'll find some very familiar faces popping up here in my Gallery.
In this case, we have here Scout-Sergeant Oan Mkoll. Described as an unparalleled tracker with stealthing abilities that no other regiment member can outmatch, Mkoll is one its most trusted members. In fact, he's the only one Gaunt has asked for advice before a battle.
When illustrating Mkoll, I was given many specifics by :devwolfravenwood: all of which I agreed with. I tried and show his calm and unassuming posture and his stern looks. This is also the second time I've rendered the famous Tanith camo-cloak, which I promptly muted to match the environment I put him in this particular ocassion and I'm very proud of its muted hues and seemingly ethereal quality.
Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think as usual!
Nic.-
Β© Games Workshop Ltd. 2013
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Comments: 76
Perfectly captured the character's essence indeed
Nic.-
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Dude, you made him look how I envisioned him the first time I read the books. Awesome work
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Thank you, Adam!
That's one of the best compliments I can get
Nic.-
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Here he is, the ninja amongst a regiment of ninjas.
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Indeed! A true ghost.
Nic.-
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Cool! Would you by any chance be planning on doing a rendition of some famous battles from this series? I've freaking love a depiction of the trench-war on Axe-Cardinal!
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Thanks!
If only I had time. Unfortunately, this series is for a fan that requested it, so unless his plan is to do something else than the portraits, I'd have to find the time to do the battles myself. Which is unlikely...
Nic.-
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Aw man, that's a damn shame - perhaps I could persuade this particular fan to amend his requests....
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That is a picture that does the Ghosts of Tanith justice. Oh and if at all possible avoid the paperback omnibuses. I only read my copies once and now I only use marked sections for references and they're falling apart. Also it wasn't until a few years ago that I notice that you can tell the book order by the # of characters on the cover (i.e. 1 character means book 1)
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Good piece of advice and glad you liked my interpretations, mate!
Nic.-
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this is awesome, I made an account to compliment you. I really wish you'd draw the late corbec with his nalwood together with bragg and his sacra..
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Thank you very much, mate!
The ghosts are a pending theme I will slowly try and get to whenever I can. As for old Corbec, here is an illustration I did a while ago, approved by Dan Abnett himself! I hope you like it:
Nic.-
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Somehow very creepy image. That tension of scout-sergeant, that utter loneliness of his soul...
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Thank you very much for that comment, mate! I'm glad that I was able to transmit such emotion with this piece.
Nic.-
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Ah! the man of small words and great deeds; the implacable and dependable Mkoll!
The cloak is what really stands out in this piece. I find it difficult to imagine a fabric that changes color as it moves but with your style of coloring it seems completely natural! Magnificent!
Just a thought: standard gun safety dictates that one keep their finger out of the trigger guard until they are prepared to fire the weapon; just something a veteran like Mkoll would have down to muscle memory. But you know, artistic license and all that
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Thank you, Drew!
The camo-cloak is one of the things I'm most proud of in the pictures. And I have a few ideas of how to make it change hue depending on its surroundings.
As for the trigger guard finger position, you're absolutely right. As it turns out, I don't have the muscle memory of Mkoll
Nic.-
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I love your interpretation of Mkoll. Β Definitely one of the best ones I've seen thus far. Β Thank you for sharing this.
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Thank YOU for the compliments!
Nic.-
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Dude it's freaking awesome!!! He's exactly as I imegined him!
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That's the best compliment and illustrator can get, Francesco!
Thank you very much!
Nic.-
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Masterful job on the camo cloak.
Looks like the markers bleed a little when water is applied?Β What pens/paper are you using, if I may ask?Β
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Thank you very much!
Actually, the markers themselves bleed when a lighter tone is applied over a dark one. So I used it to my advantage to create that stained effect. The markers I use are KURECOLOR, a japanese brand; and the paper is thick illustration canvas, to avoid any bending and whatnot from the work on it.
Nic.-
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Thanks for the tips!Β I'll have to experiment.Β
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wow, you have done him justice, this is one badass I would want on my team
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Thank you, Victor!
Nic.-
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welcome, in a universe where chaos demigods and xenos exist, I am sticking with plain old humanity.
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You bet your butt I'm gonna save this series.
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Thank you, Chris!
Nic.-
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Whenever I see your work, it always radiates this solidity of everything. Crisp and well-defined colors, a kind of nobility in each face and pose.Β
If you're this amazing an artist now, I can't wait to see how you do further down the line.
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Thank you!
Nic.-
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Interesting style! It feels strange to associate these sort of cartoony outlines with the gritty world of 40k. Almost looks like a stained glass window...
Nice work!
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Thank you, mate!
My style is indeed quite far from the official look set for Warhammer 40,000 by Games-Workshop. But both people inside the company as well as fans have pointed out that despite that fact, it seems to fit the setting very well; as you yourself stated. I'm glad it was embraced and welcomed, because I love depicting the Dark Millenium.
Nic.-
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Tough as Nalwood, is old Mkoll. Excellent job on him
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Thank you, my friend!
Nalwood proved to be somewhat more difficult to reneder than I thought at first. I wanted it to have a uniqueness to it, but reminding us of noble wood like oak as we have here on earth. I tried several colors and hues, before finally deciding on the version you see here.
Nic.-
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Interesting. I wouldn't have thought of that. IΒ always liked to hear about your artΒ process though.
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This is very nice. Mkoll is one of badass guardsmen
BTW, sorry to nitpicking a smalll detail but i don't think as scout, Mkoll would add scope for his lasgun.
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Thank you, Muhamad!
Mkoll is indeed quite the badass. And about the scope, you may be right, but I seem to remember somewhere in the books he had one. In any case, the client didn't point otherwise, so I let it slide
Nic.-
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Hahaha
How much people would play for official Codex Tanith? I know there are official figure for Gaunt and co, but i wondering about full Tanith first formation.
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love gg man. awesome job!
not a style i usually associate with the warhammer universe.Β
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Thank you, Morgan!
My style isn't everyone's cup of tea, for sure. But over the years the fans that have embraced it far outnumber those that don't, so I'm very grateful for their support.
Nic.-
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I've never read the books but have always liked the idea of the Imperial Guard as regular men up against some pretty gruesome monsters. I just ordered the book, so thank you for the motivation!
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Wow, Lee! The fact that you've ordered the book is a huge compliment. Thank you! I can assure you you won't be dissapointed in the slightest.
As for the IG, you've summed up their spirit perfectly. I think that's what makes them so relatable and a pillar of the Imperium; having an artificer crafted power-armor is one thing, but running against a warp Daemon with just a las rifle... That's balls!
Nic.-
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That's not Scout-Sergeant Mkoll. That's Lord General Mkoll.
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I stand corrected
Nic.-
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This is just fantastic!
Except that where are his blue tattoos?
Were they left out intentionally?
I guess there wasn't any specific explanation where Mkoll has his, so instead of sticking one into his forehead, leaving his skin untouched looks kinda cool too!
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While it's mentioned that all the Tanith have tattoos to some extent, Mkolls never been described as having one (to a degree I can remember og readily find in the books or online) so I surmised that they were not visible or noticable like some of the other Ghosts ink and thus I choose for him to not have any visible tattoo.
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Makes sense. Thanks for answering!
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