Yesugei thought of Qin Xa then, from whom there had never been a murmur of unbelief. ‘They will remember, before the end. Other Legions have failed this test – they let their souls change.
Chris Wright, Path of Heaven.
The elegant swordmen himself, Qin Xa. The miniature obviously draws upon Eastern culture and I wanted to make sure I captured the textures on display. The segmented Karuta armour has a lacquered sheen, developed from a dark brown through richer reds to a final highlight of turquoise. By travelling from warm to cool we can give much more effective sheen patterns to armour rather than highlighting to pure white.
Every piece painting feels like a snapshot of 2020. You can’t help but feel like the mood of the time influencing the work. Qin Xa was the soul of the Legion, a paragon of the Legions. The paint scheme turned out darker than I originally intended. The white is corrupted with storm grey, his blades slick with blood.
A darker take on a character that embodied hope.