The Faceless Summoner Entry #4: Abyssal Horror K'taerthos

Here's the fourth installment in the daily countdown to Halloween:

This is Abyssal Horror K'taerthos. As usual, I've written up the lore for this mask. It's a bit more of a read this time.

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It’s been one month since I left our village. I traveled north since that was the logical path of the mysterious traveler. The route would take me toward the demon territories but that didn’t matter. I had to learn the truth. After the incident with Tirradol, the mysterious of the visitor plagued my mind. When one of our trade caravans mentioned seeing the black-robed figure on the northern path, I knew it was my chance. I had to find the traveler and learn the truth. If nothing else, I had to thank the wanderer for saving our village and driving away the monster. Our crops returned in full so I can only assume the visitor killed or forced Tirradol to flee.

I was able to cross the demon territories in two days. The massive gates of Draesadir lead into the largest of their territories, a place ruled by a greater demon named Grahl. I thought I’d have to sneak through the city to pass but upon my arrival, there was nothing. The houses and huts looked abandoned and there was not a single demon to be found. The entire city was a tomb and looked to have been deserted quite some time. Either way, I was thankfully able to move on and secured some provisions along the way.

A large temple was built along the coastline to the north. The stone monument was set into the cliff sides above the waves. As I followed the path towards the water I saw the shape of mysterious traveler! Either it had taken some time to rest or my haste had allowed me to catch up quickly. Ardelrius looked to be making for the temple so I followed after, keeping a safe distance in case danger was close by.

It was nightfall by the time Ardelrius reached the entrance to the temple. A single stone pathway cut into the cliff was the only way to get to the temple’s opening. I’m no mountain climber and the path down was dangerous. Still maintaining my distance, I followed the traveler into the temple.

The ones that built this temple must have been part of some sort of cult. All across the walls were verses of some text in arcane prayers. I could read them since they looked to be written in our language. Anyway, I watched Ardelrius reach the center of the temple. A flat stone sacrificial alter was adorned with carved statues and more of the text. The traveler produced an object and dropped it onto the altar. At first I couldn’t tell what it was. It looked like a large piece of meat from an animal. Looking closer, I could see that it was severed arm of a demon! I recognized the claws and scarred purple hide.

Seconds after the blood began to soak into the altar, I saw the great torches lining the chamber burst into blue flame. The same light began to illuminate these arcane rune symbols painted on the walls. From the far wall behind the altar, the stone began to warp and distort. A black portal appeared, resonating with the symbols as Ardelrius stood, unmoving. What appeared from the portal I wish I could unsee, reader.

I’ve heard tales of the ancient horrors. In past times when creatures greater than the demons roamed our realm, it’s said that the most fearsome were subdued and sealed away to prevent widespread calamity. They tell these stories to children but what I have witnessed is no fairy tale. A beast from the darkest shadow appeared in the temple that day. It had two glowing eyes, numerous crystalline fixtures on its head and a circular mouth with rows of teeth. Countless tentacle appendages pulled it through the portal and it faced Ardelrius who was dwarfed by its mass. I really contemplated fleeing then as just gazing upon the monster made me feel like I was looking at the physical manifestation of insanity. I’m still not sure what happened. A fierce battle was waged in that temple and when it was over, the abyssal horror was gone. Once again, the traveler was victorious. As Ardelrius departed the temple, I was faced with the choice to follow or turn back. Part of me wished the return to the safety of our village but another part was still desperate to know the truth. What was the goal of this mysterious being? It may cost me my life but I must know the truth…

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Front View

Side View

I followed the same set of processes for creating K'taerthos as I did for the last two entries. One major difference for this one is the overall coverage of the mask. You can see in the side shot how the top and fin-like parts go back over the Ardelrius main mask as opposed to just the face area. That combined with the pointed protrusions on the face itself make K'taerthos one of the heavies of the masks in the series. The curved teeth are all made of the glow in the dark Fimo and they light up great in the dark. You see nothing but an eerie circular maw of teeth.

For the color scheme I wanted to go with a darker somewhat aquatic scheme that still had some contrasting elements. The green stones set in the face turned out to be perfect for this and they almost seem to glow strong light.

Lastly, here's the concept art. I really had to think about how I envisioned the rest of K'taerthos' body. I knew it had to be bulky and armored and I do think the addition of many tentacles would be fitting for a creature of the abyss. Some might draw some parallels to the C'thulu mythos and I did keep some of those design elements in mind when designing the character. I haven't read much of the literature but I do like the thematic aspects of C'thulu. The idea of otherworldly creatures tied to themes of chaos and insanity definitely fit with K'taerthos' lore.

See you tomorrow,

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #3: Siegebound Warlord Grahl

Here's the third entry in our Halloween countdown event:

This is the demon, Grahl. Here's the lore article for this piece as well.

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We live in an era of war and bloodshed. Humans are just another frail, inferior species here to be the food and slaves for us demons. Our pack, the Fanged Conquerors are legendary in these northern territories. We’ve ruled the peons that live here with brutality for years and it’s all thanks to the leadership of our commander, Grahl. Demons are born into this realm every day but none possess the battle prowess and iron will of the commander. When the armored humans of Valengard tried to drive us out, he slaughtered three flanks of their lancers by himself! When the dragons of the skypeak burned our fields, he led the extermination force that drove them off the mountain! Lord Grahl is a ruthless but fair leader of our pack. He acknowledges and rewards those with power. Someday I hope to serve in his detachment.

Last week a strange traveler appeared on the borders of our territory. It looked human in shape but had no familiar human features. The garb of this visitor was nothing more than a black robe and its face looked like a human’s with all the notable bits burned off. I was there when the strange traveler walked through the outer gates. Where were our guards? Did they just let it pass with no questions? After walking through the rows of huts, the traveler stood before Lord Grahl’s keep and calmly waited.

One of the other advanced guard roused our leader and he appeared at the keep’s entrance to greet the stranger. Lord Grahl must have shown interest in the peculiar staff the traveler carried because I saw him gesture at it from where I was watching. I think that stranger issued a challenge to commander Grahl because the two promptly left the central grounds of our territory and vanished into the nearby wastelands. It’s been three days since they left. Where did our leader go?

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Front View

Side View

I decided to go for a different theme when I started working on Grahl. Compared to the more insect-like shape of Tirradol before, I knew this one was going to be a sort of demon. The shape of the face evolved over time and I went with flat plating behind the head to make it look like armor. The color scheme itself started off more purple but slowly blended darker as I mixed in more shades. Just like the last mask, the raised textured "lines" you see on the head are hot glue sticks. I think this is the last time I used those on the masks but I'm definitely happy with how they enhance the skin texture. Finally, I added lighter blue and red highlights for contrast. Grahl's teeth are Fimo clay but they don't glow in the dark like some of the others. Once again, a rare earth magnet in the top and bottom of the inside of the mask help secure it the main face.

Finally, here's the concept art piece for Grahl. I do like that the overall purple color scheme is preserved here complete with the lighter highlights. I thought long and hard about how Grahl's physical build would look. Being a demon commander, it makes sense to draw him with a heavy frame and I think that's communicated clearly here. My mental picture would also have war armor fit for a commanding leader too. I wouldn't getting some full drawings of these pieces done at some point.

Stay tuned for the next entry!

~Zan

The Faceless Summoner Entry #2: Subterranean Killer Tirradol

Let's get right to it. Here's the second entry in the "Faceless Summoner" Series:

This is the "Subterranean Killer", Tirradol. As shown in the spotlight video, this is another papier/cloth mache mask that can be attached to Ardelrius and worn. Just like the last piece, I've drafted up some lore for Tirradol.

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For three seasons our crops withered. Our village is small and without food from our fields we were soon faced with starvation. After the third failed season, a group of our villagers set out to investigate the fields and the surrounding area. On the second night of their investigation, the group mysteriously vanished without a trace. We searched for them but no trace was found. Finally, a larger party was formed, armed with weapons this time. They set out for the fields and discovered traces of an unfamiliar creature that led down into a set of nearby caves. The hunting party again vanished after that first night.

Two days later, a lone survivor of the hunting party arrived in the village. One of the armed men, he returned in a state of sheer terror and panic. We tried to calm him down but he could only recount what had happened in fragments. Apparently some sort of beast was to blame for our crops withering and the hunting party stumbled upon its underground layer. The creature could move beneath the dirt and it ambushed the hunters, pulling them beneath the ground. What resulted was a mass slaughter of all except the lone survivor. He claimed to have laid eyes on the creature once as it killed his friends. From his panicked description we pictured a spindly insect-like monster with rough armored skin and blade-like claws. The man also claimed that the beast spoke to the hunters as it killed them. He could only hear one word, “Tirradol” so that must be its name. We couldn’t risk sending more of our people out to be slaughtered so we waited while the elders tried to find a solution.

One week after the attack was when the traveler appeared in our village. Nobody knows where it came from but it appeared out of the fog one evening. I saw it walk through the village outskirts toward the elders’ quarters. Man or woman I couldn’t tell as its body was obscured by a black robe and it carried a gnarled tree-like walking staff. The face of the creature was bizarre and unsettling to say the least. It had no discernible features save for two eyes and a narrow mouth. Its skin was a mottled orange-brown and streaked with black markings. Several of us followed the traveler and watched it knock on the doors to the main elder’s house.

It seemed like this mysterious traveler was not an enemy. We could hear it speaking to the elder in a hollow toneless voice, again making its gender unclear. The creature listened to our story from the elder and then asked where we had last seen Tirradol. Last I saw this so-called “Ardelrius”, it was venturing towards the caves. Nobody knows what happened after that but the following week our crops began to return and we never saw Tirradol or the mysterious traveler again.

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On to the mask itself. Tirradol was the first design I initially sketched when I started working on this project. As you'll see later, I've created 8 unique faces for Ardelrius each with their own distinct features and lore. The daily posts in the countdown will go into the specifics.

As for Tirradol's creation, I knew I wanted a vaguely insect-like shape so I emphasized the flat elongated crest. This mask also features a new technique I haven't in my mache pieces up to this point. The textured straight line highlights that are yellow are actually hot glue sticks that have been attached along the skull crest. After applying the skin, it creates a pronounced ridge that helps make the design stand out. I've used this on some of the other pieces as well. Tirradol's color scheme is supposed to be a dirty almost earthen palette. The blue stones long the center of the skull work with the yellow sections to create some contrast.

The defining part of these masks is their ability to attach to Ardelrius. I did this by inserting rare earth magnets in between the skin layers on Ardelrius. There's one large magnet on its forehead and one under the chin. Similarly, each face has a magnet built into the back of the head and chin to align with the ones on Ardelrius. The end result allows the face to snap securely in place and it's pretty sturdy. I can walk around and move my head without shaking the mask loose.

 

 Here's the next piece of concept art. When I asked TyvridKizuna to do some basic concept pieces, I intentionally left out the specifics for each one aside from the photos. I wanted to see what someone else's interpretation of the creatures was just based on the design elements in the mask. For Tirradol, you can see the insect-like shape combined with what looks like shell plating which is fitting given it can move underground.

That's it for this entry. The next one goes up tomorrow per the schedule.

See you then,

~Zan

 

Halloween Countdown Event Begins!

Hello,

Halloween draws ever closer. I've been working on a large mache project for this year that's a bit more ambitious than things I've attempted in the past. With our recent launch on Youtube, it seemed like the perfect time to branch out into other kinds of media. That said, let me introduce the latest entry in my line of wearable masks.

This is the "Faceless Summoner", Ardelrius. As I did with Trinitus, I have prepared some lore to go with this post.

Legends say the creature was once a man. Unfortunate enough to be born in a realm of brutality and monsters, this man must have sought power. Desperation drives many to extremes and it pushed this man to seek out the ancient relic. He found it deep within a secluded temple long forgotten, the ancient binding runes worn away with time. At the temple's center was an alter with a single object piercing its platform. The object resembled a thin, skeletal tree adorned with glowing "eyes". Hanging from the tree was the mask itself. Not much else is known but after that, a man ceased to exist. Instead, a creature began to roam the land. It was human shaped, cloaked in a black robe and carrying the tree-like staff. Appearing throughout the legends, the creature simply called itself "Ardelrius" and was rumored to be in search of those wielding great strength. What power did the "Tree of Souls" it carried possess?

Front View

Side View

Ardelrius is the second attempt I've made to create a wearable mache mask using Dan Reeder's techniques. Unlike Trinitus, this one is meant to be a much more simplistic design. It's almost featureless, lacking a nose, ears or any other distinguishing characteristics. My intent was to use the design and its erratic color scheme to create an unsettling image. The face is expressionless  and that's sometimes more fearsome that something that's outright monstrous.

As shown in the spotlight video, Ardelrius was created using a simple foil head impression as a shell. I added a first layer of cloth and glue skin in order to give it a rigid structure to build upon. I then added the minimal features using paper, tape and glue before adding a final skin layer to seal it all together. The paint was done quickly and intentionally messy which is why the black markings aren't symmetrical. The blackwashing brought the colors out and ended up giving the mask a sort of burnt flesh look. I used a simple robe and black nitrile gloves for the outfit.

The Tree of Souls was a late developing idea. I had sketched out Ardelrius' design a long time ago but the staff became necessary as you'll see later. Creating it was very simple and started with a metal broom stick. I built out the trunk using newspaper, thick gauge wire hangers, and copper wire to bind everything together. The "Eyes" are glass stones and the final layer of skin was sheets with glue again. I'm happy with the texturing of the staff. It looks and feels like dried bark which is what I wanted.

Ardelrius' spotlight video also includes a piece of concept art drawn by TyvridKizuna. He has graciously agreed to create a concept sketch for each piece in the "Summoner" series and you can see the individual drawings on his page. I've also given him permission to paste the accompanying lore segments into his posts for the concept art.

So that's pretty much it for this design. The Halloween event will continue until the end of the month. Each day there will be a new video in the series and an accompanying post here, on Youtube, and on Deviant Art. At some point in the future, I will be uploading short Speed Drawing videos of each emblem I designed for this series as well.

Stay tuned!

~Zan

Youtube Content Launch Part II: Speed Drawing!

Hello,

October is turning out to be a busy month. In addition to working on this year's Halloween project, I've been trying to get some more Youtube content together for our channel. The latest video upload is the first in the ongoing Speed Drawing series. These will be short to moderate length videos of captured computer footage of me drawing my 2D emblems in Rhinoceros. Check out the first one featuring the Scarlet Seer design below:

I'm also hoping to launch our tutorial series on using this software in November. In the meantime, there will be more Speed Drawing videos and a whole bunch of papier mache videos for Halloween at the end of the month.

Thanks for visiting!

~Zan

Fall Update: Youtube Content Launches!

Greetings!

Fall is well underway now and we're into October, my favorite month! I've started working on making content on Youtube. I had been planning on doing so for a while and finally got some projects together. The first official video to launch our content is a short video of Trinitus Megiddo. While brief, it serves as a sort of abridged compilation of the WIP phases that went into the mask, a preview of what I've talked about here over many posts. This was also a good opportunity to test out my video editing techniques with my software and camera. I'm working on a large mache project for Halloween and its reveal will happen parallel to some additional videos on Youtube.

In non-mache related news, I'm also working on some more design-related content. I've got some interesting ideas for showing a more behind the scenes look at how I do the emblems. I'm also looking at starting a tutorial series though that might not start up until November since I'd like to have all the Halloween stuff out this month. I'm going to be consulting some outside help for content this month so you can expect to see updates here, on DA, and on Youtube as well.

See you soon!

~Zan

Papier Mache Mask: Trinitus Megiddo

Hello,

This project has been delayed for too long. I've actually had this piece completed for a while but I didn't have an ideal set up to take pictures of it. I attempted a few photo sessions earlier in the year but wasn't satisfied with the results. Finally, I used my camera's tripod and a backdrop to take some pictures of the mask.

Front View

This is Trinitus Megiddo. Using Dan Reeder's papier mache techniques, this is my take on a wearable mask. As shown in previous screen shots, this piece is a combination of three faces, a main demonic shape with two monsters grafted onto the sides.

Lore-wise, the greater demon, Megiddo was a monstrous warlord that reigned over a large territory. At his side were two guardian beasts, Ice Serpent Hyouga and Ash Drake Ignir. Legend chronicles the bloody rule of Megiddo for many years before a rival faction rose up and overthrew him. Mortally wounded along with his guardians, the demon used the last of his strength to merge their souls together using an arcane ritual. Upon completion of the ritual, the being that emerged was an Arch Demon with three demonic faces. It wielded the power of ice and flames and obliterated the rival faction with little effort. Renaming itself Trinitus Megiddo, the reborn tyrant vanished into the ether to seek greater challenges.

The Face of Frozen Judgement, Hyouga

 

The Face of Burning Wrath, Ignir

The color scheme for Trinitus was an interesting thought process. I already had the fire and ice color scheme of the two side heads when I put the final layer of skin on the central head. I wanted a neutral color that was dark yet still contrasting with the other two. I set the orange stones along the forehead for additional highlighted colors. The teeth on all three faces glow in the dark and it makes for an eerie effect when the lights are out. I also tried to take some shots wearing the mask to illustrate how it sits on the head.

Obligatory #selfie

Hyouga's Face

Ignir's Face

One of the advantages of mache as a medium is it's very lightweight. Even after attaching both heads and covering them with cloth skin, Trinitus Megiddo as a headpiece is not heavy. It can be a little wide due to Hyouga's tusks but it doesn't put unnecessary pressure on the neck. I wore it around at work for Halloween last year and it was pretty comfortable. It does get a little hot though. I used my dress shirt and suit coat in the pictures for added effect. The canon design of Trinitus would have war armor but I don't have any of that to wear at the moment.

Overall, I'm pleased with how this piece came out. Dan Reeder detailed some very useful techniques in his Youtube series so I recommend checking it out if you're interested in making something like this for yourself. I've been working on another wearable mask that will be an interesting take on the style. I'll probably post some WIP pictures of it as we get closer to Halloween. I do want to make an 2D emblem for this monster so I may post that as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Zan