Isle of Lewis chess pieces painted

It took a few evenings of work as I wanted to make sure the glue and paint dried thoroughly between each step of work I took, but here they are:



The plinths are each made out of eight blocks of plaster Hirst Art bricks I got for an earlier project.

I am pleased with how the painting and dry-brushing picked out the details. The poor quality of the cast was sort of an advantage here, as the imperfections give the impression of wear on the statues. Bits of the models actually broke off during handling, and I added them to the pile of debris at the base of the statues..

There are some details that I only noticed when I was painting the models. For example, the motif on the left and right sides of the thrones are actually different.


And the knotwork on the back of the king's throne is simply stunning, and include a pair of gripping beasts!

I think I will be looking out for more like these on ebay...