Spike Rot Frost Jaw - Undead Skeleton Warrior

Spike Rot Frost Jaw

Artist Creature Painting Submission
2D Traditional and Digital
Photoshop, Graphite, Scanner


This piece is a digital colorization and painting of an older drawn piece. That piece was heavily and primarily inspired from the old Diablo II expansion. The point when you get to the Mount Arreat area and encounter lots of cold-based monsters. Prior to playing online, like with Diablo III, most of the enemies were randomized, yes, but there remained a finite number of bosses. Once I always remember having the most fun fighting against and getting great rewards was this undead knight or warrior in what looked like Trojan armor. He had a huge, long, sword and lots of spiked armor. However, he was imbued with cold spells and effects that were really hard to overcome. When you did, the loot was supreme. Usually, he was found in some of the ice caverns you would come across and there were moments of atmospheric elements like snow and light changes. This always captured my imagination as a younger person and would remain steadfast in my memories. That boss’ name was Spike Rot Frost Jaw. This is my interpretation of him in his natural environment. 

His trojan helm is spiked and topped with a nice, red plume. His armor is now incomplete, but yet imposing, forged in bronze with some iconography inset on his chest. Its flesh and skin has rotted and fallen away in most parts, leaving only bone in some places, and revealing muscle and sinew in others. In one bony hand it carries a large bronze shield, draped in tanned hide, which billows in the cold, blowing wind. The midsection is more of a zombie-like color and appears to be dessicated in a way to make the gorge rise up when looking at it. The feet and right arm are encased in more armor of bronze and steel. The armored hand grips its long, steel greatsword that is now covered in cobwebs and is jagged in parts and pitted in others. Set across what is passing as its hips is a great war belt of hard leather fastened together with a large round idol of some fearsome deity, grimacing at his foes. The old leather armor flows out from below that belt and belies its non-human qualities in its current state. Perhaps the eeriest aspect to this creature is the icy breath and frost covering its now lithe form of unlife. 

See below for process shots.

Hope you enjoy!