14590 Liela, dark elf sorceress (Warlord)

[dks]

Here's a figure that I painted in the last week: Liela, the sorceress for the Darkreach dark elves, from Warlord's Savage North.

 

Besides my usual palette for dark elves -- Volcano Brown skin, Deep Amethyst metals, Brown Liner ("black") leather and cloth -- I also used Surf Aqua and Sky Blue to get some icy tones. Her eyes are a softer pink than the orange or red that I've used on other dark elves. Her staff is in bone colors, with some scribbled painted-on texture.

 

For the snow, I used the same technique that I made up for the dwarven King Axehelm figure: Deep Amethyst, Sky Blue, and Pure White for the snow, and simulations of reflected light on the undersides of some objects using Sky Blue and Pure White.

 

Enjoy,

Derek

 

[Loim]

Every time I see one of your finished figures I am immediately overcome with the urge to give my brushes and paints to someone else, and take up crochet or some other hobby. Fantastic job on this figure. The eyes are amazing, as is the crystal.Thanks for sharing, and keep 'em coming.

[kanli]

Amazing. I'm really impressed by how far you thoughtfully push your highlights on the skin. That glow truely adds to the realism and makes the miniature look alive.

 

Oh yeah, and that crystal...totally AWESOME.

[Beowulfthehunter]

As if I did not feel horrible enough about my painting skills you had to go and post a mini...gee thanks. Awesome job.

[Orionjp]

Man, you did it again, this is just awesome!!!

[vegel]

wow awesome... I like her face, can totally feel her staring at me, can feel some emotion happening inside

I like the blue bits too, what paint is that pls?

 

by the way, Is that the green stuff version or the mass produced metal version?

[MonkeySloth]

Loving the crystal. Very nicely done.

[Zonto]

Holy crap, that is one amazing paint job. The blending and highlights are all spot-on. I can barely imagine what it looks like in person. Good work - you're making everyone else feel bad :)

[Ddot]

Some of the best eyes I've ever seen on an overall awesome model. Just too much stuff to complement.

[neuroticGOD]

Yeah, what they said...

[Clever Crow]

Very nice work Derek. I love the subtle reflections of the blue on the bottom of the cloak and staff. Really nice touch.

 

Note to file..

[dks]

Thanks, all. Glad you like her!

 

@loim, @vegel, @Ddot: Secret eye technique: I cut off the sculpted eyelids to widen her eyes and give her that intense stare.

 

@loim, @kanli, @MonkeySloth: The crystal is one of the few areas on the figure that goes to Pure White (most of her highlights go up to Leather White or Linen White), so that helps it stand out.

 

@kanli: Thanks for that comment -- it's only pretty recently that I started pushing my highlights on dark skin like this. It requires more work to highlight because the contrast is so high, but I think it really captures the sheen of skin. You can also see it on my Seelah (Pathfinder paladin), for example. And here, I figured that a dark elf in the far North might be a little paler than her subterranean cousins; in the concept art, Wayne Reynolds shaded her clothing but left her skin pale.

 

@vegel: The blue areas are either Deep Amethyst (bracers and other "armor", shadows in the crystal, shadows in her hair), Surf Aqua (highlights on the crystal and tips of her hair), or Sky Blue (shadows in the snow, "reflections" on the lower parts of the figure, glazing on the crystal).

And yes, this is the production metal version -- aside from the "eye surgery" (mentioned above) and some putty to fix where there were mold-lines across her hair or hands.

 

@888michael: Glad you like those touches. I did that on my King Axehelm (also for Warlord Savage North) and figured I would do it again. You can add some little "reflections" from implied off-stage light sources on almost any figure, too ... Wayne Reynolds does it all the time in his paintings!

 

Derek

[MonkeySloth]

Carving out the eyelids? You're like a serial killer painter (in all the good ways).

[Bumble_B]

I'm with Loim here lol. Thanks for sharing Derek. Another jawdropping piece.

[haldir]

That is a nice one. Love that last shot, almost looks like piece of artwork you'd see in a gaming book about dark elves.