77091 Nienna, Female Elf Ranger - conversion time!

[Peithetairos]

My next project is another ranger. I already have a cool male elf ranger, but thought it might be nice to add a female version. So going through the Bones minis I came across Nienna.

 

Unfortunately her face detail was very shallow and detail was overall a bit hit and miss. I love the pose, though.

 

Out comes the scalpel, greenstuff and bitz box.

 

Two evening sessions later I swapped the head and weapon, shaved away some of the front detail and resculpted the area.

 

I am not entirely finished yet, but soon I can establish the base colours. 

 

 

[Glitterwolf]

I look forward to this!

[Gadgetman!]

Do you sculpt minis as your dayjob?

 

Because that's...  Yeah... 

[Peithetairos]

8 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

I look forward to this!

 

I am excited to see it come together. I definitely want to try my hand at freckles. The head is detailed enough to make it work. I might even be able to paint the eyes a bit more elaborately. 

 

7 hours ago, Gadgetman! said:

Do you sculpt minis as your dayjob?

 

Because that's...  Yeah... 

 

Thanks! So far only conversions. I never attempted a miniature from scratch. I still feel I need to learn about proportions and how to do the basics. Faces, hands and feet are currently off limits, but in time I might be able to make my own miniature without any bitz or help by an existing pose. 

 

Bones are awesome for this in my opinion. Super easy to chop up and cheap enough if it doesn't turn out perfect. 

[Mad Jack]

1 hour ago, Peithetairos said:

 

I am excited to see it come together. I definitely want to try my hand at freckles. The head is detailed enough to make it work. I might even be able to paint the eyes a bit more elaborately. 

 

 

Thanks! So far only conversions. I never attempted a miniature from scratch. I still feel I need to learn about proportions and how to do the basics. Faces, hands and feet are currently off limits, but in time I might be able to make my own miniature without any bitz or help by an existing pose. 

 

Bones are awesome for this in my opinion. Super easy to chop up and cheap enough if it doesn't turn out perfect. 

 

 Easiest way to learn how to sculpt - take a Bones, chop off a finger or two (theirs, not yours) and then use the missing piece as a reference for your sculpt. Then do an entire hand, then an arm, etc.

Eventually, you can copy an entire mini. It's just like painters learning to paint by copying the great works.

 

[Peithetairos]

I decided to go all the way and carved quite a bit of material away between the tree stump and her legs. I will now extend the lamellar armour and add pteruges. That should look more cohesive.

 

I also carved away the knee armour and most of the boot detail. It was just to undefined. Plan is to have plain leather boots and fabric pants. 

 

I learned that for all this detailing a ratio of 1 part blue, 2 parts green is very good.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Peithetairos

[Peithetairos]

9 hours ago, Mad Jack said:

 

 Easiest way to learn how to sculpt - take a Bones, chop off a finger or two (theirs, not yours) and then use the missing piece as a reference for your sculpt. Then do an entire hand, then an arm, etc.

Eventually, you can copy an entire mini. It's just like painters learning to paint by copying the great works.

 

 

Indeed, couldn't say it better. With this one I was tempted to resculpt the outstretched hand, but I have to think about it.

[Jeepnewbie]

This looks awesome, I’ll be following this. 

[Peithetairos]

Tonight's sculpting went well. Did one boot and added a needle to the fibula. Pinched fabric is still missing and the boot will get straps. 

 

I also carved the legs free. 

 

I tried my hand at a scabbard, but it came out a bit wonky with greenstuff . I might use a piece of sprue or something instead and carve it. 

[Darcstaar]

Very good converting skills.

[Glitterwolf]

I couldn't sculpt a decent rock..

Awesome!

[Peithetairos]

 

On 7/30/2020 at 6:04 AM, Darcstaar said:

Very good converting skills.

 

Thank you, much appreciated. 

 

On 7/31/2020 at 9:55 AM, Glitterwolf said:

I couldn't sculpt a decent rock..

Awesome!

 

My first attempts were crude at best. I think it helps to start with gap filling, then organic shapes, say bark or rock. Finally cloaks and hoods, finer details etc. Just a matter of enough practice and I still need to figure a bunch of stuff out. Usually I redo sections, too. It is a process. 

[Jeepnewbie]

On 8/1/2020 at 2:40 PM, Peithetairos said:

My first attempts were crude at best. I think it helps to start with gap filling, then organic shapes, say bark or rock. Finally cloaks and hoods, finer details etc. Just a matter of enough practice and I still need to figure a bunch of stuff out. Usually I redo sections, too. It is a process. 

Your skills on that are years ahead of mine. Really like the fungus on the stump. 

[Peithetairos]

On 8/2/2020 at 9:14 PM, Jeepnewbie said:

Your skills on that are years ahead of mine. Really like the fungus on the stump. 

 

Thank you! I added some more to the cluster in the meantime.

 

I also decided to go a different way with the female ranger: the armour as sculpted made no sense as lamellar armour or scale, so I just went for a tunic, as it makes sense for an agile ranger. Maybe it was meant to be quilted, hard to tell from the sculpt. The quiver got some love, too. I added a leather cover for the arrows in wet weather and replaced the arrows with a plastic bit I had from the WGF Skeletons. I still need to fix the belt and upper torso, as the thickness and  proportions don't seem to work there. Left boot and pants are missing, too, and laces for the boots and leather cover. 

 

[Glitterwolf]

Great progress!

Love where this is going!