Setting the tone for my Mother of Dragons

In the Nocturna Models Enchantment figure, I finally found a miniature that could be effectively used as a proxy for Daenerys Targaryen, a major character in my Game of Thrones project. To ensure she retains the spirit of the Mother of Dragons, I am limiting colours I can use to those worn by actress Emilia Clarke when she played the character in the HBO TV series, from Seasons 1 to 4 so far. To further complicate matters, I am attempting to achieve a very light pastel colour scheme overall.

Nocturna Models Enchantment, early work-in-progress

Having previously struggled with very light pastel colours, I was particularly pleased with the subtle highlights and shadows that I managed to convey on her long loose sleeves and bustier. Shadows and highlights on her upper clothing saw some of the smoothest colour transitions I have managed to date. That might not be saying much but it's still a huge personal achievement for little old me.   

Light pastel turquoise with bright highlights and subtle shadows

Crevices in Enchantment's headgear await a yet-to-be-decided dark shadow colour

Meanwhile, the crevices in Enchantment's headger actually requires a further (and darker) shade of shadow. But I have yet to decide on the shadow's hue. At the moment, I am torn between dark turquoise and a greenish blue grey. I am leaving it unpainted for now as I should get a better sense of which shadow colour is more suitable once I have painted articles of clothing near the headgear. 

Colours used to mix the shadows, midtones and highlights; white (not shown) was added to the final highlight

To obtain the light pastel turquoise mid-tone, I used a mixture of Vallejo Model Color Sky Blue and Yellow Green while various amounts of Deep Sky Blue and/or Light Turquoise was added to the various layers of shadows. For the highlights, I added increasing amounts of white to the mid-tone.

Back view of the Nocturna Models Enchantment, early work-in-progress

Light pastel turquoise sets the tone for how this Daenerys wannabe will be painted in the future

Darker hues of turquoise gave the folds of the sleeves their shadow

This light pastel turquoise sets the tone for how I want to go about painting this Daenerys wannabe. Going through my head right now is the many other light pastel colours that will soon follow to give her a soothing colour scheme that is light and airy. I hope to eventually convey what I always sensed from watching the character on TV which is an interplay between fragility and strength. To me, Emilia Clarke best portrayed the character when dressed in soft colours as it belied the harshness inherent in a daughter of House Targaryen. Only thing left to do is to try and translate it to paint.