Suicide Squad Katana [WIP - Base Dry Fitted, Wooden Stool & Stone Floor] aka 70 mm Nocturna Models Soum

Work on the individual pieces which make up the Nocturna Models Soum 13 Moons figurine's base was mainly spent ensuring three different textures - metal, wood and stone - were recreated as accurately as possible with acrylic paints. My previous post touched on efforts to simulate rusted metal while the one you are reading now focuses on recreating wood and stone textures. All the three separate parts were then dry fitted to observe the effect of the overall colour scheme.   

Nocturna Models Soum, 13 Moons: Base comprising rusted metal sign, wooden stool and stone floor

Seen from behind, the base now becomes a backdrop for Suicide Squad's Katana courtesy of the skull icon

For the wooden stool, I had in mind softwood hues like yellow cedar or yellow pine. Without proper botanical knowledge, I'm unable to tell if the wood grain sculpted on the stool is that of cedar, pine or a different wood. That level of accuracy isn't needed for a fantasy piece although the obsessive compulsiveness in me keeps tugging at my subconscious to get it right. I'll let it go ... this time.   

Light yellowish hues were used to approximate the textures of yellow cedar/pine wood

A combination of light and dark brown washes helped make the wood grain more prominent

Stool sculpture looks to be a bit too rough for Soum/Katana's delicate rear end

Meanwhile, I decided to do something I had never done before with a stone floor base i.e. not paint it in gradations of dull flat grey. Well almost anyway. I went the bluish grey hues this time. In addition to that, I did two other things differently namely not paint the recessed areas black (they were painted in Vallejo Model Color Dark Seagreen) and spend time painting highlights onto the edges of the stone slabs even though they were flat on the ground. Both helped create contrast and depth to the piece.

Highlights were added to the edges to create contrast and depth

Overhead view of the stone floor, which was painted in blue greys

What colour Katana/Soum's clothes will be, will largely be dictated by the existing colour scheme of the base. It looks like either pastel pink or warm whites on her clothes would be an ideal fit into the existing base colour scheme of orange (rust), green (sign), bluish grey (floor) and yellowish brown (stool), and still perhaps be in sync with Katana (as in the colours the character would wear). 

Overhead view of the base for 70 mm Nocturna Models Soum13 Moons figurine

So the stage is set for Katana (aka Soum) herself to be painted i.e. her clothes, hair, face and improvements to her skin tone in general. There is also her sword, hairpin and if all goes well then a mask too, sculpted to resemble the Suicide Squad character's signature mask. But Katana may have reached the stage where a period of gestation will do her a world of good. Time off would do me good too as I chew on the direction I want to take her. This comes at arguably the best possible time seeing it's Star Wars fever again with Rogue One on the horizon. And that means painting iconic Star Wars characters, droids or vehicles. December is shaping up to be a good month hobby-wise.