Female Mage on Stairs - Dark Sword Miniatures [Completed]; a proxy for Princess Myrcella Baratheon

My absolute worst fear came true while putting the finishing touches to the Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs figurine. I messed up so bad that I had, in my infinite impatience, gouged out a small hole in her right eye dislodging even the primer coat. I was trying to correct some mistakes and ended up making things much worse. If you think I'm exaggerating, take a look at the third last photo in this blog to see how bad she looked prior to my desperate attempts to fix the mess. What you see below is the best I could do to patch things up. Here then are photos of a completed Myrcella.

Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs [Completed]

Female Mage on Stairs was painted as a proxy for Princess Myrcella Baratheon

Colour scheme sought to convey this Game of Thrones character's sweet demeanour

Because her eyes gave me so much trouble, I subsequently lost all appetite for my initial ambitious plans for her eyes. I had intended to paint in some greens as well as highlights on her eyes to make them 'pop'. Although my miniature painting skills were a bit rusty after a rather long period of not working on 'organic subjects', it didn't excuse the horrendous hack job I did on Myrcella's left eye. I suppose I had best leave the painting of colours and highlights of eyes in larger scale miniatures such as 54 mm, 70 mm or even 80 mm figurines until I have more experience under my belt.  

Myrcella's clothes are a combination of sweet pastel colours like peach, pink, light orange, and mint green 

Myrcella's blonde hair has a yellower hue compared to the sandy stone base

If you haven't been following the frequent work-in-progress posts on Myrcella, the latest bits that got painted were her wrist band (on her left wrist), hair and eyes. I also had to retouch the skin tone in and around her right eye socket due to the paint chipping from the said area.

Back view of the Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs

Minty greens aren't visible here, and shows how an alternate colour scheme would've looked like

Her hair colour was a bit to close in hue to the sand stone base with the former being yellower. In fact, if I wasn't trying to paint her as Princess Myrcella Baratheon I would most likely have painted the base in a light greyish colour for greater contrast. But based on the Game of Thrones books/series Myrcella was residing in Dorne hence the sandy colours for the stony steps architecture.

Side view (left) of the Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs

'She had all of her mother's beauty, and none of her nature.' - Tyrion Lannister

360 view of the Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs
For a 360 degree view of the Female Mage on Stairs, please check out the YouTube video below. For videos of other miniatures I have painted, kindly visit my YouTube channel at FourEyedMonster Miniatures. Please choose high definition (HD) for the best video viewing option.

Bittersweet literally sums up how I feel about the paint job I've done for Princess Myrcella. Bitter on how I let impatience get the better of me and result in a hair pulling experience trying to correct a very bad rookie error. And sweet in that I loved how she turned out, especially the way the colour scheme manages to convey a sense of sweet innocence that is Myrcella's demeanour.    

This was how Myrcella looked like prior to the damage limitation I performed on her right eye

While the 28-mm heroic scale Dark Sword Miniatures figurine is pretty small, it is well sculpted. The Female Mage on Stairs ticks off almost every item in a fantasy miniature painter's wishlist: gorgeous hair, prominent facial features, beautiful clothing, well proportioned figure, simple yet effective base, no assembly required apart from putting the figure onto the base, etc. It's no wonder Patrick Keith is one of my favourite miniature sculptors. This figurines is an example of his sculpting skills. 

Female Mage on Stairs compared to a 32-mm paperclip

Female Mage on Stairs compared to a five sens coin

One of the reasons why the characters in George RR Martin's fantasy universe inspire so much of my miniature painting is the colour diversity involved. It's a nice counterbalance to projects from the Star Wars universe - the Galactic Empire can be monotonous with its black, grey, white and occasional browns and reds. Speaking of which I will likely start working on a short Star Wars project while I carefully plan the colour scheme for my next Game of Thrones character. I also want to draw again after a year of 'graphite-deprivation'. The usual case of so much to do but so little time - our most precious commodity. Oops, there goes another second! Thanks for spending it checking out my blog.

Funko Pop! Rides - Daenerys & Drogon [Review]

As anyone on a tight budget can tell you, buying a collectible figure is a constant psychological tug-of-war between want and need. A verbal joust within one's mind if you will, yo-yoing from extremes of You've got to have this to No, you don't. Now the missus and I have always wanted a Funko Pop! vinyl figurine. But we never could justify paying for these rather expensive collectibles. That, however, was before we laid eyes on Funko Pop! Rides #15 featuring Daenerys and Drogon. Being fans of the Game of Thrones series, we fell in love with it instantly and just had to have it. 

Funko Pop! Rides #15 - Daenerys & Drogon

Packaging is  adequately protects the vinyl figurines inside

Neither Daenerys nor Drogon are bobbleheads which made the Funko Pop! vinyl figurines so appealing to us in the first place. In spite of that, the uniqueness of this piece makes it a worthwhile addition to our collection - the first Funko Pop! figurine of any kind we've had the pleasure to own.    

Daenerys Targaryen looks really cute in the Funko Pop! Rides series

Daenerys's hair has superb details, almost begging to be repainted

In this set, Daenerys is an uber cute vinyl figure with exquisite details on her hair and a simple yet elegant colour scheme of yellow, white, flesh, black and grey. Drogon was equally impressively in detail and in how it was sculpted, more so than its stand-alone bobblehead version. And while Drogon has a dull red, black and white colour scheme, it suits the 'menacing' pose he has. It's great how the sculptors/designers managed to make Drogon look cute and fierce at the same time.      

Drogon in formidable Funko Pop! vinyl form

Drogon's skin is wonderfully textured to show dragon scales ...

... and the rest of him ain't too bad either

As tempted as I am to repaint the whole collectible I'm not gonna tempt fate and mess up the missus's valuable collectible piece. This one is more hers than mine and it already looks cute the way it is.

Angled overhead view of Drogon

Same angled overhead view after a 180 degree turn

A rotatable joint on Daenerys's neck which allows her head to be turned for posing purposes is the only movable part on both figures. In a way, having the rotatable joint makes much more sense than making this vinyl version of Daenerys a bobblehead. It allows for better poses when being displayed.

A rotatable joint at Daenery's neck is the only moving part of the vinyl figurine set

On the whole, this Funko Pop! Rides combo figurine set is an excellent collectible piece. Not only do they have the usual cute charm that the product line is famous for, they also have that little bit extra that I don't usually see in the vinyl figurines. I can't quite put my finger on it other than to say perhaps they both pose well together in a dynamic way that exudes cuteness in a semi-menacing kind of way.

Funko Pop! Rides Daenerys & Drogon unboxed

All men must die, but we are not men

Back view of the Funko Pop! Rides Daenerys & Drogon

Against a blue background, both Daenerys and Drogon look a bit more toy-like but the contrast gives a clearer view of the latter's details. Personally, I prefer this figurine set against a black background.

Daenerys and Drogon pictured here against a blue background

Would we contemplate adding more Funko Pop! figurines to our collection? Budget notwithstanding, it's very tempting. The missus has her eye on the Sansa Stark bobblehead while I kinda like the new Suicide Squad Harley Quinn version. For now, we're just really happy with our latest acquisition.

Female Mage on Stairs [WIP - Skin Tone]; used as proxy for Princess Myrcella of House Baratheon

Personally, painting skin is the most enjoyable part of working on a miniature. To me at least, the skin tone is one of the key things that determines whether a miniature looks 'alive' or not. That and the eyes which ironically is my least favourite part of painting a miniature, which is why Princess Myrcella's eyes remain unpainted and put off until the very last. Here she is then with one of the two main ingredients of what would eventually make her into a Victor Frankenstein she's alive moment.   

Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs: latest work-in-progress on her skin tone

The Female Mage on Stairs is being used as proxy for Princess Myrcella Baratheon

In terms of the skin tone colour scheme - I decided on a fair skin with a hint of tan starting to show. After all Myrcella has been soaking up the sun in Dorne for a while now. It was a case of using a lighter hand on the highlights as opposed to adding any particular 'tanned hue' into the mix.

Skin tone highlights on Myrcella's left arm focussed on the upper arm and elbow

Myrcella's hair remains undone and will be the next part to be painted

Skin tone has more shadow hues towards the back of the arms

In a way, the addition of skin tone hues has brought all the colours even closer together in harmony. Seeing colours in isolation can give an erroneous view of how the final scheme will eventually turn out. This is something I continue to struggle with as the urge to tinker with a hue without first seeing how it will look next to another colour is always there, like an itch you can't scratch. Sometimes the only way around this is to trust in your original vision. If all else fails, you can always adjust the errant hues accordingly. But your original vision still has to be there as a target to aim for. 

Side view (right) of the Female Mage on Stairs work-in-progress

Addition of skin colours has, in my opinion, further improved the overall colour scheme

Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints were the only paints I used in painting Myrcella's skin tone. It's based on a Marike Reimer recipe, I used colours like Oxford Blue, Pale Violet Brown, Beige Red, Basic Skin Tone and Pale Sand but in differing ratios than stated in the original recipe. I've found this mix of colours to be very versatile and they are one of my favourite go-to skin colour recipes.

Princess Myrcella holding on to a book, coloured here in the orange hues of Dorne

So that's it for my progress update on the Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs which I'm using as a proxy for my Game of Thrones miniature painting project. While not entirely costume-accurate, the mini does have potential as a Princess Myrcella proxy especially if the colours conform to what one would expect of the character when she was in Dorne. I must admit this mini is turning out better than I expected. Mind you that doesn't mean I believe I did a brilliant job with her but it does give a sense of satisfaction that I'm not as bad as I think. That I'll gladly take ... for now.

Star Wars Darth Vader - Bandai 1/12 Scale Model Kit [Completed]

Darth Vader is finally finished. This model kit from Bandai has been a real joy to put together but not so much to paint. He's only the second 1/12 scale figure I've completed from Bandai's Star Wars line, the other being an original trilogy Stormtrooper. So now trooper TK-421 has none other than the Dark Lord of the Sith himself for company. Two welcome pieces in my small Star Wars collection.

If you only knew the power of the dark side

TK-421's joy at defeating Darth Vader in rock, paper and scissors was short lived

As a 1/12 scale plastic model kit, Darth Vader has two distinct shortcomings when compared to the Stormtrooper. Firstly, breaks in the appendages' joints look more natural on the latter. Secondly, the rigid plastic cloak on Vader's back not only looks unrealistic but it also makes posing more difficult. 

Come with me, it's the only way ...

Darth Vader's cloak has just one coat of paint on it i.e. matte black

But in focusing on the kit's "failures" I'm in essence actually comparing the Bandai version, rather unfairly, to more realistic (and way more expensive) versions from Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles. Not really a like-for-like comparison. Priced at just ¥2,592 Bandai's version is very good value for money, and in my opinion an excellent addition to any Star Wars fan's personal collection.

Various posing options for Vader's right and left hand

Weapon handles were painted to resemble Darth Vader's personal lightsabre

Details on the handle accurately depicted Vader's lightsabre

One thing that really impressed me about this kit is the high level of accuracy in the detail. Take for example, the vertical ridges on Vader's glove which is similar to the costume in Return of the Jedi as opposed to the horizontal ridges found in A New Hope. Another example is the weapon handle which is not generic but specifically detailed to resemble Vader's personal lightsabre. It's little things like this which convinced me that a lot of care and attention went into the making of this model kit.   

Join me and together we will rule the galaxy as father and son ... words all fathers long to say

Darth Vader against a dark background ... it kinda works too

With the Bandai Star Wars 1/12 scale model kit of Darth Vader completed, I can resume painting my work-in-progress Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs figurine. At the very least, working on my proxy for Game of Throne's Princess Myrcella Baratheon will inject some bright and cheerful colours back into the blog as my previous post can attest to. Up next is her skin tone and laying on flesh colours will further consolidate the overall colour scheme. I can't wait. See you in my next post!

Female Mage on Stairs [WIP - Boot, Pants and Base]

There was only so much black I could take. As fun as the Bandai Darth Vader model kit is, I had to take a temporary step back from all the gloomy hues in order to work on my Game of Thrones project. I'm using a Dark Sword Miniatures figurine namely the Female Mage on Stairs from their Elmore Masterworks line as a proxy for Princess Myrcella Baratheon. The miniature's clothing colour scheme was inspired by the various dresses Princess Myrcella wore while she was in Dorne and betrothed to Trystane Martell. It comprises pastel-like hues of green, orange, peach and pink. 

Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs, work-in-progress proxy for Princess Myrcella Baratheon

Crack on the base was actually quite difficult to bring out through a combination of paint and wash

Using minty green hues on Myrcella's pants and boots was a bit of a risk on my part as I wasn't sure if it would work. To be honest, I'm still not sure. Part of me loves the resulting contrast and part of me feels that maybe I went too far. A clearer picture should surface once her hair and skin is painted.

Oops ... the primer coat is starting to come off her hair

Back view of the Dark Sword Miniatures Female Mage on Stairs, work-in-progress

Her hair and skin tones has yet to be painted

As befitting Dornish architecture, the base was painted in sandy desert-like colours. Some 'grass' was added to the front of the base to help liven up rather dull colours of the base. At this stage, the overall colour scheme is fairly muted. Hopefully this will make what comes next 'pop' even more.

Side view showing the contrast between the pink/peach/orange hues versus the minty greens

Some grass was added to the base for to 'liven' things up

What's next are Princess Myrcella's hair, skin tone and facial features. These next bits will make or break her. All I have done so far will be for nought if I don't get them right. 

Game of Thrones Princess Myrcella Baratheon, work-in-progress 

As for Vader, never fear for he should be completed by the next post. I plan to finish him first before resuming work on Princess Myrcella. I had desperately needed this infusion of bright pastel colours. All that black was starting to get to me. Fully invigorated, I'm now ready to complete Vader. And start working on other new stuff as well. But first Vader then more of Myrcella. Till then, it's bye for now.