My Marionette

Marionette is Suzanne's Mannequin. Ain't she cute? 

Deadwood Dedications

This is Suzanne, one of two obviously-armed Showgirls in the entire crew. Suzanne ended up looking a lot older than I originally intended (not to mention slightly bemused), since I am still having trouble with the smooth blending transitions that signal youth and beauty. Nevertheless I think she's got character.

When I first started to paint this set, my original intention was to use design elements from the superlative,  postmodern, and late lamented Western, Deadwood. Set in an 1870's frontier town illegally established in the Black Hills of what was later called South Dakota, Deadwood is a fascinating re-imagining of the American frontier myth, populated by richly-drawn, larger-than-life characters. Much like Malifaux! So with this Performer I made a conscious effort to try to incorporate some of the costuming ideas in the show, including cheap striped stockings, and 'sensible' shoes that don't exactly go with the rest of the outfit.

I haven't decided yet whether to go back and redo her long blue skirt. I like the color, but I'm not certain about the highlighting. A friend has been telling me that 'cool colors recede, warm colors approach', so I think that highlighting with a cool albeit pale blue-grey might be causing the stark transitions I'm getting. On the other hand I'm keen on getting these ladies done, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Meet Trixie

This is Trixie, the newest member of the Showgirls. I decided to try a couple of things out on her, including a pale yellow dress and a little detail along the fabric panels. I'm not 100% satisfied with either, frankly, but she's not bad. I think I'm getting better at facial details though, and have managed to emphasize the annoyed expression on her face.

Ah well, that's two down, four to go!

Malifaux Musings

This is Mindy.

Mindy isn't a real person. That is to say, she's real all right: she can walk (a little clumsily), understand commands (nothing too complicated), and even communicate a little herself, with posture and hand gestures. But she's not alive.

At least, I don't think so. She's a special kind of automaton that Ramos made for the Show - oh, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that, he likes to stay behind the curtain. She looks insignificant, harmless even, but she's an important part of any performance. We'd be lost without her, and her sisters. Which is why I put up with her silent watchfulness... is it petulance? Resentfulness? I can't quite put my finger on it. I just know that sometimes, in the darkness of the wardrobe room, she seems to be contemplating. studying us. Watching.

Which is ridiculous, of course. How can a mannequin with no eyes watch anything, anyway?

Introducing the Sarcophagus Springs Brightsiders

Fresh off the presses, this motley crew has sworn to carve a bloody swathe through the XTBBF on its way to the Chaos Cup!

The team was built from Impact! Miniature's Elfball Samhaino team which is seasoned with a healthy dose of Heresy Miniatures, and with a RollJordan Werewolf (or in this case Werebadger) playing a ringer.

They are losing their faces off so far, but hopefully will come around in the coming weeks!

Presenting the Murder City Black Wings

This is now a general Wargaming blog! :)

While Lasalle has gone on the backburner, Blood Bowl has rekindled my love of painting little figurines. These ladies are my first Blood Bowl team, and though they've been the source of much heartbreak I love 'em nonetheless.

The figures are Shadowforge Wicked Elves, but I'm using them as Blood Bowl Dark Elves. Not only does the Wicked Elf style match that of the corrupt, evil Dark Elves, but the range has just the right number of different positional pieces to fill all the roster slots on the DE team.