• Welcome to The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz.
 

Recent

Welcome to The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz. Please login.

March 29, 2024, 01:27:21 AM

Login with username, password and session length
Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 27,486
  • Total Topics: 2,721
  • Online today: 238
  • Online ever: 930
  • (January 20, 2020, 11:58:07 AM)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 209
Total: 209
Google

Latest Shout

*

DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

Re: Work In Progress--Deryni Action Figure Project (was Duncan Action Figure)

Started by Evie, March 11, 2012, 08:52:30 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Evie

Altered detailing by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

I moved both brooches up and in by just a bit, and also had to restring the upper set of beads, since the original strand broke while I was doing the alterations, but I think the brooches hang much better now.  The upper edge of the wool dress was thick enough to form a sort of shelf, so I just positioned the button shanks sort of on top of that to sew them into place.  They still stick out from the garment a little bit, but not as much as before, and they don't flop over and hang the wrong way like they used to.  Helena's garb got several admiring comments from my coworkers in the break room when she was modeling for this shot.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

So I had a little time tonight to give Duncan a makeover.  I couldn't find my fine-toothed comb that I normally use for dyeing doll hair, but I found something else I thought might work well.  Not sure where it came from, but it's a stiff round brush that looks a bit like a mascara wand, only bigger, and with a longer handle.  So I figured that would work just as well, if not better, for applying the diluted acrylic paint wash that I use to dye doll hair.

From blond to sandy brown by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Duncan's hair needed to be a little darker, since it is supposed to be light brown rather than golden blond. So to darken it, I made a watery mixture of diluted brown acrylic paint, creating a shade that was quite a bit darker than I wanted his final color to be. Using a tiny, round brush (similar to a mascara wand, but bigger), I carefully applied the color to the under layers of hair, careful to leave as much of the top layer uncoated to leave the appearance of sun kissed highlights. While the highlights weren't quite as pronounced as is hoped, I liked the overall effect. I blow dried the hair and brushed through it with the cleaned brush to make sure the hair didn't stick together.

Right side by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Since the Mini-Deryni are supposed to be older than they were in the books, I decided to try adding some subtle graying to Duncan's hair. This was less successful, although you can see the lighter bits more clearly if you hold him next to a daylight bulb, so I am hoping they will be more visible in sunlight. To add the gray, I mixed a few drops of champagne pearlescent paint into water and then used the edge of a small  paintbrush to apply it in streaks to his hair, then brushed through it to separate the strands and keep him from having obvious stripes. Then I blow dried the hair again.

Back view by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

The hair still shines nicely in the light despite the thin layering of pigment added to it.

Left side by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

You can see the layering of his haircut more easily from this side, which accentuates the lights and shadows in his hair.

Subtle change by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

While the change in his hair color is not that pronounced, hopefully it will be enough to help make him less likely to be confused with Alaric. I could always go back and add a little more brown again if he needs to go a bit darker.

Duncan by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Duncan seems to like the new shade.

Luke approves the new hair color by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Luke and Duncan enjoy a cozy moment after Duncan's makeover.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Laurna

Luke seems quiet pleased that Duncan is emulating his own color.  Perhaps not so gingery red but it appears to be only a subtle difference in the given lighting. Duncan too is looking quite happy.
May your horses have wings and fly!

Jerusha

Humility might be a bit of a challenge after a makeover and a full photo shoot.   ;D

Duncan's hair looks very good, Evie.  I think the shade may be dark enough, though daylight will be the real proof.

And a cat couch to finish it off - who could ask for more?
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Evie

The lookalike illusion is definitely a trick of the lighting, as there are no ginger tones in Duncan's hair, yet he does seem to match Luke in that photo. Probably the result of photographing him under warm lighting and against a warm-colored backdrop. I'll see if I can take some sunlit pics soon.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Elkhound

Duncan must think that the lion came down off of the Haldane banner.

revanne

I have a vague memory of the Cassani banner having sleeping lions on it ( although my memory is a bit dodgy these days) in which case Luke is wonderfully appropriate.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46 v1)

Aerlys

I never realized that acrylic paint could be used on doll hair. I would've thought it would make the hair a bit stiff, even if diluted. Learn something new every day!
"Loss and possession, death and life are one, There falls no shadow where there shines no sun."

Hilaire Belloc

Laurna

A sleeping lion over a bed of roses.
"Argent, III roses gules; in chief, azuer, a lion dormant argent."  Codex page 175

Did you ever notice that it is McLain and not MacLain.  When most of the other last names in the story are Mac. 
I only wonder because my last name starts Mc and many people accuse my family of changing it  from Mac.  Likely it happened when my ancestors came to Canada after 1749.
May your horses have wings and fly!

Evie

Yes, Duncan would be quite used to seeing the Cassani sleeping lion, or in this case, the alert but very docile kitteh with leonine pretensions.   ;D

And yes, Aerlys, the paint can make the hair stiff, even when diluted, if you simply apply it and don't keep combing (or in this case brushing) it through the strands as they are drying.  Combing/brushing serves the dual purpose of getting all the sides of the hair shaft coated and yet keeping the hair from clumping together like the eyelashes of someone who has glopped on a bunch of mascara.   :)  You want the finest toothed comb (or tiny dense brush, if one is available) that you can possibly fine.  My usual tool for this sort of work is a plastic lice comb, although some people use metal flea combs (more durable and therefore less likely to break if they get snagged in tangled hair, although I think plastic might be easier on the hair itself).  So it excels at separating all the dyed hair as it dries so that I'm at little risk of having bits of it glued together.  The comb works better for overall coverage than the brush, IMO, since it picks up the pigment better (although I also use a paintbrush sometimes to apply the color and then just comb it through the hair), but since I wanted more of a shadows and highlights effect in Duncan's hair, the smaller amount of color that the brush picked up worked to my advantage.  Looking at some photos I took in bright sunlight today though, I think he might benefit from another, darker layer of dark brown paint wash added to the underlayer, just to keep the golden highlights from being too dominant over those browns I've added in.

The hair coloring technique only works well for turning light hair darker.  I tried reversing that with Dhugal's hair when I needed to add copper-bronze color to hair that was medium brown, but that didn't work out very well.  It took me something like 6 or 7 layers of paint wash to achieve a color that was visibly reddish, and there was no way I could have achieved a lighter color of "copper-bronze" without giving him a bad case of helmet hair.  As it is, his hair is a little more coarse and wiry feeling than I'd have preferred, although KK said that she envisions Dhugal as having the sort of hair that is naturally a bit thick and coarse in texture, rather than silky and fine, so that worked out OK. 

Also, while you can turn a blonde doll into a redhead or a brown-haired brunette, it's easier to achieve the lighter shades of those colors, or pastel colors if you aren't sticking to natural hair colors.  Trying to dye blond hair black simply results in gray hair, or so I'm told.  So for that dramatic a color change, it's better to reroot the doll with new hair altogether.  Or some doll customizers use Rit Dye for more dramatic color changes, but I'm too afraid of staining the face or neck to try that technique.  Acrylic paint that gets on the face will wipe right off with a damp cotton swab if you get to it before it has time to dry, and if it does dry on the vinyl, you can carefully use a swab dampened with acetone to remove dry acrylic paint.  (Although it will also remove the face paint you want to keep if you get near those areas, so use it with extreme caution!)  I'd be too afraid of the Rit dye staining the vinyl permanently.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

Today's photos:

Helena show off her cloak by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Helena shows Duncan the cloak she has been working on.

Autumn stroll by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

This first day of autumn was rather too warm for wearing a cloak, but Helena agreed to give it a test fit.

Borrowed brooch by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

I bought this cloak pin at Dragoncon intending it to go to Alaric, or perhaps Dhugal, but Helena seems to have borrowed it for the moment.

Border embroidery by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Helena holds up a corner of the cloak to show off the embroidery. The designs are not complete; she is working in just one color at a time.

Sunny day by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

It was a gorgeous day for a lunch outing. The sunlight gleamed on Duncan's hair. I'm wondering if he needs more brown in the under layers to keep him from looking blond in direct light?

Shoeless by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Helena's all dressed up but has no shoes to go with her new outfit. I really need to correct that!
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Elkhound

With everything he's been through, he's earned every grey hair.

Jerusha

Is that a new string of prayer beads Duncan is wearing?  Or have I just not noticed until now (which is not uncommon)?  Either way, very nice.

Helena's cloak is coming right along, but you are right, she might like a pair of shoes before the cooler weather.  :)
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Evie

Quote from: Elkhound on September 24, 2014, 08:11:40 AM
With everything he's been through, he's earned every grey hair.

Yes he has!  Too bad you can barely see them even in the sunlight.  Then again, Deryni are supposed to age more gracefully than the average human, so maybe that's why.

Quote from: Jerusha on September 24, 2014, 08:40:07 AM
Is that a new string of prayer beads Duncan is wearing?  Or have I just not noticed until now (which is not uncommon)?  Either way, very nice.

Helena's cloak is coming right along, but you are right, she might like a pair of shoes before the cooler weather.  :)

I made him the prayer beads several months to a year ago, around the time that I got several stashes of beads from various sources (cynicalmedic was one supplier, as I recall, but I'm going blank as to who else sent me some).  John Nivard got a different style set around the same time.  His is a long cord style rather than a necklace-like loop, and it has a cross on one end and a Chartres-style labyrinth medallion on the other.  I was going through a phase of researching and experimenting with various medieval rosary/prayer bead styles.

Last night's SCA meeting happened to be a class on how to make various style cloaks, so I used Helena's as an example of an early period half-circle cloak.   ;D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Elkhound

I have a vision of Luke picking up Little Duncan and walking off with him---some cats like to carry things in their mouths, is Luke one of them?--with the caption, "Archers! Archers!"