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

[DesertRose]

Ever since I started making 1:6 medieval figures, trying to keep proper headgear on my ladies has been a major headache for me.  Not to mention for them also, since this usually involved having to stick a straight pin into their little vinyl heads!      I wanted to find some better solution for this problem.   Looking at various wimple styles online, I found one that is essentially a tapered tube that is pulled on over the head with the face peeking through the narrow end, and the wider end draped over the shoulders.  I decided to improvise something along those lines for 1:6 scale use.  While I am not aware of any period documentation for wimples cut and sewn in that style, I'm willing to try anything that will allow for 1:6 head coverings that aren't pinned to a figure's scalp.

I think there is documentation for period headgear a bit like that in Moorish/Middle Eastern/Northern African attire.  I made something like that for Festil's SCA garb that wound up shaped like a big muslin cone to shade his head from the Trimarian sun.  I based the construction of the headdress (and indeed much of his garb) on a photograph of a painting of a Spanish Moorish gentleman.  I think the painting in question was used as the cover art for a book called The History of the Moors in Spain or something similar.  (He decided to make his persona Moorish, and I think he was going for pre-Reconquista.)

However, that probably doesn't help for 12th C. Gwynedd.  I don't know.  Maybe it does; maybe al-Rasoul started a fashion trend. 

[Evie]

Or maybe Mini-Mirjana brought the new fashion to Mini-Gwynedd from Mini-Torenth or Mini-Byzantyun, and it caught on among the Court Ladies.   

[Evie]

Helena's new Schola robe, hood, and lucet by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

This holiday weekend, Helena got a new Schola robe and matching hood that are properly sized for her body, so she doesn't have to be swallowed up whole in Duncan's old Schola robes.  His robes were cut too large for his body, since I made it when I was planning on shifting him from a Ken body to an action figure body, but didn't have one on hand yet to size it to, so I was guesstimating on the large side to ensure it would fit.  So on Helena they were ridiculously huge.  Now that she has a permanent body, I figured it was time she got her own Schola robe and hood that she won't look like an orphan waif in.

In her hand is a lucet used to braid cords with, such as one might use to lace clothing.  I made the lucet by scanning both sides of my own lucet to get color photos of both sides, which I then inserted into a Word document and resized until I had side by side pictures of miniature lucets scaled down to roughly 1:6 scale.  (I made several size copies to see which size would look best in her hand, since lucets don't come in uniform sizes anyway.)   I printed the page and then used Mod Podge to seal the images and give the paper a bit of gloss and weight.  Once the Mod Podge was dry, I cut out the images and glued them to thin cardboard.  Once the glue dried, I cut out the lucet shapes from the surrounding backgrounds and then glued the lucet shapes together with the "wooden lucet" images on the outside and the cardboard on the inside.  I plan to color the edges brown and then reseal the lucet with one more coat of Mod Podge, but I didn't have any brown paint or marker with me while on holiday.  The lucet hole was made with a needle once the glue was fully dry, although I need to enlarge it a little bit so it can be used as a fully functional lucet.


Duncan's new ring and stole by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

(I'll try to get a closer view of the ring later, but we were in a hurry to hit the road for a 4 hour drive home yesterday when this photo was taken.)  Duncan got a new green stole and a ring during the long weekend.  Both were experiments with new techniques.  I attempted to block print cross shapes onto the satin ribbon stole.  Unfortunately the gold paint I originally tried to use was old and did not leave a very visible print, so I had to fill in the gaps with some gold fabric paint and a paintbrush.  The resulting prints were not as neat and clearly defined as I had hoped for, but at least Duncan has a green "Ordinary Time" stole to add to his collection now.  I'm not sure about this green and purple combo, though.  He looks too much like an eggplant!  (An aubergine, for those of you on the other side of The Pond.)

I decided it was also time to experiment with making rings, since several of the Deryni characters are portrayed wearing various sorts of signet rings and the like.  So I found several top-view photos of medieval rings online that fit the general color description of the rings in the novels (the actual engravings didn't matter so much since they would be so reduced in size as to become indistinguishable) and downloaded those, then inserted them into a Word document and resized each one into several successively smaller sizes to ensure I would get at least one of each that would print out in proper scale to look good on action figure fingers.  I used gloss Mod Podge on all of the ring tops and waited for the sealer to dry.  The ring itself is made from a tiny strip of metallic gold scrapbooking cardstock wound around the end of a thin paintbrush to make it the right circumference, then glued together.  Once the glue was dry, I cut a small square around one of the little ring tops and glued it to another bit of the gold cardstock, then trimmed around the edges once the glue was dry to remove all of the background and just leave the "ring top."  By this time, the glue holding together the gold circle for the ring was dry, so I tested the fit on Duncan's finger to make sure it was the right size before removing it to glue the ring top on.   Once that glue had dried, I had a ring with very noticeable white paper edges, so I used a bit of gold paint (actually some dimensional fabric paint, but it was the only decent gold paint I had on hand) and a paintbrush to touch up those white edges.  After the paint dried, I sealed the ring top again with another drop of glossy Mod Podge. 

Duncan's ring should actually be on his other hand, but his ring finger on that hand isn't separated from his middle finger, so I had to shift it to this hand instead.  Maybe traditions differ slightly in Gwynedd.  Or maybe this can go on his spare "relaxed hand" and I can figure out a way to attach a different one to his gripping right hand.  I'd prefer to not just glue something on, since this figure shares hands with another body that I'm hoping to put Alaric's head on someday.

[Evie]

Rothana arrives at the Schola by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

I received my Rothana-to-be in the mail yesterday, and here she is already on her new body.  (Don't worry, I gave her an hour or two to unwind before the surgery happened!)  I just happened to find a suitably "dusky skinned" Liv doll at the thrift store a couple of weeks back, so that became the body donor.  Her body is just a smidge more tan than her face now, but that may be the closest color match I'm likely to find in a poseable body, and it appears pretty close to matching in this photo, so I'm happy to get that close a match.  She's wearing borrowed clothing since I don't have anything medieval for her to wear yet, and I want to make sure she's on her permanent body before I go cutting out robes or Court gowns for her.  This was the India Barbie from the Dolls of the World collection, so she's got a tiny bindi on her forehead, but I can easily remove that.  I think it's kind of cute, though, so I have to admit I'm not in a tearing rush to see it go away.  Her hair came pre-braided in a very thick braid, putting me in mind of her description in one of KK's books in which her braid is described as being "thick as a man's wrist," though I am thinking of unbraiding it and then rebraiding it bound with red and blue ribbons, since the Codex describes the younger women in the Servants of Saint Camber wearing their hair bound that way under their veils.

Helena is just shown here welcoming her to the cast of Schola characters and to show you the body size and shape differences.  I've always pictured Rothana as fairly petite in build, in which case the Liv body should work really well for her.  I've got another body on order that is meant for Richenda, but I'm not certain about the color match issues.  If it turns out to be a better match for Rothana, then she may not stay on this body after all.  Though the other body might be too voluptuous for Rothana.  It's a similar style body to Helena's, only with a tan skintone rather than pale.  So if the new body ends up too busty for Rothana, then she'll either go to Richenda or to Araxie.  Either of them would need a darker body than the one Helena is using, though not quite as dark as Rothana's, and I won't know which head the body will match the best until I see it in person and preferably in natural light. 

Any thoughts? 

In non-canonical news, I also have a Celsie figure now, but I don't have a photo of her yet, and again she's not wearing any Gwyneddan clothes, although she's wearing a fairy tale princess outfit that will do in a pinch if Kelson's Court won't be blinded by glittery baby blue, baby pink, and gold.  I have to admit she looks rather cute in it, even if it's much more fantasy-medieval than anywhere even in the ballpark of authentic medieval.    

[Laurna]

I have to admit she looks rather cute in it, even if it's much more fantasy-medieval than anywhere even in the ballpark of authentic medieval.

And Deryni does not fall anywhere near the edge of  fantasy- medieval?  Lol, nope! The Deryni are authentic and our history is but a cover for what really happened. 

Evie, I like your new Rothana, I can see no difference in the skin tones. She looks good.

[Evie]

LOL!  OK, then how about Disney-"medieval"?  Yes, the Eleven Kingdoms are fantasy, but they are more realistically depicted in canon than most Disney fairy-tale stories, which are the more usual inspiration for Barbie fantasy-medieval gowns.   A lady of 12th Century Gwynedd would be more likely to wear something that looks closer to this...



...rather than multiple layers of foofy-poofy pale pink and blue organdy with a gold lamé bodice.   If I keep Celsie in the dress she's currently wearing, then she'll look like Glinda the Good next to my other characters! 

I agree that Rothana seems to photograph well in the new body, and the skintone difference isn't apparent like I was worried it would be.  (I can see it easily enough in person, but since her face is vinyl and her body is plastic, that can also play a factor too.)  I want to take more photos on a well lighted diorama "stage" before making a final decision, but I quite like her overall look on this body so far.

[Jerusha]

I like your new Rothana's eyes.  They look exactly like I imagined them in tQfSC when they were outlined in kohl for her wedding to Conall.  Not that she would be doing that on a daily basis as a Servant of Saint Camber, but she looks lovely nonetheless.

Given the style of medieval women's clothing, slight deviations in skin tone between bodies and heads may not be that noticeable.  Except perhaps in the bedchamber scene.   

[Evie]

Well, given that my photostory is set around 1137 or thereabouts, she'll need to have changed her mind about remarrying if there's to be a bedchamber scene.  Unless, of course, it's nothing more than a shot of Rothana sitting on the edge of her bed combing her hair while wearing nothing but a chemise or a bedsheet.  I have made a printed "ivory" medieval comb recently....   

We can imagine that she just has beautiful, naturally lush eyelashes, so that's why she looks like she has kohl-rimmed eyes even on days when normally she wouldn't be wearing any.   

[Laurna]

...rather than multiple layers of foofy-poofy pale pink and blue organdy with a gold lamé bodice.

lol yes that is far too fantasy for the Deyrni littles. When you mentioned Disney fairy tales the only costume that comes to mind as non-princess pink is mother Gothel's red gown in Tangled.

I think Rothana will need a nice modest gown for court, more than just a Servant of SC gown, because she will often bring her son to visit his grandparents at court. 
Jerusha, can you really foresee a bedchamber scene?  If Rothana attracts the eye of a serious suitor, how could she ever except him after turning down the King. Unless, of course it is Kelson, himself, who finds a new husband for her. But I just can not imagine that happening.

[Evie]

As it happens, there is a bedchamber scene planned for a future photostory chapter.  It doesn't include Rothana, though, and it's not a romantic scene.  More of a "laid up with injuries" sort of scenario.  So I'm sure Rothana will be glad enough not to be featured in that one.   

[Jerusha]

When I originally referred to the bedchamber scene, I was thinking about the possible new body for Richenda that might be too busty for Rothana.  I was thinking that the Duke of Corwyn might not mind the exchange!   

Who is it now, that might be laid up with injuries in the bedchamber?  Dhugal?  Morgan? Surely not Duncan! 

[Evie]

That's for me to know and for you to find out.   

[Evie]

I needed a medieval canopy bed for Kelson and my other medieval littles. I was going to try making one from wood, but I don't have any woodworking skill to speak of, and I wanted something that could come apart and store flat when not in use. Fortunately, I was able to find a bed to suit the purpose in a cheap Gloria furniture set (off brand Barbie sized furniture) purchased on eBay.


You're going to make me sleep in this? by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Kelson looks somewhat dubious about his new bed frame.  I don't think he's all that keen on white and baby pink.  Fortunately, neither am I, so it didn't stay looking this way for very long.  As soon as I put the camera down, I picked up my can of Rustoleum Universal Advanced Formula Satin Paint & Primer in One spray paint in a lovely satiny black and went right to work.  This is a plastic-safe spray paint that I like a bit better than the Krylon plastic primer paint that I've used previously.


Much improved by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

The paint hasn't had time to fully cure yet, so I haven't fully assembled the bed; that's why the canopy pieces are just resting on top of the posts rather than seated squarely in place.  I opted to turn the side pieces of the canopy upside-down from their usual position so that I can put a flat-topped, more medieval looking canopy over that frame later.  The holes in the headboard and footboard are for pegs that are in the back of some gold ornamental pieces that will go back on once the bed is fully assembled, and there are gold finials to go at the top of the bedposts as well once the canopy frame is seated in place properly and the canopy and curtains are on.  The bed curtains will be Haldane Crimson and gold, with a matching bedspread.  (I think I have enough of the crimson velvet fabric for both.)  I was originally going to try to paint over this black paint with some brown acrylic paints to give it a dark woodgrain look, but I kind of like the painted black frame, and painted wood furniture is perfectly period,  If I leave it this way, the bed could serve double-duty in my modern dios as well.  Then again, the original bed is inexpensive enough, I could just buy a second one.  Thoughts?  I was originally going to go for a more rustic looking bed, since it will be traveling with Kelson on campaign, but then again, why shouldn't his camp furniture look just as spiffy as his castle furniture?  He is the King after all!  And as long as it comes apart for travel and reassembles easily, it's not like painted furniture is significantly harder to cart around than unpainted wood furniture.   

And now, remember that lovely wooden Savonarola chair I got a month or two ago that was missing a back, so I had to improvise one with a rubber band?  Well, it has a new back now, thanks to a lady on the Playscale group who had a full set of chairs that are nearly identical to mine.


New chair back by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

She kindly made an impression of one of hers in brown Fimo polymer clay, cut out around the edges of the impression, and then mailed it to me after it was baked, along with a cardboard template as an outline pattern so that I can cut and carve my own from wood if I ever want a wooden replacement.  I'm testing the fit of the imprint in this photo.


Almost perfect by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

The Fimo back is just a tad too thick on the viewer's right side, so it doesn't fit down into the chair arm notch, but a bit of sanding should fix that up, and this will work great for a temporary chair back.  Before I sand it or do anything else that might break the somewhat fragile polymer clay, I would like to use this impression to make a mold from using silicone putty, and that way I can later make a new chair back out of a sturdier material, probably resin, and paint it to match the rest of the wood.  I could even make more than one and personalize them all to whichever character is using the seat in a particular scene by painting them in different heraldic colors.  (We tend to think of early period furniture as bare wooden pieces, since that's how the few extant pieces in museums tend to look, but in medieval pictures the furnishings are often brightly colored, and even the museum pieces often have small amounts of pigment left on them to offer clues about how they used to look once upon a time.)

[Evie]

Frustration.   

I bought two action figure bodies along with some spare hands and feet that, according to the photo on the website listing for them, ought to have been nearly perfect matches for Richenda and Araxie's heads.  If anything, they might have been a little paler, but a slightly tanned face on a paler body is fairly normal, given that our faces are normally exposed to sunlight and our bodies aren't.    So I was excited when the package finally arrived.  I cut open the tape only to discover that what had arrived were two very tan bodies (identical matches to the one I already had from another seller, that had been too dark even for Rothana), along with hands and feet that were either just as dark, or else light enough to use but still useless to me since I don't have a light body for them to go on.  One set of hands even had dark blue dye or ink stains (as in ball point pen, it looks like) in the vinyl.  I don't mind getting used parts (which these all are, and I knew that from the outset), but I do expect them to be in good condition and to look like the picture in the seller's listing! 

So Richenda and Araxie are still awaiting new bodies, and in the meantime I'm trying to find out if I can exchange these items or get a full refund for them so I can try again later.  *sigh*  If it turns out that I'm stuck with them, I guess I'll be shopping for new tan heads and trying to figure out how to work some ladies from Nur Hallaj or some other exotic kingdom into Araxie's entourage!

On the brighter side, on our way back from a funeral in Tennessee yesterday, we stopped by Sir's Fabric in Fayetteville, TN, to shop for discount fabric and trim.  I found some little crimson and gold trims that will be perfect for Kelson's bedding.  Now I just have to figure out how to design the canopy around the bed framework in such a way that I can actually draw the bed curtains open and closed.  I also found some green and black piping that I bought a yard of, figuring I can use it to make Alaric...something.  Not sure what yet, but I figured I'd regret it if I passed it up, so I guess I can always come up with some way to use up a yard of green and black trim.  Richenda insisted I find something to brighten up his basic black wardrobe. 

So there's an update; sorry no photos this time!

[Evie]

Another brief update.  Although the new bodies for Richenda and Araxie didn't work out, I was able to ship them back to the seller and anticipate getting a full refund.  In the meantime, an online friend has two of the lighter-skinned spare bodies that he was willing to send my way, one of which is the exact style as Helena's (that one will go to Richenda), and the other one is very similar, and will hopefully suit Araxie.   So situation salvaged, although I still have to wait a few more days to get the new body or bodies.  (I'm not sure if he was planning on shipping them at the same time or not.)

Haven't gotten started on the bed curtains yet, but I did manage to get the new storage cabinet for my crafting supplies in place today, so once things are transferred into it and I've got the clutter out of my living room again, hopefully I'll have more room to move around and can get started on that project.