Isabeau Laroche, Female Paladin: Figure 152 of 265

        This week I began the Klocke Classics Set by painting Isabeau Laroche, Female Paladin.  I must say that I have been dreading starting this set, with its finally detailed, thin little, fussy, delicate sculpts.  But the only way through to my completion of the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter, led directly through this set, so it had to be done.  I find the best way to do figures I really dread doing, is by just plunging in, and doing one color at a time...eventually you reach a completed figure.
     I picked the female paladin figure to do first because I thought, with her long hooded cloak, that she would be ideal as a subject for my winter themed figure collection.  Though this was another one of those figures I don't like painting with all the fiddly little details. So many straps and layers, that half the time I couldn't really tell what was supposed to be clothing, and what was supposed to be armor...
      I prepped the figure in the usual way; soaking it in a dish of water with a couple drops of dish- soap added, then giving it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush, and then rinsing and drying.  I then glued the figure to a 1" black-primed fender washer with Aleene's Tacky glue, and glued the washer to a tongue depressor with a couple drops of Elmer's White Glue.

   I began by painting those parts I thought were armor with Black paint.. When it was dry, I drybrushed it with  Ceramcoat "Metallic Pewter". I then went over this with a lighter drybrushing of Folk Art "Silver Sterling". Next, I painted her tunic with Americana "True Blue" and all the drapes at her waist and shoulders, as well as the exterior of her cloak, with Americana "Salem Blue".

         I moved now to paint the interior of her cloak, and the trim on her tunic, with White.  I realized what I had thought was a fold in her clock's lining was actually another hanging coming off her right side, so I painted that with the "Salem Blue", and then did the White.   Next, I did her gauntlets with Apple Barrel "Burnt Sienna", and then I did her belts and straps with Folk Art "Dark Brown".

    After all the "Salem Blue parts" had had time to dry, I gave them all a coat of Iron Wind Metals "Medium Blue" ink using a very wet brush.  I then painted the grip on her sword, and the back of her shield with Americana "Asphaltum".  I then painted her face with Apple Barrel "Apple Flesh", and her hair with Accent "Mustard Seed".

      When all the brown toned colors had had time to dry, I went back and gave them a wash with Winsor Newton "Peat Brown" ink using a wet brush.  I then painted highlights, on the "Salem Blue" parts that I had given the "Medium Blue" ink wash to, with the base "Salem Blue".  I highlighted her tunic by mixing a little of the "Salem Blue" with the original "True Blue".  I then did highlights on her gauntlets with the base "Burnt Sienna".  I then carefully drybrushed the bulk of her hair with Americana "Moon Yellow", and then Americana 'Buttermilk", then I used a fine brush to do the highlights anywhere the hair was next to another color.   I then painted her eyes using my usual eye technique and then did highlights on her face with the base "Apple Flesh, and then added a little White to it, to do lighter highlights.  I then added eyebrows by painting small lines over each eye with the "Mustard Seed", and then adding smaller "Moon Yellow" highlight lines. I did highlights on her straps with the base "Dark Brown".  I moved to her shield next, and painted that with Folk Art "Metallic Blue Sapphire".

     I finished up by doing the rest of the metallics.  I painted her sword hilt and the decorations and border  on the shield with Ceramcoat "Bronze".  I then painted her sword blade with the "Metallic Pewter".  I then went back and added highlights to the parts I had painted with the "Bronze" using Ceramcoat "14k Gold".  I then did highlights on the sword blade with Folk Art "Silver Sterling", and used this color to add some further detailed highlights to her armor, and to do the buckles on her assorted straps.  I finished up by painting the jewels on her sword and shield using the "True Blue", with "Salem Blue" and White highlights"
      I painted her base white, and when everything had overnight to dry, I gave the figure a coat of Ceramcoat "Matte Varnish".  The next morning I flocked the base with Woodland Scenics "Snow" flock, and added a little bit of brown scrubbing pad to be a winter bush.  Late that afternoon I sprayed the figure with Testor's Dullcote.  I then went back and used Americana "DuraClear Gloss Varnish" to give the jewels an added shine.

   As much as I dreaded doing this first Klocke figure, I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  Now to grit my teeth and turn towards the next one...

Figure 152 of 265: Complete