Lady of the Lake (updated with Part III - more images)

Part I:

For Part II, see here.

For Part III, see here.


For Part IV, see here.

I've finally done it... gotten an elf. Other than Legolas, that is... More specifically, I picked up the TBLeague white elf archer head.

While most elf heads I have seen (excluding the Lord of the Rings ones) have been far too anime or bland for my taste (and especially when combined with sexualization that does bother me), this one looked ok, especially from some angles. Sure, the placement of the ears is a little unusual -- and they can hurt you while handling the head -- and the look is a little ambivalent, but she could just possibly pass for an Olsen. I wanted to see what body the head would fit well on, and found the S25B, the first one I picked up, a very good match in color and proportions. I didn't even try another. I also picked up her crown, necklace, and leotard (which I intended to use as a generic old-style one-piece swimsuit), and after goofing around with some unsuitable fabric I didn't mind wasting and some tape, ended up with a very basic temporary outfit. Some company and props later, a bit of posing, and a choice of background and she got her working title (if I knew it would end there, I would have added lots and lots of mist). Nothing complex, but here it is for what little it is worth...







For Part II, see here.

For Part III, see here.

For Part IV, see here.

Interesting photos and character. Is this your interpretation of the Arthurian tale?

Very nice! Great photos!
I recently also got a chance to secure the white elven archer figure and will hopefully receive it soon. It was really impossible to find the parted out head sculpt at a reasonable price when it was initially released.

An Olsen elf! Does this mean you'll need two of them?

Or... you already have two, but they take turns portraying the same character?

Stryker2011 wrote:Interesting photos and character. Is this your interpretation of the Arthurian tale?

Thank you very much. It was a spontaneous kitbash, I suppose, nothing fancy. Not intended to be an interpretation of the Arthurian tale, just a working title inspired by the background I ended up choosing, and the prop -- sword, which looks elven to me. So what's a lake lady with a sword? Well, the Lady of the Lake, no?

Randam Hajile wrote:Very nice! Great photos!
I recently also got a chance to secure the white elven archer figure and will hopefully receive it soon. It was really impossible to find the parted out head sculpt at a reasonable price when it was initially released.  

Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked them. Another example of photos in front of a screen. Looking at the complete set, I almost wish I had gotten that. Individually, when I saw them parted out, the pieces were less compelling, which why I went for just the head (and crown, and necklace), but the set does look pretty good. I hope you like it when you get it.

davidd wrote:  An Olsen elf! Does this mean you'll need two of them? Or... you already have two, but they take turns portraying the same character?

Actually aren't there three Olsen sisters, with two of them being twins? No, for now just the one.

Part II:

For Part III, see here.

Three more versions of the scene, as I was trying to decide between backgrounds.







For Part III, see here.



Part IV here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t5591-lady-of-the-lake-part-iv-april-21-2022#78978

Oooh! Beautiful pictures and a beautiful character shaping up nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing where you'll take this! I like the background you showed first the best, so I'm with you on your choice there for sure. It works beautifully!

Nice. Of the three I’d have to say I prefer the last one the best, though they all work

She is very beautiful and mystical-looking, especially with those backgrounds. I like the first the most; the light coming down from the sky with the waterfalls just makes her look more ethereal and serene. And of course the lake, haha. I guess the fabric around her arms could be a bit less stiff, maybe spray it with fabric softener or something else and hold it in place for a while. Otherwise the goddess of light looks very good with the warrior of light and their matching color schemes.

Now I'm glad I posted some of the variants, as different viewers enjoy different ones best. Normally, I would try to save you guys redundancy. Just finishing up another scene with some new elements.

Diana wrote:Oooh! Beautiful pictures and a beautiful character shaping up nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing where you'll take this! I like the background you showed first the best, so I'm with you on your choice there for sure. It works beautifully!

Thank you very much, I'm very glad you liked them.

Stryker2011 wrote:Nice. Of the three I’d have to say I prefer the last one the best, though they all work

Thank you, I'm glad you like them. I made that one first, but the lighter bluish-grey coloring of the shaded underside of the arch bothered me, so I prioritized other images.

AlKelAstra91 wrote:She is very beautiful and mystical-looking, especially with those backgrounds. I like the first the most; the light coming down from the sky with the waterfalls just makes her look more ethereal and serene. And of course the lake, haha. I guess the fabric around her arms could be a bit less stiff, maybe spray it with fabric softener or something else and hold it in place for a while. Otherwise the goddess of light looks very good with the warrior of light and their matching color schemes.

Thank you, I'm glad you liked them. Oh yes, the fabric is totally useless for our scale (I think), which is why I was happy to throw caution to the wind and waste it on experiments. An earlier experiment turned out like a mix between a Greek tunic and a Japanese kimono, with richly embroidered edges provided by the patterned tape (which you see a bit of here in the form of the sash/belt). But that just made it even more stiff, so I stuck to this super simple open tunic. With softer fabric everything ought to drape much more naturally and the look may be much better. So I should attempt your fabric softener suggestion (though not sure anything would really do the trick on this fabric).

More coming up.

The first background out of the last three, but still the original background overall.

Thanks, Xavion, glad you liked them.

Part III

Looks like the Lady of the Lake is on the run from a hideous monster. Her brave champion is ready to protect her, but she finds it necessary to jump through space to evade the beast, who is somehow always close behind...







As you can see, I'm still having trouble deciding between backgrounds.


Continued here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t5591-lady-of-the-lake-part-iv-april-21-2022#78978

She's a really pretty figure, I like how you did her outfit! Despite my dislike of the keebler elf style ears, she has a beautiful face and I think that makes up for it. ;p

I'd have trouble deciding on the backgrounds, too, as they all work in their own ways.

All the backgrounds look very nice in combination with your characters.

The chroma-keying (?) on the last two pictures worked also very well. I guess, the question is what background fits best to the "story" that you want to tell with the characters.

Nice use of a screen as a backdrop for your figures both the figures standing in front it and chroma-keying the figures. In both cases the correct lightning on the figures is the main problem to create a harmonic look. The colors that appear in the environment should also be in the light on the figures. Randam is a master of using the appropriate technique.

skywalkersaga wrote:She's a really pretty figure, I like how you did her outfit! Despite my dislike of the keebler elf style ears, she has a beautiful face and I think that makes up for it. ;p I'd have trouble deciding on the backgrounds, too, as they all work in their own ways.

Thank you very much, Sky. Yep, I'd have preferred more "classic" elf ears myself. The outfit was just a quick experiment, I'm glad it ended up decent enough for a few shots. Well, my story is that she had them space-jump to another location as the beast was getting nearer.

Randam Hajile wrote:All the backgrounds look very nice in combination with your characters.

The chroma-keying (?) on the last two pictures worked also very well. I guess, the question is what background fits best to the "story" that you want to tell with the characters.

Thank you very much. No actual chroma keying here. They were shot on the same dark grey stone slabs as before, but I used a cloning tool to digitally extend the background under their feet. A true professional would have done a more thorough job, and probably would have scaled it better. If you are interested in seeing some examples of me shooting figures in front of a blue screen and then digitally inserting them into the background, I did a lot of that here (feel free to check it out and comment -- there I tried a little harder, but still not a professional job) :
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3217-star-wars-han-solo-mudtrooper-by-hot-toys-updated

ElBundy wrote:Nice use of a screen as a backdrop for your figures both the figures standing in front it and chroma-keying the figures. In both cases the correct lightning on the figures is the main problem to create a harmonic look. The colors that appear in the environment should also be in the light on the figures. Randam is a master of using the appropriate technique.

Thank you. No chroma-keying in this instance, though that might have been a better approach for Part III; I extended the background digitally for continuity -- see answer above. I was just taking some shorts in front of the screen to have something more interesting than a piece of one-color foamboard and couldn't be bothered to dig out a suitable printed background from the old days. I picked images that I had come across recently and liked, and where the direction of light was not overly clear, so there wouldn't be too glaring a conflict with the figures. Perhaps instead of saving the shadow cast by the figures, I should have removed and faked it differently, or softened it significantly.

and the prop -- sword, which looks elven to me. wrote:

It is! It's actually called 'Orcrist' from PJ's 'The Hobbit' found by Thorin Oakenshield in the Barrowlands (I think) or the trolls' cave, where they find 'Sting' for Bilbo and 'Glamring' for Gandalf, all Elven blades. I have the same one for my future custom Thorin figure if I don't break down and buy the whole Asmus figure instead.

shovelchop81 wrote:It is! It's actually called 'Orcrist' from PJ's 'The Hobbit' found by Thorin Oakenshield in the Barrowlands (I think) or the trolls' cave, where they find 'Sting' for Bilbo and 'Glamring' for Gandalf, all Elven blades. I have the same one for my future custom Thorin figure if I don't break down and buy the whole Asmus figure instead.

Thanks for confirming. I think I knew it was this -- or an elven sword from the LOTR franchise at any rate -- when I bought it, but it has been so long I've forgotten the details.

GubernatorFan wrote:

shovelchop81 wrote:It is! It's actually called 'Orcrist' from PJ's 'The Hobbit' found by Thorin Oakenshield in the Barrowlands (I think) or the trolls' cave, where they find 'Sting' for Bilbo and 'Glamring' for Gandalf, all Elven blades. I have the same one for my future custom Thorin figure if I don't break down and buy the whole Asmus figure instead.

Thanks for confirming. I think I knew it was this -- or an elven sword from the LOTR franchise at any rate -- when I bought it, but it has been so long I've forgotten the details.

Forgot to mention I'm jealous of all the Persian warrior's gear you have there!

I like that new background/floor image there, Ian. I think the perspective works great.

With the changing backgrounds, the weapon might be a teleporter device.

Or it's different adventures and different times, but he always loses his sword and she gives it back to him.

Or they are clones in different places, receiving their gifts at the same time to unite for some evil foces of evil with black capes.

But I like the golden forest alley the most.

Magical. I like her pointy ears.

shovelchop81 wrote:Forgot to mention I'm jealous of all the Persian warrior's gear you have there!

I will take this as a compliment. Actually only the helmet, vambraces, and shield are Persian. I picked up a few parted out pieces, including the horned saddle, which can work for Roman cavalry too. The cuirass is Greek (from TBLeague's Alexander set), the greaves are pseudo-Egyptian (from TBLeague's Tut set).

Stryker2011 wrote:I like that new background/floor image there, Ian. I think the perspective works great.

Thank you very much, Mark, I'm glad you enjoyed them. It is projected on the screen, and then I did a quick and superficial job digitally extending it around the figures' feet. The first one is of an actual overgrown Roman road in Britain, the second is from a beach in... I forgot where...

Ovy wrote:With the changing backgrounds, the weapon might be a teleporter device.

Or it's different adventures and different times, but he always loses his sword and she gives it back to him.

Or they are clones in different places, receiving their gifts at the same time to unite for some evil foces of evil with black capes.

But I like the golden forest alley the most.

Thank you very much, Ovy. I was thinking it was her elven magic that made them teleport in their efforts to escape the Beast. But I appreciate the alternative scenarios. The absent-minded (or unlucky) champion idea is hilarious.

ukshaun wrote:Magical. I like her pointy ears.

Thank you very much. Yeah, they've grown on me enough, especially when I don't prick my fingers on them.