Craft Section

Elladan Swiftbrook (Dark Heaven: 2543)

We end our guide with an elf ranger. His gray-green clothing will blend into a leafy forest but a few details of russet or gold, including his coppery hair, enliven the figure. I could have painted Elladan to match the forest in a different season, such as browns and oranges for autumn or whites and grays for winter, or in dark grays and blues to blend into a forest at night.

Step One (Primed):

You should be familiar with primed figures by now.

Step Two (Base Coats):

I decide to have three values of green. Each uses the next-darker base color as its shading tone and the next-lighter base color for highlights. The darkest, on the sleeves and leggings, starts with Dragon Black; the middle tone, on the cloak, starts with Ghoul Gray (actually a subdued green) mixed with Dragon Black and Elven Green; and the lightest, on the tunic, starts with Ghoul Gray. Using straight Elven Green for the cloak would have avoided the mixing, but I find the green too saturated for my scheme. The boots are Chestnut Brown and straps are Volcano Brown. The leaf-embossed pads are Walnut, with the oak leaves picked out in Chestnut Brown. His hair is Woodland Brown. His skin, starting dark like the swordswoman's, is a mix of Caucasian, Chestnut Brown, and Woodland Brown; unlike Brand the barbarian, Elladan has little exposed skin so I won't rely on washes for most of the shading. His matched sword and dagger are Walnut at the hilts and Dragon Black at the blades. The base is Walnut, ready for drybrushing.

Step Three (Shading):

The darkest green (black) needs no shading; the middle green gets a wash of Dragon Black; and the lightest green gets a wash of the mix that I used for the middle-green base. Boots, straps, and the leaves get washes of Walnut. A wash of Chestnut Brown/Walnut shades the hair and skin. The weapons' first highlights are Steel Plate for the blades and a mix of Chestnut, Woodland Brown, and Copper for the crossguards and pommels (and the tip of the scabbard, visible at his ankle).

Step Four (Highlighting):

I layer the darkest green with a mix of Ghoul Gray/Dragon Black/Elven Green; straight Ghoul Gray is the middle green's highlight; and Orc Flesh is the color for the lightest. The boots get layers of Chestnut Brown mixed with Ruddy Flesh. Straps get a mix of Chestnut Brown and Woodland Brown, with Dragon White for the lightest spots. I highlight the leaf-pads with Woodland Brown and the leaves themselves with Burnt Orange and Spring Yellow. I layer the hair with Chestnut Brown/Ruddy Flesh, then Ruddy Flesh alone, then Dragon White. The skin goes up through Caucasian to Dragon White. The blades get highlights of Truesilver and the hilts get Copper plus Truesilver; the leather-wrapped hilts go from Walnut toward Caucasian in two layers. I drybrush the base with Woodland Brown and Hill Giant Brown.

Step Five (Glazing/Details):

The eyes, buckles, buttons, and the silver rings on the weapons' hilts are details. The trim on the pads is Woodland Brown, layered with Ruddy Flesh. Elladan's cloak could have gotten a border like the sorceress's, but I let the cloak remain unadorned.