The first step (as with any miniature I do) is to clean off any mold lines and degrease it. This is especially important with plastic miniatures like this one so that the paint sticks better. Bones do not require application of a primer. Normally I would prime regardless on these with a 50/50 mix of black and white brush-on primer, but in the interest of time I will skip that and proceed with basecoating.
My strategy for the basecoating is to simply block out all the individual parts with the basic colors. For that I've chosen RMS HD Twilight Purple for the cloak, RMS Tanned Leather (tabard and other dangling cloth), RMS Russet Brown (vest, gloves, and hair), and VGC Cold Grey for all the bits that will be metal. I also used RMS Muddy Soil to cover all the dark areas that will be hard to reach and to create some initial outlining. This is the result:
With the basic colors established I go through the process of shading and highlighting. I do the skin and hair first. After that I do the cloak and the rest of the cloth parts. Finally, I finish off the metal bits and other small details.
The shield has a very large blank area so it needs to have something on it to keep it interesting. Isabeau Laroche is a French name, so I've chosen the fleur de lis for the basic design of the freehand.
All said and done, this is what I have after two days:
There's still A LOT left for me to do. The blending on NMM needs to be cleaned up, there are 3 gems (2 on the sword and one on the shield) that need to be painted, and there is still the detail on her chest/abdomen that I have yet to do much with. I also want to go back and give a bit more depth to the fleur de lis on her shield so that it's not just a flat 2D pattern. But for 2 nights worth of effort, this is ok.
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