Jester [Critical Role] Part 1

Since I was happy with my last conversion based on Critical Role, I decided to start on another. One of my favorite characters from their second campaign is Jester, a tiefling trickster cleric. When I want to create a specific character figure that isn't on the market, I like to keep my eyes out for figures that are close enough that they wouldn't be too hard to convert. In this case, there really wasn't anything remotely close... so I knew this would be a significant conversion.

Instead of buying a piece specifically for this project, I looked through my collection of kits to see if I had anything I didn't mind sacrificing to this project. I decided on the Morlock Girl from Luxumbra. I'd gotten it as part of their kickstarter but didn't like the figure as much as I did the concept art, so it was not one I was likely to ever paint. Which meant, if I screwed up, no big loss. This time I decided to do a bit more planning before starting on the sculpt. I made some sketches and decided to repose the arms. I wasn't a fan of the face on the Morlock girl, so I swapped the head with a dark elf figure from RN Estudio.

After re-positioning the arms and swapping the head, I took a picture of the figure with a white background and printed it out. On top of this, I could then sketch how I wanted the clothing to look and just generally get a better picture of what I wanted to do. This was prep I hadn't done with the previous one and probably should have.

From there, I started to sculpt. I'm working with ProCreate, a two part compound like Green Stuff. So work is done in a lot of layers. Sculpt a bit, let it harden, then sculpt on the next bit. I started with the leather armor on her torso and then moved onto the skirt. Cloth is tough and I still could learn a lot about how to do it right. In this case, I first setup a base layer that won't be seen, but gives me some structure to add the following layers on top of. For the actual cloth, I place the putty between two pieces of parchment paper (wet each side a little to prevent it sticking too much) and then roll it out flat. Once it's thin enough for my project, I peel the top layer of paper off. Smooth out any wrinkles that may have been put in and then cut it roughly to size. Now I can peel it off the bottom layer of paper and carefully drape it onto the figure. I gently use some sculpting tools to help position it and create waves or folds.

I also work with wire to help create armatures for anything sticking out of the figure. In this case, I added a wire for the tail (as you can see above) and then two wires for the tiefling's horns. I found this to be especially helpful as I can play with the wires until they are symmetrical. That should help my final sculpt also look symmetric.

From there it's more layers: finishing the boots, adding the belts, pouches, etc. You can see I'm also using some metal for details. For the belt buckle, I've got a bent wire. I also have some aluminum sheet that I can cut and have used for one of her belts. For the patterned belt, I began like I did with the cloth (roll it out and cut it to the right dimensions, then drape it around the figure). Though the belt is wrapped around itself, I didn't actually wrap the putty. I used a couple pieces and faked the end result. For the pattern on the belt, I simply used a sculpting tool to press into the putty once it was in place. I probably could have measured to make the pattern more uniform, but in this case I just did it by eye and accepted the end result as good enough.

You'll notice a few more wires in the above image. Jester has these long flowing sleeves that I know will be a pain in the butt to sculpt. So I wanted something I could use to lay the putty on and provide some structure. I've also anchored those wires to my holder. Once the putty is hardened, I will cut that part off.

The sleeves were indeed a pain to make. These were done in several steps. First I rolled out and cut the front, gently laying it on the wire and creating my desired folds. Once that had hardened, I added another layer behind it to hide the wires and give it a bit more rigidity. I used some sanding and patching with more putty to smooth out imperfections that happened as I was sculpting it.

You'll notice I've also sculpted the giant lollipop she'll be carrying. For this I switched to Fimo. As this is a separate piece, I could sculpt it and then bake it. For the main figure, the initial piece is resin so any baking could melt it. I'm not entirely happy with the result, so I plan to resculpt it soon to see if I can't do something a little better.

Finally I made her cloak. Again, rolling it out and cutting it into shape (a crescent). I draped it on and sculpted the folds around the front. I then let that harden before returning to add the hood on top. I also did a few final details like revising some of the hair to better match the character.

Each time I do this, I feel like I learn a lot along the way. If you want to try a similar conversion, my best advice is just to start trying it. Watch sculpting videos (plenty on youtube for green stuff) to get a sense of how to use the various tools to manipulate the putty. Remember it's not a race. If you get a section you're happy with, stop and let it harden! It's very frustrating to get a part looking good and then accidentally put your finger into it while working on another area of the figure.

On this piece, I feel like I'm getting a better handle on cloth, though I know I still have a long way to go. With practice I'm getting more comfortable though. In hindsight, I wish I'd made a number of the layers thinner. The armor and cloth bulked her out a bit more than I intended. I'd also like to gather more references for folds and other details. And, some things you can fix while painting (like creating the illusion of texture).

I'll post more on the painting soon, but here's a quick preview to see how the (partially) painted piece looks next to the bare conversion.