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The Return of the Elf

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I’m going to run out of creative titles for this mini one of these days but at least that day is not today! After finishing the synth, I surprised myself when I started to feel drawn to go back to the elf project. I’m glad I did as I have more or less finished everything on one side of the elk mount. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I have to do the other side which is more or less the same as what you see below. It looks like we’re going to find out how much you all can take of seeing the same model week after week!

The main thing I was worried about were the gemstones. Gemstones are intimidating to work but if you’re willing to be patient and glaze the paint delicately, they aren’t actually too bad to work on. I spent way too long on these (like 6-8 hours!) but I think the final effect was worth it. I also went back and touched up the green tassels which I wasn’t all that happy with and I think they “pop” much more now. All in all, this is coming together nicely and pretty smoothly. I’ve started on the other side and made fairly decent progress. With any luck, I’ll be able to get that side done a lot quicker than this side and then I can move on to even more exciting things. I am a bit surprised that nobody has been able to figure out which video game inspired this particular model. Any guesses now that one side is done? Knowledge of the video game isn’t required to enjoy this particular mini but it might make you appreciate it that little bit more. I may give some hints in future updates if nobody can guess!

In news beyond miniature painting, I really averted disaster this week when I realized that I was pretty much out of time to get a custom suit for the wedding. I’ve always gotten them at department stores and to be frank, I’m shorter than average (5’5 by American standards) and for some reason, I tend to find that clothes for men who are short tend to be too loose fitting and have too long of sleeves and legs on them. All this is to say that I’ve never gotten a suit that fits very well or that I feel good in. As a result I wanted to get a custom suit for the wedding but I realized this week that some places needed as long as three months to make one. I had a month left exactly at the time, not three so I was really feeling the heat. Fortunately, I found someone who graciously fit me into his schedule and I’ve got this sorted out now. Had that not worked out, my fiancée might have not let me live long enough to write this week’s update 🙂 There’s still plenty more wedding stuff to go but hopefully I won’t get myself into any more holes that deep!

31 thoughts on “The Return of the Elf”

  1. I am glad we have not lost you to an enraged fiancée. At 5’8’’ I have also had trouble with clothes fitting well off the rack. Getting heavier as I get older has not helped.

    The Elk is looking stunning. You always do such amazingly meticulous work. The color palette is brilliant and your blending so smooth! I have no idea which game you are referring to but feel like I should.

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    1. It was touch and go for sure! I would have thought that clothes would be a bit easier for you. My Dad is 5’7 and brother is either 5’8 or 5’9 and neither have the same struggles that I do. With that said, I’m sure there are very few people who can easily find clothes that fit them so we can take solace in that.

      Thanks for the kind words and someone has correctly identified my inspiration for this elf so I’ll have to talk a bit more about in the next update!

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  2. Excellent work on the Elk Jeff, your NMM and Gems look exquisite, now you know the recipes, hopefully the second side will be quicker for you. Have no idea on the game that inspired the colour scheme, as I don’t keep up with them at all.
    That was very lucky finding someone who could fit you in for the suit, one disaster adverted ! A piece of advice, don’t take any of your models on your honeymoon, or your marriage could be as short as some of the celebrity ones ! LOL

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    1. Thank you, Dave! Knowing the recipes does seem to be helping and I’m trying to be smart and do all of a similar thing at once to save some time too. Haha, that is very good advice! I don’t have a honeymoon planned but I won’t even attempt to take any miniatures on it 🙂

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  3. This is looking great, the gems really are looking amazing, and the green tassel certainly pop more now.
    I’m not sure on the game that inspired this however which is odd as I am a bit of a gamer, so I’ll have to keep head scratching on that.

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    1. Thank you! The green parts I think really bring it together so I’m glad to hear you like them too. Somebody did guess the proper game but maybe it was harder to figure out than I thought. I’ll talk a bit more about my inspiration for this elf next update if I don’t forget 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Mikko! You got it! Blood elves are indeed the inspiration here. You win a vial of Arthas’s tears or some of Grom Hellscream’s blood. Your choice! I’ll get your prize in the mail straight away 😉

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  6. So, buying a suit off the peg and cutting the sleeves and legs to fit wouldn’t be a helpful suggestion then? You could always cut them really raggedy and say you were going for a Fallout theme! 🙂 Nice to see the elk making progress. 🙂

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  7. It’s looking great! Enjoy the day and get fussed about the inevitable unpredicted stuff that happens… Because… Well, you couldn’t predict that!
    The other side… Is predictably going to look great!
    I’ll need more clues on the game in updates to come!

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    1. No worries on the typo! I hate not being able to edit as well. I’m going to try and enjoy the wedding but I am going to try and be ready for the unexpected too. I’m sure there will be something. Thanks for the kind words on the elk as well 🙂 Someone has guessed the game but I’ll talk more about which game it is next update so that people don’t have to comb through the comments to find out.

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  9. Fantastic work on the Elf. Having come this far take your time, it will be superb when it’s done. No idea on the game, not my thing I’m afraid. Looks like you cut it fine with the wedding suit but all is well that ends well! 🙂

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    1. That is excellent advice, mate. No need to start rushing just yet 🙂 I was very lucky on the suit and won’t tempt fate or SWMBO in the near future if I can avoid it 😀

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  10. Does it really take that long to get a suit tailored these days? Wow. Nice save! What are the groomsmen wearing or did you skip that mess.
    I’m not sure if this will even be an elf in the end at this point since all we’ve seen is a headless reindeer ….lol.
    But it DOES look good and I’m glad you’re enjoying painting it. Good luck with the wedding my online friend. 😀

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    1. I would hope not as 3 months is outrageous. I wonder if the pandemic has something to do with this but I can’t really say. The groomsman are wearing the same color but can otherwise get their own suits. I thought they would like to have a bit of choice there and black suits are mostly the same, right?

      I suppose I could put Santa on top of this thing if there is enough demand 😉 The elf is coming, especially now that over half of the elk is done. Your patience will be rewarded eventually! 🙂

      Good luck with your move as well. I hope that is going well as that is not much less stressful than getting married!

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  11. Stunning work on the elk! My younger brother just started miniature painting recently (not very serious, only for boardgames) and I showed him this to see what true talent and craftmanship looks like. He was speechless.

    Happy to hear your suit could still be made in time. With COVID still impacting production around the world I’ve been waiting on certain furniture items for many months now. Not a huge problem per se (mostly just an inconvenience), but it’s good to be mindful of long waiting times on certain items.

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    1. Thanks, mate! That is a really high compliment and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it! 😀

      In regards to furniture, it is the same way here! I think both making furniture and actually delivering it are being delayed due to demand and the pandemic. My fiancée and I want and need to buy furniture but everything takes months to arrive so it has been hard to get going on furniture shopping. I hope you’re able to get what you need quickly and once the wedding is over, I expect we’ll buy quite a bit of stuff and hopefully won’t have to wait too long for it!

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  12. Jeff, I am more than happy to see pictures of this week after week, whatever titles you decide to come up with. It’s a beautiful sight to see, watching the progress step by step – you’re doing a truly awesome job… more please!😉

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  14. I feel that I say this each time you post but: wow. That is truly amazing work. I don’t feel quite so inadequate when I read that you spent 6-8 hours on the gems though! Keep painting, it’s so inspiring.

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  15. I’m working my way through these specific posts in order, rather than backwards this time. The Silvermoon mount is looking great, though the association isn’t quite as wholesome as it was just a few months ago now, sadly. Shame as the tarnish hits all of the hard work of so many good artists and others.

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      1. In the last year we’ve seen just got much greed is at the head of the major publishers as even the most beloved of them let the mask slip and get more and more egregious and manipulative with their revenue streams, and with that how badly they treat the people on the inside as well, WAY beyond just the stories of “crunch” and “EA spouse” turning out to be just the tip of the iceberg…

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      2. Its definitely concerning as someone who works at a software company. I don’t want to work at a place that has problems like some of the video game companies have. There’s also something that just seems wrong about people working in those conditions to make a product for others to enjoy but alas, such is the world we live in.

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