Here is the second step. The green is fine Dragon scale, the brown dark leather. Lacking a modeler outside of Bryce, I've had to do things a little creatively to get close to what I want. More detail needs to be added, exactly what will depend on how my experiments work out the next few days. :-) The background is rendered with the figure in Bryce. The background is temporary, I'll be trying other options. I just wanted to provide contrast for the edges of the figure. Comments and suggestions welcome. I have some ideas for fine elements to add, but would be curious to hear your suggestions on that as well! TIA, Fiontar

And now she's PG-13 instead of R... :-) Nice work.

Nice! I second Allie's suggestions-although I know pretty close to zip about sword fighting it sounds like she does! Great character. Maybe you can make layered armor for those who want to keep her sexy in the fantasy renders and fuller armor when she goes up against serious baddies! Look forward to seeing more... Eric Walters

The top's looking good.. I hope you're adding more to the bottom.. Greaves are always a good idea. As for Allie's swordfighting commentary, I agree there too.. some sort of finger protection would be good.. I'd just extend the gloves over her fingers. That's just texturing anyway, right? Basically, Gwen's armor is stylish but not functional. =) Rosh

Uggg, Allerleirauh, enough with the peeves, I like this look and see nothing wrong with it!!! :) Some points were left out here that were made in "step one" here earlier, so I can appreciate the comments, my fault. I'm interested in comments on the elements so far, it's far from complete... ::sigh:: Some of you are sparking me to want to debate the issue of "sexy" and fantasy women, but I'll save that for when I have the energy. I aleady lost a day to this general issue. No offense to anyone. However, I'm now developing a pet peeve of my own! ;P First, yes, other elements are in the works, it will depend on what results I get with different things I try. It's possible that none, some or most of the leather (exterior, not interior) bottoms will be obscured/ covered by some other elements. Second, this is an AD&D 3rd Edition character in the works. Some elements of multiclass restrictions on weapon/ armor use have been relaxed, but she IS a Warrior/ Mage. Her choices are no armor at all, or light armor that won't inhibit spell casting. This character has a very high dexterity. For those not versed in RPGs, her main defense is her quickness, and ability to dodge, avert, etc... blows before they reach any armor. She can't wear anything heavy, ruling out the "slow, bulky, hit me and see if you make a dent" kind of armour. The finger cut outs are required, as most spells require precise jestures to work. The extra protection she is now provided is far better than nothing. The exotic nature of the magical dragon scale armor is the only thing that let's her wear anything more than leather or cloth, for the most part. :) Even if spell use weren't an issue, I promise that 90% of those who ever fought with swords in our historical old times didn't wear gaunlets. One thing many seem to forget with Gwen, in general, is that her expertise with the blade, and her magic, negate most of these points entirely. Do NOT underestimate her abilities! She definitely doesn't like that! :) Her choice in armour is based on functionality AND style. Don't we usually combine those two in the real world when making clothing choices? For her, practical has to mean the best protection with the least restriction of movement. Aside from the limitations of the artist right now as far as options, all her armour choices are made with practicallity in mind, implemented stylishly, with the added consideration of the effect in the imigery from the artist's perspective. Skimpy sans reason is dumb, bulking up out of a false sense of modisty is just as dumb, and possibly more dangerous... The bottoms are not meant to be her only "protection" in that range. It is the base for what I find I can add, and was at least better than having nothing there because I haven't gotten that far yet! The bottom isn't there UNTIL something else is added, but in addition to what, if anything, is added. ::sigh:: Please note the cut of the top. I added what collar and height I could without restricting motion. There is enough of a dip under the neck to allow her to "breath", but no gratuitous cleavage. The length is based on mobility, and somewhat on Aesthetics. It's as low as looked good with the limited methods at my disposal. I do appreciate all the comments, but please don't begrudge me the ability to respond. There are a lot of issues being raised around this character that seem to be based on generalizations that don't really apply to her, or me. I'm not going to go skimpy to titilate, nor am I going to limit my expression based on anyone's sensabilities. None of the above is any kind of attack on anyone, I just feel frustrated that myself, and this work, seem to be being greatly misundertood based on generalities that, once again, may not apply... Done any fighting? When I was young, some friends and cousins used to do a weekend "real world" D&D in the woodland and fields behind our house. Dyed sheets for cloaks, and 1 1/2" thick, 5' long dowells as swords. For the most part, the coffee can plastic lids as hilt guards prevented any serious harm over a weekend. :) LOL. Haven't thought about that in a while. We were clumsy, Gwen is expert. There IS a reason for hilt guards, and the katana has one. :) I'm definitely not going to do seperate versions of images for different crowds! That's to PC for me! :) I won't limit my expression to hide sexuallity, nor use it gratuitously. That's all I can say. She will be wearing as much or as little as the image requires... Eventually, once I have the tools and skills required, I plan on doing an image showing all the bulk an adventurer carries along between battles. Also one showing the stuff that is dropped, thrown aside or removed to egage in combat:) And, even when I can create every bit of equipment, armour and clothing I could want, I will still do figure studies that I find artistic... Allerleirauh, I've been contemplating the scales, I'm thinking point down for the breast plate and point up for the leggings. Both are comfortably lined, so interior isn't a factor. For the leggings, you are more likely to be sliding down a slope than up it ;) So, I'm thinking point up is fine. Fiontar

Pack, There is nothing wrong wit an A or B cup.... Grrrr..... The red hair is "unaturally" shaded with intention. Thanks, Fiontar

Looks better every time. I still think she'd look better with really short hair, but that's just me.

True.northstar, There are couple of her in the Gallery with her hair pulled back, giving the look of short hair. It is cute, especially from this viewing angle. Her hair is long and flowing. I will probably do some in the future pulled back like the two in the gallery, and other hair styles on the long hair. But short hair probably won't happen for this character. Her hair is very long, and she won't give it up for anything. :) Fiontar

"I can't fight in this bedamned armor." Blade Dreamblade screamed as she threw off the breast plate and began to rid herself of the bulky armor. Excerpt from Sorceress and the Shifter (work in progress) Swordfighters (in fantasy anyway) have to move.. 150 pounds of armor is not going to help the fighter fight. In fact it will slow you down. You can only hope that your opponent is as burdened. While in reality the outfit doesn't work due to our knowledge of needing protection.. I like what you have done to her. I can't wait to see her completely finished. :) Storm

Stormrage: Speaking from personal experience, I will take the armor and broadsword against an epee anyday. The only reason that armor started phasing out was the invention of the longbow and later gunpowder. Blow for blow in a medieval world, armor is the best bet. If your Blade Dreamblade character was in a poorly made bit of armor, I can imagine her saying that line, otherwise, I think she's just trying to be an exhibitionist (You know, the typical male fantasy of the naked warrior woman.... I*'m not saying there's anything WRONG with that, but lets call a spade a spade, shall we? I read Heavy Metal too. chuckle) And as for the weight, you will hardly notice it after running around in it for a few days. Weight on a well made suit of armor is so well-distributed that the person in it is quite comfortable and has an incredible range of motion. Many people have a misconception that armored knights had to be hoisted onto their horses before battle. This is a crock. Only someone in JOUSTING armor which has many joints fused for the protection of the jouster may require such a contraption and often, the knights were able to mount there horses with little to no effort without such assistance. I have a video in my home of a man in real full plate armor doing hand-springs and somersaults. Speaking as someone who fences and fights in medieval re-enactment, the only time I would wear no armor as a fighter, is if I had something enchanted that took its place. Allerleirauh: You are right. I would heartily suggest she have a bell gaurd or swept hilt rapier or her fingers are toast. Fiontar: Functionality vs. style: Are you going to stun your opponent with your sense of fashion? A bare-midriff on armor is inviting a gut shot and being disemboweled can REALLY ruin your day. You may have intended to cover that part but if you didn't....well.... your girl looks pretty well-dressed but not stupid enough to sacrifice protecting a vital area for the sake of "fashion". Gauntlets? They usually call people who didn't wear armored gauntlets "lefty" or worse "Hook". Trust me. Leather gauntlets or plate work JUST fine with a sword. I would suggest at least a hand plate for the back of her hand that protected her knuckles more. I like the figure and she is definately a fantasy chick. (And a total hottee to boot) Lets not talk as if she would LOGICALLY make the choices in clothing you have made for her because logic doesn't apply here. Fantasy is a wonderful thing. Lets leave it at that. They are things of fantasy, simple and true.

hmm sence when does art have to be politicaly correct? i always thought that art came from the heart and soul to say and place things how the artist would like to see it kinda like, alot of people like andy worhol i think his art is crap but he has talent but not the type that i like. i belive females are very artistic and one of the best things you can place in art and the ones with the smaller breasts all the better some of us do like small :o) fiontar i think that she is beautiful and your doing a great job with your picture if the results you end up with in your pic is what you like then you have a masterpeice for yourself something to be proud of thats for sure who really care what the critics think the critics thought john lennons art was bad but hmm his drawings are worth just as much as a picasso and are highly in demand. i cant wait to see the final outcome of your work here. by the way love the reflection on the sword very realistic

Allerleirauh, I respect your basis, but you are talking about modern evolutions of sword arts that mostly reflect later evolutions from the last half of the second millenium. During the peak of Celtic influence, you weren't going to find many Celts, Gauls or Germanic warriors wearing gauntlets or much in the way of fancy armor. Most AD&D worlds are a mix of technology that didn't historically coexist much in reality, but the historical point is seperate from the Fantasy world, where the rules don't often apply anyway. During the first millennium b.c. through most of the first millennium a.d., you may find exceptions where complex armour and gauntlets were used, but this was not universal across cultures. Also, through out history, it was mostly the elite military forces that had these more complex elements. It is no exageration that the Irish Celts during Roman expansion into the British Isles fought nude. The Celtic blades of the era didn't provide much, if any, protection of the hand. The only "armour" was a lyme mix applied to the hair which hardened, giving some protection to the head. The Roman soldiers had the height of current military technology, in armour and arms. In spite of this, the Romans NEVER succeded in invading Ireland, though they tried for over 200 years! The Romans attributed this to the great skill and frenzy of the Celts, along with the influence of the white robed Druids who's leadership and "magic" inspired the morale of the warriors. And yes, there were woman warriors along side the men, AND the greatest blademasters, who taught most of the great legendary heros of Ireland, were women! :)

People are pointing out the lack of hand protection on this character. The "problem" with this is that she's a mix of styles. She has a weapon that looks like a Japanese katana or maybe a wakizashi; these have notoriously tiny hand guards for two reasons - 1) the fighting style empasizes body strikes, elegant leaps and twists, and broad sweeps, not the jab/thrust/parry of European fencing, and 3) Japanese armor tended to have more in the way of hand protection than its western counterparts. Of course, most people know theatrical fencing, which is a hybrid of both styles, mostly based on the European, intended to be more "showy" and less "functional"... I would recommend that the handguard on her sword be enlarged a bit; leaving the fingers as free as possible is paramount for a spellcaster!

wow. Everyone here has just shattered my image of the "Luis Royo" fantasy woman. If one is trying to make an accurate period model, debate is a good thing. If the intent is to make a fantasy warrior... well, anything goes. I love how this figure has progressed, and don't mind the skimpy costume at all. ;) My "Tee" character in the gallery is hardly dressed appropriately, but I like her just the way she is. Good work. -sk

To each his own. Allerleirauh... you like it one way Fiontar ... you like it another. Easy enough. We respect your artistic abilities. You said "Comments and suggestions are welcome." I gave mine. Its up to you what you do with it, whether discount it or listen. Makes no nevermind to me. As a fantasy figure, I think she is cute and I would love to see her made into a figure. My comments weren't meant to offer anyone derision but rather so that you could benefit from my experience. Hope this helps.

Comment on Allerleirauh's last point: I've IM'd Allie, and I believe she feels the step 3, with the skirt, is less "slutty". No hard feelings between us. :) For any who find there way back here, this is a brief counterpoint to her comments. We obviously have very different minds on these issues. I respect her opinions, but these are mine: On the Celtic myths, very briefly, I did a twenty page paper on the view of women in ancient Celtic Ireland for a professor who's favorite area of study was Irish Celtic mythology and folklore. He was reknowned for trashing students who got the facts wrong in any area, but more so in his favorite field. People thought I was crazy to do it, I should have taken a safer subject further from his field of expertise. I aknowledged which areas were more or less certain based on historical sources vs. mythological ones, talked about how some information was "tainted" when the myths were written down but the Christian monks mostly in the 14th to 17 th centuries. I then brought what we did know together with what we might know, to put together a logical guess on how things really might have been. I got an A, which is pretty impossible with him. This was an honors class, eleven students, so we each had a day to discuss orally our papers. He grilled me, and I thought I was going to die, but I satisfied his questions. He had some minor disagreement on some items, but told me I had actually given him a new perspective on some issues he had pondered himself. This was about ten years ago. I was researching these things well before that class, to help round out the foundation of my religious beliefs, which would be considered a modern reconstruction based on the old Celtic beliefs. There is room for interpretation, but please understand I do have a good depth of knowledge on this subject. As to fantasy making sense, you can't judge it based on our modern culture, mores and sensabilities. The AD&D world is inspired by historical settings that didn't co-exist in reality, but it is internally consistant and logical. You can argue how egalitarian matriarchal societies really were historically, but the fictional general AD&D settings is in many ways more egalitarian, at least amoung the "adventuring elite", than current day Earth. You can't judge what would be considered "ridiculous" dress by to today's standards either. Almost everything you might dress your character with would be pretty "ridiculous" if you wore it around town today! :) As to dressing like a "slut", these are my views, as concisely as possible: What is a slut? Well, it isn't just based on promiscuity, it's promiscuity with a conscious or unconcious desire to "defile" or corrupt one's self or others through a "debasing" act of sex. It's action combined with intent. A major point I would like to make is that a woman using her "sexiness" along with here other gifts is not a slut. Patriarchy fears empowered women who are capable and intelligent AND comfortable with thier own sexual natures more than anything. At periods where women start to find greater power in a society, you will find that society counter-reacts by trying to obscure their sexual identity and power. i.e. the 18th century, where women's clothing became very restrictive, and covered everything, and today, where women are being taught that her sexuality is somehow anti-feminist. Of course, the greatest, blatant attack of Patriarchy on the power of women was during the Inquisition. It was a time to rid the Church of all sorts of competitors, but mostly it was to eliminate the position of "wise women" in society, healers, arbitrators and "seductresses". It was mostly women who exerted any power or influence that were burned, many were healers or priestesses of the old religions, but others where just women who had presence, leadership qualities or "worst of all", would use their looks or feminine natures (NOT the act of sex, but just being "sexy"), who were targeted. The only way someone can dress "like a slut" is to wear certain clothing, (not always revealing), to facilitate her own "sluty" actions. It's not just what is worn, but how and why, but remember, dressing to "be sexy" is not slutiness! Dressing to fascilitate a sluty lifestyle is. One of the worst forms of oppression still being visited upon women in today's society, more markedly in American society, is the notion that to be sexy lessens or cheapens the value of a woman. A sexist man who judges women just on "sexiness" is till judging you that way, whether his judgement is "yes, you are sexy", or "no, you aren't". Obscuring your sexuality isn't going to make him value you for your other qualities, your just in his "not sexy" category. Only when people, men and women, learn to value sexuality as just one of many positive qualities that a person can posess, will women be fully enfranchised in society. For me, a woman putting a negative value on another woman's sexiness is just as bad as a sexist man basing all of her value on it! Gwen is not a slut, no matter how she dressed, she would not be. In the fictional RPG universe, her value as a woman warrior and mage is equal to that of a man. That's how most would judge her. If, as part of a mission, she had to play the role of seductress to win entry into the court of the villian, this would not demean her, in her eyes nor the eyes of her companions. Seduction (not harlotry), has always been an important skill used by powerful women in history. And it wasn't always raw looks. Cleopatra was very average looking, but was a master at the art of seduction. Does this lessen her value or accomplishments in any way? Fiontar

Allerleirauh, Well, since the bottoms were just a base until other elements could be added, I guess the point is moot. I hadn't decided what to add there at that point, I still needed to experiment with what was possible given my current limitations. As it turned out, the bottom became the foundation for the skirt "belt", so it was an economical alternative to posting step two sans any protection there! :) Thanks, Fiontar

First of all this is excellant work. Secondly, I've had a good laugh at this entire thread. You're all having this nuts and bolts arguement about what is obviously a FANTASY character. Relax people. It's only fiction.