LE 5th Anniversary Pirate Vignette
Painted January 2008
Freebooter Miniatures
Sculpted by Werner Klocke
Sometimes when I see a figure I instantly become obsessed with it and must have it at any cost. That's what happened here. While in the midst of working on a piece to enter at GhengisCon '08 I stumbled across this sculpt and immediately abandoned my previous project. One of the things I love about Werner's style is the strength and power of his women. I imagine her to be a pirate captain, ship wrecked but determined that the battle is not over, staring out to sea and plotting her revenge.
I wanted to use a lot of blues and greens to mimic the sea, and gave her fiery red hair to match a wild, rebellious heart. Blonde hair felt right for an innocent cabin boy... cabin girl... whatever... A lot of glazing gave the figurehead a weathered look, simulating years out on the ocean. I also added a starfish made from twisted wire to climb over the rocks and a fishnet draped with seaweed. A combination of clear monofilament, super glue and Woodland Scenic's Water Effects tinted ever so slightly with blue ink provided the splashing surf.
It was a very exciting moment for me when she took both Gold in Open and Best in Show overall. The only problem was that I would henceforth have to compete in the Master's category!