From time to time I like to honor the talented folks I have the privilege to collaborate with by immortalizing them (or their pets) in pewter and making them part of the Dark Sword line. Next up was Alison Jubilee Liu. I have known Ali since the very beginning as she was a big supporter of the Dark Sword line and a tenacious painting competition contender every year at Gen Con Indy. Ali of course wanted to be a fae folk with winged cats for her tribute mini. The hugely talented TALIN did the tribute artwork for this piece.
Please note – this tribute diorama is a little more complex to assemble than our typical miniature that might need an arm or head attached. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page for assembly instructions from the sculptor.
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Painted by Mary Profitt
Concept Art by Talin
Notes from Derek Schubert on Assembly: I made every joint unique and here are some extra words about the parts:
Attaching Ali and the cats to the base:
– cat #1 (turning its head to the left) has a square peg that fits in the lowest hole in the base; it should be looking in roughly the same direction as cat #2, though their bodies are at different angles to one another.
– cat #2 (with its forepaws tucked under) has a long triangular-pyramid peg that fits in the shorter of the 2 high holes.
– Ali has a tapering oblong peg that fits in the highest hole, and she should be moving in the same direction as cat #2.
Assembling Ali:
– Ali’s right leg has a short triangular-pyramid peg and should be raised high, as if pushing up the front of her leaf-skirt.
– Ali’s left forearm has a round peg that fits into the hole at the elbow, and a concave curved surface that sits against her upper arm, so her thumb is nearly touching her collar. This is the joint with the smallest surface area, but it should be secure with just glue. If you want a stronger connection, you can drill deeper into the elbow and set a small pin.
Attaching the wings:
– the cats’ dragonfly wings (2 identical pieces in the set) have a small triangular-pyramid peg that prevents you from putting them on backward. You can bend the metal slightly if you want the wings to be angled up or down, instead of flat out to the sides.
– Ali’s butterfly wings (2 different pieces) have T-shaped pegs that fit together to fill the H-shaped hole in her back, and prevent you from mixing up the left and right wings. You can bend the metal slightly if you want the wings to be angled out to the sides somewhat, instead of straight back.