“Can I write to you? Like, if we leave letters, can we be pen pals?” — Caliana, Critical Role Campaign 2x21
Some projects are a labor of love, like planning out a whole D&D campaign’s worth of characters and guests. While dolls of the main cast of the Mighty Nein are still works in progress, I found the perfect way to start my custom of Caliana.
Caliana met the cast of Critical Role in “The Stalker in the Swamp” and is more than meets the eye. She is played by Mark Hulmes. Spoiler alert: she has draconic blood, which means the right half of her body has black scales and her right arm is that of a dragon. She wears her hair across her face to keep her true nature hidden.
To make this doll, I combined the right arm from a Mattel Jurassic World Indoraptor Dinosaur Figure with a Mattel WWE Superstar Bella twin. With a little heat and some pressure both limbs popped out so I could swap the arms.
I also used 2-part Aves Apoxie to sculpt some rough scales on her face and in a patch on her arm and neck. Just for fun, and because I had extra, I sculpted ridges over her torso. I also used some plastic bits from the indoraptor to make her draconic horn ridges across her cheek and over her ear. Then I painted the additions black with acrylic paint.
Caliana also has two different eyes. I over painted the left eye with acrylic paint and made the right eye more reptilian.
Her outfit is cobbled together from existing pieces, which work pretty well. She just needs a tail and some finishing touches to her outfit, but she is done for now!
Welcome to #TheMiniNein!
