Comments below on the black panther Ace figure process (link to more finished photos!):
The second sculpting; this time I used wires within the legs to ensure stiffness which I found ambivalent to the process; on the feet I later had to add extra foot padding to hide the wires which stuck out of the bottom of the feet. I first made the legs, let them dry, and then added the torso and head. The pose is actually based off of multiple actual Ace figures, but mostly a figure in which he is crouching.
After creating the torso and legs, created his hat, the size which I adjusted multiple times. I also created his hats yin-yang beads, and threaded through some needles around the height of the holes in the red spherical glass beads I had bought to function as the beads on his necklace and hat-circumference, to ensure they don't sit too high when threaded through (with low-grade fishing line, lol).
After the beads dried, I painted them using a metallic silver gouache and acrylic pints painstakingly to get the facial expressions. They are so small!
Gave him his shorts, and not pictured, his little blue pocket that's strapped on.
Made his knife; again the metal is from a cat wet food tin, that's been sanded down to its actual colour and cut to size. I thought it would be much more cool if it's an actual blade that can be removed (and I still think that). I dried the sheath with the blade inside, then using a tang I cut to pull out the blade and molded and dried the handle on the tang which can be seen in relation to the sheath; the dots and leather straps added later, then affixed to his side.
Arms added!
Finished sculpting. The bracelet made and painted, then slipped onto the wrist while attaching the hands. It can spin and move as it's own free piece! Originally the hand pointing the hat was off a bit, so I ended up cutting off the arm and reaffixing it to be placed properly. Also added his elbow brace. Originally wasn't going to add the flames coming off him, but thought it might be a fun touch.
First layers of paint; started with yellows, oranges and reds, which includes his hat, elbow brace and the flames, etc.
Second layers begun; laid down the under-grey for Ace's fur, which was adjusted to get lighter at his stomach side, with highlights. By this time I'd also threaded the beads together with fishing line, plus glued the yin-yang beads in place to ensure they don't flop down.
Finished figure! The leopard pattern was added based off of photos of leopards, and the back under-grey darkened slightly to continue giving the colour shift, and the rest of the colours painted in. Highlighting was used liberally on his shorts to try and differentiate the shorts from his fur since they are both dark. Eyes and mouth painted in, and the bamboo and cow-skull charm sculpted and painted. The string is glued into place, both on the charms and onto the hat. The red 'puff' is from glued then trimmed red embroidery thread. The red bead necklace was affixed, again with fishing line and slipping the knot under one of the beads. Belatedly the fire from his finger was sculpted and then painted, as I found just the finger itself lacking.
