Statuary Gardens (Figurines)

[Ninjaman]

Figured i'd be that or that you were still busy. Perfectly understandable, so no worries . It's not like i'm entitled to be all "Oi! Where be me free stuff? It be late! " about it .


On Momiji, when you say that the mouth is too far down do you mean mouth <-> nose, mouth <-> tip of chin, or both?

And onwards to the Challenge update (theme: mecha):

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Needs moar Dakka.


A smaller 'scout' mech. Minituarization like this is rather good practice for making the finer detail on figurines, like fingers.


"[Boundary]: Border of Mecha and Power Armour"


An urban assault team.


And an officer from the same battlegroup.

Decided to have multiple angles this time, since the first two mecha needed them to be clearly displayed. Gives a better idea of the figu, but can lead to screenstretcher images. So yay or nay?

More angles are good, just keep it out of stretching screen that -----> way.
By the way those mechs are badass. But the guy in power armor looks like he is missing his face.

[IncoherentEssay]

Hm, i could likely cut about 1/7th of width from the first pic with better placement. Rather not scale it down as a whole. Maybe make it taller and have a upper left/down middle/upper right split if i need three angles.

But to clarify a bit, it's a viewing port. It's design is closer to a 40k Dreadnought than a suit of armour really, the pilot is supposed to reside entirely within the torso section. I suppose some form of reinforcement/frame over the port would have clarified the intent a bit, as i can't really create a glass effect without paint.
It did originally have a mini-turret on it to imply that it is larger than a suit, but it looked odd and was therefore dropped.

Edit: nice job clarifying, self . Internal design, the appearance wasn't emulating anything in specific, though now that you mentioned it, it does resemble pre-heresy Terminators a bit. Mostly 'cause of the pauldrons.

[Domochevsky]

Those mechs look indeed pretty good, but some more cropping certainly can't hurt to reduce the screen stretching.

(On Momiji: I meant both. Basically move the mouth opening further up just a bit on her face to be closer to the nose and further away from the chin.)

[Ninjaman]

Hm, i could likely cut about 1/7th of width from the first pic with better placement. Rather not scale it down as a whole. Maybe make it taller and have a upper left/down middle/upper right split if i need three angles.

But to clarify a bit, it's a viewing port. It's design is closer to a 40k Dreadnought than a suit of armour really, the pilot is supposed to reside entirely within the torso section. I suppose some form of reinforcement/frame over the port would have clarified the intent a bit, as i can't really create a glass effect without paint.
It did originally have a mini-turret on it to imply that it is larger than a suit, but it looked odd and was therefore dropped.

Dreadnaught? it looks more like a terminator to me, or mayby an ork nob whithout his head.

[Glass Mouse]

Decided to have multiple angles this time, since the first two mecha needed them to be clearly displayed. Gives a better idea of the figu, but can lead to screenstretcher images. So yay or nay?

Yay. No doubt, yay.

Those are some sweet mechas, too. The first one is my favorite - I definitely wouldn't like to stand in its way
The scout is really nice, too. I like how nimble it turned out.

[IncoherentEssay]

Not quite happy with how it turned out but here goes:

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Lunasa Prismriver. I was originally planning to make a different character, but my sketch attempts of long hair didn't work right, so change of plans 1.) there.

My initial idea with Lunasa was to have her holding the violin, but i couldn't make a good one at this scale , so change of plans 2.).

"Alright, let's go with the pose from the profile." Nope, couldn't get the hand right. That would be something to build for from the get go, rather than try to fix into. So this is what it ended up as.

Also couldn't get the tiny frills done in a satisfactory manner, so i skipped them. The head also ended up rounder than i'd like. At that point i was rather annoyed with all the setbacks and considered scrapping it.
The slightly larger scale with Shikieiki and Momiji gave better results, so i think i'll stick with it from now on. Scaling down made the hands a hassle to work on .

Btw, does anyone have a good expression chart to link me to? As is, i'm sort of lost on how to make the mouth part of the expression, currently it feels somehow detached from it.

[Glass Mouse]

Not quite happy with how it turned out but here goes:

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Lunasa Prismriver. I was originally planning to make a different character, but my sketch attempts of long hair didn't work right, so change of plans 1.) there.

My initial idea with Lunasa was to have her holding the violin, but i couldn't make a good one at this scale , so change of plans 2.).

"Alright, let's go with the pose from the profile." Nope, couldn't get the hand right. That would be something to build for from the get go, rather than try to fix into. So this is what it ended up as.

Also couldn't get the tiny frills done in a satisfactory manner, so i skipped them. The head also ended up rounder than i'd like. At that point i was rather annoyed with all the setbacks and considered scrapping it.
The slightly larger scale with Shikieiki and Momiji gave better results, so i think i'll stick with it from now on. Scaling down made the hands a hassle to work on .

Nice. I like how her colours turned out. For the scale, her hands are fine, if a little big. The clothes' overlap at the shoulders is a nice touch, too.

Two things, though:
In manga/anima, most of a head's volume is at the top. In RL, it's more or less evenly distributed, but manga is weird like that . Don't be afraid to add much, much more volume to her upper head and hair. (ooh, and try making the hair - not as individual clumps - but as a single, hair-textured mass. Just an idea).
Her body is slightly... off in this one. Remember; she has a body beneath those clothes, and it should be possible to sense it. It's mostly just waist and hips that are off, though. The rest looks fine.

Overall, another good job! I think it turned out good, especially considering the smaller scale

Btw, does anyone have a good expression chart to link me to? As is, i'm sort of lost on how to make the mouth part of the expression, currently it feels somehow detached from it.

Um. This tutorial thingie is mostly for drawings, but I think it's good.

[IncoherentEssay]

Hm, the head shape is something that needs getting used to. As is, i initially make them as i used to (with neglible forehead) and adjust from that until it looks about right. I suppose i need to correct my estimations a bit.

The clothes issue has an annoingly obvious cause, now that i've thought about it a bit. Most of my sketches are generally bulky enough to look properly clothed with just the addition of seams and edges to create the look. So i seem to repeat the process here, even though the initial process is different (sketches start in a single piece and are pushed into form, whilst mains are built by layering strips of clay over the wire frame somewhat like attaching muscles), so the end result looks off. Hindsight, what a wonderful thing .

Lackadaisy is awesome and the advice therein is sound, but what i'm looking for is a variety of examples on a chart. Can't really refer to those directly unless i make a Lackadaisy figurine (i think someone already did one of Rocky?)

Challenge going up (theme:dragons):

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A wingless dragon (Middle-Earth had them on the second age, so why not?) in it's natural habitat. Being harassed by adventurers that is.
Wings don't support their own weight on this scale, and i already did a small flying dragon earlier. Doing repeats of older stuff would feel a bit cheap.


A chinese-style dragon. I don't quite get the 'stache, but most reference pics had it so meh.


Firewyrm Urban Assault Mech. Hey, it counts, right ?


I don't actually quite know who or what this is, it was kinda random. Blaming lack o' sleep.


Berserkers: a bit of Jet, some Med-X, a dash of Slasher with a side of Psycho and voila, one-man-army (one use only, do not point towards own troops. Off-switch collar optional).

[Ninjaman]

Hm, the head shape is something that needs getting used to. As is, i initially make them as i used to (with neglible forehead) and adjust from that until it looks about right. I suppose i need to correct my estimations a bit.

The clothes issue has an annoingly obvious cause, now that i've thought about it a bit. Most of my sketches are generally bulky enough to look properly clothed with just the addition of seams and edges to create the look. So i seem to repeat the process here, even though the initial process is different (sketches start in a single piece and are pushed into form, whilst mains are built by layering strips of clay over the wire frame somewhat like attaching muscles), so the end result looks off. Hindsight, what a wonderful thing .

Lackadaisy is awesome and the advice therein is sound, but what i'm looking for is a variety of examples on a chart. Can't really refer to those directly unless i make a Lackadaisy figurine (i think someone already did one of Rocky?)

Challenge going up (theme:dragons):

Spoiler

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A wingless dragon (Middle-Earth had them on the second age, so why not?) in it's natural habitat. Being harassed by adventurers that is.
Wings don't support their own weight on this scale, and i already did a small flying dragon earlier. Doing repeats of older stuff would feel a bit cheap.


A chinese-style dragon. I don't quite get the 'stache, but most reference pics had it so meh.


Firewyrm Urban Assault Mech. Hey, it counts, right ?


I don't actually quite know who or what this is, it was kinda random. Blaming lack o' sleep.


Berserkers: a bit of Jet, some Med-X, a dash of Slasher with a side of Psycho and voila, one-man-army (one use only, do not point towards own troops. Off-switch collar optional).

Great as always. A bit wierd but i like that. By the way i like your non-manga stuff the most.

[Prime32]

Great as always. A bit wierd but i like that. By the way i like your non-manga stuff the most.

You like everything the most?

[Ninjaman]

You like everything the most?

No the ones he colour is very manga-like, i like the others the best.

[Prime32]

No the ones he colour is very manga-like, i like the others the best.

But manga doesn't have colour...

[Domochevsky]

This strikes me as a confusion of terms here, gentlemen... you may want to retry that bit of conversation. >_>

[Ninjaman]

This strikes me as a confusion of terms here, gentlemen... you may want to retry that bit of conversation. >_>

Sure, i like the non-human stuff the most.

[Prime32]

Sure, i like the non-human stuff the most.

You do realise that the non-coloured stuff has had many humans, but the coloured stuff has only had 1.5?

[IncoherentEssay]

TECHNICALITY! /MK Announcer
Right, let's wrap that one up before there's 3+ pages of back-and-forth on terminology, shall we ?

Of the main series of figurines (light clay, painted) most are from Touhou (a game series), one is from Blazblue (a 2D fighter) and one from Gurren Lagann (an anime). So technically, none are manga. Though both Touhou and TTGL have some official manga (Blazblue has none as far as i know), so it's not entirely incorrect, just not the primary source*.

The 1.5 humans comes from Kamina (human) and Hakumen (a cyborg of sorts), as while Touhou characters look human, they are youkai (comparable to D&D's Outsider type), not humans.
Sorry to ruin anyone's fun here .

And in other news, moar Touhou:

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Reisen U. Inaba, as per her appearence in Imperishable Night. The hair is much shorter than it should be but i ran out of materials towards the end. Slightly surprised that it lasted as well as it did, in fact. Doing long hair as a sheet does make it durable enough, but i'm not quite sure if it looks right like this, sort of messy.
Managed to get the buttons reversed on the suit somehow. Also tried a different approach to hands, by making the palm first without fingers, and adding the fingers once the palm had set. Easier to make gestures but more work overall.

*asking "What anime is this from?" is a bit of a berserk button for many Touhou fans, in fact. Especially since there is no official anime adaptation .

[AsteriskAmp]

What you do is awesome, specially the Touhou ones, there is never enough Touhou. All you is awesome though.

As for Touhou anime, I would say the Sound Holic one has the best quality overall.

[Ninjaman]

Sure i will put it down. What i meant was that i like the non-colored ones the most, (and that is not becourse they aren´t colored).
Any ways the new one is great.

[Glass Mouse]

And in other news, moar Touhou:

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Reisen U. Inaba, as per her appearence in Imperishable Night. The hair is much shorter than it should be but i ran out of materials towards the end. Slightly surprised that it lasted as well as it did, in fact. Doing long hair as a sheet does make it durable enough, but i'm not quite sure if it looks right like this, sort of messy.
Managed to get the buttons reversed on the suit somehow. Also tried a different approach to hands, by making the palm first without fingers, and adding the fingers once the palm had set. Easier to make gestures but more work overall.

*asking "What anime is this from?" is a bit of a berserk button for many Touhou fans, in fact. Especially since there is no official anime adaptation .

I like this one a lot! Her proportions are more pronounced and human-looking, and that jacket is very good (I like the stretch, it's a nice detail).

And yay, a dynamic pose! I really like her attentiveness and the pointing hand.

I'll still suggest making the hair as one textured mass instead of doing the individual clumps.

She still needs more upper head - and more hair (okay, I know you ran out of material on this one... but it's a general thing).

A smaller detail: I think her chin should be more pointy.

But I like the "woosh" of the skirt. It adds some extra dynamic to the figurine.

All in all, another good job!


Also, apparantly I know waaaay too little about Japanese animation

[IncoherentEssay]

Never enough Touhou. So much truth in so few words . As is, i have plans for all of 3 figurines outside of it, all of which are on hold until i get the overall quality up a bit. Might end up creating every one of them eventually .


I did initially go with textured mass, but my try at texturing turned out pretty horrible and had to be covered somehow.
While i agree that th upper head ought to be slightky larger, adding to it would throw off the head-body proportions so i'll see about making the eyes sligthly smaller and lower on the face, see if it achieves the same effect.
It's less of a 'look!' gesture than a 'fingergun' though. And in Reisen's case it's not a joke.


Challenge update (various themes given):

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Guns: because forcibly ventilating vital organs is best done from a distance. (end of an age)




...And if that don't work... (cannon)


Fire. Fire always works.


A battle of wits has ended. (pinned down)



And a face-off to conclude the update.

Also related to the Challenge, volunteering for the /8 weeks prize-crafting with Challenge entries, for what it's worth.
But also upping the stakes a bit: a full figurine at the 24 week* mark. Essentially the same as a free commission: a figurine of the character of your choice, fully painted and all, mailed to the receiver. I'm aiming to do commission work at some point in the future, so sorting out the process without anyone's money on it would be ideal (discovering that the mailman likes to play football with the mail after the fact would be a bit of a downer.)
The 24 weeks is so i don't end up owing figurines left & right.

Announcing this here, rather than the Challenge thread, since it isn't much of an incentive to anyone who hasn't read this thread, no?

*at 24 weeks, not /24 weeks.

[Ninjaman]

Never enough Touhou. So much truth in so few words . As is, i have plans for all of 3 figurines outside of it, all of which are on hold until i get the overall quality up a bit. Might end up creating every one of them eventually .


I did initially go with textured mass, but my try at texturing turned out pretty horrible and had to be covered somehow.
While i agree that th upper head ought to be slightky larger, adding to it would throw off the head-body proportions so i'll see about making the eyes sligthly smaller and lower on the face, see if it achieves the same effect.
It's less of a 'look!' gesture than a 'fingergun' though. And in Reisen's case it's not a joke.


Challenge update (various themes given):

Spoiler

Show

Guns: because forcibly ventilating vital organs is best done from a distance. (end of an age)




...And if that don't work... (cannon)


Fire. Fire always works.


A battle of wits has ended. (pinned down)



And a face-off to conclude the update.

Also related to the Challenge, volunteering for the /8 weeks prize-crafting with Challenge entries, for what it's worth.
But also upping the stakes a bit: a full figurine at the 24 week* mark. Essentially the same as a free commission: a figurine of the character of your choice, fully painted and all, mailed to the receiver. I'm aiming to do commission work at some point in the future, so sorting out the process without anyone's money on it would be ideal (discovering that the mailman likes to play football with the mail after the fact would be a bit of a downer.)
The 24 weeks is so i don't end up owing figurines left & right.

Announcing this here, rather than the Challenge thread, since it isn't much of an incentive to anyone who hasn't read this thread, no?

*at 24 weeks, not /24 weeks.

A battle of wits has ended is my favorite, love the others too.

[IncoherentEssay]

It's surprisingly hard to make the arm connect with both the knee and the face properly, an earlier parody idea was shut down by said issue.

Anyways, onto the next figurine:

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Toramaru Shou. Had to simplify the skirt pattern a bit, as orange has all the same coverage issues yellow suffers from. The spear turned out surprisingly fine, considering that the wire at it's core was unspun from a spool, and therefore rather bendy.
The 'scarf donut' is maybe a tad small. It had the same issue as Satori's eye, in that there is no reference for how it is connected at the back.
Didn't include the pagoda since this is an 'actiony' pose so it wouldn't fit in all that well. Besides, it's most likely misplaced anyway .

[Domochevsky]

Needs bigger feet and more forehead.

[Fri]

Nah, I think it's already minor/subjective enough for me. Your last few figures are really improved, proportionwise. If you manage to smooth the clay texture, they'll look like something that people would buy alrea...

wait. I've said that before, haven't I? I dunno why it really catches my attention, maybe it's because it's a picture. you know, pictures can show up blemishes and textures far more clearly than if you see them with your own eyes? maybe something like that...

Sadly, as I previously said I lack the experience for it and don't know what to do for it. Maybe you could find some smoothing clay figure tutorial on google?

[IncoherentEssay]

You did, though that was Hakumen, as complete a bypass of facial features as can be in terms of character design.
Pics do catch the flaws more clearly, yes. Quite a few times i thought i was done painting only to see a shiny spot of paintless white on the pics. Lighting can also highlight a previously unspotted flaw.
Unfortunately google failed to turn up any 'magic bullet' solutions to smoothing, though quite a few tutorials did pop up. Only, most of them were working on something quite a bit larger. Small flaws matter less then. Though mine have been going steadly up in size: the top of Meiling's head is about on level with Shou's ribbon, so i suppose it'll become a non-issue once it goes to 1:1 .


Larger feet i can agree with, but as to the forehead i assume you mean it should be more forwards, right? That i'd agree with but making it any taller/more exposed would look sort of silly to me.

And Challenge update go (theme: rag tag teams*):

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Adventuring parties: your first source for murderous hoboes valiant heroes to save the day. Pictured: a smite-happy
cleric, a battlemage, a pit fighter/gladiator, a former legionaire and a sharpshooter. Not pictured: party bard, as it turned out a kobold playing bagpipes was a bit too difficult to get to look right .


Instead have something i made whilst watching a LP of Abe's Exodus.
Not quite sure if it passes quality standards, but in that case i could count Shou for #6.

* I did momentarily consider a pun of a niche-sport team, but the idea didn't have enough room for variety by itself. I imagine it would play out a bit like dodgeball.

[Glass Mouse]

Awesome team! I especially like the battlemage - nice level of detail on that one.
But I demand to see a bagpipe-bearing goblinoid bard next time! It sounds too awesome to pass up!!


I like the new figurine, too. Her pose is dynamic, and her clothes have a nice flow. The hand holding the spear is good, as well. I think the doghnout thing turned out really well.

So, uh. Good job all around

[IncoherentEssay]

Thanks, though it's likely that the concept oversells the eventual execution. Size relative to the rest of the team was the main issue earlier, so it might work. Also, kobolds are technically humanoid(reptilian) instead of humanoid(goblinoid) .

And onto the next figurine:

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Yakumo Chen, which incidentally means i've covered all the cat-related Touhou characters (unless i forgot someone here , entirely possible with such a large cast of haracters). Couldn't think of a fitting action-pose, so i went with a more neutral one and focused on the expression, aiming for a mixture of =3 and =D, =3D if you will .
The outfit is a combination of the two pics on her profile. I tried to get some flow, folds and shape into the vest/sleeves of the outfit, as that is something i feel needs improvement.

Guessing game:
This, the previous figurine and the next one form a set of three. Who is the third character? I don't do repeats, so Orin is out. Correct answer earns 5 pts and a peg-leg token (equivalent of an internet cookie in total) .

[Prime32]

Okay everyone, take a deep breath.

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CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

With that out of the way, good work. The face is decently proportioned, the hair is good, and she has the right build.

[IncoherentEssay]

Thanks. It is quite the shame how the proper spelling of her name doesn't really work with filenames.

And the Challenge update (theme: deep in the forest):

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The type of forest was unspecified, so mushrooms. Also featured: a pair of bards on a break.


Charging to battle...

...against a pack of daemons.


With a lineup for a better view. Not sure if should be counted as 1/3 or 1/2 per daemon.

Also a ballista as a bonus (doesn't really count as one without crew).
So, counting 2 (bards+'shrooms) +1 (daemonhunter) +2 or 3 (daemons), apply Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen if necessary, adds up to 6.

[Glass Mouse]

Re. Chen:
You've really "gotten" the head and face on that one, kudos! It looks really good
The fluffy underskirt is cute, too, and I like the hat.

I will, however, keep chanting "experiment with poses!"

Re. the CHALLENGE update:
Hooray, kobold on bagpipes! (reptilian kobold, of course, who said it wasn't, no one, that's who!) I love the bards, they're downright awesome!
The demons are cool, too. I like the one with a mouth on its stomach.