Spellbound-Sacrificial-Lamb Buffy (March 2007)

For those unfamiliar with customising, the pale pink stuff is the colour of the 'super sculpey' sculpting clay that I put over the plastic figures. It can be translucent, so you can often see the original colour of the figure underneath. Once I've finished sculpting, I always completely repaint the whole figure.

I made this custom for entry into CustomCon 16.

I've been going mad with the Scenic Water recently. I've also been working on themes of sacrifice. I made this custom for the scene in "Prophecy Girl" where The Master enthralls Buffy, bites her, then drops her into a rock pool to drown.

Set

I used a Lost beach stand and added sculpey to form a rock pool. I also made a hole to support a candlestick.

I painted the inside of the pool in mottled brown and grey. I dyed some Scenic Water brown and half filled the pool. I thought that the brown gel would give the illusion of depth to the pool, and make it more disturbing.

I dropped in the lower arms, added some pool scum and let the gel set hard.

Sculpt

Thanks to McFarlane, Moore Action Collectibles and Diamond Select Toys for the parts.

I used a Primeval Buffy head, Princess Cordy body and Wish Cordy legs.

I sculpted the legs to the rocks. I added more chunky heels and sculpted her skirt.

I made the top of the body in a separate piece, so that I could paint it before gluing it down. I sculpted her smooth back and her hair tied up in loose curls. I sculpted the bodice to the dress. I made the top few folds of skirt to fit over her hips and join to the leg sculpt.

I was able to rest the torso on top of the hard brown gel to make sure that Buffy's face was at the optimum level, so it would eventually be under water but with her features still visible. I also wanted to line up the top of her pony tail so that it floated on the water surface. I tested this by trying it out with ordinary water, then tipping it away.

Paint

I painted Buffy's face because it would still show under the water surface. I used gold highlights on her hair. I painted the bodice of her dress in white satin and the skirt and shoes in cream. I painted the bite marks and blood on the right of her neck.

I glued down the torso then added clear Scenic Water to fill the pool. When that was dry, I used glue to add scum and bubbles to the rock pool.

When the gel and glue had set, I added some more clear Scenic Water to overflow the pool, splash onto Buffy's hair, skin and dress, and surround the glue scum. I wanted an uneven surface to give the illusion of ripples from her fall. I added a few drops of red dye to the water near her neck wound.

I love this custom. I've made over 450 customs for BtVS, Angel, Firefly/Serenity and Fray. I liked most of them, but this is the only one I've decided to keep for myself. It may seem a bit creepy to want a statue of a drowned girl, but I think she looks romantic, like Ophelia.

I like the fact the the custom is landscape and discreet. I've got her in my front room next to a lamp. The water looks great in the evening when it refracts the light.