Narri the Khajiit

While I haven't played through much of the game as one, the Khajiit race in Skyrim is one of my favourites, so it was inevitable that I should eventually get round to making one in 1/6th scale.

Whilst looking for bargains in my local Poundstretcher recently I saw a doll and bicycle set for £4. Normally I wouldn't have considered something that cheap as the quality was likely terrible but upon closer inspection I discovered that it was a Liv doll knockoff and had the full articulation of the real deal. For £4 I felt it was worth taking a chance on her and I'm glad I did as she's come in really handy! The plastic isn't quite as heavy and quality as that of the real Liv dolls but its no worse than a Barbie Fashionista really. The bike sadly is a bit undersized for her and all my other dolls (though the wheels and pedals do turn!) but I think it'd make a good prop if it were repainted.

As I didn't have a specific character to recreate this time I decided to just improvise as I went along. The first thing to go was the head. I love the faces of the Liv dolls and the knockoff version wasn't bad all things considered but I have a real aversion to overlarge heads on dolls so I've now got a disembodied one knocking around in a drawer until I can find or make her a better proportioned body. XD

I sculpted a new head from milliput, with beads for eyes, and added details in pastels. (though in hindsight I should probably have turned the beads round so the holes aren't visible - I'm too used to round pupils!) I made some basic balljoints for the leather and felt ears so they can swivel and finished off her face with strategic faux fur application.

I toyed with repainting the body but in the end I decided to go all out and make a full body fursuit from some very fine fur fabric I had. (minky I think)

As the fabric was bright gleaming white I added on some feline patternation with copic markers.

Before I sewed up the back I hot-glued in a tail to the base of her spine. It was made from padded garden wire with a faux fur covering so it's completely poseable and is great fun to play with for photographs.

She has an unexpectedly derpy expression which really helped her personality to develop.

Then after all that work...I covered most of her up. XD

As with the rest of my Skyrim figures, the clothing and armour is more inspired by than exact copies of in-game stuff and Narri was no exception. Khajiit hail from a desert/jungle homeland so I wanted her to wear something that fitted that aesthetic as well as looking practical for her new location where the weather isn't always quite so hospitable. 

 

Her cropped trousers are made from a synthetic fabric which looks like wool in 1/6th scale. I was originally going to weather them down to a more used and dirty brown but I loved how well they went with the leather boots I made her so I decided she could keep them clean after all! The silky surcoat thing is a bit of a pain as the bits under the belt like to flap about in the wind during outdoor photoshoots which is rather annoying. The blue top beneath is upholstery fabric which I'd ordinarily avoid for clothing as it frays like nobody's business but I just loved the colour and texture so I'll just have to put up with it gradually disintegrating over time.

 

I love making lots of rustic looking leather bags and accessories for the other figures but I really enjoyed making her some more opulent looking gear.

After a bit of pondering I decided that she's a travelling merchant who is a little naive of the world and all its dangers. 

That said, she does love to explore and investigate all the interesting corners of Skyrim...

Like all cats, Narri is an avid climber...

 

...even if she isn't always as good as she thinks she is at it!

Before my most recent holiday (which she was coming on too for photoshoot reasons!) I realised that the viking hood I'd made for Breanaa a while ago would suit Narri far more, soo...

It unfortunately hides her necklace but ties in far better with her trousers as its made of the same material.

I love Instagram for my doll photography as the filters can make them look really good.

She met up with fellow explorer Breanaa on the trail and I think the pair of them are going to make a good team...

...even if Breaana does have a bit of an addiction to exploring dangerous looking caverns and seems to be dragging poor Narri along for the ride...

'There's bound to be lots of old Nord artefacts in there, let's go and take a look!'

'I'm sure it'll be safe...'

'...right?'

Yeah, I'm sure they'll be fine...

(Fun fact: All the photos of her by the dark blue-grey rocks were taken in a very public garden of a big country house and I'm sure I got more than a few odd looks from fellow visitors, especially when trying to balance her on a rock and stop her from falling into the pond! The rest were taken on a more secluded beach and woodland!)