Firstly I have to say Valloa Female Elf Thief is a lovely miniature by Julie Guthrie. Unfortunately very little is know about Julie Guthrie, other than she is one of the most prolific and iconic miniature sculptors in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. She has worked for Grenadier, Ral Partha, Iron Wind, Reaper, Emperor's Choice, and has sculpts being resold through Mega Miniatures. I am assuming she began her career in the early 1980's. Here is the blurb from
Reaper Minis' Artists Page:
If you've never heard of Julie Guthrie, then you must live under a rock. Julie is a legend in the miniatures industry and a member of the Origins Hall of Fame. Her incredible body of work is an invaluable reference for aspiring sculptors and artists.
Prior to painting, I rebased her on stonework which I think is more fitting for a thief in town or dungeon. In addition the original base was very small. I have to thank Stone Cold Lead figure painter for his tutorial on this. Just in case you want to attempt this here is the link:
http://stonecoldlead.webs.com/granitesetsbasing.htm
During the painting phase I took several attempts to get the eyes right. Most other painted versions have used a bright colourful palette. Since this was used in my godson's Pathfinder game by his father as his female elf rogue, I wanted to keep my range of colours veering towards black and dark colours. I'm happy with the results.
Valloa out in the wilds in the evening. "But my base isn't right". Well a girl can't have everything.
