Sarah Connor

And somehow, after all these weeks, she is finally finished.

This project ended up being much more difficult for me than I expected, and not really because of the miniature itself. I had quite a few personal problems along the way that slowed everything down, and there were periods when I simply didn’t have much time — or much inspiration — to sit down and paint.

There were definitely moments when it would have been very easy to put the model aside and tell myself I would come back to it “later”.

But that is also one of the things I’ve appreciated most about taking part in this competition. Sometimes having a deadline, sharing the process and knowing that you are working towards something alongside so many other hobbyists gives you exactly the push you need to keep going, even when you are not at your most motivated.

Looking back at the first stages of the project — studying the wolf, figuring out the fur, collecting references for the rider and trying to decide how all the different materials and colours should work together — it is really satisfying to finally see all of those separate ideas become one finished miniature.

I’m sorry I don’t know how to make one of those fancy rotating miniature videos. I’ve just taken some photos of the model with my phone, so I really hope they show her clearly enough and let you see all the details.

The only digital editing is putting the photos together into a collage — the background is just darth fabric, not digitally added.

A big thank you to everyone behind competitions like this. Giving hobbyists a reason to commit to a project, keep working through the difficult stages and actually bring an idea to completion is more valuable than it might seem.

Here she is. Finished at last. I really hope you like her — she’s been a long time coming.