New Minis and Help Me ID this Miniature

My apologies for the lack of posts lately.  I've been super busy at work trying to replace a damaged deck on the dive boat before Coast Guard inspections next month.  During my busy spell I only managed to get all of about thirty minutes of hobby time each night before nearly falling asleep at the work bench.  Despite the hectic schedule and lack of free time however, I was able to complete a few projects.

I'm still on the fantasy miniature binge this month and this post showcases two great sculpts I recently finished.  One is from Reaper and the other is currently unidentified...which is where I will ask for YOUR help (scroll below for more info).

Ilsa Darkstep (right) and a female adventurer (left)

First up is Ilsa Darkstep (02796) from Reaper.  I'm not a big fan of intricately detailed miniatures.  For one, my poor skills as a painter precludes me from taking advantage of all the nooks and crannies created when heaps of weapons, accessories, and other attachments are thrown on a mini.  But more importantly, when it comes to fantasy miniatures and fantasy in general (novels, gaming, movies, RPG's, etc..), I adhere to the philosophy of "fantastical reality".  It's just a fancy term I use to describe the fact that I like my fantasy to be grounded in realistic possibilities.  I guess I'm strange or just have too much time on my hands but when I see a miniature loaded down with tons of "stuff", I can't help but think, "how does that guy fight, much less move around in all that gear"?  Anyhow, Ilsa Darkstep fits the bill perfectly for me.  She's simply attired and looks as if she could have stepped right out of any low fantasy setting.

 

I chose mostly muted colors for Ilsa Darkstep since she strikes me as some kind of agent or informant.  Soft browns and grays suggested ease of movement for me along with the ability to move silently so I mixed several blends of each color to soften the contrasts.  Going this route however, it quickly became apparent that I was at risk of having a very nondescript model upon completion so I needed something to make her pop.  The blond hair and the blue cape was the answer.

Overall I'm quite pleased with the result.  The goal of every miniature I paint by the way, is not to win a contest or wow onlookers (I really do not have the skill for it anyhow) but to allow the mini and the colors to tell a story.  Such is the case with Ilsa.  Once I was finished the figure I stared at her for a moment and her story was apparent to me.  She is an agent for some influential guild in a rather large city.  Her cape suggests that she is socially competent and is comfortable around those of higher class...a skill that would be very beneficial in her line of work.  But she is no stranger to the night and to the seedier parts of town and her attire allows her to move quickly and quietly there when the need arises.

Now I need the help of those who visit this blog.  After I painted the miniature below and prepared to write about her in this post, I realized that I did not remember any of the information about her....which is very uncharacteristic of me.  I'm definitely more of a collector than a gamer and as such, tend to keep lists of my minis and games.  But somehow she has eluded every list I have.

I guess I simply assumed that she belonged to either the Reaper or Dark Sword Miniatures lines, since they are my main sources for fantasy minis.  However, I'm fairly certain she does not belong to either.  I used every combination I could think of on Reaper's Figure Finder database and could not make a match.  Plus, after I started really looking at the miniature closely, I realized that she doesn't fit the Reaper style at all.  She's much too thin and refined for their heroic scale figures.  Which lead me to Dark Sword.  She certainly fits the Visions in Fantasy style of that line but unless she has been removed from the website, she is not there either.

I've tried all kinds of Google searches but without luck.  I've also poured over the websites of other companies I sometimes buy from such as Hasslefree, Fenryll, and Black Scorpion but with the same result.
So I'm turning to the miniature community on the web for help.  If you have seen this mini, please, please, please let me know where I bought her.  Your help would be GREATLY appreciated.

As for the miniature itself, I know why I bought her even if I can't remember where.  With the simple attire and the torch, this miniature practically screamed for directional lighting.  That was the plan but when I neared completion and began to think about adding the effects of torchlight on her left side, I chickened out.  It's not that I didn't want to ruin a miniature by experimenting.  That's how one learns new techniques and skills.  Mainly my reluctance to try directional lighting on her was that she is perfect for a new miniature project I'm working on.  To coincide with my Legends of the Fall project in which I'm trying to paint one of each iconic RPG character class as high level adventurers, I'm also working on doing the same with their low level counterparts.  I don't have a title for the project yet but how could I pass up this miniature as the first party member of low level noobs?  The minimal armor and equipment, as well as a pose that suggests that she is about to enter her very first dungeon was too good to pass up.

Even though she has been relegated to another project, that doesn't mean that I didn't experiment with the lighting just a bit.  It may be difficult to see in the photos, but I did add a bit of light from the torch reflecting off the stony dungeon floor.  To create the soft light of the flickering flames, I blended GW Scorched Brown with GW Codex Gray to come up with the reddish-pink color on the base.  I liked the outcome so I'll be sure to remember it when I finally attempt my first lighted model.