WIP Critique Officer, 72nd Highlanders, 1858

[Eludia]

Hey again folks,

I found myself in a little bit of a painting rut so, as a mojo restoration project, I packed away what I was doing and cracked open some of the Stormtroopers V12 busts I had lurking in my cupboard. I decided on this one to start with.

It is Stormtroopers V12/06: Officer, 72nd Highlanders, Indian Mutiny 1858. Sculpted, beautifully I might add, by Moz Corry and equally well cast by Stu at Stormtroopers. Its a shame that this range is now discontinued as they are perfect when you just want to pick something up and paint. Prep was minimal as it is a single piece cast; there was a small casting plug to remove and a fine line to remove at the back, that was it. My copy was missing the pip from the left epaulette but this was fixed with a tiny blob of Magic Sculp. I also removed the cast pillar (I'm not a fan, sorry). I will mount it on a brass tube.

A quick wash, primed with Halfords grey primer and he was ready to go. I undercoated with a mixture of Jo Sonja, Scale75 and Vallejo acrylics.



I set him aside to let the undercoats cure properly and set about premixing my oils. This is my preferred method at the minute as it saves a lot of time when I get down to the actual painting and also promotes colour harmony because once my colours are mixed I can put my paints aside and concentrate on using whats on my palette without getting distracted by all those pretty tube colours.

My palette for this one:



Palette prepared:



And ready for the fridge, I'll probably start slapping the paint on later today:



Thanks for tuning in. Comments and critique are always welcomed.

 

[housecarl]

Very nice Billy.
I maybe wrong, but I think Gothicgeek (Mark) is continuing this range.

 

[megroot]

interesting palette of colors.
What is the palette you are using (wet for oils) and what is the benefit of it.

marc

 

[Eludia]

Thats good news if he is Carl. I love these busts, the scale is just perfect for me. In fact my resolution for next year is to teach myself how to sculpt so I can make my own stuff in this scale

 

[Nap]

Very nice Billy.
I maybe wrong, but I think Gothicgeek (Mark) is continuing this range.

That's correct he sells on e bay as gothicgeekminis ( see my reviews of the 1/16th he has from Stormtroopers)

Must recommend him top service

Nap

 

[Eludia]

interesting palette of colors.
What is the palette you are using (wet for oils) and what is the benefit of it.

marc

Hi Marc,

If you've looked at any of my previous WiP threads you'll see that I end up with a different palette for every one. I'm still searching for that perfect minimal palette and, true to form, I've got a different one for this piece. I like it though

Its a variation on a 6 colour double primary palette (warm and cool versions of the 3 primaries). I only have a single blue in this palette (Ultramarine) as I've found it meets all my needs, I have a pthalo blue on standby as my cool blue but I don't get on with pthalo paints very well (it just ends up everywhere, I don't know how). For convenience I've also included a green for toning down and shading the reds and I also have a Cad Orange in my box (but not used for this piece). The Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson make a nice transparent violet that I use as a general shading mixture which also mixes nicely with the yellows and orange to make my browns (this is the mix on the bottom left of the palette).

As far as the palette itself is concerned, its just a white tile in a sealable sandwich box. I pop the lid on and stick it in the fridge between sessions and that generally is enough to keep the mixes fresh for the duration of the project. I used to pop it in the freezer but I found that a lot of condensation settled on the paint mixtures when it was defrosting. The fridge works just as well and no condensation issues

Thanks for the questions my friend

 

[Viking Bob]

Nice start.

 

[Huw63]

Good start on this one. Seeing your palettes is always fun.

Cheers

Huw

 

[Eludia]

First session done and some quick pics taken on the iPad before he goes into the hot box till tomorrow:



Sideways as usual for iPad, but hopefully they'll be the right way up when you click 'em

First pass on his tunic so it's still a bit messy but I can tidy that up as I go along.

 

[Wings5797]

HI Billy
Good start with the colour mixes, very nice tones.
Look forward to the progress of this one.
Keith

 

[peedee]

Hey Billy

Great subject choice.

Looking forward to your finished photos.
and Happy New Year friend.


Paul

 

[Eludia]

Nice start.

Good start on this one. Seeing your palettes is always fun.

Cheers

Huw

Thanks for looking in guys

 

[Eludia]

HI Billy
Good start with the colour mixes, very nice tones.
Look forward to the progress of this one.
Keith

Thanks for popping by Keith, it's always nice to see you

 

[Eludia]

Hey Billy

Great subject choice.

Looking forward to your finished photos.
and Happy New Year friend.


Paul

Cheers Paul,

Right back at ya

 

[Eludia]

I had a quick look-see before work this morning and the first oils coat has gone off with a nice matt finish, Good Times

A bit more wet on dry glazing for tonight's session methinks. I'll get some pics later....probably....maybe

 

[Wings5797]

Thanks for popping by Keith, it's always nice to see you

We minimalistic palleteers have to support each other Billy.
It is always good to see what you are doing with those tubes.
Happy New Year to you and everyone with you Mate
Keith

 

[billyturnip]

I'm following to Billy and it looks like a good start. I've also made a note of some of your tips.

 

[Eludia]

Not much bench time tonight

I made a second pass on the left hand side of his tunic, adding a bit more contrast. Also, almost as an afterthought, I popped some black dots in his eyes (step 3/6) so he looks a bit less undead now. iPad pics again, sorry:



And now with eyes (well dots, for now )

 

[Eludia]

And now a totally random bonus shot of my bench showing the essentials I need to get me through a painting session. The most important thing is in the top right hand corner (and no, it's not a sample - of any description)

 

[Eludia]

We minimalistic palleteers have to support each other Billy.
It is always good to see what you are doing with those tubes.
Happy New Year to you and everyone with you Mate
Keith

Happy Ne'erday to you too Keith

It always feels good to do more with less. I come down to earth with a bump though whenever I turn my chair round and see the piles of paint that I've amassed (and spent a small fortune on*) in the course of these experiments. I'm thinking of opening my own art supplies shop to get rid of it all

* I never learn, I've got more paint on the way. Filling some gaps in my Jo Sonja collection. And I'm also going to try out a new primer, that's on the way too.