WIP Critique Po' whiri Maori Warrior, 1/10th scale bust, DG Artworks

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tonydawe

tonydawe

A Fixture
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
8,339
Location
Perth, Western Australia
Hi guys,

Most of you know that despite being an Australian, I have a real passion for the Maori culture of New Zealand, and I've modelled several Maori subjects over the years. In particular, I love the tattooing and scarification process known as ta moko, which is one of the most distinctive features of Maori culture.

This latest bust by DG Artworks was only released a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately swooped on it. The challenge of painting a tattooed face is even harder when you see the way this face is contorted as the Maori warrior sticks his tongue out at his enemy as part of a ritual ceremonial war dance called the haka.

The first steps for me are to get the skin tones right and start to build up the contrasts and ensure the muscle definition is correctly rendered. Then the focus is one the face and especially the eyes. As you can see, I've made a start on the eyes and will continue to refine those.

Once the bust is painted in acrylics, I'll then paint the skin in oils. And then I'll start on the moko tattoo design on the face.

As always, I welcome any comments and constructive feedback.
Maori 1.jpgMaori 2.jpgMaori 3.jpgMaori 4.jpgMaori 5.jpg
 
Hi Chris, thanks mate. I'm looking forward to painting the moko but I still have lots of skin to paint first.

Hi Mike, thanks mate. I'm keen to get your thoughts on the skin tones. I will be adding oil washes over the acrylics, so the final colour will be several shades darker than it currently appears.

Hi Keith, the Kapa o Pango is one of my favourite All Black hakas. I remember the first time I saw it, and the throat slashing gesture, I felt truly sorry for the Wallabies who were facing them.

Hi Nap, I'm managing to spend a couple of hours each night at the workbench this week, so I'm hopeful I can get onto the moko by the weekend. I'm not in any rush to finish this bust, as I want to do it justice, and also do the best I can to represent the moko as authentically and accurately as I can.

Cheers Brian, not much progress to show after last night. Still trying to correct some slight issues with the eyes and get the right colour in the tongue. Spent a fair bit of time last night looking into a mirror with my tongue hanging out.:wacky:

Hi Nicolae, yes Josonja acrylics. For the base skin tone I used Raw Sienna and Vermillion, and blended in Warm White. For shading I added Raw Umber.

Thanks Gells.
Maori 6.jpg
 
Hi Nap, still working on the skin tones and finalising some of the smaller facial details. Once I have the skin painted I'll get cracking on the moko. I've already started with the lips.

Thanks Andrew, I'm looking forward to seeing this develop too. I'm being patient in terms of ensuring that the acrylic layer is fully dried before I get started on the oil washes.

Hi Marc, thanks very much mate.

Thanks Mike, here's the latest update WIP pic from last night.
Maori 7.jpg
 
Thanks Mike,

I tried to fix up the left eye which was, as you rightly pointed out, not quite round.

The next step is to apply the oil washes over the skin. As always, I make a dilute mix of oil paint mixed with Artists White Spirits. I start by applying to oil washes over the shadow areas and let the white spirits evaporate and dry before reapplying. Progressively I apply more and more layers, in a similar way that I glaze with acrylics, until I achieve a smooth look. Once that's done, I choose a highlight colour and apply small dabs of oils and then using a wet brush dipped in white spirits I spread the highlight colour out and blend it into the base colours to achieve some smooth transitions.

This photo was taken immediately after the final glaze, so its a bit shinier than it will eventually end up once the paint dries and the white spirits cooks off.
Maori 8.jpg

The next step for me is to tackle the moko tattoo on the face. I'll be going back to a very reliable old book "Maori Tattooing" by H.G. Robley, which was written back in the 1860's and provides numerous line drawings of actual traditional moko designs.
IMG_4871.JPG
I've managed to source some good colour images from Google to provide inspiration, but most of these images show contemporary dancers with tattoos drawn on their face with a texta.
20111104-newzea-0662.jpgIMG_4732.JPGIMG_4733.JPGIMG_4735.JPGIMG_4737.JPG
 
Superb progress Tony.
He is really shaping up now and looking very menacing even without the tattoos.
Thanks for the tips on oil washes. I have started this to apply washes on a piece and am I very happy with the results. your tips will give me a bit more depth in those shadows.
All the best
Keith
 
tonydawe said:
Thanks Mike,
I tried to fix up the left eye which was, as you rightly pointed out, not quite round.

The next step is to apply the oil washes over the skin. As always, I make a dilute mix of oil paint mixed with Artists White Spirits. I start by applying to oil washes over the shadow areas and let the white spirits evaporate and dry before reapplying. Progressively I apply more and more layers, in a similar way that I glaze with acrylics, until I achieve a smooth look. Once that's done, I choose a highlight colour and apply small dabs of oils and then using a wet brush dipped in white spirits I spread the highlight colour out and blend it into the base colours to achieve some smooth transitions.

This photo was taken immediately after the final glaze, so its a bit shinier than it will eventually end up once the paint dries and the white spirits cooks off.
View attachment 273454

The next step for me is to tackle the moko tattoo on the face. I'll be going back to a very reliable old book "Maori Tattooing" by H.G. Robley, which was written back in the 1860's and provides numerous line drawings of actual traditional moko designs.
View attachment 273455
I've managed to source some good colour images from Google to provide inspiration, but most of these images show contemporary dancers with tattoos drawn on their face with a texta.
View attachment 273451
Click to expand...
Glad advice was of value Tony.
This warrior is really progressing well & you are setting a high standard for us all to aspire too.

You are correct only Tama Iti has a genuine Tā moko. I highly recommend listening to his TEDx talk:

It maybe confronting to some & others will admire his 'Mana'
- a powerful modern warrior who continues to challenge our status quo.

Please be aware even painting Tā moko is a sacred thing, so you will honour by doing this well.
-Mike
 

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