WIP Critique 33rd Sergeant

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Hi all, I feel like it must be a breach of etiquette to have multiple WIPthreads running, if so apologies.

I’m painting this bust from Mitches Military Models as a presentation piece for a colleague. It’s a really lovely figure (as always) with plenty of detail to get into. It’s also huge! I’ve done one other bust in this scale and the size is a mixed blessing, on the one hand you’ve got lots of room to work on the details, on the other you can’t hide anything.

I’ve started on the eyes and deep shadows. I’m happy with the size and shape of the eyes, I think I’m going to add some lighter blue/grey at the bottom of the irises. There’s a plate on his cross belt which I might try doing as non metallic metal, it’ll be my first time but I think it might work.

Comments and critique welcome as ever.

 

[Briggsy]

Heck that's a lot of cam cream, nice paint job but I think you are right adding a lighter blue or grey to the eyes, but not too.much as they really will stand out on such a well cammed face.

Cheers Simon

 

[Scotty]

Heck that's a lot of cam cream, nice paint job but I think you are right adding a lighter blue or grey to the eyes, but not too.much as they really will stand out on such a well cammed face.

Cheers Simon

I'm pretty sure this guy is Napoleonic, I have him too. I'm interested to see where this goes.
Scotty.

 

[Briggsy]

I'm pretty sure this guy is Napoleonic, I have him too. I'm interested to see where this goes.
Scotty.

Oh right well I feel really daft now! Nowt new there though.

Cheers Simon

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Heck that's a lot of cam cream, nice paint job but I think you are right adding a lighter blue or grey to the eyes, but not too.much as they really will stand out on such a well cammed face.

Cheers Simon

Shall I leave him like this for the next time I have to do a ‘too much/too little/just right’ demo?

 

[Scotty]

Shall I leave him like this for the next time I have to do a ‘too much/too little/just right’ demo?

I presumed he was a member of Wellington's LRRP A teams. Is this your usual underpainting?
Scotty

 

[Briggsy]

Hands up the title of 33rd should have tipped me off, in my defence I've seen too many young soldiers applying cam cream like the were Hollywood actors. It will be interesting watching him come to life though.

Cheers Simon

 

[Rob]

Wow, that is an interesting approach to preshading. I thought the LRDG guy was pushing the mapping concept but this one is even more extreme.

Will be fascinating to see how you develop the skintones over this map.

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Thanks chaps!

I presumed he was a member of Wellington's LRRP A teams. Is this your usual underpainting?
Scotty

Sort of, if I’m honest I’m not sure I have a ‘usual’ technique, I’m new to this and every time it winds up being a bit different. In so far as I do though, I tend to start with the eyes, add in the darkest shadows around the eyes and then start building up towards the highlights.

Wow, that is an interesting approach to preshading. I thought the LRDG guy was pushing the mapping concept but this one is even more extreme.

Will be fascinating to see how you develop the skintones over this map.

I think I learned a bit from that project, I’m taking a similar approach but I’m going to tone down the contrast and try to generate more texture in the skin tones.

One thing I really value about this forum (and my blog actually) is that my approach at the moment is very much one of playing about to see what works. Trying to articulate what is going on forces me to think more about it and helps me understand what is working and what isn’t, so thanks Eve for chipping in.

Here are a couple of up to date pics. I think I have the highlights and shadows mapped out. I’ve been trying to use fine ‘strokes’ around the chin to be a little suggestive of hair once I’ve added some glazes etc. I think it is now recognisably a face and it’s time to start playing with tones. My plan is to start stippling in some more tan shades around the upper face then reds around the cheeks and blues around the chin. I’ll probably then do the hair before going back and forth with highlights and glazes. The eyes need some tweaking too, I’m thinking the pink at the corner and a slight yellow on the sclera, perhaps something to suggest they are a little bloodshot. I’ll do the highlights around the lids last.

Hands up the title of 33rd should have tipped me off, in my defence I've seen too many young soldiers applying cam cream like the were Hollywood actors. It will be interesting watching him come to life though.

Cheers Simon

Don’t worry, it made me laugh and I instantly knew what you meant. A friend suggested I turn him into a ‘cockle shell hero’. I was actually wondering how one might approach cam cream the other day, maybe this is the answer.

 

[Briggsy]

Wow what a transformation, I think that covering a white undercoat takes a lot of paint, but I can see how this is coming together really well. There is real depth to the skin tones and I agree writing about how you do things really makes you analyse the method.

Cheers Simon

 

[NigelR]

Good progress and an interesting approach, it's good to see you developing this and I'll looking forward to see how this evolves. Thanks for sharing!

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Thanks chaps.

Wow what a transformation, I think that covering a white undercoat takes a lot of paint, but I can see how this is coming together really well. There is real depth to the skin tones and I agree writing about how you do things really makes you analyse the method.

Cheers Simon

Depth is a good word, thanks, I hadn't thought of it that way. I was looking back at an earlier project that I was really happy with and trying to work out what it was that made it work for me. Partly I think that the layering approach means that when you're done you get hints of the various shapes and textures coming through in really subtle ways, almost like the different textures and marks you get on real skin.

I'm not sure as I've got nothing to compare it to but I don't think it takes a huge amount of paint, I think the highlights here are one layer of highlight colour over maybe two layers of mid tones, all pretty thin.

 

[clubcat]

It's difficult for me to reconcile the earliest post with the transformation on the latter, I am quite amazed and looking forward to how it develops further. I take it you are using acrylics.
Melanie

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

It's difficult for me to reconcile the earliest post with the transformation on the latter, I am quite amazed and looking forward to how it develops further. I take it you are using acrylics.
Melanie

Hah, yeah, I know what you mean. It's pretty striking. I mostly use vallejo acrylics.

 

[Nap]

Hi Stefan

Blimey that a big piece as you said ....no hiding !

I presume it’s the 1/6th https://www.planetfigure.com/thread...waterloo-1815-mitches-military-models.496602/

Really good to see the way you do the painting and certainly working for you

You feel free to have as many V bench as you want , it’s great to follow your benchtime

Looking forward to seeing more

Have fun

Nap

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Thanks Nap, yes, it's the 1/6 one. At the White Rose Christmas bash I saw a full length version of the trumpeter piece that goes with this one, it was incredible! One day I'll summon up the courage to tackle a full cavalry figure in this scale.

 

[MalcC]

Coming on nicely.

Malc

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

A little more progress, I’ve speckled in some yellowish tones around the forehead, it’s less yellow than in the picture but u think I need to go back over with flesh tone highlights to tone it back a bit. Added some blues and reds around the chin and cheeks, I’ve also experimented with a little magenta around the nose. I’ve started blocking in the hair too which helps get a better idea of what needs to happen next.

 

[Rob]

He is developing really well, great to see how you have worked him up from the base mapping. Very clever.

 

[Briggsy]

Really nice, he's coming together beautifully, really like what you have done with the nose and chin. The forehead looks OK to me, what headdress does he have, any peak will cast a shadow so I'd try dry fitting that to see what you think with it in place.

Cheers Simon