Admiral Jewgenij Aleksejew

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9. Day, June 30, 2017

The next step will be the Admiral's cap - but today there is only "Uniformology" ...:

The normal Russian Navy uniform was plain black ...:



This included a black "Furashka"-Cap ...:



On special occasions the so-called "two-masters" were worn, instead of the cap captains of higher officers, a really obsolete head-covering, reminiscent of earlier times, of which the Marines of Europe had been captured by the English; in the Royal Navy, this head cover should remind Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Cap and "two-masters" - were unusual for the stately and uniformly distorted Russian Empire, where even village-teachers were wearing uniforms! - remarkably simple ...:



So: cap black!

No!

There was a white one next to the black uniform! It was conceived as a summer uniform and made of lighter fabric ...:



To this uniform belonged a white "Furashka" ...:



So: winter black, summer and tropics like, right?

Again "No"!

In practice, black and white uniforms were combined wildly together ...:







There seems to have been no written prescription for it-at least I have not found any one who deals with the Russian navy as long as with the Cossacks!

Obviously, the commandant (at sea) and the commander-in-chief (land station) ordered the respective suit!

So: White or black cap for Alekseev? Again no!

On the template painting, Alekseyev carries the black navy uniform jacket with the rank insignia of a Fleet Admiral, marked by three black double eagles on the epaulettes ...:

However, he combines this admiral uniform with the distinctions of his second rank, that of the "General Adjutant".

General Adjutants wore their own uniform, which was gray-green with red badges!

The "monkey swing" ...

... the red gold-embroidered collar clearly visible on the painting above ...

... and the red cuffs (not visible) come from the uniform of the General Adjutant.

And, of course, General Adjutants had their own cap - which looked like this ...:

So we have now three options for Alekseyev - all three can equally well be justified:

Black cap, white cap, or the General Adjutant's cap.

(At the latest, the moment has come when researcher must be under the oxygen tent ...!)

We will never know what he really was wearing, because the painter did not paint the cap with his ...

Anyway, I'll paint the cap of my bust black!

First: I like the "color" Black!
Secondly, I have had good experiences with black in the two predecessors.
Third, the black version is the most elegant!
Fourth: With the golden and orden overloaded uniform, my admiral will be still "colorful" enough.

So black.
 
10. Day, July 1, 2017

Outside there is rain - a good day to continue painting.

I started with the cap, black with white pipings.

But I did not take only black and White, but for the white "Light Flesh" and for the black a mixture of "German Grey" and black (2:1)



This looks black and White.

The White pipings are ready and I'm happy that I could paint them so thin!

The black is underpainted, I will complete it with oils and make lights and shadows.

Now my Admiral Looks like this...:












BTW:
You can even see (I hope so because of the dark pics today!) that I have painted the face a bit more darker, as Kevin suggested to me.

Thx Kevin!
 
12. Day, June 4, 2017

Fortunately, the "oil gleam" on the cap has already greatly diminished! In a few days it will be matt.

Today I painted the peak, the storm belt and the cockade.

The officer cockade of the imperial-Russian army ...



...... in this scale represents the ultimate thing I can still paint with my dither fingers!



Now our friend looks like this...:







Now only the "roof" of the cap is missing, then the head is finished.

Tomorrow.
 
14. Day, July 7, 2017

Today I start with the body of Admiral Aekseev!

First of all, I've cut the wood rod that Heinz has built into the bust, with the micro saw by about half ...:



The rod would have been an ideal handle in the original length, but it was too long for a pedestal (for which he was intended). And for this is really hard plywood, I thought:
"Just do it BEFORE you painted the bust!"

Next, the admiral came into his real element - into the water - and was washed up with dishwashing detergents ...:



Next Step:

The spray primer "Army Painter Grey" ...:



Now can you see the many details, which Heinz sculpted - absolutely exactly after the paintig ...



Nothing is missing - a real brilliant sculpt!!!









 
15. Day, July 8, 2017

Today I started with the uniform collar!

But first solve a puzzle!

At the black admiral's uniform of the Russian Fleet ...



... was actually the collar black, and covered with heavy gold embroidery, in the center of which was a lying anchor ...:



Our admiral Alekseev, however, is wearing a red collar on the black uniform!



Why that?

This riddle is explained by the fact that Alekseev carries the uniform and rank insignia of a Russian Fleet Admiral, but combines this with the destinies of his other rank, that of the General-Adjutant!

And the gray-green uniform of the General Adjutant ...



... showed red cuffs (not visible!) and a red collar - also the gold embroidery looked a bit different ...:



Like this I have to paint it!

I started with the white shirt, which looks up out of the collar - again I did not take "white" for it but "Light Flesh" ...:



Even with pure black...



... got the shirt then a thin outlining - and also with black I then painted the cravat, which is in the collar cut to be seen.

At the bottom of the collar you can see a piece of the orange-black "Georgian ribbon" and the golden eyelet to which the neck-order of Admiral Alekseyew hangs...:



The orange originated from ..:



At this little detail I almost broke my fingers again!

Next I painted the red collar:

The basic color is a mix of "Scarlet" and "Gory Red", the color was darkened by the addition of "Saddle Brown", while the brightenings were done by adding "Flat Yellow" and a tiny shot "Light Flesh"...:



Finally, the gold embroideries, where I have done a considerable effort to make them "real"!

First, a background with "Yellow Ocre"...:

Afterwards a very very thin coating with very dilute "gold" from "Andrea" and - after drying - a possibly still thin "wash" with a very watery broth of gold and black to work out the structure of the embroidery...:

Again, after drying, I did not paint the embroidery with "Brass", but only spotted. And also not fully covering! This brass color is softer and less "shrill" than gold!

At the end it looks convincing, I think ...:





 
Many thanks to you, mates!!!

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16. Day, July 9, 2017

First of all, I would like to show you the two beautiful badges from Resin, which Heinz has sculpted after a template and sent to me...:

Template:



Here are the smaller resin copies, of which at least one will find their place on the base of the Admiral...:



This blue St. Andrew's Cross was the flag of the Russian Fleet during the Russian Empire...:



...and today again...:



I painted this morning also - only we were then in nice weather all day outside, so I can post now.

Heinz has delivered an absolutely detailed sculpt, which also shows "unimportant" details on the back of the bust - such as the regular seams of the uniform skirt ...:

Fot you can not see that on the black jacket quite well, I put also the white chasm of a Cuirassier-Offzier (Chevalier-Gardes), where one sees the better ...:

With the back of the jacket, I started today to try out my "black recipe" chosen for the bust!

With Admiral Alekseev, this black is primarily a "carrier" for the many details, which is why I have chosen a very simple mixture...:

I chose Arcryls because in the past I painted large areas exclusively with oil paints - and the completely different painting style with acrylicsI would not completely unlearn.

Et voila ...:




In the pictures (about four times magnification!) I have just seen that a place on the back is better to be blinded and I painted with a seam over the edge.

That is already done.
 
17. Day, July 10,2017

Today: Black, the front!

First I painted the white piping of the button strip, which can be seen on the template painting ...

This piping belongs not to a Russian Admiral's uniform ...

... and is again "borrowed" from the uniform of the General SAjutant...:

The piping is painted like those on the cap - not with "white" but with "light flesh".

Then the black, for which I have used again mixes from...

At last I painted with golden ink...

... the visible three buttons painted. They were originally brass and showed the state coat of arms, the Russian double eagle ...:

I think I have a very unobtrusive and neutral black succeeded - an ideal background for the many details, which are now to be painted ...:



 
18. Day, July 11, 2017

Today I start with the Orders and Medals of our admiral!
I first made the blue sash.

First I thought: "This research is easy!".

Blue sash - completely clear, it is the order of Saint Andrew, the most important distinction that the czar empire had to forgive ...:



Here we have a painting of the field marshal Michail Barclay de Tolly with this order sash ...



... and here the prince Grigory Potemkin, who also carries it...:



But I was wrong!

Both wear the sash above the right shoulder - the sash of our admiral is on the other one...:



Then there was only one solution:

It is the commanders cross of the "Order of the White Eagle" ...:



This award was originally Polish, in the time we talk about, the Russian tsar was also a regent of Poland!

Anyone who had earned a reputation for Poland (and Russia of course) could be awarded with the "Order of the White Eagle".

Two crossed swords were added to the Order for military merits ...:



The actual order was worn at the sash at the waist (unfortunately not visible at the bust) ...:



W has been awarded with the commander's cross also carried a golden star to sashes and orders, as a military, also with crossed swords, on the left side of the brethren.

With our admiral, this golden star is clearly visible - and a proof that I am right ...:

On the star I will come separately!

Today it is the sash - and the difficulty is to imitate this appearance of silk.

I had seen before in the www many paintings of those sashs - ant I most liked the way it was painted on a portrait of the young King Louis XIV.!

For safety, I started with the back part - so to speak, to practice!

It does not look like, but it is a heap of blue tones processed in this sash ...:


In the end this result has come out, which I like quite well ...:


Since this is the very first silk sash I painted, I would have nothing against improvement suggestions, so there are some ...
 

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