Athenian Warlord Bust - WIP

[Bailey]

My current project is the Athenian Bust from Young Miniatures (to go with the Spartan bust I finished a few months ago). The head and helmet are almost finished. However, I'm still going back and forth on how I want to handle the linothorax armor.

I'm new to this site and only started working on these larger scale historical figures about a year ago (before that I was mostly painting 28mm Warhammer figures), so I would really value your feedback and suggestions.

 

[Meehan34]

Nice work on the skin tones and very nice overall start, I mean really nice start. Here is my opinion on what you should do to what you already have finished. I would add a catch light to the eyes. On the plume I would add some drastic shadows from the bottom (where the hairs connect to the helmet piece) to the top. There are some nice painted pieces that show this to perfection. Look at the plume on this guy for example.

http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25615 (of course the bxx art doesn't have this)
Other than that (these are tiny tiny suggestions BTW) this guy is looking fantastic. And I hope you post the finished pics, this is one of my favorite busts that really hasn't received much attention. There are very few examples of it on this site. Congrats on switching from warhammer mini's and welcome to the planet.

These of course are only my opinion and don't mean much

 

[gordy]

Wow! , the skin tones are superb

Welcome aboard and keep showing us more!

 

[Bailey]

Thanks for the suggestions. Mike, I see what you mean about the plume. Can't promise it'll look as good as what Jay did, but I'll keep working at it.

 

[housecarl]

I really like where you're at with this, the helmet and flesh tones are very well done.
Look forwards to seeing more of you great works, and welcome,
Carl.

 

[tonydawe]

Those eyes have a crazy, physcho-killer look about them. Really intense and intimidating.

Excellent work.

 

[gordy]

Those eyes have a crazy, physcho-killer look about them. Really intense and intimidating.

Excellent work.

Sure do! I look forward to seeing this one done

 

[davidmitchell]

Great start David look forward to your next steps.


Cheers David

 

[megroot]

This is a very difficult bust to paint. I mean to bring out the character of the meaning look in his face.
So far you are on the right way. Hope to see more soon.

Marc

 

[Bailey]

Here's an update. I've done some more work on the crest and the torso. Still not 100% satisfied with either. The crest is getting there, but I'd like to make the reds a little more dramatic. As for the body, I'm still working on the design work on the chest. I'd also like to give the armor a more weathered look.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, please pass them along. I've appreciated all the feedback so far and I'll keep posting my progress. Thanks, tonydawe, I'm not sure I quite had psycho-killer in mind, but I'm glad that intense and intimidating came through.

 

[Meehan34]

Excellent work so far. What kind of paint are you using for the reds? I'm just trying to figure out why it is so glossy if it is not oil. You are on the right path this guy is looking great.

 

[Theodoros]

His face expression is enchanced by the quality of your paint job, David !

 

[Bailey]

Thank you. But I have to give a lot of the credit to the quality of the sculpting.

As for the shiny reds, I'm using Vallejo Model Colors. It's all acrylic and I only have the glossy problem with their reds. Anyone else use these paints? Maybe I just bought a bad red... I don't know.

 

[Gary D]

Amazing work! Would love to know what your flesh mixes are. As for adding catch light, you should read some of the opinions of some of the people who are in the know about such things. There is some interesting discussions both for and against.

As an example:

http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25669&highlight=catch+light

Or use the search tool for "catch light" to read more. I am now convinced not to use catch lights and just use a gloss varnish.

Gary

 

[Tommi]

Looking good, one of the best busts that Young has produced and you are doing a great job with it

Tommi

 

[Paul Kernan]

Dave:
He is one mean looking b@#$%^&. Great finish, mate

As for glossy acrylics. Keep in mind I'm an oil painter but I have ventured to the dark side on occasion. I followed some of the more acquired acrylic painters advice and added a drop of Tamiya flat and it has worked a treat for me.

 

[Bailey]

Athenian Warlord Bust - Completed

Thank you for the feedback everyone. Here is the completed bust. I was debating what to do with the armor, but I decided to go with more of a linen/woven material feel to the shoulders and back. This style of armor was called linothorax (linen thorax) so I didn't want to go overboard with the metallics. I like what the choice does for the overall look. I also decided to go with the glossy finish on the eyes instead of the catch lights (though I doubt anyone can tell from the pictures).


As for the skin, (and maybe I shouldn't admit to this... but hey, I'm still pretty new) Reaper has some decent premixed skin tones. For me, these were a good place to start but I wouldn't recommend relying on them alone. I mixed with a black brown for the chin and upper portion of the neck. I mixed with a red for shading around the end of the nose and on the ears. And I used a mix with hull red, more of a brownish red, for shading everywhere else.

And here is the figure with the my Spartan bust. I still need to get a base that matches for my Athenian.

 

[megroot]

Excellent, just excellent.

Marc

 

[tonyhp]

Great paint of the face. Compliments
Tony

 

[Sambaman]

Nice work David. Your choice of white for the linothorax is spot-on.

Jay H.