Don Quixote - Finally finished!

[Mongo Mel]

Well, short of a few things I see in the photos that need touched up, I've finally finished the Don Quixote bust!

Here are a couple of photos...

For some reason, I had a lot of difficulty painting this piece. Not sure why. there were a couple of areas that were hard to get at with the brush. Maybe that's all it was.
Anyway, I always appreciate hearing what you folks think. Especially your constructive criticisms. They all help me try to improve.
Thanks,
Craig

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Craig,

I think you've done a great job on this bust. My only criticism is that the skin tones could do with some more shadows, particularly up the nostrils, under the brow ridge and under the chin and neck.

The eyes are beautifully painted.

 

[vergilius]

have too agree a bit with Tonydawe; I would shade his face a little more. Perhaps with a greyish colour since he wash an elderly, sick person

 

[megroot]

I really like the eyes.
Maybe it are the picture's but i find the highlights to white. He looks very sick.

Marc

 

[dinovision79]

Hi Craig,

nice paintjob! The leathers look very realistic! I was just thinking hte same as Tony and Vergilius, a little more shadows around the mentioned areas of skintone and under his helmet would make it more 3D.

Great work, thanks!
Denes

 

[Marcel]

Great paintjob Craig, as mentioned already by Marc very beautiful eyes.

Thanks for sharing!
Marcel.

 

[Mongo Mel]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your feedback. It's much appreciated.
These photos are a little washed out so the piece looks a little darker in person. I struggled quite a bit with the skin tones on this one. i was really trying for a sickly, washed out, and pale looking tone so that's why I didn't make the shadows any darker than I did. One of the original attempts had a more ruddy appearance where that worked but it just didn't make me happy overall. So it was into the paint stripper .
One comment I got was to add more shadow color inside the nostrils so that's something I'm going to do this weekend. That and to try for more variations in the color of the beard. It looks too monochrome as is.
Thanks again everyone.
Craig

 

[rej]

Hi Craig, you said it before me re beard.......some more shadows and some extreme highlights would improve the flat effect........his "eye whites" look perfect to me with that sickly appearance, but the blue is a bit too bright IMHO and would do with a little tone down again IMHO

Great paintjob nonetheless!!!!

Ray

 

[theseeker]

Craig,

The eyes really grab me. They are piercing and the bust is beautiful.

Rocky

 

[Roc]

Good work Craig, but a little more shadow would not hurt.


Cheers
Roc

 

[Mongo Mel]

For those of you nice enough to stiil look at this thread...
I've retouched the beard and I think it looks better than before.
Also, I reduced the amount of light on the bust when I took these new pictures. With luck, it will look less washed out than the original photos above.

I'm taking the bust to the Washington D.C. show this weekend and there's a good chance it's not coming back home with me. So, if you have and suggestions I'm happy to hear them but I'll have to file them away for future pieces.
Thanks,
Craig

 

[darkeye]

try 'Greyscaling' for shadows. mix neutrals with naturals to give soft shadowing in keeping with the skin tone. unusual colours like pale grey/green or grey/purple, grey/sienna ect do really well with all colours. i am a big fan of the Greyscale.


all the best --- tim

 

[Mongo Mel]

Hi Tim,
thanks for the suggestion. Do you have any links to anything that would allow me to read more on using greyscale? It sounds interesting.
Craig

 

[megroot]

Craig,
You should be happy with it. I like the bust at this moment. The colors are not so washed out as in the first pic's.
For the greyscale here is a link: http://painting.about.com/od/colourtheory/ss/ColorClassTones_2.htm

Marc

 

[darkeye]

greyscale; popular with Fantasy painters

thanks for posting that link Megroot! i did not have one. 'my' use of Greyscale is as i said about mixing your Natural colours with interesting shades of Grey which means not just black and white but anything that comes to hand.
My first mix i used before i found out about Gr/Sc wasa mix of ochre/mid grey and rose. at the time i was painting a 28mm Elf over a black u/coat. Natural colurs looked 'toyish' and poor so i looked to books on Old Masters; i noticed the use of greys and greens and earth tones.
my second skin mix (still use them all) was Natural Earth , rose, grey which is mixed from Blk, yellow ochre and white. you vary the ratios of all the colours to get interesting effects. But i have to for warn you that it takes a while for your eye and taste buds to 'like' what you are viewing. the colours are Fey and subdued but more 'real' . have a play and see how cool it is and it works on any colours e.g red ect.
a good book i have talks about some Old Master telling his Students to 'dirty' their colours which the essay states is because colours consist of more than the obvious.

hope this helps Mel -- regards .. tim

 

[pmfs]

Hello Craig

Great paintjob!

Cheers
Pedro