WIP Critique French Infantryman AWI, Stormtroopers 1/16

[Eludia]

Hey again folks,

I've been on a sculpting binge for a while so it's nice to get the brushes out again. I picked up this little beauty (among others) from Stu at Figureworld and made a start on him tonight while watching telly.

I'll be using W&N oils over Alclad grey primer. My palette:

Cad Yellow Light
Gold Ochre
Alizarin Crimson
Ultramarine Blue
Burnt Umber
Tit White

Progress so far:



Comments and critique will be welcomed, as always

 

[Nap]

Following with interest in how you paint in oils

What is the paint on for the pallete ?

Nap

 

[Eludia]

Cheers Kev,

The palette is just a white tile glued into the lid of a sandwich box. It's actually resting on top of my new palette, an old photo frame I picked up from a charity shop for 50p. I took it apart and sprayed the back of the glass with grey primer then put it back together again. In time I'll transfer my mixes to this new palette and try it out, it's a little bit bigger than the tile

 

[phil_h]

So far it's looking great, looking forward to seeing some more (I particularly like this period, so lot's of interest)
Phil

 

[Viking Bob]

These little 1/16th busts have some great detail. Love the flesh tones you are using and I am following with interest.
Regards

 

[clrsgt]

Good start. I like the flesh tones so far.

 

[Babelfish]

Looks great so far.

Must say Billy, your tubes of oil paint are beautifully clean. Most of mine are in a right state.

- Steve

 

[Eludia]

Thanks guys

The basic flesh tone is mixed from Alizarin Crimson and Gold Ochre to an earthy orange colour then lightened with increasing amounts of white for the different values. I also mixed some warm and cool darks to mix into the basic tones to add a bit of variety to the shadows.

I'm a bit anal when it comes to keeping my paints clean Steve. I probably spend as much time cleaning the tubes as I do painting. I think I might need professional help

 

[arj]

Very nice start.
You've done a nice job on the flesh tones which have been blended very effectively.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[Eludia]

Thanks Andrew

 

[peedee]

Looks great so far.
Must say Billy, your tubes of oil paint are beautifully clean. Most of mine are in a right state. - Steve

Whatever his answer is to this Steve,
let it be known these are his 'display' paints for photographic purposes only.

Lovely choice of figure Billy

P

 

[Eludia]

Whatever his answer is to this Steve,
let it be known these are his 'display' paints for photographic purposes only.

Lovely choice of figure Billy

P

Cheers Paul

It is indeed a nice figure. I've been using it as a reference piece for sculpting so while I had it out I decided I might as well paint it.

1/16 busts are very "on trend" at the minute it seems and Stu has a very nice range (I picked up 5 at FW). This one is my current favourite of the bunch, I just love that expressive face. It's definitely something to aspire to, that's why I've been using it as a reference piece. If I end up with a sculpt half as good as this then I'll be a very happy bunny.

I can confirm that these are my bona fide working paints. I keep my "best" set in the display cabinet, in a temperature and humidity controlled case

 

[luisg]

I like it

I have it, hoping to have time to paint

 

[Eludia]

Hey again folks,

I'm on holiday at the minute but I brought along this piece with my travel kit. I've made a little bit of progress when I've had some down time. I'm happy with his face but a little bit less happy with the eyes.

Some more crappy iPad pics:

 

[peedee]

Looking good Billy.

Enjoy your holiday/break.

Paul.

 

[billyturnip]

I can't really see the eyes from the pics Billy but the skin tones look nice and smooth.

 

[Eludia]

Thanks guys

The eyes are giving me grief at the minute. Sometimes they look really "stary" and when I try to fix them they look too dark, I'm struggling to hit that sweet spot where they look "right". I'm leaving them as they are for now and moving onto another part of the model. I might revisit them later.

I apologise for the crap pictures. I'll get some better ones when I get home and get access to my photographic studio (i.e. my shed)

Spk soon,Billy

 

[Viking Bob]

I'd be happy with the face so far Billy, looks fine to me. Enjoy the break.
Regards

 

[Eludia]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I've made a minor change to my palette since the first post. I've swapped out the Burnt Umber for Raw Umber. The BU dries a little too fast for my liking and I've been looking for an alternative for a while, I'm finding RU is a good substitute. It still makes some lovely "blacks" when mixed with Ultramarine Blue and it is very good at neutralising the brighter mixes. It's taken me three years or so of experimentation but I think I'm now getting close to a palette that feels right for me, I'll need to do another few models with it to be sure

 

[Eludia]

I'm back in my cutting edge, state of the art, photography studio now



And here are some (slightly) better pics of progress so far:



My love affair with Raw Umber didn't last very long. I found that it was making my mixes a little too "dirty", especially light colours like whites and yellows. So its back to Burnt Umber for now and my search for the perfect dark pigment continues.

p.s. I'm still not happy with the eyes