WIP Greek Hoplite bust, Young Miniatures 1/10th scale

[tonydawe]

Hi guys,

I've been rather busy lately working on other projects so I haven't been able to put much time into my painting.

My latest project is a new bust from Young Miniatures depicting a Greek hoplite holding his helmet and shield. I really like this bust and the opportunity to do some crazy design work on the shield. I also like the Kurt Russell face and the potential to really make this guy look like a battle scarred veteran.

So far I'm just laying down the base coat on the face, with some preliminary highlighting and shading, and defining the shape of the eyes.

 

[NickM]

Off to a good start so far mate Looking forward to seeing what you do with the shield design too

 

[Mark S]

I reckon this is one of the very best of Young's busts.....I'll be looking forward to see what you do with it...cheers.

 

[Macca G]

I agree with Mark, along with that 3rd century Roman cavalryman bust, this is one of Young's standout recent pieces. Looking forward to what you make of this bloke Tony.

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Nick, thanks mate. I haven't chosen a shield design yet. I'm doing my research now. If anyone has any good images or designs for a Greek Hoplite shield, I'd be happy to receive suggestions - actually I'll start a separate thread elsewhere and see what comes in.

Hi Mark, I agree mate. One of Young's finest efforts.

Hi Macca, yes I also have the Cavalryman bust and it was a hard choice between the two of them. I went with the Greek Hoplite just because of the shield and the chance to do some fancy painting.

Did a bit more painting last night. Added some facial hair and started to lay in the shadows on the cloak. I haven't finished the eyes yet - they're next. The skin tones will get progressively darker as I slowly add a series of oil washes over the flesh areas to increase the contrast and create a swarthier complexion.

 

[smudger1960]

Very nice Tony,I will follow with interest

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your comment mate.

I had a reasonably productive weekend with the paints and managed to move along a bit on this bust.

I'm still blocking in the base colours in regards to the breast plate armour, the helmet and the sword sling belt.

The face and hair are still being worked on too.

 

[Ferris]

It's coming along nicely Tony. Nice colour tone for the cloack.
How did you do the breast armour? I like the high gloss finish (although I know you'll be doing more work on it).

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for your comments. The breast armour is painted with Josonja Bronze, mixed with a small amount of Carbon Black. I wanted to start with a relatively dark look to the bronze and then progressively lighten it to emphasise the contours of the sculpted muscles. Next colour mix will be towards brown. As always, I'm inclined towards painting him as a veteran recently returned from the battlefield, so eventually they will be blood and other stains added to the cloak, the armour and the shield.

 

[Viking Bob]

Looking good Tony, I like your painting style.
Bob

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your comment.

Here is the latest update WIP pic. Having now blocked in most of the major colours and applied base coats over most of the bust, my task now is to start refining the shading and highlighting and bring the paintwork into sharper focus. I haven't started on the shield yet.

I want to get the cloak looking good first and then move onto the armour, and then do the helmet and save the shield until last.

Once I've finished with the acrylics, then I'll start applying a series of oil washes over the bust to add depth to the colours.

 

[Stephan]

I like your steps.

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Stephan,

It may not look like I've made much progress but I have been working on the cape with oil washes over the weekend.

It's been slow going for me; lots of other real world issues getting in the way, but I'm hoping to get some time over the next few weeks to tackle the shield.

I hope you like my progress. As always I welcome any feedback/ comments.

 

[smudger1960]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your comment mate.

I had a reasonably productive weekend with the paints and managed to move along a bit on this bust.

I'm still blocking in the base colours in regards to the breast plate armour, the helmet and the sword sling belt.

The face and hair are still being worked on too.

View attachment 198421

It still looks like it's going to be a great piece of work mate

 

[FigureLover]

Hey Tony,
Looks like a good start, I like the stare that he has, very concentrated!!!!!
Ben

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Brian & Ben,

Last night I painted the red and white checks on the crest of the helmet. Another small step forward.

 

[Stephan]

What does the washes do? Shadows?
Like the next steps thanks for keeping us updated.

 

[Wings5797]

Beautiful brush skills Tony,
Whilst it would be petty to pick bits out for comment I must say that the cloak and helm are exceptional.
Great work My friend,
Keith

 

[Mike Stevens]

Coming along nicely.

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Stephan, thanks for your comments. I make a dilute wash of oil paint and white spirits and apply it as a wash over acrylics to deeper the colours and help make the transitions between highlights and shadows a bit smoother. I find that oils give greater depth to colours like red, and the white spirits evaporate quickly leaving the surface dead flat. And yes, they do also deepen the shadows a little bit, however I try to get that right when I paint the acrylics on first and then just use the oil wash as a shading effect, like a tint.

Thanks Keith and Mike, I always appreciate you comments fellas.