WIP Critique Marechal Ney bust (~1/6)

[Colin_Fraser]

So a day later the Johnson's wax shine is back...but splotchy. No choice. Out comes the oven cleaner and back to square one. One day I will learn not to rush the prep of my sculpts and wait for the whole thing to be done before I start undercoating. My problem is impatience and a burning desire to see what the piece looks like in paint (always different and always better). Luckily I like Ney and enjoy the painting process as much as the sculpting. So you won't see much more on this string. In fact I may start a new one later.

Cheers

Colin

 

[ChaosCossack]

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What went sideways to cause the issue?

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Bad base coating. I am an idiot. I will be more careful this time out. And now I get the fun of painting him twice.....not being sarcastic

Colin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Today's progress....one step forward, two steps back. At least I didn't lose a lot of detail.....a couple of niblets, an oak leaf or two, some acorns, his LdH medal and cracks in his LdH sash. Will let the base coat cure for a bit before setting out on this voyage again. It's spray Citadel skull white.

Colin

 

[taff edwards]

Hi Colin
I am the same when I want to get going , like that old army saying " slow is fast ,fast is smooth , looking forward to seeing it develop
Cheers Chris

 

[yoshi]

Hi Colin, did you use Vallejo for the face? I Always mix some Tamiya Flat base to it. When you use Vallejo very thin it will shine. And no matt vernish will help.
Thanks for the tips on the lace.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Thanks gents. Yes yoshi I used pure Vallejo and inks. I paint Vallejo a lot. I know it shines slightly but in my experience not gloss like wax....and not after hitting it with dull coat, having it matte down nicely for a day, and then having it gloss up blotchy. That's a chemical reaction.

I am not upset at all. I can do better next time.

Thanks for the good wishes.

Colin

 

[ChaosCossack]

I find sometimes with Vallejo, if the bottle sits for a while, the elements will separate. Just shaking is not enough... the paint will never cure and have sort of a rubbery look. I like to take the dropper top off and give it a good stir... I use a wire (with a couple of bends in the end) in the ol' Dremel and run it on low for about a minute. Seems to make all the difference in the world.

Good luck on Ney2.0

Colin

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I think I pinned it down. Was using vallejos on a stay wet palette that were a day old and congealed into a bit into a plastic-like dome. I suspect the paint separated as you described Colin. I will have to stay with diluted Vallejos and make sure I don't use anything from a stay wet blob.

Colin

 

[Chris Mortimer]

Mate I cant believe how calm and rational you are about it. Id be off my head! I can't wait to see round 2 because your first attempt was one of the best and my favorite busts/paint jobs I've ever seen. Good luck and here we go again......

 

[Sturm Grenadier]

Hello Colin, I was just reading through your thread, and was going to comment on, how I thought this was your best painting to date. Sorry to hear of the problem with the paint. I wish you the best of luck with part 2, and will be watching your progress. Regards, SG

 

[Ferris]

Well, if you can do it once, you can do it twice. Second version will probably be even better, because you already 'know' the shape. Just to encourage you Colin...

Adrian

 

[Joe55]

Yup, practice makes perfect! This is gonna be great, can't wait to see him finished!

Joe

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Thanks for the encouragement gents. If this version shines I will be ordering Jo Sonja's from De Serres.

Colin

 

[Nap]

Colin ,

What a fabulous piece of work , that last picture felt like he was next to me ..those eyes ..but then disaster falls but our Colins steps up to the challenge again .

I have no doubt it will be even better 2nd time around ....we all look forward to this version me especially the lacework .

Thanks for sharing

Nap

 

[tiberius57]

Holy Moly, my friend! No worries! You already bounced back. Accidents can happen.
Looking forward to see this bust close!
Cheers,
Zeno

 

[Chris Mortimer]

I know you said in a post that you were not going to cast him but if you had changed your mind I would be first in line.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Sorry Chris, that's a great compliment but I never cast any of my pieces.....at least so far. Casting is a pain. I am retiring Christmas Eve so I should have a lot more time to model. Perhaps then I will explore casting a bit more then. I started my repaint of this piece before work this morning and did a bit tonight. I would say the face is about 75% done. I won't post it until I am back near where I ran into problems on the first attempt.

Cheers

Coln

 

[Nap]

I know you said in a post that you were not going to cast him but if you had changed your mind I would be first in line.

Me too Colin .....onwards and upwards .....love the details you have put into this piece and also your dedication .

Ney is an amazing character and leader as well ..inspirational ..like your work .

Thanks for sharing

Nap

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Here is the start of attempt two. Still lots to do (inks, more high highlights, reddening his hair a bit, the dreaded dullcoat - to do later). But I have made good progress getting the shading going. As before, this will look quite different when matted.

Colin