WIP Critique Need help finishing this figure...

[Floydie64]

Hello all,

Making very slow progress on the excellent "After the Battle / Rorke's Drift" vignette from Ybrossculpts.
I feel like I have the Bromhead figure near completion, but wanted to reach out for advice in 2 specific areas:
1) Best approach to highlighting the raised folds of the scarlet tunic? From everything I'm finding in searching the forums, it would seem that I want an almost orange hue based off the Vallejo scarlet that I used. Any thoughts on this? I come from a largely WWII figure painting background, so working with the scarlet is still a bit new to me.

2) Weathering. I have a tendency to over-weather, which I often regret as it has that tendency to obscure/obliterate some of the fine painted details beneath. Any advice on approaching weathering this figure?

Thanks in advance for any help that you can offer!

 

[MCPWilk]

Considering the nature of the terrain, I would dry brush with a sand or similar colour.

Mike

 

[Redcap]

Considering the nature of the terrain, I would dry brush with a sand or similar colour.

Mike

PLUS 1 or even use a suitable MIG Pigment colour and stipple it in to represent dust, sweat and dirt. Either way, great start so far on this figure.
Gary

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Given he’s holding a Martini, I see this as post battle. So I would dirty and dust him up. Also, for highlights on the scarlet, I would be tempted to mix in some flesh or light wood colour, even if it dulls the finish. He’s in South Africa so fabric dye fade and ingrained dirt/dust/sweat would be a common sight I think. Love your paint job so far.

 

[JasonB]

Yeah, if you want this to look truly post battle and not a posed scene, I would go much heavier on the dust and grime, especially on the boots and pants from the bottom up, heavier on knees and elbows. Not to mention that everything I have read stated that their uniforms were in generally poor condition due to the environment and lack of replacements. So that includes fading, patching and I assume a few rips and tears. I would blacken his hands and the side of his face a bit. Look at the well know photo of Fredrick Hitch and notice the right side of his face, I assume that from extended firing the Martini Henry.

 

[sd0324]

This is really well painted . I don't have a lot of advice but I'd do some light weathering on it and try not to upset the thing. It really looks well.

Steve

 

[Briggsy]

Figure looks great as it is, red isn't a very reflective colour so highlights don't want to be too high. As Colin said flesh or light wood are good choices or as you mentioned an orange hue would work but keep them to a minimum and if you over do it a localised wash of the original scarlet will even things out. I hasten to add that is how I do it and it works for me.

Cheers Simon

 

[ukali1066]

Bill Horan uses flesh to highlight red, never white as it ends up pink and chalky

 

[Steve Ski]

Awesome work!

 

[Ybrossculpts]

That's looking terrific, and loving your choice of figure Floydie64, LOL.
On my post regarding painting the vignette, I found that prior to adding the scarlet, I did an undercoat of yellow, taking the idea from the aircraft modelling boys. And as Colin mentioned to, adding a flesh or ochre colour as a thin wash on the highlights whilst adding some brown to the red for shadow's will help the frock look worn.
Trousers were a similar process for me, adding a light green grey for the faded highlights and for contrast of the shadow's some black to the blue. Then a light wash of flat earth over that, and also not forgetting the boot's, such as German black brown, and for highlights and dust add some white, and then some flate earth as a wash.