WIP Critique Po' whiri Maori Warrior, 1/10th scale bust, DG Artworks

[tonydawe]

Hi guys,

Most of you know that despite being an Australian, I have a real passion for the Maori culture of New Zealand, and I've modelled several Maori subjects over the years. In particular, I love the tattooing and scarification process known as ta moko, which is one of the most distinctive features of Maori culture.

This latest bust by DG Artworks was only released a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately swooped on it. The challenge of painting a tattooed face is even harder when you see the way this face is contorted as the Maori warrior sticks his tongue out at his enemy as part of a ritual ceremonial war dance called the haka.

The first steps for me are to get the skin tones right and start to build up the contrasts and ensure the muscle definition is correctly rendered. Then the focus is one the face and especially the eyes. As you can see, I've made a start on the eyes and will continue to refine those.

Once the bust is painted in acrylics, I'll then paint the skin in oils. And then I'll start on the moko tattoo design on the face.

As always, I welcome any comments and constructive feedback.

 

[Chrisr]

A very nice start as usual Tony. Looking forward to your rendition of ta moko. I am sure you will do it justice.

Chris

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Liking colour tones so far & expression in eyes.
You know I'm here if you need me too mate!
Not an expert, but enthusiastic supporter of our earlier tribal culture.

For info of others learning about this " Pōwhiri " is a single word:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/marae-protocol-te-kawa-o-te-marae/page-2

More details on this bust on Dae-Hyeong's release thread here too:
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/new-release-for-feb-2017-dg-artwork.84788/

 

[Wings5797]

Taringa whakarongo!
Kia rite! Kia rite! Kia mau! Hī!
Kia whakawhenua au i ahau!
Hī aue, hī!
Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei!
Au, au, aue hā!
Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei!
Au, au, aue hā!
I āhahā!

Super start Tony
I hoped that you or Mike would take this NZ piece on
All the best
Keith

 

[Nap]

Great start Tony

Following right behind you !

Nap

 

[brian]

A good start Tony,look forward to seeing him progress.

 

[Nicolaos]

A lovelly project, Tony, can't wait to see your next steps. What colours (I guess Jo Sonja as brand) did you use for the skin?
Cheers,
Nicolae

 

[Gellso]

Great start Tony.
Gells

 

[phil_h]

Looking wonderful so far Tony, and definitely looking forward to seeing more - especially the tattoo work...

Regards,
Phil

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Chris, thanks mate. I'm looking forward to painting the moko but I still have lots of skin to paint first.

Hi Mike, thanks mate. I'm keen to get your thoughts on the skin tones. I will be adding oil washes over the acrylics, so the final colour will be several shades darker than it currently appears.

Hi Keith, the Kapa o Pango is one of my favourite All Black hakas. I remember the first time I saw it, and the throat slashing gesture, I felt truly sorry for the Wallabies who were facing them.

Hi Nap, I'm managing to spend a couple of hours each night at the workbench this week, so I'm hopeful I can get onto the moko by the weekend. I'm not in any rush to finish this bust, as I want to do it justice, and also do the best I can to represent the moko as authentically and accurately as I can.

Cheers Brian, not much progress to show after last night. Still trying to correct some slight issues with the eyes and get the right colour in the tongue. Spent a fair bit of time last night looking into a mirror with my tongue hanging out.

Hi Nicolae, yes Josonja acrylics. For the base skin tone I used Raw Sienna and Vermillion, and blended in Warm White. For shading I added Raw Umber.

Thanks Gells.

 

[Nap]

Tony

This is jst going to be be great ..I have ths on the way so following this with much interest ...keep the colour mixes coming

Thanks for sharing

Nap

 

[arj]

Looks like another excellent start on this one Tony.
Really looking forward to seeing this one develop.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[megroot]

Looks a fine start to me.

Marc

 

[Mike Stevens]

Great looking start Tony!

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Nap, still working on the skin tones and finalising some of the smaller facial details. Once I have the skin painted I'll get cracking on the moko. I've already started with the lips.

Thanks Andrew, I'm looking forward to seeing this develop too. I'm being patient in terms of ensuring that the acrylic layer is fully dried before I get started on the oil washes.

Hi Marc, thanks very much mate.

Thanks Mike, here's the latest update WIP pic from last night.

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Coming along well Tony
Left eye not quite round & note skin tone will darken as you add Tā moko

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Mike,

I tried to fix up the left eye which was, as you rightly pointed out, not quite round.

The next step is to apply the oil washes over the skin. As always, I make a dilute mix of oil paint mixed with Artists White Spirits. I start by applying to oil washes over the shadow areas and let the white spirits evaporate and dry before reapplying. Progressively I apply more and more layers, in a similar way that I glaze with acrylics, until I achieve a smooth look. Once that's done, I choose a highlight colour and apply small dabs of oils and then using a wet brush dipped in white spirits I spread the highlight colour out and blend it into the base colours to achieve some smooth transitions.

This photo was taken immediately after the final glaze, so its a bit shinier than it will eventually end up once the paint dries and the white spirits cooks off.


The next step for me is to tackle the moko tattoo on the face. I'll be going back to a very reliable old book "Maori Tattooing" by H.G. Robley, which was written back in the 1860's and provides numerous line drawings of actual traditional moko designs.

I've managed to source some good colour images from Google to provide inspiration, but most of these images show contemporary dancers with tattoos drawn on their face with a texta.

 

[Nicolaos]

Excellent, Tony, good luck with the next step!
Nicolae

 

[Wings5797]

Superb progress Tony.
He is really shaping up now and looking very menacing even without the tattoos.
Thanks for the tips on oil washes. I have started this to apply washes on a piece and am I very happy with the results. your tips will give me a bit more depth in those shadows.
All the best
Keith

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Thanks Mike,
I tried to fix up the left eye which was, as you rightly pointed out, not quite round.

The next step is to apply the oil washes over the skin. As always, I make a dilute mix of oil paint mixed with Artists White Spirits. I start by applying to oil washes over the shadow areas and let the white spirits evaporate and dry before reapplying. Progressively I apply more and more layers, in a similar way that I glaze with acrylics, until I achieve a smooth look. Once that's done, I choose a highlight colour and apply small dabs of oils and then using a wet brush dipped in white spirits I spread the highlight colour out and blend it into the base colours to achieve some smooth transitions.

This photo was taken immediately after the final glaze, so its a bit shinier than it will eventually end up once the paint dries and the white spirits cooks off.
View attachment 273454

The next step for me is to tackle the moko tattoo on the face. I'll be going back to a very reliable old book "Maori Tattooing" by H.G. Robley, which was written back in the 1860's and provides numerous line drawings of actual traditional moko designs.
View attachment 273455
I've managed to source some good colour images from Google to provide inspiration, but most of these images show contemporary dancers with tattoos drawn on their face with a texta.
View attachment 273451

Glad advice was of value Tony.
This warrior is really progressing well & you are setting a high standard for us all to aspire too.

You are correct only Tama Iti has a genuine Tā moko. I highly recommend listening to his TEDx talk:

It maybe confronting to some & others will admire his 'Mana'
- a powerful modern warrior who continues to challenge our status quo.

Please be aware even painting Tā moko is a sacred thing, so you will honour by doing this well.
-Mike