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

[tonydawe]

Thanks Mike,

The video of Tama Iti is a great example of why I'm fascinated by, and have such respect for, Maori culture.

I understand the sacred and spiritual importance of Ta moko, and I'll be doing my very best to honour it.

I start work on the Ta moko later tonight.

 

[Wings5797]

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

No pressure then Mike
I am glad it's Tony doing the painting and not me.
I think I would re-box the figure.
Seriously Mike you put over the strength of the Maori beliefs very well, it is key that these are remembered.
Cheers
Keith

 

[tonydawe]

No pressure then...sheesh As if painting moko wasn't difficult enough.

Thanks Keith, first steps taken last night.

Knowing the spiritual significance of Ta Moko I did everything I could to appease the painting gods. I cleaned my workbench, broke out some new brushes, poured myself a glass of Pinot Noir from Marlborough New Zealand, played a few rousing All Black hakas on You Tube and then put a Crowded House CD on in my hobby room to provide a nice calm mood. I then followed that up with a Hayley Westenra CD, which completely chilled me out. A total Kiwi-fest in my hobby room last night.

I'll paint the moko in stages over the next couple of days and do some touch ups as I go. Once I'm happy with the overall layout and symmetry of the patterns, I'll then do some highlighting and shading. The final step will be to reapply an oil wash over the face to tie all the colours back together.

I've chosen a moko design of an ariki taiopuru, as shown in the top drawing on the page below.


Here are the first progress pics from last night. The tattoo is painted in Vallejo US Olive Drab, with a small drop of Tamiya X-21 added to prevent any shine.

 

[Scotty]

Looking good Tony, that must be pretty tough going doing those swirling patterns. I look forward to seeing the completed article.
Scotty.

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Coming along beautifully Tony
Sure & steady.
Remember mate sides do not need to be symmetrical as they tell different sides of the warrior's Whakapapa - his origins:
"It can also be noted that a person’s ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. The left side is generally the father’s side and the right side the mother’s. Noble or note-worthy descent was a primary requirement before a moko was undertaken."
http://www.zealandtattoo.co.nz/tattoo-styles/maori-tattoos/

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

PS Tony - you are a paragon of Kiwi'ness with this opening paragraph ;-)

 

[Helm]

Looks excellent Tony and loving Mike's input too great work both of you
Steve

 

[Joe55]

Oh boy, this is cool! I'm really enjoying this, where's my popcorn!

Joe

 

[tonydawe]

Hi guys,

Another weekend over and back to the grind this morning.

The Maori bust is almost complete. Just adding the final pieces. The greenstone ear piece is just undercoated at this stage.

I've decided to leave off the flax shoulder covering, which is a type of rain cape, known as a kahu tōī. Kahu toi was a garment worn by warriors made from the fibre of tōī, or mountain cabbage tree, rather than flax. Apart from its value as a rain cloak, the kahu toi could resist a blow from a hand weapon making it also a form of defensive body armour.

 

[phil_h]

Looking fantastic Tony, and the level of respect you're giving to the painting is clearly shining through. You're really doing this justice...

Regards,
Phil

 

[tonydawe]

Sorry about the huge close up photo. Scary looking isn't he?

Here's a few smaller images.

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Tā Moko looks spot on Tony.
I like subtle highlight, shadow and wear you've shown here.
And good research on Kāhu toi too, learnt some detail myself on this.

 

[Gellso]

Amazing work Tony.
Gells

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Mike and Gells,

I'm happy to say that my Maori is now finished. Thanks to Mike Butler for continually encouraging and me and for providing his guidance on historical accuracy.

When I started out on this bust several weeks ago, I had an image in my mind of what I wanted this bust to look like, and I'm happy to say that it looks better than I imagined.

 

[Ferris]

He turned out great Tony. Excellent work on the face!

Cheers
Adrian

 

[tonydawe]

Thanks Adrian, I appreciate your comments.

 

[Chrisr]

That's a terrific effort Tony. Well done taking on such a challenging painting job. Very good indeed, and something I could never attempt, even though my wife is a Kiwi. Hats off to you mate.

Chris

 

[tonydawe]

Cheers Chris, I loved painting this bust and had a wonderful time painting Ta Moko again. It was certainly a challenge.

 

[Borek]

Wooow, awesome work, Tonny. Tatoo is amazing indeed. Beautiful progres, thanks for sharing...

Cheers Borek

 

[anstontyke]

simply stunning work tony. a really great rendition of the facial tattoos and a fine tribute to a great people.

tony