Completed Scale Collectables 1/8th "Dolores Abernathy"

[Rob]

Today was a perfect day for spray priming and varnishing so I tried to get a load of pieces done to build up a stock of ready figures. This one, Dolores Abernathy from the Westworld TV series is probably my most anticipated piece to start working on, but so far pretty much everything that could go wrong has.

The figure from Scale Collectables (one of the Sid Naique sculpts) is beautifully detailed, but hollow and made from the thinnest resin I have seen in a print, mine came with a nasty crack across the front of her throat, around her neck and up into her hair.

For some reason my can of white primer, which had been working fine up until this moment decided to spit out a couple of blobs onto her chest.

Then to add insult to injury our new kitten chose this moment to jump up onto the workbench and with gummed up spray nozzle in one hand and can in the other I couldn't stop him bumping his head against the model ruining the primer in a couple of easily visible spots.

I have a couple of other pieces underway to finish before starting this one, which is probably a good thing as this mess is going to take some careful wet sanding to put right.
Not a good start, sods law that it had to be this one not one of the secondhand 54mm's I had been spraying up to then.

 

[Briggsy]

Nice figure to go with a whole catalogue of disasters, not a great start. Damn cats get everywhere, I have three and constantly pulling stray hairs off of figures. It looks like it will be a worthwhile job though to clean the bust up, looking forward to your progress.

Cheers Simon

 

[Panzer22]

yes yes cats! That's a shame,
but it will be fine Rob,good bust by the way!

 

[MalcC]

I'm sure yo will be able to sort this easily and get back on track.
It show your kitten is a fan of your work.
I'm very fortunate, our cat doesn't jump up on my desk. He's been known to jump pretty much everywhere else.

Malc

 

[macuk]

There shouldn’t have been any faults with the print Rob, so not sure if it took a knock during delivery

I can send out a new piece if you prefer

Mark

 

[Rob]

Thanks guys, hopefully everything that is going to go wrong with this one now already has. Repairs are going OK, the crack across her throat is proving a swine to remove but a few more rounds of filling and sanding should see it gone.

There shouldn’t have been any faults with the print Rob, so not sure if it took a knock during delivery
I can send out a new piece if you prefer

Thanks Mark, not a knock in delivery, she was well wrapped and in such a huge box I think it would take a hit from a speeding truck to hurt her.
I reckon she was squeezed, the resin is ever so thin and brittle. Could have been when she was wrapped at your end or more likely as I was unwrapping her here.
I can fix her, no worries.

 

[macuk]

Thanks guys, hopefully everything that is going to go wrong with this one now already has. Repairs are going OK, the crack across her throat is proving a swine to remove but a few more rounds of filling and sanding should see it gone.



Thanks Mark, not a knock in delivery, she was well wrapped and in such a huge box I think it would take a hit from a speeding truck to hurt her.
I reckon she was squeezed, the resin is ever so thin and brittle. Could have been when she was wrapped at your end or more likely as I was unwrapping her here.
I can fix her, no worries.

Only if you are sure Rob, if you need a replacement please just let me know

I use a 320 grit and then a 600 grit emery paper for the final clean-up and the resin sands well. A tiny touch of lip balm with the 600 grit will help polish out any final imperfections but if you can't sort the crack just drop me a line straight away

I am looking forwards to seeing Delores develop when you start adding paint

 

[Nap]

Hi Rob

Good recovery on this piece , blame the cat !!

Well done to Mark from Scale Collectables on his kind offer

Look forward to seeing more updates

Looking at her might start watching the series !

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[Rob]

........Looking at her might start watching the series !...........

View attachment 476587

I very, very highly recommend it. The first series is one of the best things that has been shown for years, the second, while not as good is still well worth watching. The third series, when the activists took over the writing, is absolute dross, thankfully it was a cash grab and not part of the actual storyline so skipping it does not matter.

It is one you need to pay full attention to, so many stories within stories that you sometimes don't realise until a later episode what the significance of an earlier scene or character was. Brilliant.

 

[Rob]

Some progress on Dolores over a few hours this afternoon.

The bust is not quite right as the sculptor has not fully captured her unique cheekbone, cheek and jawline structure, but she is dammed close, certainly recognisable.
If she was a solid cast you could almost certainly redefine the facial features with sanding sticks, but already having had issues with the hollow bust I chose to leave alone and not risk further damage. I am hoping careful shade and highlight can minimise the differences.

I finished a first run at her face and am quite pleased with the likeness. Painting a recognisable specific (or in Evan Rachel Wood's case, very specific) face rather than a generic "pretty girl" face is not easy.
A lot of tidying up and softening of the transitions to go and still need to emphasise her cheekbones more but so far so good.

 

[Briggsy]

Looking good Rob, can't comment on likeness as I've never heard of her or the series she's in. That said the painting so is awesome, starting to look like hyper realism, very impressive


Cheers Simon

 

[MalcC]

Great start Rob, you know how to nail those flesh tones.

Malc

 

[marco14]

she is looking very good,a very beautiful woman also,and I have sometimes also that problem with
the spray can, that you have stipples ore dots ,don't look att that,just paint it and you don't see that
anymore

Mario

 

[Rob]

I appreciate the kind words, thanks guys. This is the first time I have tried painting an actual person who has an abundance of photos and videos available as reference. It does highlight how much texture and discolouration real faces have as opposed to the relatively bland generic busts, even though I do try to give all my faces some skin blemishes like moles or freckles. Especially as the character of Dolores wears very little make up in the episodes of the series this bust is based on.

I have sometimes also that problem with the spray can, that you have stipples ore dots ,don't look att that,just paint it and you don't see that anymore

The ones visible in the picture there are not a problem, as you say they paint over without any impact. The 2 that did cause an issue were the ones on her chest, those were actual lumps so had to be sanded off. It was my fault for not shaking the can and waste spraying between each figure I did in the batch, allowed a build of paint in the nozzle.

 

[Steve Ski]

Flesh tones are looking great.

 

[Rob]

I have been working on this bust off and on to finish her face and colour up her dark blonde hair. Almost there, the big picture shows I need to blend the highlight on her forehead better and smooth out the highlights in her hair. Her hair is a real pain to do as it changes tone (and colour) several times during the episodes of the series so references vary.

Really happy with progress so far.

 

[Briggsy]

Wow, her face is great all the blends are already so subtle even enlarging the image. You mentioned a while ago the patience of oil painters, I reckon acrylics take more patience, especially the way you paint. Really enjoying the posts on this thread.

Cheers Simon

 

[Nap]

Hi Rob

This is coming on well , the flesh is certainly getting there

Look forward to seeing the clothing edges being done

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[macuk]

I think you have captured her perfectly

 

[Rob]

....Look forward to seeing the clothing edges being done.......

Baby blue ribbons in some very complex lacing. Going to take a light touch I think. Have to credit Sid Naique and the guys at SC, the quality of the 3d sculpting and printing on this detail is exceptional.