WIP Critique Upping my bust game

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Hi all, I'm working on this bust of a Dukes Soldier circa 1990-something. It looks a bit like of a colleague of mine so I'm broadly trying to match his complexion and colouring but my main goal is to up my game on skin painting. I'm aiming for a realistic skin tone for a chap in his late early 30s, outdoorsy and a bit tanned but also a little ruddy. In terms of my style inspiration I'm hoping to get something like the affects our own Mike Butler manages. I've been looking over some of the pictures in his WW1 book and on Patreon, particularly the 'step by steps' and reckon I've got to roughly his 'stage 1,' normally this is the point where I'd do a little more playing and then call it finished. So far it's all been painted with Scale75 artist colour acrylics.

I'm hoping for any feedback or tips on building up skin texture and colouring. My plan for here was to use a mixture of stippling and glazes to bring out the pink in the cheeks, maybe stipple some mid/darker tones along the brow to break up the highlights a little and to do some serious work on the ears, particularly going for reddish tones around the tops. I've blocked in the colours of the beret, hair and jumper for now so don't worry about those too much.

Pics for your viewing pleasure, I'll try to get some better ones later.

 

[NigelR]

That looks like a good start. That's about all the advice I can offer I am afraid.....

 

[Merryweather]

Yes, if I'd done that I would be happy calling it finished !

 

[Briggsy]

Looking good for a Dike of Boots soldier, in this scale I'm no more help than Nigel or Neil, I have only ever completed one bust in nearly 50 years.

Simon

 

[Panzer22]

looks promising ,I can't do this with acrylics .I'm more of an oil guy. the eyes are very good! I had seen somewhere that you have to
apply the paint very thin layer by layer to make them fit together better( that always doesn't go well for me that's why oli)

hans

 

[Nap]

Hi there

Catching up on this , all credit for sculpting this , nice subject , like the way the jumpers been done , if I may I would suggest looking at the lower neck area possibly adding a camo scarf around the neck ?

As for the painting , liking the beret colour , the red backing will look good

Acrylics is all about building up layers , your certainly heading in the right direction

Agree ref the eyes , they look good .....I would knock back the 5 o’clock shadow on the lower edge

Thanks for sharing this

Looking forward to seeing more

Have fun

Nap

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

Thanks chaps, helpful stuff. I'm wondering about adding some oils just for the satin sheen, or maybe using a satin varnish. Either way he looks very matte at the moment.

Nap, no scarf I'm afraid as it wouldn't be appropriate with the uniform/context. I do need to work on the neck though. One of those things I can play with whilst waiting for layers on the face to dry.

 

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Stefan,
Agree with Nap on the 'shadow', but it's almost there [and often forgotten by many........]. When all is 'blended' this will be a 'spiffing' and natural looking bust.
Kim

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

This might be the dullest thread in PF history but here he is, nearly done

 

[NigelR]

I think he's definitely getting there, I think there's a lot of depth to the features of the face. The beret needs a bit more work IMO but I assume that's on the to do list......

 

[BRAN]

I think you diluted your paint too much, which leaves traces (haloes). To prevent the paint pigments from scattering with too much dilution, you could dilute it with a matte or slightly satin medium instead of water, which would allow the pigments to stay grouped. If you opt for the satin medium, your skin will be slightly shiny like with oil painting.

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

I think he's definitely getting there, I think there's a lot of depth to the features of the face. The beret needs a bit more work IMO but I assume that's on the to do list......

Cheers Nigel, I’m trying to to work out what to do with the beret. It’s clearly not right but hard to put my finger on why. I think maybe some shadow stippling and break up the highlights a bit, some need redoing.

 

[WarhammerAdjacent]

I think you diluted your paint too much, which leaves traces (haloes). To prevent the paint pigments from scattering with too much dilution, you could dilute it with a matte or slightly satin medium instead of water, which would allow the pigments to stay grouped. If you opt for the satin medium, your skin will be slightly shiny like with oil painting.

Cheers Bran, you’re not wrong! I think i overthinned a highlight in particular and could do with going over it again. Obviously it’s only visible in pictures to my eyes but that’s half the point of the pictures. I think part of the issue is I ran out of glaze medium and made do with water, it really shows in the pics.

 

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Stefan, keep 'at it', because it's a really good figure that you've got it to, so far. When you use the advice above I think you will be pleased with the result and the experiences gained will stand you in good stead for the next bust. Oh, by the way, this is certainly NOT a dull thread here on pF, far from it! Keep up the good work and enjoy what you have achieved. I look forward to your next bust!
Kim

 

[Briggsy]

Looking good Stefan, agree regarding the beret, the transitions need to be subtle with good colour coverage.

I've never used glaze medium so not sure how it works but I imagine there is some resin in it to keep the pigment together. With the water it can only be thinned so much before the paint breaks down and each colour is different. That said lighter colours are more prone to this than darker hues.

I'm liking what I'm seeing though as you have learnt from each project and improved immensely.

Simon

 

[Getz]

Nice work so far!