WIP Verlinden 200mm Westphalia Hussar

[Historex Rob]

First bust. My first and last, I think. I wish it had legs; it would be a marvelous figure. It’s a bit bigger than 200mm, I think.

Easy Construction. Nice casting. It’s so nice to be able to SEE the figure clearly for a change (though to do so I must work at a distance of about 4 inches).

I do wish now that I had left off the visor.

First try at acrylics. Vallejo. Watched lots of YouTube videos.

Put on a first layer of overall dark shadow (three coats) followed by some midtone (built up with four or five coats).

That’s what you see below.

Was so pleased that I had a nice smooth finish and that I hadn’t already ruined the piece, I stopped there.

More next week.

 

[MCPWilk]

I wish it had legs; it would be a marvelous figure.

My thoughts exactly - I think most half or three quarter figures would do better with legs than a pedestal.

Mike

 

[Briggsy]

Nice start, acrylics take a bit of getting used to but they are very versatile and worth the effort IMO, one day soon I hope I'll get the hang of them!

Cheers Simon

 

[Nap]

Hi Rob

Great to see you painting and something easier on eyes , I remember this and others from Verlinden , very cleanly cast on details but some big casting plugs to remove

I ‘think’ Derek Holmes sculpted this and others but very happy to be corrected !

A colourful subject and a good start

If I may , out of interest did a google and found this version by Ken Arnold



Following this with interest

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[Historex Rob]

My thoughts exactly - I think most half or three quarter figures would do better with legs than a pedestal.

Mike

Agree, especially on the 3/4 figures.

 

[Historex Rob]

Nice start, acrylics take a bit of getting used to but they are very versatile and worth the effort IMO, one day soon I hope I'll get the hang of them!

Cheers Simon

I’m liking them so far. I’m really liking the soap/water cleanup.

Getting the right consistency is a bit of a struggle for me. I find this especially tricky with the lighter colors. Too thick and things can get chalky/splotchy. Too thin and then it’s too patchy.

On my midtone layer, I found a way to get it on thin without being patchy, and then I built the color up with much thinner coats until I was satisfied with the coverage and saturation… if that makes sense?

I’m thinking I’ll need at least two or three more highlight colors on top… and then I also have to think about how to “pink him up” a bit. I planned to add vermillion tone to the cheeks, but now I am wondering if I should have added just a dash of vermillion to each tone from the beginning… or, perhaps I add a very thin final glaze of the midtone with a touch of the vermillion… or, maybe just a super-thin filter of straight vermillion over the entire face at the end?

I’m really not sure yet, but I’m sure whatever I do, I will screw it up somehow.

 

[Historex Rob]

Hi Rob

Great to see you painting and something easier on eyes , I remember this and others from Verlinden , very cleanly cast on details but some big casting plugs to remove

I ‘think’ Derek Holmes sculpted this and others but very happy to be corrected !

A colourful subject and a good start

If I may , out of interest did a google and found this version by Ken Arnold

View attachment 501456 View attachment 501457

Following this with interest

Happy benchtime

Nap

I think you are right on both counts. I was googling around for color options as well, and came across the version you’ve shown on Putty & Paint.

I’m thinking of maybe going this route…

 

[BRAN]

Rob, trust yourself. There is no reason to think that you will ruin your work. I think that everyone is apprehensive about starting a new painting, we do not always know if we have chosen a figurine or a bust adapted to our skills. But the only way to know is to try the experience, to take pleasure in what we do and to think positively. If you have a difficulty that seems important to you, you can always post here the progress of your work and ask for advice. Good luck.

 

[Historex Rob]

Rob, trust yourself. There is no reason to think that you will ruin your work. I think that everyone is apprehensive about starting a new painting, we do not always know if we have chosen a figurine or a bust adapted to our skills. But the only way to know is to try the experience, to take pleasure in what we do and to think positively. If you have a difficulty that seems important to you, you can always post here the progress of your work and ask for advice. Good luck.

I totally understand, and I agree, but I have a lot of anxiety. It is hard to see the skill level here on the forum and then want to post my comparatively poor work.

I’ve always enjoyed the cleaning and building of figures the most. I must have built 50 different Historex over the years. I only painted three or four of them, I think. They were terrible, and I was greatly demoralized to have ruined such nice figures.

At the risk of oversharing…

I recently built another Historex kit. Really nice build. Fluid pose. Looked good, and even with my terrible eyesight, I managed it.

Then, I tried to paint it.

I quickly realized that while I could see well enough to alter the head, carve in cuffs, lapel edging, etc., I could not see the eyes at all to paint. I could not see the eye at all… and so I could not tell where the brush tip was in relation to the eye… and this is under extreme magnification. So, if I cannot paint eyes, then I cannot paint lace, etc.

Again, demoralizing… For me, Historex are done.

So, I needed a big piece, and this is the biggest I have. I figure I can use it to test out what I have read and learned about painting since 2006 (the last time I actually built, painted, and finished a piece). That’s 18 years for those keeping score.

I’ve also been commanded by my wife to post here. There are no figure painters (I am aware of) in my area, so the only hope of learning more is to post here, show my goofs, and hopefully get input into how to not repeat the goofs going forward.

So, I’ll keep posting and we’ll see how it goes. :-/

 

[Briggsy]

Rob, you ain't the only one who has issues with seeing things, most people on here seem to prefer 75mm to the traditional 54mm due to loss of vision. Guess I'm lucky being short sighted, I can see close, anything beyond arms reach I need the glasses.

I've been using acrylics for many years, not sure how many but must be more than 10, I still have coverage issues, chalky, patchy, shiny, but soldier on long enough and it usually turns out well. In the year or so I've been here I have learnt so much that I wonder how I ever finished a paint job before!

Keep at it, what ever size and just take pleasure from what you do. Some painters who produce stunning pieces, to order for customers, probably don't get the same level of satisfaction us mere mortals do.

It's a great community on here, self supporting and encouraging, passing on hints and tips and just really enjoying the hobby, we figure painters are in a minority because the airplane, tank, car and ship Brigade find figures too challenging. Which considering the level.of skill and finish they produce is rather surprising.

Listen to your wife, apart from anything else it leads to a quiet life!

Cheers Simon

 

[clubcat]

Hi Rob, that is a great looking figure and you have made a good start on it with the face.
I think we all question ourselves and our abilities from time to time, I think it is natural and healthy, it means we care about what we are doing but we also potentially overthink things which can be more of a negative trait as it can lead to doubts and other unhelpful feelings. We need to find our own balance and at the end of the day we do this for the enjoyment.
Keep at it, keep communicating, you have friends here. Enjoy the ride.
Melanie

 

[Historex Rob]

Thank you, Simon and Melanie; I appreciate the support/encouragement.

I’ve got painting time today, so I’m hoping to share some meaningful progress.

 

[NigelR]

There are two issues here Rob IMO, ageing and also the high quality of work you can see everywhere online. In the olden days you might see high quality work if you attended the occasional show, bought MilMod or got the Historex catalogue. Now we are bombarded with images of amazing work everywhere, much of which is done by professional painters who paint to an unbelievably high standard. That can be very off putting and it can knock your confidence. The best thing to do IMO is to just measure your progress against yourself, not others.

Then of course ageing is an issue. I also struggle to see small details, even with my optivisor (although I can still just about manage 54mm). My fine motor skills are also not what they were when I was younger. So there's no way I can physically paint to the standard I was hoping to once I retired. So you just have to embrace it and live with it. Find what you can do and, more importantly, what you enjoy. It sounds like you are on that journey.

I have found this forum very helpful and encouraging, much more so than anything on Facebook or other social media. So like others said, keep posting here and hopefully you will get the support and encouragement to help you on your journey.

 

[Historex Rob]

Nigel, I agree with you. There are several forces at work. The eye surgeries have really taken a heavy toll, and as you mentioned, I too have lost some of the fine motor skills.

With the OptiVisor and Donegan Optical’s strongest lens, I can just see to do a 120mm or 200mm eye. I have found creative ways to brace my hand/wrist.

My biggest hurdle is that I hate the idea (truly hate) of ruining really nice figures. So I try to pick “easier” things to work on thinking I will do a better job only to find that I ruin those too. So, I spiral, and I end up spending all my time building figures. The result is now I have a really strong “build skillset” and a very weak “paint skillset.”

I’ve spent the last few months recovering from the last of the eye surgeries. I’ve had weeks where I could do quite literally nothing, and so I’ve spent that time on here, FB, and YouTube learning everything I can about acrylics, primers, airbrushing, etc. I’m hoping to balance those build/paint skills sets.

I appreciate your encouragement, and I hope you (and everyone) won’t be shy about offering comments/criticism on my stuff as I work to improve.

 

[Historex Rob]

I was able to paint a bit more yesterday.

I already noted my error in attaching the visor… I discovered another error yesterday: I should not have attached the head, as now I have areas between the pelisse and dolman that are near impossible to reach. Grrrr…

Lots of refining to do yet.

Anyway, here is the latest. Have a giggle.

Rob

 

[MCPWilk]

most people on here seem to prefer 75mm to the traditional 54mm due to loss of vision.

Personally I prefer 120, 150 and 200mm, but 90mm is also just about do-able.

Mike

 

[Nap]

Hi Rob

A good discussion here ref visuals ......of course time affects for many different reason but I look at it like this ......paint a scale your happy with and just enjoy it

I sorted pics out for you ( reduced sizes ), your coming on well with this and I like the way the flesh is progressing

Personally I put heads on but also prime in a black so if/when I miss a area it’s not so obvious !

Looking forward to seeing more

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[NigelR]

I think that's looking pretty good. The flesh tones look good and the placement of the pupils gives a good expression. He is "staring" a bit at the moment, but that can be refined by reducing the amount of white showing in the top half of the eyes.

One thing I found as a "trick" for painting pupils is to use the tip of a pin dipped in oil paint. You place a tiny dot of oil paint on the eye with the pin, clean the pin and then gently manipulate the paint with the pin to enlarge the pupil. I find this easier than using a brush, especially if you have slightly shaky hands. And if you get it wrong, you can just clean the oils off and start again.

My biggest hurdle is that I hate the idea (truly hate) of ruining really nice figures. So I try to pick “easier” things to work on thinking I will do a better job only to find that I ruin those too. So, I spiral, and I end up spending all my time building figures. The result is now I have a really strong “build skillset” and a very weak “paint skillset.”

Maybe you could find a friend to paint some figures for you, especially if you don't want to "risk" painting some of your favourites? Many figure sculptors get other people to paint their figures for them.

 

[Historex Rob]

Thanks, Nigel/Kevin.

Nigel, I think you are saying that the iris of the eye is too small (too round) inside the white of the eye, yes?

I used an off white mixed with light flesh for the eye whites, but they still look a little “pop eyed” to me in the photos.

 

[MalcC]

I think you've a great start, far better than my first attempt, and I wouldn't rule out doing another.
Keep up the good work.

Malc