Arthur de Richemont - Historicity Bust

Arthur de Richemont (1392-1458), connétable de France (1425-58) sous Charles VII,
Arthur III, duc de Bretagne [Brittany] (1457-1458) is the subject of this piece. Arthur was one of the "companions" of Joan of Arc and son of Jean V, duc de Bretagne and Joan of Navarre.

 

This third project is one that has been in my collection for many years, being one of Augie Rodriguez's "Historicity" portrait releases. After having produced so much of Augie's work over the years in my old Fort Duquesne line I loved collecting any and all of his work. The portrait below is of a much older period than that depicted by Augie, but the distinctive features that are represented can be seen clearly in both the painting and the sculpture.

 

 

 

At this point the face is nearly complete and the rest of the bust has received it's first layers of color. More to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Andreas Hofer - Update #2

Further work on the jacket, with some early shadows added with glazes of Greenish Umber and Greenish Umber mixed with Mars Black. The beard has begun as well with various shades of Burnt Umber, Van Dyke Brown and Mars Black. An initial coat of Burnt Umber on the belt and gunstock, and the whole was set aside to dry.

 

 

 

 

After drying, more work was done on the face and hand as well as the beard. A long way to go at this point. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Andreas Hofer - Update #1

In the photos below you can see the initial phases of painting this piece. As always, work began with the flesh and at this stage it was awaiting further highlights and shadows. The red shirt has been started with graded shades of Medium and Deep Cadmium Red. The jacket as shown in two portrait paintings is somewhere between a deep green and a more yellowish green. I started with a varied mix of Chromium Green Deep and Mars Yellow to get the golden-olive effect I desired. This will be toned down as the jacket proceeds through the various stages of shading. I decided to make the lapels and cuffs a bit lighter to add some variety to the jacket.

 

 

 

 

 

Andreas Hofer - Ulrich Puchala bust

My second Ulrich Puchala project is the box art for this wonderful portrait of Andreas Hofer the Napoleonic era hero of the Tyrol region and an Austrian Historical Legend. Andreas was a Tirolean inn-keeper and politician who fought for Austria against the French in the "War of the Third Coalition". In 1809, he became the leader of a rebellion against Franco-Bavarian forces that sparked the War of the Fifth Coalition. He was subsequently captured and executed. For my painting research I am using primarily the three pictures you see below as they give a very good indication of skin tone and clothing colors. The dress is very distinctive, being representational of the region. This is going to be a fun project.

 

My apologies to Ulrich for the slow speed on this. Over the next few days you will see how far I have progressed and that this bust is nearly completed.

 

 

 

 

The kit consists of five resin components, well cast, easily cleaned, prepped and assembled. The primed piece is seen below. The hat has been left unattached to ease painting, and the whole has been attached a Ken Thomas Black textured base, wrapped with paper to protect from extensive handling during the painting process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alfred von Tirpitz - Update #1

So here we are at the end of January and I have been remiss in my postings on the blog. I am surprised anybody is still reading! Over the next day or so I will pay that attention off with an update of all the projects I have been working on as well as introducing a few new items to the mix. I have been busy with life but have made some progress, not nearly as much as I would have liked.

 

The first item in the queue is this bust of Tirpitz that Mr. Puchala has been more than patient in his waiting for the box art. I started the face during an evening of educational workshop painting at my local hobby shop Section 8 Hobbies here in Buffalo, NY. The evening was great fun and I always enjoy sharing my techniques with others.

 

As always, my usual mix was applied and highlighted, allowing this to dry before work on final highlights and shadows began. The first two photos show the head and hand in their half finished state.

 

 

 

Once dry I began adding shadows with Burnt Umber, Alizarin Crimson and Van Dyke Brown/Mars Black around the hairline/beard. The last mix was mixed variably with Titanium White to create the various tones of the early stages of his hair and beard. The black cap bill and band are a simple undercoat to define the space and help visualize the proper shading on his face.