Cooler weather means more productivity

No I didn't fall back off the face of the earth but where I paint there is no air-conditioning so during the summer there isn't much modelling getting done either. Between work around the house and going out on the H/D I don't find much enthusiasm for the hobby. Now that the weather is soon to turn cold and the motorcycle will soon be in storage for the winter I'm starting to get ideas for figures. I haven't seen much in the way of new releases that inspire me lately. I did buy and prime the Pegaso Aztec bust and I want to buy the recent Roman/Carthaginian releases from Soldiers as well as Art Girona's Historical pieces (David, etc.). I have a few pieces I want to paint this winter to make up to someone for old times and a few that simply have me inspired so stay tuned.

Kazimierz Pulaski, Savannah 1779 - Adalbertus

Adalbertus was a name that I had never heard of before, but Matt Springer is a name that everyone knows. I have known Matt for many years and have greatly enjoyed watching him become one of the hobby's true grandmaster sculptors. As with many of my friends I had lost touch over the years. So imagine my surprise upon picking up the box for this bust and seeing Matt's name in the really fine print as the sculptor. Naturally I had to have the kit. Once opened I needed to start it straight away. There is a certain proud, majestic quality to the portrait's pose that attracts the artist in me. Every aspect of this kit was a joy to paint. Oil paints were used throughout with gold and silver printer's inks for the metallic bits. W&N Prussian Blue and Indigo were mixed to achieve the blue of the jacket with a touch of Mars Black to further draw out the greyish quality to the cloth. Various tones of Liquitex Deep Cadmium Red were used on the jacket facing. A fine piece of American Revolutionary War and Polish history, this bust is highly recommended.

Pegaso Greek Warrior - In Progress Part 2

As promised here is the shield in progress. I have painted the inside of the shield completely in order to attach it to the arm once the figure is ready. The shadow work is a bit washed out in this picture (I am still working on my digital photography skills). Once I see how the shield looks on the figure I will darken the shadows of the bronze work and lighten the highlights. One of the tricks of painting metallics this way is to actually look at the figure complete and at proper angles to ambient room light. This helps me see better what will be required to trick the eye. I also need to work on more details of the shield banner. The front of the shield has had the base color for bronze and the painted field completed. This gives you a good idea of what I start with for bronze compared to the bronze at 80% completion. The checker pattern will also be on the front of the banner and I am going to use a bull motif on the shield. My next posting will probably be pics of the completed bust I am working on. See ya next time.

Pegaso Greek Warrior - In Progress

I've never been able to work on one figure at a time. That being the case, along with a bust I'm working on, I started this little gem from Pegaso. The sculpting is excellant and the figure lends itself well to some nice detail painting on the shield. I had just purchased the three Periscopio Publications books on Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis so I was feeling a bit inspired. The figure is probably about half finished at this point, needing a lot of detail work. The groundwork is A+B Putty that has been worked with a Dremel tool. It has gone through about five washes of color, each slowly building the color tone I desire. The shaft of the spear was replaced with actual wood, something I like to do for effect. The armor is in-progress as well. The bronze work lends itself well to the non-metallic techniques described previously. I will show the shield in progress in my next post.

Inspiration - Stephen Dando-Collins Books

I'm an avid reader, always have been. Over the past few years I have been attracted to anything Roman and have found that this series of books written by Stephen Dando-Collins really fills the bill for interesting and thorough studies of Roman history, specifically military history. Each of the first four books focus specifically on one of Rome's famous legions throughout their history while the last is sort of a murder mystery and a study of how the death of Germanicus contributed to the fall of Rome. A stretch, but still gripping reading. If you like Roman military history and like me are always looking for inspirational subject matter as a painter, these might just be the books for you.

Roman Gladiator Vignette - In Progress Part 4

Okay so you were probably wondering what was hanging off of the one gladiator's arm. Here are in-progress shots of the shield. I have completed the front covered surface using a blending/stippling effect and have started painting the shield boss using the same mixture described in the previous post. The inside of the shield has been started and will eventually be woodgrain. You can see the shadowed base tone has been applied, over which I will use transparent layers of color to create an appearance of wood. It won't be as visible due to the pose of the figure but some of the effect will still be seen. The edging of the shield will be painted once the shield has been attached to the figure's arm.

Roman Gladiator Vignette - In Progress Part 3

As with my last post, this figure's highlights and shadows have been completed on the flesh. In addition I have begun work on the armor and the clothing. Holbein's Cadmium Maroon was used as the base for the cloth. Work on this will continue once dry. The bronze armor begins with a mixture of Mars Black and Yellow Ochre followed by a wash of Mars Black once dry. The helmet was given light washes of Prussian Blue, Dioxazin Purple and Mars Black (in that order) to give tone and depth to the metal. The same bronze base was used on the eyeguards. For the leather wrist wrap on the shield arm, I used Asphaltum with Titanium White wet-on-wet highlighting, Burnt Umber for the shadows and a Mars Black wash on the lacing to outline the details. Further refining of all these details will continue as the figure progresses. One of the key things to note here for those who follow painters who work in acrylics is that the entire figure is a step by step progression. As I have observed progress from acrylic painters, I have noted that figures get completed section by section. That has always fascinated me as the lengthy drying time involved in oil work necessitates my working on the entire figure as a whole.