One I am working on now. Here is an interesting discussion from the old site:
http://www.britishflatfigures.org.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3703&SearchTerms=elephantWith an image that Eric put together:
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Greg di Franco, Gianpaolo Bistulfi, Wladimir Douchkine,
Johannes Schwartz, an unknown, and Eric Talmant
As the old site is now down, I have tried to put the relevant discussion together as follows:
Greg Di Franco and others.'Thanks folks, this site is so great cause we get to share so many interesting comments and responses and that six picture montage is so fantastic - I love how everyone used different colors effectively - I struggled with what colors to use. Thanks Eric!! Now lets not hear that "not going to paint them" - yikes that would make me feel real bad. Just about every figure i''ve seen on this site has merit and is fun to look at, and anyway, we are doing this for fun more than anything else.
Yes its 30mm, the classic set of Elephant flats - there are so many cool ones - editor is Krog.
This flat was painted with acrylics, i started as usual with a grey primer and then using white and dark grey i painted the entire figure with light and shadow - being careful to preserve lots of middle tones so the highlights have impact. Color is added after that step. Some of the lighting "tricks" i used, all shadow areas facing up are painted with some blue in them (reflecting the sky) and all shadow areas facing downward have some orange or yellow reflecting the earth.
I don''t really do much traditional blending, to get the soft transitions i leave the color on the brush that i just painted and then pull some darker or lighter color off the wet palette and remix a slightly darker or lighter color right on the brush and then when i place it on the figure it looks like its blended, bascially an optical blend. regards all - hopefully some will paint others of the great Krog Elephants.'
Nick, one suggestion, take an egg, place it under a bright light and look how the values change as it goes to shadow, and then the underside ligthens a bit as the light bounces back into the bottom of the egg. That bounced light would be from the ground and would create a mid to dark grey with yellow ochre in it for the Elephant. But also notice the area where the light goes to shadow is the darkest value, not the very underside. Regarding the illuminated area, don''t place the highlights right at the edge, move the brightest highlight inwards and make the edge more of a middle tone. hope that helps - good luck bro!
'Hey Greg
Are you sticking with acrylics for flats as it looks as though your painting more flats in this medium with great effect! as far as lights & colours etc is your painting the same in oils? i know its just paint at the end of the day, but would be intreasting to know with referance to oils, as it would require more of a blending technigue? i can see the advantages of laying colours on with acrylics, have you changed your painting to suit your acrylic painting? do like the way you display them! you realy got to pull/trick the roundness effect of a flat when displayed like this! really cool painting! cheers.. Gerry.
...all shadow areas facing up are painted with some blue in them (reflecting the sky) and all shadow areas facing downward have some orange or yellow reflecting the earth.
'hi Gerry, no its just for acrylics, with oils i would stick to the old blending techniques which is what is so much fun with oils. I guess i''m sticking with acrylics more because they dry quickly and you can immediately see what you need to do next. But overall oils are more fun!'
'Dear Greg,
the best thing you did on this elephant is to my opinion "That bounced light" which is in fact not easy to create without an example. At least I never dared to use it though on can find it on Douchkines flats but just occasionally. To my opinion the roman in the trunk is especially well balanced in this respect. But nevertheless this is an interesting task for any painter to try it.
Best
Alexander
'Here is a photo of the grey study which i painted in various shades of dark grey and white acrylic over the grey primer, before i started painting the color. This is where i work out a preliminary light and shadow scheme and at the same time attempt to define the thrown shadows and also preserve the middle values since they are easily obliterated when i start working in darks and lights.
regards, Greg
'Nick you are too funny! [
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Good questions! During the initial painting of color i''m working pretty thin so the underpainting will definitely show through. As i build up color most if not all of the underpainting is obliterated. However, the effect of the white undercoat is important in helping to give vibrance to the illuminated areas of color. There is no question that the colors are more vibrant when the undercoat is white (ala Mike Taylor) then when it is grey.
'Hi Greg
Intreasting note you say about undercotes, Mike will also on certain colours use a colour undercoat of the colour he is painting,i find white gives a ''glow'' to the final colour, greys a good colour also i find on darker colours when oils are applied, my friend Brian Snadden gave me a good tip on undercoating/ underpainting on round figures, first spray undercoat in Grey auto primer then when dry , a fine spray of Games workshop ''skull white primer, a kind of instant grey -white underpainting is achieved! works a treat on rounds but kind of hard to carry out on a flat, your acrylics pre shading idea is great idea ill give it a try,and please Greg dont give credit to Nick for bieng a funny man we all know him for bieng a fool ( only joking Nick[
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Cheers.. Gerry.'
