International Flat Figure Society - British Flat Figure Society
Flat Figures Painters Forum => Techniques => Topic started by: Glen on October 10, 2013, 04:41:11 PM
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Part 1
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Today I start Trost’s 75mm ‘Bloody Kiss’, a sultry Vampire babe. 75mm is the actual size. Standing erect, I think she’s closer to 90-100mm. As cast, the piece will fit nicely into a 2” x 3.5” frame opening.
For the most part, the piece is well done. Nice hair, pretty face, minimal costuming, and most of the body bits well proportioned. I say most because I think the arms look a tad thin and her dangling foot seems a bit big. There is also an oddly bent little toe. The feet are also bare; no shoes. I would think there would be some high heels at least. I mean, fantasy vampire babe, right? Otherwise, it’s all good.*
When I first saw a picture of the piece on the Little Tin Soldier website, I thought she was sitting on an above-ground sepulcher. The carved demon is on the end and the long side of the tomb was running back along the left side. There is a raised line that seems to reinforce this impression by establishing a corner. That said, there is a lack of perspective built into the side and the demon is off-center – probably to move it out from behind her leg. I don’t think this is how such a tomb would be designed.
I think I’m going to try and fix the perspective issues. I’ll move the ‘corner’ line in (and remove the old one) and slice a wedge shape out of the upper left edge of the top. I may have to alter the angle of her foot if I do this – not sure. I’ll also cut a line into the top to represent a lid. Lastly, I’ll square off the bottom edge of the tomb and re-establish the grass.
All of this assumes I am seeing what I think I’m seeing. Maybe not. Any ideas?
Questions and comments are welcome.
Cheers,
Glen
*My wife was curious as to why she appeared to be scratching her butt.
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Glen in regard to the demon being off-center have you considered widening the tomb perhaps in line with her left hand. It might just be the easier option.
Looking forward to following this one.
Cheers Ken
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Part 2
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Actually, Ken, that was my first thought as well! I'm leaning the other way now because it's a simple paint job - a lighter tone on the left side and a hard painted edge. No build out would be needed. I'd only need to remove the pie-cut under her foot and scribe the lid lines to establish perspective. The vertical line on the image shows where the paint line would be. The upper horizontal lines show the lid, the pie-cut is blacked out, the grass is drawn a bit taller on the left, and the bottom edge is squared off.
And, as I look at it, I can see that her left foot is a bit of a blob and will need some improvement as well as angling downward. Not much though; just enough to establish that it's dangling off the edge of the tomb.
I'm also thinking of adding some dead, twisted vines to the face and side of the tomb to break up the gray expanse of stone. Maybe a few cracks as well. Don't want to make it too busy, tho'.
Cheers,
Glen
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Part 3
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The first pic shows my progress so far. I removed the ridge on the left side of the tomb, removed the foot, angled the left side of the lid downward a bit, scribed in the lid lines, relocated the foot, and filled in the foot area and extended the small portion of the left leg that's visible under her derriere. I added new grass along the left side and angled it upward to reinforce the perspective. Lastly, I fixed the oddly bent little tow on her right foot. Still wish she was wearing some fancy vampire babe high heels...
The second pic shows a photo-shopped plan for adding some gnarly vines at the base - some wrapping around the corners. I've also added some cracks in the stone at the base/lid joins. I have options regarding the vines. Leaving them off. Making them brown and green as shown. Making them a dead gray and brown. I like them present. The living vines add some additional color to what is otherwise gray stone, pale flesh, and a red costume. The dead vines, on the other hand, reinforce the cold, dead grave aspect of the piece. Either way, the vines will break up the gray tone of the tomb.
Thoughts?
Cheers,
Glen
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Part 4
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Well after a day of overdosing on (US) football, I've completed the addition of the vines grown up around the crypt. They were made from Aves Apoxie Sculpt putty rolled out in long strings then mashed into place. I used a hobby knife to trim them and the knife and soft clay shapers to push the trunks and branches into a gnarly, twisted appearance. I put the piece under a 60 watt bulb for about 30 minutes to cure. The leaves were little balls of clay, mashed down, then trimmed to the shape of a generic leaf. These were also cured under the light bulb. I'm leaning heavily toward painting them dead with a few equally dead leaves still clinging to the branches.
Speaking of painting, I think there's a couple of ways to go... The first is to paint it the usual way. Nice fleshtones, makeup, bright red outfit, and gray stone. On the other hand, vampires are kinda dead. They don't take well to sunlight, so technically she should be hanging around outside at night. At best, the scene would be lit by moonlight will darken and gray out most of the color. Blah...
I think I'll go with full color.
Questions and comments welcomed.
Cheers,
Glen
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Part 5
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I'm making some progress. I primed the piece with Floquil Model Railroad Gray Primer and allowed to cure for 24 hours.
Here is the base skin tone plus the first highlight and the first, second, and third shadow. The eyes and lips have been blocked in, but not detailed. All of the warpaint... I mean makeup ...will applied after the skin tones are finished. I'll be going with black hair with blue-gray to white highlights.
I'm using my standard female Caucasian skin tone mix of Reaper acrylics:
Base: Tanned Skin/Rosy Skin 1:1
Shade: Tanned Shadow/Rosy Shadow 1:1
Highlight: Tanned Highlight/Rosy Highlight 1:1
Shadow 2: Shade 1 + Burgundy Wine
Shadow 3: Shade 1 + More Burgundy Wine
In both cases, only a small amount of Burgundy Wine is added. I look for the first shade to go a bit darker and a bit grayer in each case. If the first shade goes purple, then I've added too much. It happens. Important tip: don't try to stifle a sneeze and dip your brush into paint at the same time.
I plan to start her outfit next.
Cheers,
Glen
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Part 6
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OK, more progress. I've painted her outfit the obligatory red using Reaper's Deep Red (DR), Blood Red (BR), Fire Red(FR) , and Phoenix Red (PR). The BR is the base, while BR mixed with DR was used for the first shade and BR with more DR was used for the second shade. Likewise, BR mixed with FR, then FR, then FR and PR, then PR was used for the progressive highlights. Final highlighting and lining edges happens near the end of the project.
The little white bits on the crypt are a pair of fixes. In my haste to start painting I forgot to knock down the vines that went behind her leg. They just sort of ended at her leg and stopped, leaving a cliff-like edge. I noticed it when I was painting the leg. I seriously need to use my checklists...
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Part 7
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Some more progress! I've painted the hair using Reaper's Pure Black, the Cloudy Gray triad (a neutral gray), and Pure White. I based the highlights and shading on some web pics. I've also painted the base, shade, and lights on the vines and the dead leaves using the each of the Shield Brown triad and 1:1 mix with (just) Cloudy Gray for the vines and the Harvest Brown triad in a 1:1 mix with the Cloudy gray for the leaves. With both the hair and vines/leaves, the final lights and shades will be added after everything else is painted.
Color chart here: http://www.reapermini.com/Paints/corecolors (http://www.reapermini.com/Paints/corecolors)
Questions and comments welcomed.
Cheers,
Glen
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Part 8
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I've completed most of the tomb using Reaper's Stone Gray triad. A little Pure Black was used for the cracks and the seam separating the lid from the base. I'll add some dust, dirt, and water stains next; then paint the dead grass. After that, there's lining to do and the final shades and lights.
How's it look so far? Have I missed anything?
Cheers,
Glen
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This is coming together really well Glen, keep going ;)
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Great progress Glen and especially nice work on the skin tones . Thanks for the mix.
Cheers Ken
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Thanks Brian/Ken! Not a lot of feedback, so there's still plenty of opportunity for me to screw this up...
More later.
Cheers,
Glen
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Hi Glen
you are right about the feedback, it can be a bit sparse, and I'm often guilty of that. But I'm checking progress every day, seeing how it develops etc so please keep going.
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Hi Glen,
I've been lurking but not commenting. You need no help form me. However, fine job.
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Thank you gentlemen! I know people are looking at it, I'm just waiting for someone to point out a major goof - from three parts ago...! :o
Glen
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Part 9
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OK, it's been a long weekend of football and baseball. I'm exhausted. I have, however, been able to tweak the eyes and lips to a point where they're about 99% done. All that remains is to clean up the stray brush marks (you'd be surprised what a hi-res scan can reveal) and maybe add lashes. Not sure about the latter; she's smaller than the Steampunk Girl. There was also the issue of one eye being slightly larger and of a slightly different shape than the other. Not much; just enough to make a difference if you paint it as engraved. Painting them to match leaves some eye engraving inside the eye or out in the skin area where it can catch its own light and cast its own shadow. I think I've got it where I want it, so I'm not going to fiddle with the eye shape any further. I've also added a little blush to the cheeks, bumped the highlights on her skin tones, and painted the grass. The grass was the Amber Gold triad mixed with Cloudy Gray.
Enjoy.
Glen
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That turned out well Glen, I've been following this with interest. Keep em coming ;)
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Part 10
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Well, it seems I'm done! At least for the time being. I reach a point where I don't know what else to do, then I set it aside for a week or so. Then I go back and look at it with a fresh set of eyes and start fixing all of the flaws. For now, I've added the last of the highlights on the skin tones and her outfit, tweaked some of the highs and lows on the crypt and the vines. I've added eyelashes with a sharp dark brown colored pencil. These aren't a series of individual lashes, but rather a series of short strokes - some heavier and darker than others - to give the impression of lashes. It seems to work for me...
Questions and comments welcomed; and channeling Carly Simon - I have no secrets.
Cheers,
Glen
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Fine, fine ....
Joerg