Arthur and the sword in the stone

[Hannibal]

I will prepare them... & send them to Penny for consolidation

[penmeyer]

Hello Hannibal. I prime the metal flat figures with a primer called "Mr Surfacer". I use the gray and it comes in grades like sandpaper, I use Mr. Surfacer 1200 or 1500. It is a laquer based product and I thin with laquer thinner and apply several coats with a paint brush. I also use a spray on primer for cars that I buy at a car parts store and it is white. I will have to look at my notes and let you know which I used on this flat. I started this flat a year ago at a demonstration at the Long Island Show. Sometimes when I demonstrate, I use white because it shows the painting better for guests standing around the demo. I never paint on bare metal. I thin the JoSonja acrylics down quite a bit and it takes many layers of washes to build up a "tooth" or paint texture. Once you have this tooth, it helps to grab more pigment and hold it. Sometimes the first layers hardly grab at all. One must be persistent.
I have looked at photos from a year ago and I used grey Mr. Surfacer. I cannot seem to attach photos from my phone right now so I will have to fire up the macbook and submit photos later. My Google interface on my phone is not so good...
 

Hello Penny,
I just picked up the messages today .. Thank you very much for your explanations on the grey undercoating. I just realized also that the JoSonja paintings are acrylic paints, when I read your water dilutions.
So you coat the metal surface directy with this very diluted painting ! I recently tried to undercoat a flat 30mm with acrylic dilutd paints, but it took many layers to built colour, as pigments are very dispersed in dilutions 1:4 to 1:6 and anyway, and I ended up (impatent) with an excess of pigments built up onto these little surfaces. 
Your final coats seems to be opaque enough to have meta totally unvisible.  Do you get the highlights with more coats ( as we would built painting of a transparent cloth on a skin) or a brighter colour ?
I will look more to your previous explanations on this pre-coating on articles on another forum, and try to use on a larger flat than 30mm, perhaps with different colours close to the final oil paint tones.
 
I congratulate you for the very special lightning atmosphere created on your final painting, similar to the the "clair-obscur" (Chiaroscuro) of Caravage, the Dutch school after, and Georges de la Tour !!  Magnificient ....

[penmeyer]

We've now eight ( interpretations of this flat, perhaps to add to the article of Penny as addendum ...

It would be great to add photos of all of the interpretations of this flat to the end of the article. I like this idea a lot.

[PJDeluhery]

Hi Penny! Great to see you and your work here. Looking forward to watching this blossom.
Best Regards.

Hey Pat. I will miss seeing you at Long Island. I have sent this flat figure for the competition and Auction. If you know of anyone interested, send them to Greg!

I will miss you too!  I'll pass the word. Hope all is well with you and yours. Stunning figure! I really like your interpretation.

[Hannibal]

We've now eight ( interpretations of this flat, perhaps to add to the article of Penny as addendum ...

[Hannibal]

Hello Penny,
I just picked up the messages today .. Thank you very much for your explanations on the grey undercoating. I just realized also that the JoSonja paintings are acrylic paints, when I read your water dilutions.
So you coat the metal surface directy with this very diluted painting ! I recently tried to undercoat a flat 30mm with acrylic dilutd paints, but it took many layers to built colour, as pigments are very dispersed in dilutions 1:4 to 1:6 and anyway, and I ended up (impatent) with an excess of pigments built up onto these little surfaces. 
Your final coats seems to be opaque enough to have meta totally unvisible.  Do you get the highlights with more coats ( as we would built painting of a transparent cloth on a skin) or a brighter colour ?
I will look more to your previous explanations on this pre-coating on articles on another forum, and try to use on a larger flat than 30mm, perhaps with different colours close to the final oil paint tones.
 
I congratulate you for the very special lightning atmosphere created on your final painting, similar to the the "clair-obscur" (Chiaroscuro) of Caravage, the Dutch school after, and Georges de la Tour !!  Magnificient ....

[penmeyer]

WOW fast with stunning results!  This is a delightful rendition, congratulations.


Articles for the Journal are always happily received by Jerry Mortimore who is the Editor - you can email on article and pictures to him or any of the Committee members including myself.  This would certainly make a worthy addition.


It would also be interesting to see something further on your undercoating approach and how that works in practice.  I find the idea of building up layers of color fascinating but, certainly not my comfort zone currently.  (I have many other ideas for articles and your time as well...    )


mark 

Thanks Marko. After I catch up on everything I neglected while finishing this, I'll try to compile an article that makes sense. I take photos and notes after every painting session so now I just have to harvest and compile...

[marko]

WOW fast with stunning results!  This is a delightful rendition, congratulations.


Articles for the Journal are always happily received by Jerry Mortimore who is the Editor - you can email on article and pictures to him or any of the Committee members including myself.  This would certainly make a worthy addition.


It would also be interesting to see something further on your undercoating approach and how that works in practice.  I find the idea of building up layers of color fascinating but, certainly not my comfort zone currently.  (I have many other ideas for articles and your time as well...    )


mark 

[penmeyer]

Here is the final image of the finished flat.

[penmeyer]

Hello all, please bear with me as I learn the interface on this forum.
I have finished the Arthur figure on a deadline and sent it to Long Island for the show and auction this weekend Nov. 18.
I can do a write up on the painting of this figure, would it be best for the Journal (who would I send it to?) or the forum and where would be the proper place to post such a thing?
Here is the second photo of progress to give an idea of what happens with my progress... The horse is mostly complete in this photo.

[penmeyer]

Hi Penny! Great to see you and your work here. Looking forward to watching this blossom.
Best Regards.

Hey Pat. I will miss seeing you at Long Island. I have sent this flat figure for the competition and Auction. If you know of anyone interested, send them to Greg!

[penmeyer]

Hi Pen welcome to are happy group Greetings from the swamp in dem dark southern FL Are you going to make it to the Atlanta show I will make sue this time I will have an extra chip for my camera  Willie

Hi Willie, nice to see you here! I am glad I could help you with the memory card in Atlanta when I saw you there.
I am sorry but I will probably not make it to Atlanta this year. I have ben having family difficulties which causes me to be driving from Las Vegas to my father's in Northern CA. I have painted this latest figure at my father's house... I am hoping to make Atlanta in 2019.

[penmeyer]

A big welcome to the BFFS Penny, instead of the normal "ask if you need help with painting" I think we'll be asking you for advice 

Hello Brian, I hope that I can help...

[penmeyer]

no doubt that with the lightening yu have choosen, Penny, the magic sword (Excalibur?) must diffuse a brillant light on the horse and bottom of Arthur's body !!!
Very promissing interpretation I woud also have choosen myself , when I bought the flat!
 
Three questions on your shadows technique=
1) What colours are you using ?  it is a cold tone (sepia; blue black, ...) or a mix?
2) Would it be also acceptable to use two colours, sepia for warm tones and indigo for cold tones if both are present after? to keep the temperature of the final colours) or should this undercoating be a single tone?
3) How to manage colours like yellow, quite transparent colours with modern pigments with such tones?

Hello Hannibal.  To answer your questions, The colors I used for the grey under paint are JoSonja Indian Red Oxide, Prussian Blue Hue and Unbleached Titanium. I mix the gray with the 2 colors and tint with white. In some cases, I use more red oxide for warmer gray and more blue for cooler areas. I did not do this so much with this particular figure as I was painting very fast on a deadline so I kept the grays similar so I did not have to use my brain too much.
To manage colors, I thin them down with water for the first layers to very transparent. If I have trouble with transparency, I use another color for the time just to get an initial layer of transparent color laid in. After about 5-6 layers, the pigment begins to build up and I gain confidence in how the painting is working, then I add more pigment and less transparency. Eventually, the color builds up.
The under painting affects the overpainting and sometimes I will leave this effect if it works well. The greenish blue of the Prussian blue helps to pop flesh tones up.
The main reason for underpainting for me is to define the lights and shadows I am going to use.

[penmeyer]

Hi Penny,

This is looking exceptional, will be interesting to see the colours you will be using.

Lady of the Lake and Merlin are now available, anyone who wants one can PM me.

We will very shortly be getting Guenivere engraved, and should be available hopefully in the new year. On my return from Monte Sans Savino, I will organise this with me mate Brian

(Photo of drawing available soon )

Hi Nick! I look forward to seeing the new figures. I will want them all I am sure. Cheers!