Vatican Swiss Guard

[Hannibal]

I take all my picture with my smartphone, it works perfectly !!

[Casper Friedrich]

I use acrylics for priming in white. No worry, I haven't abandoned the oil colors.
The photos are unfortunately taken with my mobile phone, I accidently dropped my digital camera in 2021 and haven't yet replaced it.

[Hannibal]

Therefore your two last pictures are only the start of the ^painting of the characters, and for the three first, better to unpaint, start priming again and new painting with more dilyed paints to keep sharp details of engraving to be handled with more care and smaller brushes in order to better sculpt the details of the clothes....


>aleternatively, start with a larger flat (75 àr 90mm), or a bust to acquire some technique, as 30 mm requires detailed painting applications, not easy with acrylics and a brush size perhaps too rough to handle fols in clothes, details of faces and hands and fingers ....


Don't hesitate to use MP to me

[Hannibal]

Hello Casper,


Your last pictures are much better, but reveal also better the details of your paintings !!!


Are you using acrylics for your paintings, and no oil?
What are you using for you priming in white ?  Enamel or acrylics?


Seemingly ore you three guards, you are almost dipping your characters in the painting, killing therefore all details of engraving,and the possibilities of lights and shadows for your xharacters?.
Paintrings should be made with diluted paints in wtare (if acrylics), I use very diluted paints, and a succession of layers to progressively colour the surfaces, and also aply lights ad paintings where needed to have a volume effect that a flat cannoit provide like a figurine.


Therefore also you must PAINT your lights and your shadows, and thus define before staring you colour painting from which direction is you light coming from (= zenithal, vertical, not the best), from the right, the left, from the spectateor, from 3/4 on the left or on the right?, from the bottom ??).


This light source will impose you to paint surfaces with highlights and zones with shadows, or casted shadows, unlike the painting of figurine tridimensional where light is naturally imposing them like on ourselves.


If wished, I'll send you the link to one or two excellent articles explaining the concept.  and some links to step-by-step paintigs of a few people on this site.


Michel

[Casper Friedrich]

I primed a couple of more figures, as I'm planning to participate in the Nordic Challenge contest this Autumn. It will be the first time for me since Covid-19 restrictions.
Since the demise of enamels I have bought a few acrylic colors. With them I can paint the base for the face and hands, even some basic shadowing.
The Sedia Gestatoria with a figure behind it needs still another coat of primer.
Kaspar von Silenen (1467-1517), first commander of the Papal Swiss Guard. I also have used a deeper blue acrylic as the base color for the nobelman's cap and shirt at this early stage:

[Casper Friedrich]

A week latter, better lighting:

[John Alberts]

Timely indeed!  Spurring me to look into this set!  Nice work thus far

[Hannibal]

Good start for the painting.
can you take yur next pictures, not with a zenithal light above the flat which renders it very dark, in the shadow, but from your back.  Lights and shadows are to be painted on the flat, not by the surrounding light... Sowe can appreciate better the details, faces, hands, ....

[Casper Friedrich]

Somewhat current topic. Still WIP, the figures are of course from Mohr's set Pope Julius II and Apollo Belvedere. It was in fact this Pope who in 1506 established the Papal Swiss Guard.
I have earlier on this site told about my trip to Rome before Covid-19. I didn't have the opportunity to visit the Vatican, as my now decesead maternal uncle, had an accident and was taken to Policlinico Umberto I.