Krasinski Update

Krasinski is just about finished...all that is left is the lace work at the collar and atop the scarlet facing, his boots, some ground work and the final metallic highlights. There are some buckles I need to address, but I'll wait to do those last since I want to make sure all the oils around them are pretty dried.

I need to touch up the lines and add the highest highlights to the white jacket, but for the most part he's about 85% complete.

I've tried to mix a combination of metallic and nonmetallic effects on this figure to give a little contrast and to make the metallic effects pop a bit more.

Karsinski

He's coming along nicely; I have finished the metal parts today, and started to work on the cartridge belt. I chose to go with a white belt vs. a silver one mostly because there's so much silver on this figure already, I wanted a bit more contrast. I've gone with a cooler tone for the belt so it would contrast against the white of the jacket.

I finished the "weave" of crimson through the sash, and will touch it up before I hand it off to the collector.

I started the white lace embroidery at the collar, turn backs and at the lapel. I haven't decided if I'll use oils or acrylics for the pattern. It's an intriguing pattern and I really have to think through how I'll pull it off free-hand at the 54mm scale...

Krasinski in progress

Here is where I am with my latest; the crimson pants and white parts of the jacket are finished. All is left is to bring out the highest highlights on both the pants and jacket. I've also finished the cartridge belt and need to outline it once I have the facings finished.

For the crimson tone of the pants I mixed alizarin crimson with a touch of viridian. I highlighted with cadmium red light and shaded with alizarin crimson and a touch of purple.

For the white part of the jacket I mixed yellow ochre, mars black and titanium white for the base color. For the shadows I mixed less of the titanium white and for the highlights, mixed titanium white and flake white.

Up next are the gloves and boots...

Here's my latest...I'm working on a tremendous figure from LeCimier; it's a 54mm of Krasinski.

He's painted in the traditional manner of oils over acrylics (he's a commission piece, and haven't gotten to the point where I am comfortable enough with painting a commission piece with the black undercoat...), and using the wet on wet technique. I've finished the pants and have the first shadows and highlights done on the fleshtones. I'll deepen the shading and apply the highest highlights later today to the face. I'm using the non-metallic metallic technique that Lou Masses developed for acrylics, but I've adapted it to oils. I'll use printers ink on a the buttons and some of them metal inserts of the scabbard, but for the most part, I prefer the effect of the non-metallic metallics.

More to follow!

Venetian Archer Part II

Here's the finished archer ready for the trip to Atlanta on Friday...

As I said earlier, this is one of the best figures from the I&E line. I highly recommend it for your gray army.

I used the Reaper range of acrylics on this figure, and am very impressed as well with the smooth finish they provide. Although he's painted with oils over a black acrylic undercoat, the bow, arrows, quiver, and scabbard were painted with oils over a red undercoat from Reaper. I'm very impressed with the Reaper acrylic paints, and have already started to purge my Andrea and Vallejo brands and replace them with Reaper paints.

Venetian Archer

I've started this I&E 75mm Venetian Archer as I am winding down on a commission piece; it's cast in white metal, and is probably the best cast I&E ever produced. Exquisite detail and attention to detail echos throughout this figure, I believe this was sculpted by Randall Patton, but I may be mistaken. Nonetheless, it's an amazing figure.

He's painted using oils over a black acrylic base; the metal helmet and breastplate are simply buffed out from the white metal casting washed with burnt umber and lamp black. I've highlighted with a touch of silver printers ink to a mix of burnt umber and sepia.

The boots have the oil base color applied, which is burnt umber and lamp black for the dark leather, and mars orange and burnt umber for the light leather at the top of the boots. The pants are painted with a mix of cinnabar green and viridian; I shaded with a touch of lamp black to the base color and highlighted using the base plus a touch of cadmium green light and cadmium yellow. The leather jerkin is painted with a mix of burnt umber and lamp black, and then shaded using lamp black and a touch of purple. Highlights are achieved with mars orange and the highest highlights are achieved with a touch of yellow ochre (thanks Bob!) to the mars orange.

He's a work in progress at this stage...

After The Jump

Here's my latest...

This is the 1/16th US Paratrooper from Alpine; it's an amazing canvas and frankly, it's what is making Alpine a leader in the industry. Tremendous sculpting!

For this figure, I tried something completely different, I undercoated in black acrylic instead of the traditional matching acrylic color. I really liked this technique, since it enables me to see the shadows and highlights much more effectively. Not to mention adds a dramatic feel to the figure. He's painted in my traditional manner of "wet on wet", and the only difference is that I added a touch of grey to the base color to compensate for the transparency of the oil paints.

There's still a couple finishing touches to do, like adding just a touch of a mud and dirt along the bottom of the pants, the jacket and at the elbows. I'll go over the figure one last time and he's ready for the display case.

I enjoyed this figure, and for me, doing something a little out of the ordinary helps me to learn and grow.

I can't wait to start my next figure!