Thank Yo, Kevin. I will go on with it!

6. Day, 29. November 2011

Today it is again the Kubanka!

First I bore at the underside carefully a small hole …



… and extends it afterwards on "toothpick scale" …:



Then the hole is released from drilling leftovers and burrs …:



Afterwards it is washed the Kubanka with „white soap“ and an old toothbrush carefully …:



After all soap remains with water were rinsed and the cap with paper cloths free of fluff was dried, I fastened them with a toothpick on a cork.

I stick with "UHU Alleskleber" of all-purpose adhesive“, that is firm enough to experience while painting no bad surprises.
Indeed, he is not firm enough, so that I can untie the component after occurred painting with a jerk again.

A clothes peg provides for stability …:



Then it is undercoated the Kubanka very thinly …:



Tomorrow there will be the first colours on it...

7. Day, 30. November 2011

Finally! Today there come the first brushstrokes on the figure!

I want to begin with the Kubanka.

In addition first of all a few explanations to this unusual cap:

A Kubanka could show all possible forms and colours – what one could just make from sheepskin so …:





Nevertheless, to all commonly was that hey had a coloured cap lid.

With the Terek Cossacks the cap lid was blue …:



With the Kuban-Cossacks, however, red.



The common artillery regiment from Kuban and Terek Cossacks carried grey cap lids.

Again to all "Kubankas" was common that they carried cruciform sewed on braids on the cap lid.

This decreases to the fact that the Caucasian Cossacks wanted to differentiate themselves thus from her opponents, the Muslim mountain tribes, while they decorated her caps with a Christian symbol.
There were several variations in which to the „Christian cross“ even other decorations were added there (the cap was a private property of her bearer!) …:



...besides, however, the basic form was always the classical cross. Therefore, I had suggested Andy to model such a cross on the cap lid.

What concerns now the in colour creation of the braids, one has four possibilities:

White …



… Silver …:



… Yellow …:



Or gold …:



I have resolved to paint the braids in silver.

First a priming coat with …



… afterwards a "Wash" with a broth from …



… and in the end – because where it should really shine (where light falls there) – was brushed, namely with …:



The Outlining of the cross happened with a mixture from …:



I have taken this mixture because I work with pleasure with "related" colours. Black is included in the tones of the braids, "Extra Dark Green" in the red tones of the material which came then to the row.

The first priming coat with a relatively dark mixture from …



I have tried with the material painting very much to show no smooth, but a possibly crumpled surface.

Shadow zones and folds were painted, while I added more "Extra Dark Green" to my basic mixture there.

Afterwards two quite thin glazes with...



… around the colour again bring a piece more to the original to.

Then I add the lights (and high-level lights), namely with a mixture from …



After that the finish of the crossed silver braids completely comes in the end. I want to explain no metal, but silberdurchwirkten material, so this should not shine, but gleam softly!

With a thin broth from black, Light Grey and silver and a roughly wiped – spread – paintbrush I distribute many small lines to the braids. More darkly to the shade, brighter to the lights – so long, until I like the result.

Now THIS has come out …:

8. Day, 1. December 2011

Welcome to the new chapter of this sbs and welcome to December!

Today I make the Kokarde.

The Kokarde for officers it looked thus – at least theoretically …:



Many officers ordered up her uniform pieces – with all badges – privately. And the Kocardes could look very different to it.

Here the correct form once more…:



And here an individual variation made after private taste which has belonged to a Cossack's officer:



Nevertheless, the colours were always the same!
Black and gold for the ovals, the ray wreath outside silver and not golden, as it is often - and wrong - shown.

This wrong golden representation lies with the originals which were mostly marked from quite inferior material. By long use, effects of the weather and sweat the aluminium-coloured metal with the time accepted a brownish-yellowish tone which is interpreted then often as "a gold".

We remain here with the correct form which I had suggested to Andy. Here one can see it at a Kubanka …:



Russian Kokardes are very difficult to paint, in any case, for me – because they are oval in the form and I cannot work with points. And this thin sequence of black, silver and golden ovals on the smallest space is exactly that what my hands do not like at all!



Well, but the thing must be painted! And Andy's exact sculpting helps very much!

For the black parts I take pure black, for the silver again from "Mithril Silver" and for this – in the original rather reddish active – gold "Brass" …:



As said, I do not paint the things with pleasure – but I am quite contented with the result!







I think, this will look quite good if the Kokarde from the fur shine.
Indeed, it will be painted a little bit more weakly – there from "silver" to "aluminium“, as it was also the case with the original.
But I want to make this only completely in the end if I am ready with the lambskin …

First, Martin, I congratulate you work as meticulous. So far the Cocardes is perfect, looks the same as the original.

http://www.mininet.tv/egminiatures.html

Thanks a lot, Eduardo!

---------------------------------------

9. Day, 2. December 2011

Today I have started, that to paint lambskin of the Kubanka. I asked in some forums for the colour – white or black–. The answers were unequivocal: „Black!“

In addition we want to appreciate only once again the "supplier" of the fur:

The lamb of the Karakul sheep, an especially resistant Steppe-race which manages with the climatic conditions also in the Caucasus well.

Originally these predominantly black sheep come from Uzbekistan, and are really nearly pitch-black.:



The animal was shown even on a former Soviet stamp …:



Today the time has reached because of a doctor's appointment, unfortunately, only to provide the cap with a basic painting which passes 50:50 of "Chocolat Brown" and black.



Afterwards a thin wash with pure black to get some more depth in.
Looks already very much after lambskin look what is also underlined by Andy's really nice modelling of the cap …:







Then the next Monday the cap is painted ready. It will go on with the lights and with matting the Kokarde.

First of all a nice 2.-Advent week-end to You to all!

Good work on the cap fur. It seems that this black sheep has a very glossy hair. This kind of fur is commonly known as "astrakhan".

http://www.mininet.tv/egminiatures.html

Thanks Roger, Eduardo and Pedro!

Cheers

10. Day, 5. December 2011

With the basic-painted Kubanka I have left alone You the last Friday.

Today it is painted ready!

If we have a look at a cap original sometimes more exactly, is to be recognised that with regard to light and shade on the cap though something happens, but one sees also exact that the contrasts keep to a certain extent …:



But a little bit goes there anyway – only I must be reserved and not make the colour differences too incredible!

With the light and the shadows is to be considered further that our friend carries his Kubanka quite far back in the nape pushed and the zenithale light does not occur completely from above, but possibly so:



I took up these colours:



First it is brushed with a mixture of about 70:30 black/brown to give some depth to the whole matter.

Then there comes to the basic mixture "Dark Flesh" to make the first lights.

Then with "Light Flesh" as an addition to the brownish-black mixture the higher lights are painted, but – as said – not to exaggerate quite carefully, in order it!

Completely in the end I have painted the Kokarde darker.

So – here the wage of the work, the ready Kubanka. The whole matter is with the grey December-outside light which rules here today to take photos quite silly – and technically with a picture treatment programme would not like to change I my pictures!

I can only assure You that the bright-dark gradations are a little bigger in the reality, than in the pictures …:









And the entirety from the back:



To tell the truth I am with the result more than only contently …

I agree. The shades effect of the cap and kockade are perfect for me.

http://www.mininet.tv/egminiatures.html

Thanks to You, Roger, Eddy, Carl, Eduardo and Pedro!!

11. Day, 6, December 2011

Now it goes on with the real bust part. But what comes today is fast told:

I bore at the underside a bigger hole for the connection pole as well as two small ones which I will use later for the connection of the lower gun cord.

Then the bust is washed carefully and comes – again with "eagle owl all-purpose adhesive" - on the working block.

Afterwards it is undercoated.

Well Martin , let´s see how you paint this face. I follow interested.

http://www.mininet.tv/egminiatures.html

Thanks angain, Eduardo. I hope You will have fun with my first step...

12. Day, 7. December 2011

Well, and today purely in the "full" – I start with the eyes.

Last year I have invested a lot of work to make an amused Cossack, this year my Kuban-Cossack should look rather distrustfully.

To wake this impression, I have decided to paint relatively bright eyes to the boy to show the irises only a half (the rest is hidden lower to the upper eyelid) and to paint the iris' as small as at all possibly, without it looks unnatural.

The greater the irises looks in the eye socket, the rather more "sweetly" we feel the expression (so-called "little child's pattern").

I begin with the eyeballs which I lay out with white.
Indeed, not only with pure white, because to the nose becomes with a mixture from…



...and after Outside there with a mixture from



Is to be recognised unfortunately hardly with the scale.

I put on the irises with …:



Finally, a mixture gets by on it…



...and I leave a very narrow deep-blue edge visible.

I put out the small red triangles in the ocular inside in the nasal root with a mixture …



These eyes are really tiny!



With this graduation my tattering hands come again to their borders! Besides, the eyes are far opened differently what lends to the face though a nice asymmetry which makes painting, however, not easier …

I have used exately ELEVEN attempts, until I had done so as I had fancied it.

Fortunately, I have my "Propanol-Alcohol-Quick-Cleaning-Methode". Already a small drop of this stuff removes the colour reliably and fast again and does not attack the priming – the better, the more freshly the colour still is.

Thus I could save the mess with colours for the purpose of correction.

The result is not certainly hundred percent perfect, but I did not have to hope right in the middle risqué that this would look so nice sometimes...:







Oh – I renounce this time the white "reflex points" in the eyes for I am afraid they could disturb the "picture".

Instead, I will lay out the eyes with "Cristal Clear" if I am ready with the face.

"I have used exately ELEVEN attempts, until I had done so as I had fancied it."

Eleven attempts! What a patience. Sorry Martin but before I get to 11 attempts, I throw away the figure by the window.
Great result, I like very much those eyes.

http://www.mininet.tv/egminiatures.html

It's my case to try it again and again, until I am contented.

I have taken even earlier much more "approaches".

I am like I am...:thumb down:

Great eyes Mister Rohmann

Let me see more .

Hendryk

First of all:
Thank You very much, Hendryk and Pedro!

13. Day, 8. December 2011

I have corrected in both eyes with regard to the form of the iris' and pupils as well as the line of sight still a little bit around and then have begun with the painting of the ocular part.

Here the colours which I have selected to me for the face …:



This is still is very much wip...:

Fantastic wip Martin!
Thanks for sharing it with us
Ciao by Maco

.. And because you're like you, Martin, you get a good result. Cheers for that persistence.

http://www.mininet.tv/egminiatures.html