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WIP The Shepherd

Discussion in 'vBench (Works in Progress)' started by kagemusha, Sep 16, 2018.

  1. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    IMG_3325.jpg

    I was given the RP Models "Viriatus" bust as a birthday present....and thought it would be a great subject for an SBS....and a good way to explain the revisions I have made to my technique with oils.
    Having posted a number of pieces recently...and mentioned I now use 'transparent' oils 98% of the time...I have been asked by several members what are transparent oils....so this is a good way to answer that and other questions regarding the subject as a whole.
    In essence...the technique I use to apply the oils remains unchanged....but for those of you unfamiliar with my technique....this link may help you to understand it a little better......

    https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/my-way-with-oils.52194/

    I will explain the revisions to the technique as the SBS progresses.

    Ron

    to be continued......
  2. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    A brief background to the character will explain the title of this thread.
    Whilst very little is known about Viriathus (also spelt Viriatus)...he was a very important leader of the Lusitanian resistance against the Roman's. He was murdered in his sleep in 139 BC by traitors to his cause...and was originally a 'shepherd'...hence the title of this SBS.

    To begin...and as we all do...everything was cleaned and prepped/primed. I undercoat with a light grey primer...and then give it all a few mist coats of white....which helps to bring out the detail...and also define the shadow and hi-light areas....and forms a natural base colour for the first layer of oils.

    IMG_3328.jpg

    Once this is done it is left to dry for 24 hours.

    to be continued......
    Mirofsoft, Oda, marco55 and 3 others like this.
  3. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi Ron

    Following this with interest .....

    Thanks for sharing the SBS

    Nap
    Oda likes this.
  4. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom

    Nice one Nap (y)
  5. Tecumsea PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    England
    I'm still recovering from the last sbs.....help .... there's more.. LOL

    Looking forward to this episode Ron

    Keith.
    kagemusha likes this.
  6. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    To help people new to my technique....a brief explanation of the terms I use may be helpful.
    First up is the application of the primary layer of colour...which I refer to as the 'scrub coat'....simply because that is how it is applied...no finesse....just scrubbed over the piece...making sure to get the paint into every area and undercut etc.
    Next step is the 'thinning back'.....this is literally to get the thinnest layer of paint over the piece....and for this I use a mixture of women's make up brushes and sponges...which are the softest brushes you can get and...more importantly...do not shed hairs.
    Lastly....I call each further application of paint a 'layer'.

    With that out of the way....onto the the first step (scrub coat)....the colour I have used was a mix of transparent white...trans red ochre....warm light grey and manganese blue hue....which gives a nice shadow base to the chosen areas of flesh and clothing....for the weapons (sword and dagger) I used a different mix of trans brown and trans yellow lake oxide.

    1.jpg 2.jpg 3.jpg 4.jpg 5.jpg

    As you can see...it looks very uneven and somewhat patchy initially....but will look very different once thinned back.

    to be continued.......
  7. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    By the time all the chosen pieces have had the scrub coat applied...it is now time to start the thinning back....and for this I use the aforementioned make up brushes and sponge.

    11.jpg

    Using the large make up brush first....I begin to thin back the scrub coat by drawing the brush over the surface of the piece...rather like 'dry brushing' in reverse....and keep wiping the brush off on clean paper towel after every few strokes...to avoid putting the paint back again.
    I repeat this process until I have a smooth gradation of colour....with the shadows and hi-lites being enhanced by the amount of paint left behind or removed...which also brings out the detail within the sculpt.

    11.jpg 12.jpg 13.jpg 14.jpg 15.jpg 16.jpg

    As you can hopefully see....this step transforms the patchy scrub coat into a smooth gradation of colour which forms the foundation for the following layers to come....and will be left to dry before the next layer is applied over the top of it....which is when the benefit of using transparent colours becomes obvious.

    to be continued.......
  8. Dolf Well-Known Member

    Country:
    Portugal
    Hi Ron!


    Thanks very much for another great SBS and for clarifying a few terms used (y)

    Also, many thanks for picking such a character as our Viriato (that's how we write it in Portuguese), the 1st and oldest hero in the written & known History of this country.

    And yes, he led the resistance against the Roman invasion of this part of the Iberian Peninsula, and they were never able to defeat him, and the Lusitanian he led, so the only way was indeed to pay some traitors who murdered him.
    That didn't fully stop the resistance, but his successor, Sertório, was not up to the same charisma as Viriato, and apparently not as good in battle and strategy neither.
    But those areas of the Iberian Peninsula (now it's the area NE of the country, where the highest mountains here are located, Serra da Estrela) were never fully dominated by the Romans!

    You mention RP Models as the manufacturer of this bust. I've done some research, but so far couldn't find yet their own website. Would you please supply the link for their own website (if they have one other than a FB page... I'm not on FB, never was, and no intention whatsoever of ever being there...) ?

    I found a couple of retailers selling this bust, but there are some abyssal differences on some prices!... :facepalm: Will go into details by PM/email.


    Cheers!

    Dolf
    kagemusha likes this.
  9. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Hi mate,
    as far as I am aware, RP don't have a web site but are, as you say, on FB and Tmblr.

    The background you have given paints a better picture than my brief effort...and is much appreciated.

    I will go into more detail regards the technique as it progresses.

    Ron
    Oda and Dolf like this.
  10. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom

    :LOL:....hopefully this one will be a lot quicker mate :rolleyes:....glad your tagging along :)
  11. Dolf Well-Known Member

    Country:
    Portugal
    Ron,

    Thanks for confirming what I (sadly) suspected, that they are only on FB (and Tmblr ?... not sure what that is... :unsure: ) .

    Email sent. Check it and looking forward for your comment on that ;)

    Glad I could somehow help with Viriato background/History (y)


    Cheers!

    Dolf
    kagemusha likes this.
  12. Tecumsea PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    England
    Hi Ron it occurs to me that your mix for the scrub coat is quite fundamental to the success of this? Using hues which are darker but in sync with the following layers. I say this because as you know colour mixing is a bugbear of mine, I could never have come up with the formula you have used. Presumably it would work with a simpler mix although less effectively one assumes, for someone with less experience of the technique?

    Keith
    kagemusha likes this.
  13. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom

    Spot on Keith....this first layer is the key to the overall tone of the following layers...and will influence them...and needs to be allowed for.
    Colour mixing was part of my everyday life in the print....so has never been an issue for me....but I do understand that I am fortunate to have that background....and is why I listed the colours I used in the mixes....not only that...working with transparent colours is quite different to using solely opaque's.
    As for the choice of colours in the mix....it is as you say...to maintain the harmony between colours following the scrub colour.
    A tip is to keep a piece of white paper close at hand and...once you think you have the mix...scrub a small patch of the colour onto it...this will tell you what it will look like when thinned back....then...when you mix the next colour....paint it over that patch....and you will get a very good idea of what it will look like.
    You can of course overpaint the transparent layer with an opaque if you wish to....or...by the same token...reduce the transparency should you wish to....by adding it to the mix....keep in mind that if you do this...you will then have to apply shadows and hi-lites in the normal manner.
    A big advantage with working with trans colours is that the mix can be very simple or complex....your choice...and...unlike with using opaque's only....you will get a variance of shade within the colour once thinned back.

    Hope that all makes sense mate.

    Ron
    Tecumsea and Dolf like this.
  14. grasshopper A Fixture

    Country:
    Canada
    Keith, I am a full on user of this method thanks to Ron..and I found it helps to start simple with a few trans earth tones, but look for a trans white..maybe a more trans grey, and use your opaque as highlights, and to render trans a bit less so here and there..it’s quite contrary to either normal figure painting oils or canvas painting.
    kagemusha likes this.
  15. Dolf Well-Known Member

    Country:
    Portugal
    "Having posted a number of pieces recently...and mentioned I now use 'transparent' oils 98% of the time...I have been asked by several members what are transparent oils....so this is a good way to answer that and other questions regarding the subject as a whole."


    Ron,

    Hope you'll go a little deeper on the differences between "transparent oils" and "opaque oils", that would be quite useful to me (and maybe others) ;)


    Cheers!

    Dolf
    kagemusha likes this.
  16. kagemusha A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom

    That is the primary purpose of this SBS.....as it is a difficult subject to fully explain the differences through words alone.
    An obvious example would be along these lines....mix an opaque white with an opaque red and you will get a pink....now mix a trans red with a trans white and....although it will still appear pink on the palette....it will be very different on the subject piece.....look at the picture below as an illustration.
    On the palette at the top are the opaques....Zinc+Titanium White and Winsor Red....below are the trans colours...Transparent White and Scarlet Lake Extra (Lake's are transparent colours) which I have mixed in equal amounts of both opaque and trans...then look at the patches on the paper...you can clearly see that although they are both similar shades of pink on the palette....once on the white paper...the paper can still be seen through the transparent colour.

    IMG_3347.jpg

    There are many ways to exploit this....as I will try to show in this SBS.

    Hope that helps

    Ron
  17. Dolf Well-Known Member

    Country:
    Portugal
    "There a many ways to exploit this....as I will try to show in this SBS.

    Hope that helps"


    Yes, it definitely helps! Looking forward for more practical examples on those other many ways to exploit this (y)


    Cheers!

    Dolf
  18. grasshopper A Fixture

    Country:
    Canada
    Believe me, it works..and is more forgiving and flexible than traditional approaches..it’s easy to make a trans colour more opaque with touch of white, or any opaque really..but can’t get an opaque to go trans as well..
  19. grasshopper A Fixture

    Country:
    Canada
    Try just picking thru your oils for some that are trans earth tones and have a go at something.
  20. Landrotten Highlander Well-Known Member

    pulling up a chair to follow this SBS.
    kagemusha and grasshopper like this.

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