Being frustrated with the small figures and starting after ten years I decided to try a larger canvas to hopefully regain some confidence. I like this figure as I am much more experienced with resin.
I used Tamiya fine white primer and base coated everything with andrea acrylics. The face is about 70% complete and I used Mongo's guide for oil face painting. The hair is still wet and it is a combination of burnt umber, naples yellow and a small amount of titanium white. I have also used sepia for shadows in the hair. I am hoping for a brownish gray at the end.
The cloak will be purple in oils and I have not made a final decision on the breastplate. I would truly appreciate any advice, input, criticisim or any thing else! If this doesnt work I am going back to cars.

Rocky,

You are off to a good start. It takes a few tries to get the techniques down. Just keep at it and don't try and please the forum, just be satified with yourself. As long as you feel you improve with each figure then you are heading in the right direction. It can be discourgaing to see some of the work being displayed on the forums nowdays (of such great quality and so lifelike) and compare it to your own, but we can't all be Rembrandts, so...as long as you are satisfied, keep plugging.

You might want to lighten the eyelids a bit to more closly match the other skin tones. The basic skin tone is good, perhaps a light blending of some red to the lips, not too much or it will look like lipstick and on the upper cheekbones.

You're off to a great start, I love your color choices

good base with the right colours

I have to agree with Edward. Off to a great start Rocky.

Hi Rocky,

if you are frustrated, put it aside! The skintone looks really good, purple color is suberb!
Who makes this figure? what a fancy hairdo (I would want the same, if I could)!

Looking forward to the next steps!
Denes

Hey Rocky, for somebody who hasn't picked up a brush in ten years, you're doing a nice job.
A touch of red mixed into your basic flesh and applied to the cheekbones,
lips, tip of the nose and ear lobes will give it a bit more life.
I would also deepen the shadows and add extreme highlights to the face and hair.
You are definitely on the right track, keep on practicing, and you will see improvements with every new figure you paint.
What ever you do, do not get discouraged.

Cheers and thanks for sharing.
Roc

Thanks for all of the input and support. The figure is an out of production Bonaparte 200mm. I added a bit of red to ears, cheeks and lips. I also started high lighting and shadowing the hair and started the cloak (violet). It is still wet as you can see and it will be interesting to highlight and shadow it.

Rocky,
he's coming along nicely. The purple color of the cloak is a nice choice. With that said, the drama of this piece lies in the wonderful classical folds of the cloak. Don't be afraid to "punch-up" your shadows and highlights there to emphasize the wonderful flowing aspect of the cloth. Keep us posted.

Jay H.
OKC

Very good start my friend,busts need a lot of patience but I love them.Looking forward to see some next steps!
christos

I did some work on the highlights and shadows of the cloak. I think it looks pretty good so far but all that purple is hard to look at for long. Let me know what you think.

Looks great so far Rocky.

Its finally beginning to dry. I think I like it.

Rocky,
You definitely are progressing, and as others have said, Ed's advice is fantastic. Kind of like life in general: set your own goals and learn from others, but don't let their level "along the journey" distract you from yours. My first year back into painting was difficult because I'm a perfectionist and wanted "instant" results, especially on the fine details of proper highlighting and shadowing. But my stress about those two elements turned into my greatest pleasure with painting: I know LOVE to shadow and highlight, and find it fun and relaxing. And again, I'm on my own path, and have a long way to go--but I'm enjoying the journey.

Best--and keep moving ahead! You are on a great path!

Kyle

I did some work on the breastplate, which I am still not sure of and worked on the eyes. I also did the first coat of oil on the red. Let me know what you think. I would really appreciate input regarding the breastplate.

Rocky,
hard to say what needs to be done on the breast plate as I don't know what types of metalics you are using (enamels, inks, etc.). The one thing I can say is don't be afraid to shade hese areas as well. Not only would I shade the animals a bit, I would see about getting some shadows on the breast plate itself. Namely under the rolled lip at the top, and definitelt under eack of the animals to emphasize their relief a bit.

I use printers inks myself. I actually mix them straight into my oils. I shade them just like any other color. Start with a shadow tone (more oils and less metalic pigmnet) and work up to a mix with more and more of the inks in them for the highlights. Keep workin'! He's coming along nicely.

Jay H.
OKC

Jay,
Thanks for the input! I have not shaded or highlighted the breastplate. I am trying to decide if I want to stay with the silver and gold. I have my inks ready to go and this will be my first attempt with inks and I cannot wait!
Rocky

A little more painting today on the breastplate. I still have a way to go but I am making progress.

Rocky, nice work on the breast plate. The shading makes all the difference!!!

Jay H.
OKC

Jay,
Thanks for the kind words! This is truly a labor of love and I appreciate your advice.
Rocky