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WIP Critique Po' whiri Maori Warrior, 1/10th scale bust, DG Artworks

Discussion in 'vBench (Works in Progress)' started by tonydawe, Mar 12, 2017.

  1. tonydawe A Fixture

    Country:
    Australia
    Hi guys,

    Most of you know that despite being an Australian, I have a real passion for the Maori culture of New Zealand, and I've modelled several Maori subjects over the years. In particular, I love the tattooing and scarification process known as ta moko, which is one of the most distinctive features of Maori culture.

    This latest bust by DG Artworks was only released a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately swooped on it. The challenge of painting a tattooed face is even harder when you see the way this face is contorted as the Maori warrior sticks his tongue out at his enemy as part of a ritual ceremonial war dance called the haka.

    The first steps for me are to get the skin tones right and start to build up the contrasts and ensure the muscle definition is correctly rendered. Then the focus is one the face and especially the eyes. As you can see, I've made a start on the eyes and will continue to refine those.

    Once the bust is painted in acrylics, I'll then paint the skin in oils. And then I'll start on the moko tattoo design on the face.

    As always, I welcome any comments and constructive feedback.
    Maori 1.jpg Maori 2.jpg Maori 3.jpg Maori 4.jpg Maori 5.jpg
  2. Chrisr PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    Australia
    A very nice start as usual Tony. Looking forward to your rendition of ta moko. I am sure you will do it justice.

    Chris
    tonydawe and anstontyke like this.
  3. Mike - The Kiwi A Fixture

    Country:
    New_Zealand
  4. Wings5797 A Fixture

    Country:
    France
    Taringa whakarongo!
    Kia rite! Kia rite! Kia mau! Hī!
    Kia whakawhenua au i ahau!
    Hī aue, hī!
    Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei!
    Au, au, aue hā!
    Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei!
    Au, au, aue hā!
    I āhahā!

    Super start Tony
    I hoped that you or Mike would take this NZ piece on
    All the best
    Keith
  5. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Great start Tony

    Following right behind you !

    Nap
    anstontyke, tonydawe and Wings5797 like this.
  6. brian A Fixture

    Country:
    Scotland
    A good start Tony,look forward to seeing him progress.
    anstontyke and tonydawe like this.
  7. Nicolaos Well-Known Member

    A lovelly project, Tony, can't wait to see your next steps. What colours (I guess Jo Sonja as brand) did you use for the skin?
    Cheers,
    Nicolae
    anstontyke and tonydawe like this.
  8. Gellso A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Great start Tony.
    Gells
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  9. phil_h A Fixture

    Country:
    United-States
    Looking wonderful so far Tony, and definitely looking forward to seeing more - especially the tattoo work...

    Regards,
    Phil
    anstontyke and tonydawe like this.
  10. tonydawe A Fixture

    Country:
    Australia
    Hi Chris, thanks mate. I'm looking forward to painting the moko but I still have lots of skin to paint first.

    Hi Mike, thanks mate. I'm keen to get your thoughts on the skin tones. I will be adding oil washes over the acrylics, so the final colour will be several shades darker than it currently appears.

    Hi Keith, the Kapa o Pango is one of my favourite All Black hakas. I remember the first time I saw it, and the throat slashing gesture, I felt truly sorry for the Wallabies who were facing them.

    Hi Nap, I'm managing to spend a couple of hours each night at the workbench this week, so I'm hopeful I can get onto the moko by the weekend. I'm not in any rush to finish this bust, as I want to do it justice, and also do the best I can to represent the moko as authentically and accurately as I can.

    Cheers Brian, not much progress to show after last night. Still trying to correct some slight issues with the eyes and get the right colour in the tongue. Spent a fair bit of time last night looking into a mirror with my tongue hanging out.:wacky:

    Hi Nicolae, yes Josonja acrylics. For the base skin tone I used Raw Sienna and Vermillion, and blended in Warm White. For shading I added Raw Umber.

    Thanks Gells.
    Maori 6.jpg
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  11. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Tony

    This is jst going to be be great ..I have ths on the way so following this with much interest ...keep the colour mixes coming

    Thanks for sharing

    Nap
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  12. arj A Fixture

    Country:
    United-Kingdom
    Looks like another excellent start on this one Tony.
    Really looking forward to seeing this one develop.

    Cheers,
    Andrew
    anstontyke likes this.
  13. megroot A Fixture

    Country:
    Netherlands
    Looks a fine start to me.

    Marc
    anstontyke likes this.
  14. Mike Stevens PlanetFigure Supporter

    Country:
    United-States
    Great looking start Tony!
    anstontyke likes this.
  15. tonydawe A Fixture

    Country:
    Australia
    Hi Nap, still working on the skin tones and finalising some of the smaller facial details. Once I have the skin painted I'll get cracking on the moko. I've already started with the lips.

    Thanks Andrew, I'm looking forward to seeing this develop too. I'm being patient in terms of ensuring that the acrylic layer is fully dried before I get started on the oil washes.

    Hi Marc, thanks very much mate.

    Thanks Mike, here's the latest update WIP pic from last night.
    Maori 7.jpg
  16. Mike - The Kiwi A Fixture

    Country:
    New_Zealand
    Coming along well Tony
    Left eye not quite round & note skin tone will darken as you add Tā moko
    anstontyke likes this.
  17. tonydawe A Fixture

    Country:
    Australia
    Thanks Mike,

    I tried to fix up the left eye which was, as you rightly pointed out, not quite round.

    The next step is to apply the oil washes over the skin. As always, I make a dilute mix of oil paint mixed with Artists White Spirits. I start by applying to oil washes over the shadow areas and let the white spirits evaporate and dry before reapplying. Progressively I apply more and more layers, in a similar way that I glaze with acrylics, until I achieve a smooth look. Once that's done, I choose a highlight colour and apply small dabs of oils and then using a wet brush dipped in white spirits I spread the highlight colour out and blend it into the base colours to achieve some smooth transitions.

    This photo was taken immediately after the final glaze, so its a bit shinier than it will eventually end up once the paint dries and the white spirits cooks off.
    Maori 8.jpg

    The next step for me is to tackle the moko tattoo on the face. I'll be going back to a very reliable old book "Maori Tattooing" by H.G. Robley, which was written back in the 1860's and provides numerous line drawings of actual traditional moko designs.
    IMG_4871.JPG
    I've managed to source some good colour images from Google to provide inspiration, but most of these images show contemporary dancers with tattoos drawn on their face with a texta.
    20111104-newzea-0662.jpg IMG_4732.JPG IMG_4733.JPG IMG_4735.JPG IMG_4737.JPG
  18. Nicolaos Well-Known Member

    Excellent, Tony, good luck with the next step!
    Nicolae
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  19. Wings5797 A Fixture

    Country:
    France
    Superb progress Tony.
    He is really shaping up now and looking very menacing even without the tattoos.
    Thanks for the tips on oil washes. I have started this to apply washes on a piece and am I very happy with the results. your tips will give me a bit more depth in those shadows.
    All the best
    Keith
    anstontyke and tonydawe like this.
  20. Mike - The Kiwi A Fixture

    Country:
    New_Zealand
    Glad advice was of value Tony.
    This warrior is really progressing well & you are setting a high standard for us all to aspire too.

    You are correct only Tama Iti has a genuine Tā moko. I highly recommend listening to his TEDx talk:

    It maybe confronting to some & others will admire his 'Mana'
    - a powerful modern warrior who continues to challenge our status quo.

    Please be aware even painting Tā moko is a sacred thing, so you will honour by doing this well.
    -Mike
    anstontyke, Helm and Wings5797 like this.

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