Hi guys,

With the commemorations of the centenary of the start of WW1 all around us, it seemed the right time to enlist this bust from the Grey Army and put him into action.

I intend to cover him with dirt and mud and stains etc. so please don't judge him yet. He's far too clean and neat for my liking. I've done some highlighting on the tunic but not much else.

For the face, I wanted it to convey the sense of a young man who has just been through hell, and is lost in his thoughts.

Here are the first WIP pics. I hope you like them.

As always, I welcome feedback and criticism.

Really nice Tony. If you are doing July 1, remember that it was the most beautiful day of that summer and that many of the trenches were dug in white chalk. Don't fall into the Paaschendaele mud trap. He is well on his way to being a superb rendition of one of Young's best busts.

Colin

Great start Tony. I agree with Colin but when I get home on Friday from sea I will be able to tell you from "The Somme Day by Day" (Chris McCarthy) when the weather broke.

Roger.

Very nicely done, especially the face. My only other comment would be that the rank chevrons usually had a chevron pattern running through them.:


Best wishes,

Mike

Thanks gents,

Colin, great tip in regards to the chalky soil of the Somme. I will pay attention to that.

Roger, thanks for your help on the unit badges for 1 Lancs. I hope I got the colours right. I'm thinking of leaving off the shovel blade so you can get a better view of the rear of the bust.

Mike, the rank chevrons have been base coated with an off white colour, but I intend to paint them exactly as your photo indicates. I just haven't got that far yet.

Still at a relatively early stage of painting so forgive me if it looks like I haven't bothered with certain details, like the yellow inverted triangular blaze on the helmet.

very well done Tony !

Shaping up well Tony & you've captured that "Lost in thought" look.
Only suggestion is maybe pull back shading on eye bags, looks a bit like a mascara job ;-)

Look forward to seeing next update on this..
Mike

Thanks Mike, I agree. I was planning to tone down the dark shading under the eyes as it is far too heavy.

I'm glad you think I've captured that "lost in thought" look. Sometimes it can just look like a zombie stare.

Looking good Tony,look forward to seeing him progress.
Brian

Great work so far, Tony.

looking good.

Looking great mate, love his face so far

The face is superbly done.

Mike

Hi Tony,

As usual........ very well done!

Tony - the white chalk can be overdone if one isn't careful. Also it may look weird to an uneducated viewer who is Blackaddered into thinking WWI = muck everywhere. I would suggest being very restrained with the white and going for a very light dust approach. This clip from Birdsong represents the effect of the chalk well.

Looking forward to seeing what is next.

Colin

Tony,

A fine rendition, looks great! Just one observation, (on the sculpt, not the execution) but the angle of the chevrons look far too steep and a bit too high, if you compare to the pic of the tunic? Or maybe its me....?!

Steve

Thats looking very nice Tony!!!

Hi guys,

Thanks again for all your supportive and positive comments and the constructive advice.

Colin, thanks for the clip and the advice. I'm keen to do a light dusting, rather than a heavy mud treatment. I'm more interested in showing sweat stains than blood splatters.

Steve, I agree that the rank chevrons do look unusually steep in their angle. Once they are painted, I hope they wont stand out so much and will be less obvious.

Nice start Bro..........

looking forward to see him in the flesh all weathered up
Cheers Mate
Chris

Nice work so far, an excellent bust for sure-
Scott