very, very nice Martin....

Thanks mate!

Cheers

Very brave conversion ! following

Ron

Glad to follow another one of your challenging and informative projects Martin!
I would not know how anyone can sculpt a cossack from now on without contacting you Martin!

Adrian

I am quite sure there are many - nevertheless Thanks, Adrian!

And "Thanks!" to You, Gordy!

Cheers

Great start Martin.
You know the subject of the Zaporozhie is very close to my heart... Make sure you a good job
It makes me happy to see the history of the Cossacks (and therefore my family) coming into the light so the world gets a taste of these proud people.

Thanks for the effort you put into representing them

Colin

Wonderfully constructed historical data, and how you have tied it together with the bust.

I'll be watching this journey Martin!

Also, thanks a million for your help with the WW1 Prussian uniform. It paid off with a silver medal at the Chicago show-my second year painting figs after a 40 year hiatus (I'm 53). Needed a hobby other than kids soccer,dance, fencing,etc.,etc. I'm having a great time so far, and will continue to as long as I remember "it's just a hobby".

Tony S


To honor those that serve through art.
www.tonystencel.com

@Colin: Thanks a lot, as you know I like their great history, too.

@Tony: I am glad to read this. Congrats!!!

10. Day, 31. October 2012

Today I have planned for the neck once more. In comparison to the yesterdays version …



… the nape now does not look any more so mighty what I like much more …:







And, finally, I have planned for the head once more.

I had considered long before how I should handle with the eyes nevertheless rather deeply lying in the head to make them a little more sculptural.

After several "Theres and Heres" I decided to use there sculpted pupils what lifts the eyes optically a little bit out.

Whoaa – this was a damned fumble, up to they were contented.

Moreover, I have sculpted the underlid under the (in the photo!) right eye more circular…:



And because I still had a little Milliput for the rest, Iwan Sirko’s walrus moustache was clearly extended.

I hope that these tiny thin beard points are preserved up to the End of the project and I will not break them off by mistake…:

Great Martin, your references cracks, the neck seems to me a bit tall, following.

Its like my own one...:





Cheers

Excellent, keep going

Again my friend, the neck is too tall, or take other pictures.
Nicht von unten nach oben sondern von oben nach unten.

Thanks mates!

11. Day 1. November 2012

The head is put aside – today a new detail comes to the row.

I have equipped Iwan Sirko with a peasant shirt with short standing collar. And these shirts were closed not with buttons, but by two cords in the neck.



Comrade Nikita Sergejewitsch shows us here the closed version – indeed, he carries the Ukrainian variation of this shirt, with embroidery decorates …:



Today I make the small cords.

I coil up four suitable small bulges from FIMO – then they are rolled up in pairs …:



After the usual baking time in the stove the things are hard and are brought with the scalpel on the right length …:



Tomorrow then the cords will be fixed to the body.

12. Day, 2. November 2012

Today there is only to report that I have stuck on both small cords at the collar ends of the shirt.

With the direction in which them "fall" I have orientated myself by like the cross on the breast hangs …:





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

And because this is a little bit, here a few words about the Zaporoshian Cossacks …:

The Cossacks are and were – even if this is accepted over and over again and is written – NO Russians!

They were from age own mixing people which consisted of run away serfs, Tartars, Ukrainians, Poles, Russians as well as Lithuanians, in the essential person who had any mostly good reason to escape from the feudal relations of her mother countries and to lead from now on a free Cossack's life.

The Saporoger are the oldest one of the Cossack's hosts – already in 1304 one of her Atamans, Kritikija, is in a document mentioned.

The Cossacks lived in an old democratic society, once a year they gathered and voted their leaders.

By the way, the word "Cossack" means nothing else but „free man“.

This elective head (Koschewoj Ataman) ruled during his government one year without limitation, during the war as a commander in chief, in the peace as judge.

To him there stood the oldest (Starschinas) aside who were the executors of his will. A written law did not exist, disputes were decided on the basis of tradition and precedences.

All Zaporoshians were equal together, and with it no household could hold a Cossack from his duties, unmarried state was a law.

When with the time the immigrations piled up and sat down families within the borders of the Zaporoshian country, the state changed only in this respect when the unmarried formed the ruling caste and were chosen only from them the members of the government.

They were together quite wild and also rough people, fond of drinking, with a quite rustic proprietary concept compared with the values of other.

They respected only each other.

The Zaporoshian Cossacks had her headquarters on the big – with means at that time impregnable - island Chortiza in the middle of the wide Dnjepr river.



The name "Zaporoshian Cossacks" is derived from the Russian words "Sa porogami" what means so much like „behind the cataracts“.



In her great times the Cossacks controlled not only the island Chortiza but also wide-situated regions all around, namely the so-called „wild field“, a political and military bad-weather area between the areas of the Ukrainians, Poland, Russian, Tartars and Turks who raised mutually on it claim and covered the area, therefore, often with war

The Cossacks always had to wangle way through, while they remained neutral or sometimes one, sometimes of the other side - never, nevertheless, however, the Turks! - granted help.

In hard times they always withdrew to Chortyza.

And de facto this old democratic community centuries formed a regular state which could be militarily conquered only by the Russian czarina Ekaterina II (Katharina the tallness) in 1775 and be dissolved.

There is the island Chortyza still today – even if the course of the Dnjepr by the big reservoirs, them the Soviet power builded …



… today differently looks …:



On the island there is a nice Cossack's museum, to remind at the great times time of these people…:



… and of course the museum constructions which feel, as it has looked there once, as the Cossacks still free people were …:



So much for today – nice week-end!

Curious to see the final result of this conversion! You're doing some interesting work , with good research.

Keep on going

Regards
Pedro

Many thanks to you, Colin, Gerard, Roger and Pedro!

Cheers

This is really good to follow

Very interesting history, thanks. I do not know much about cossacks, so following your thread is quite educational!

Just one remark about the eyes. I know it cost you a lot of effort, but for me just raising the iris does not quite work. I think it will look odd after painting, because of the natural shades that will be next to the raised part. My suggestion would be to leave the irises as they are, but to also raise the rest of the eyeball. The original eyes were a bit to deeply sculpted in my opinion, and this will correct for that. I hope It is clear what I mean Martin. And feel free to ignore my comment...!

Cheers,
Adrian

Thanks Ken and Adrian!

@Adrian: If it does not work I will put 'em away...
Wee will see...

Cheers

Interesting conversion Martin... I have the bust you are using as the base for your project, cant wait to see how you approach painting when you get to it