och Steve,there is nothing wrong with that there are others things in the world pfffff
that is a great resin diorama

Aah, no worries, that was an easy fix, we're good to go.

Let’s Face It, Again!

Getting started on the faces is always a re-learn process for me, regardless of how many faces I’ve painted in the past. It may sound like a pain in the hinny, but I’m used to it and expect it. This process is not a negative approach, but what I would call a warm-up session. So, I pick the likely candidate to be the ginny pig, or “crash test dummy,” and off I go. It’s always “crash and burn” on the first paint fling, so crash test dummy would be the appropriate term, HA!



My mix for the flesh work is very simple, as you can see from the palette, Windsor & Newton Burnt Sienna and Titanium White. To the left side of this string of tones I also have a small run for Brunt Umer and another for Raw Umber. These two darker tones are used sparingly to give depth where needed, such as above the eyes, under the lower lip, under the chin, behind the ears, and the inside of the mouth. Very rarely will you actually see a solid black tone in real life, so I rarely if ever use it on my flesh work. Working each shade from dark to light on the palette I now have the basic mixes for the flesh work. Time to fling some paint!



With the colors laid out on the palette I run an initial pass with a very light and very thinned shadow tone in all the deep recesses, then come back and lightly spread, or fan, those out with a damp brush. This process really needs to be very thin and light or they will all become crash test dummies in a hurry! I use a mix of Ivory Black and Raw Umber. After the initial shadows are placed it’s time to work the main flesh tones.



I didn’t take any sequential photos of the process, because I really don’t like to disrupt the momentum once I get into the grove, it kills the flow. I have taken SBS sequential photos in the past on prior builds, so I won’t be doing that on the facial work here. I will again refer to Daria Callie’s oil painting videos for quick reference.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyGgRLbgcXjON9ZS5DaqMOQ

Yes, Daria works on canvas and we work three dimensional, but I find the concept is the same for oils. I found that by following the basic concepts of her approach I have eliminated a lot of the “heavy oiling”, or over painting, which can lead to a blotchy appearance if not corrected. If this video helps, good deal, and if not, forget about it.



There is still quite a bit of work to be done on both of these faces, such as feathering in more details, refining certain areas, but the initial passes have been made and the base tones will need to set up and dry for a bit.

One handy tool in the model bunker is the trusty Oven Cleaner. As you can see, this fellow is getting his bath for a re-do. Actually, this will be his second bath. It’s not uncommon to make three runs before I get back into the swing of things.




More to follow soon and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

Enjoying the painting lesson, nice to see the oils in use again.
Cheers mate
Steve

Great start, i agree, nice to see oils in use.

Malc

I see by his expression he knows whats coming, a long time since I painted anything in oils but I could almost smell the palette and even if you didn't like them all I liked what you painted.

Cheers Simon

Thanks, Gents!

Ya, Simon, this fellow has the look of, "don't let me go."

Feathering in the Details

Once the basic facial work has been done and the oils set up for a day or two, I go back over each face and add in more defined highlights and shadows. As you can see from the three faces, they are each in a different phase of this process. Number three just might get another oven cleaner bath, he’s looking pretty shabby, again, what a bummer.



Using a very minute amount of paint I apply in the desired areas and then feather it in using a damp brush. The feathering brush is barely damp at all. We just need the oils to feather into the surrounding areas for a smooth transition. If too much paint is added the work area may become out of cinque with the rest of the face and then it’s a fight to bring it back in without total distortion of the desired tones.



No names for these guys yet, but I’m working on it. This face above has a bit more red on the cheeks than is necessary and will be toned down slightly. There’s still quite a bit to do to just this face alone, but much of the fine tuning will be done in a few days.


More to follow soon and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

Your palette has brought out the character, the cheeks don't look too red in the photos.
The detailing is spot on.

Malc

Wow Ski those faces are great, but that poor fellas in the oven cleaner again, the pain of being a perfectionist, got to say I'd have been quite happy with it. Looking forward to this progressing.

Cheers Simon

Love to follow your work Ski, nice one
Steve

Wow, I missed the start of this one. This will be another belter, those faces look superb already!

they look great hé Steve you paint with oils ??? im not,always acryl ,I see it's going to be a wonderful piece again,
keep it up the very good work

Mario

Thanks, Malc. I'm having my doubts about the depth of these tones. I try not to overly exaggerate the cheeks or temple areas, etc. A lot more feathering will be required before I will call this one finished. Some of these areas need a smoother transition. I don't know, I might be over thinking it

Thank you, Simon. There always seems to be at least one face in the crowd that gives me a hard time, lol.

Thank you, Steve!

Thanks for following along, Nigel. Mucho apreciado!

Nice progress Ski, looking good so far.
Cheers
Steve

Thanks, Stevo, this is proving a lot of fun.

Thanks, Kevin.

A Little More Detail

Adding a few more minute details it appears the number two figure is pretty close. I added the helmet and took care of the leather work and buckles/clips. I also added in the 5 o’clock shadows. Number one will be touched up a little more before his helmet is attached, then off to work Number three.



More to follow soon and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.


P.S. We now have names for these guys; #1 is Walt, #2 is Bruce, and #3 is Luke.

they are looking great hé, soon it will be done ,enjoy
Mario

Looking good Ski, the faces are great and the helmet really good, as to the names, fair but Emerson, Lake and Palmer would have been my choice!

Cheers Simon