WIP The Scribe by Alma-Tadema

[Ferris]

I think I mentioned I am a fan of the paintings of Lawrence Alma-Tadema.
After my Pompeii model I felt an urge to stick to the theme and do another one.
This time I opted for copying one of Alma-Tadema’s paintings directly.
I picked this one, titled “A Roman Scribe”:

It will be in the form of a box diorama in 54mm scale.
Construction is mostly done and painting is progressing rather rapidly.



More to follow soon. Soon-ish maybe.

Adrian

 

[Malkie]

An interesting concept, beautifully administered all credit to you.Will you be sculpting the actual figure?.

Malkie

 

[Nap]

Hi Adrian

We all enjoyed the Pompeii piece https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/pompeii-garden-finished.669710/

So I’ve no doubt this will be the same and it certainly is ,loving the painting so far on the piece

How long did the build take ...looks complicated!

Looking forward to seeing more

Happy scribing

Nap

 

[Ferris]

How long did the build take ...looks complicated!

Hi Nap,

Thanks.

About the build: Rather straightforward actually. Most complicated was to derive dimensions of the cabinet and decorations from the painting. Building the cabinet was the most involved, done with slices of MDF laminated with styrene sheet. I got a 2nd hand miniature saw table and this greatly facilitated building something like this. The trimming at the top is a sandwich of styrene strips.The back wall is just two pieces of MDF.

I find it so much easier to copy something from a painting, than to ‘invent’ it. The original artist already did all the hard work of thinking about composition and colours. I can fully focus on the painting!

Thanks for watching in!

Adrian

 

[Ferris]

Will you be sculpting the actual figure?.

Nope, not this time. The figure is a commission work….will post that soon!

Thanks Malkie.


Adrian

 

[BRAN]

It's really extraordinary to be able to do this, I'm a fan of your work Adrian, well done!!

 

[NigelR]

Another interesting project and the progress so far is amazing, the finish on the walls and the artwork is just superb. Very much looking forward to more of this......

 

[Briggsy]

Fantastic concept, if you aren't careful this style could become your signature style! The base work is great, very neat and precise, do you intend the box frame to be the same as the painting?

Simon

 

[Ferris]

do you intend the box frame to be the same as the painting?

Hi Simon,

I am still considering this, but think I’ll decide against it. I find it a bit overpowering and it will be a lot of work to make. I think I’ll be settling for something more constrained and ready-made.

Cheers
Adrian

 

[Pedro]

Now there's a thing that i'll follow with my eyes wide open. Thank you Adrian

 

[blaster]

Hello Ferris

An excellent build and choice! I look forward to the finish !!

Rgds Victor

 

[Oda]

O.K Adrian,seriously you have to stop this and I mean right now! Pompei almost made me quit modelling and now this!!!!! Huge Preraphaelite fan myself and equally huge Ferris fan it seems.No words enough for your new Masterpiece!!!!

Oda.

PS: You have even achieved replicating the muted down colours of pre industrial paints.You should seriously consider publishing a book with your works.

 

[clubcat]

Super, you have really captured the essence of the original. Bravo.
Melanie

 

[MalcC]

This is going to be great, it's got Wow factor written over it already.

Malc

 

[Steve Ski]

What an excellent subject, Adrian, impressive. The depth of that painting is incredible and life-like, and your build is holding the line most excellently. You are kickin that bar just a little higher each time you do these things. That's ok, we need a swift kick every now and then, HA!

I'm standing by for the figure work, Ruck On!

 

[Ferris]

replicating the muted down colours

Thanks for your very flattering comment Oda!
A book is an intetesting idea, but it sounds like a lot of work!

And thanks as well for noticing about the muted down colours. In the original painting, the figure stands out and is in bright colours, while the background consisting of cabinet and wall with frescos are in low values and muted down hues. I really needed to capture this, otherwise the figure would drown in the ‘busy’ background.

Thanks all for watching in, commenting and liking.

Cheers
Adrian

 

[snik]

Beautiful start!!! I love your idea!!!

 

[Ferris]

Thank you for your responses so far!

Here’s a short update on my progress.

I’ve been thinking about the floor and think I figured out how to do it.
First step was to understand the mosaik pattern. I tried to reproduce it on paper and derive its dimensions.
Next challenge was to find a way to make it look like a mosaik, without actually reproducting it with about 10,000 miniature tiles.

I am going to try and paint it.
I base-coated the floor, a piece of styrene sheet, in a brownish grey colour, in value about halfway the light and darktiles. This will be the colour of the joints.
Masking tape indicates the main features of the mosaik pattern and serves as a painting guide.
Then I am going to paint the individual mosaik tiles using a Series 7 #1 brush.
After trying a small patch I think this will be tedious, but do-able.

Will keep you posted.

Cheers
Adrian

 

[MCPWilk]

Very impressive modelling.

Mike

 

[Malkie]

The mosaic really looks the part, but you have set yourself a mammoth task. But on saying that you know exactly what you want and how to strive to achieve it, a credit to you.

Malkie