Advance to Arnhem 1/16 scale

[dazza]

WOW stunning !

[ARMORGUY]

Beyond paintwork!

[Steve Ski]

Sorry for the delay Gents.

Thanks Joe! You too Dazza, and Guy, thanks Bro!

[Steve Ski]

Feathering in the Shadows

Been a few days of plowing snow, but we are back at it!

Feathering in the shadows with this color tone is just like working whites and grays, that’s how it works for me. Playing with the tones to ensure a variation may only take just a slight mix in either direction, tonal wise. It’s not so difficult to make the uniforms “not so uniform” if you just play with it for a bit. Grant it, we ain’t there yet, but we will be, mue pronto. This is just the preliminaries.

During my feathering process there is just a slight amount of dark oils (just a small stripe) that is distributed into the tops of the creases, then a wet brush with thinner allows me to spread that thin line through out that crease. Darker portions remain under the fold while the lighter, feathered portions, are dispersed downward towards the lighter affected areas. Clear as mud, I know, but it works. Play with it, it works.





Next up, highlights and how I feather those into the mix. It’s gotta be wet to make it happen, otherwise it’s more difficult. The beauty of oils for me, they dry slowly 😉

A good dose of “Frampton Comes Alive, Do you feel like I do?” will bring it all round just right, lol. Guitar work is incredible, IMHO. Sometimes a ya just gotta relax with some good ‘ol tunes and have fun with the oils.!


More to follow soon. Cheers, Ski.

[JCON]

Looking good Ski!!!

[Steve Ski]

Tanks Bro!

[dazza]

Still magic to me how you do it !

[Steve Ski]

Jan 11, 2022 9:06:22 GMT -6 dazza said:

Still magic to me how you do it !

Just a lot of practice, Dazza, a lot

[Steve Ski]

Rolling along


Second trouser set is complete, for the most part. With minor alterations in the tones, we’re off and running. There’s still a few areas that need attention, but the glare from the lights on the oils can be deceptive, so we’ll let er rest a bit.

As before, the hands, rifle, (or Bren Gun), boots and anklets were worked and will be finalized after this initial coat dries. In an attempt to keep this train rolling I’ve been getting at least five hours a day working these figures, so it’s not a fast process. Why rush the fun, IMHO, right?




And of course, we have the pre-shading of the trousers for the next figure. Gotta keep this party on the move. Same process as before, nothing has changed. Tomorrow I will work this set of trousers, but I did pre-work the hands and added a darker tone for the shovel handle, as suggested by the knowledgeable historians in council.





This Bren Gun is in the preliminary stages, but I do need to go back and study the proper way to make this look real. It looks like it belongs to a 1/6th scale play figure right now, YIKES!



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

[JCON]

Well done Ski!!!

[Steve Ski]

Gracious Amigo!

[Steve Ski]

Breaking Protocol, woops!

Going against my own house rules I’m posting what will be, to come. You can never predict how a project will finally make presentation, unless you know something that I don’t, lol.

This set is incredible. After all this pain staking work, it’s beginning to flower as expected, which is pretty sweet, IMHO! There’s a bit of fiddling with the fit in the base, to be expected, but nothing that can’t be handled. Seriously, this is an incredible set, and now I’m seeing what I’ve envisioned months ago, woof!




We are quite a few weeks off from final, but the punch list is actually smaller than I had expected. I recon I can’t brag enough about the sculptor, but yall already know him. He’s earned his stripes, rightly so. Ruck On, Stevo!




I will continue working the third set of trousers tomorrow, run a complete finish on him as best as I can. Then off to that most difficult camo patten for the last figure. Sheeesh! I pray I still have the gumption to knock the ball outta da park, lol. This is a though pattern. It’s been the most challenging set I’ve faced, to date.

Let me say this with certainty, I’ve never seen such a good set portrayed with the intensity envisioned as I do here, and it’s just now beginning to show. I’m impressed, and it ain’t my brush work, it’s the sculptor’s work! Capturing the life actions of men in a real-life battle is a tough thing, especially in scale, but what a pleasure when we do, for historical sake, if nothing else. Ruck On, Steve!

Hope yall have enjoyed the pre-show, back to work I go! And did I say, thanks for watchin! Cheers, Ski.



P.S.  This last pic should set the mood quite appropriately.

[JCON]

Very cool!!!

[dazza]

Stunning work by the sculpture and yourself.

[Steve Ski]

Thanks Guys!

[JED]

Jan 3, 2022 4:44:07 GMT -6 dazza said:

Fantastic work I can't get my head around how you guys achieve the things you do.

I've just started a Tamiya 1/16 figure I've never done a figure before but I managed to pick one up cheap so thought why not ?

I've been on the net for tips and just about every video I've seen uses different methods 🙄 so for me at least it's a steep learning curve !

While i don't claim to be an expert Dazz but find a system which seams feasible to you and give it a bash, what can go wrong!!? With acrylics its pretty esy to scrub off and start again or just keep as a reminder of where you started. I've tried many different methods and still change what I do, in fact I often need reminders!! Every day is a learning day. Good luck

[JED]

Medal winner for sure Ski, amazing work

[Steve Ski]

Thanks, Jed.

[Steve Ski]

Major Update; Figure #2 and The Last Smock

I’ve been so busy trying to stay consistent at the bench I forgot to post progress photos, so here we go. The trousers, boots, and anklets for figure #2 have been completed. I also finished off the rifle and hands. Figure #2 is now set aside to dry completely and await the punch list, and that 5’o clock shadow, like the other two.

 
 


Ah, the last smock, yehaaaaaaaaa! This last smock was not nearly as difficult as I had expected. After working out a basic system of painting each color tone separately, the whole process sped up quite nicely. I worked the red tones first, then moved on to the green tones, saving the light tone for last.

This has been a challenging camo pattern to keep consistent and what I’ve learned is that you have to remember each color tone has to carry the shadows and highlights from one tone to the next. Sometimes you can get a little bug eyed during the process. It’s not like painting a regular uniform that has only one color tone. As you work your way around the figure you have to project the shadows and highlights within each small section. I found myself constantly pulling back to make sure the shadows and highlights were falling correctly and accurately.

This camo pattern may not be exactly accurate, but it has definitely been a learning process for me. Looking back there are a few things I would have done differently, but I’m happy with the results, so Ruck On we will.

 
 

Once I was satisfied with the initial pass for each tone, I immediately began to work the web gear. The smock still has plenty of detail to tend to, but the bulk of the work has been done. I still need to add the brush strokes and adjust some of the details, toning some down, highlighting others. Once the details are worked, I will go back to the arm and paint the hands, rifle, attach the arm to the figure, then clean up any details missed before working the trousers. So far, so good.

 
 


More to follow real soon. Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

[JCON]

Amazing work as usual Ski!!!