Monday, April 23, 2012

Hans Goerth - Update

A quick update on the progress of this bust from Mike Good and DML.  One of the beauties of the subject is the variation of a German Naval Uniform worn by our subject in the previously posted photo. I have no access to a color photo of the uniform or for that matter any color illustration. I have looked at a number of versions of this bust and one of my favorites painted by Lee Chandler back when the kit first came out was my primary inspiration.

I started with the shirt, by painting a mixture of Raw Umber and Titanium White with some patches of pure Raw Umber in the shadow areas. This was blended wet-on-wet and the highlights worked with more Titanium White. Once dry I started on the jacket. A mixture of Lamp Black, Titanium White and a dab of Van Dyke Brown (for warmth) was painted over the whole jacket with patches of Van Dyke Brown and Mars Black applied in the shadow areas. This was stippled with a soft brush to blend the "panels" of color together. Once done I began to work the highlights with pure Titanium White until I had created all of my mid tones (shadow thru to highlight).

After drying, both shirt and jacket were worked over with thinned glazes of Titanium White to bring out the crisper highlights. These techniques are similar to the controlled work of acrylic painters these days but I dind that if thinned properly, the oils are even more effective for this technique. Lamp Black and Mars Black were used to paint the base tones of the cap bill and bow tie. Burnt Umber and Mars Black were mixed to make a base coat for the cap badge and pilots badge. Final details are next so stay tuned for the finished piece with a very cool little thematic name plate created on my computer.






2 comments:

  1. very nice finish,

    I think you have done the bust justice, he comes across as a dignified man,and the blending of the tones is subtle and well handled.

    Well done!

    Cheers

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  2. Thanks Jamie, I appreciate your comments. I'm quite happy with my progress so far. Looking forward to completing him and tackleing the next portrait piece.

    Jim

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