Judge Death - Painting (VI): Right Pauldron

Judge Death's right pauldron is a caricaturish pterodactyl, obviously the Deadworld's counterpart of the Street Judges' eagle. And it is brilliantly rendered in miniature, provided as a one-piece(!) casting.

I modified mine slightly as I wanted a more natural drape to the tail; and if you recall I had some restorative repair work to do on the right leg of the pterodactyl. I only mention this to underscore the fact that this is a rather fragile and delicate piece. Thus, once I had it undercoated (Vallejo GoldBrown), and stained the dorsal surface of the pterodactyl (underside of the pauldron) with a Raw Umber/Mars Black grisaille, I went ahead and permanently attached it to he figure. I'll be the first to admit that I probably jumped the gun on this one, but it's definitely workable--and much safer!

This first phase was concluded by applying the aforementioned grisaille to the ventral surfaces and quickly blocking in the values throughout the morphology of the flying reptile. Once it is completely "dry", I will "block" in the oils. 

This--and all the DWC figures I've worked on to date--require one to think outside the box, and dig deep into the "bag of tricks" for techniques and approaches that have long been mothballed. This alone makes them a 5-star "canvas" for this miniaturist!

More to follow. . .  

UPDATE 08.07.2014. . . Phase 2 of the right pauldron is done! A bit tight to work around in spots, but nothing to fret over. I definitely recommend painting the dorsal surfaces first and then permanently attaching the pauldron before proceeding with the rest. . . if for no other reason that it will integrate much more readily with the figure rather than looking like a separate little model attached as an afterthought.