The Joker "TwE" - Painting: Oils--Intermezzo (I)

I did a little more work following yesterday's update, namely shading the neck and the neck cavi- ty/shirt collar. This was in anticipation of what I have just finished: the Joker "TwE" is now com- pletely assembled, with the head permanently attached to the torso.

That will be the extent of the work today. I will continue working on the face in the days to come, but the next major painting session will be the black tailcoat. Once that is done, I can then trans- fer the bust to its display base.

Getting closer. . .   

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Joker "TwE" - Painting: Oils (II)--The Flesh

As with the white garments, Mister J's flesh will be executed as a series of mixed-media stains/ grisailles over the white primer-undercoat. I have just completed Phase I, including the staining of the teeth and basecoating of the lips. 

At this stage of the process, the surface looks admittedly "rough"; however, the promise of what is to come is as plainly evident. 

Stay tuned!

UPDATE 30.07.2018. . . The left side of the face, save for glazing the eye, is essentially done! [NOTE: The greens (hair) will be tackled as a separate item.] And I am delighted!! Methodically staining a stark acrylic undercoat has definitely earned a place in the gamebook!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Joker "TwE" - Painting: UCing (III)

With the torso uc'ed, all that remained was the head. Whereas the one color to be applied below the neck was black, the only acrylic hue to be applied above it was green. [NOTE: the red of the lips will be applied in oils.]

And that is now done and curing in the oven. Save for the black of the tailcoat (100% oils), the remainder of the project will be a multi-media exercise. 

More to follow!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Joker "TwE" - Painting: Oils (I)--White Garments

With the torso uc'ed/"blocked-in", it was time to start playing with the oils. . . 

On this project, the whites are more of a stain/grisaille over the white primer-undercoat. This is more of an illustrative approach to maximize depth and volume vs. textile textures in the relatively small surface area provided by the scale. 

As of this writing, Phase I of the waistcoat is done. Stark highlights remain to be done: these will be done in acrylics once the oils are "dry". 

More to follow. . .  

FOLLOW-UP. . . Phase II of the waistcoat is DONE! The waistcoat has been effectively complet- ed, but now comes the multi-media tweaking that will maximize contrast and tonal variance on the achromatic canvas. . . The tweaking will be executed over the remaining duration of the pro- ject. 
 
“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Joker "TwE" - Painting: UCing (I)

The bust was primed in its entirety in Tamiya Fine Surface Primer-White. Using this superb pri- mer allowed me to kill two sub-steps with one spray session: the flesh and the non-jacket gar- ments were also undercoated as well as primed!

Thus uc'ing is largely limited to the black of the dress tailcoat. Which, given the opacity of black acrylic, is something to be undertaken with caution. I have just completed Phase I, which means 85-90% of the coat is undercoated--the remaining 10% (Phase II) will be the harrowing "cutting-in" of the coat to the white underlying garments. 

Stay tuned!

FOLLOW-UP. . . Phase II is DONE!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Joker - Arkham: Painting--Priming

The "Clown Prince of Arkham" is primed. Let the madness begin!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Joker - Arkham: Prep IV--Finishing

All the major work has been completed--the scrub "collar" is ideal! I am now down to final finish- ing and assembly. There will be some tweaking to be done to the fit and details on the straitjack- et straps prior to attachment, but this is little more than fine detailing. The only piece that will not be attached before priming will be the hand.

Almost done. . .

UPDATE 23.07.2018. . . The straps have been permanently attached. All that remains to be done on the straps are minor spot fills and seam integration. . . DONE

UPDATE 25.07.2018. . . Save for some minor tweaking about the hair and the dentition, the bust is ready to be primed. Priming is scheduled over the weekend. . . DONE

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Joker - Arkham: Prep III--The Collar

Some of you might recall that a significant aspect of my 'redesign' included sculpting the open collar of an Arkham jumpsuit. 

This is a bit of a tricky undertaking without a separate head. Initially, I decided to execute it in two lateral halves, which would afford me the most flexibility in when to attach it, with the least amount of complexity. 

And I had effectively completed the collar, but somethings were not right, not the least of which was the fact that visible areas on the collar and flesh would be unattainable to paint. So I care- fully removed the collar, and reassessed. . .

I have all but decided to go with an institutional scrub top--collarless. This will satisfy the thema- tic and chromatic requirements, as well as eliminate any of the painting "traps".  

Stay tuned! 

UPDATE 21.07.2018. . . The scrub "collar" has been roughed-in and finishing has begun. This is a much more suitable garment--practically and aesthetically! Should progress continue at this pace, Mista' J might be on the painting bench by the end of next weekend!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Kilowog -- Painting: Intermezzo I

With the figure undercoated, I strongly considered breaking out the oils, but I have yet to finalize the painting strategy given the size and weight of the subject. So, I returned to the workbench to work on the power ring.

The source of everything Green is given laughable short-shrift in the figure. If one wants to "con- vert" this to a "collectible figurine" (as opposed to a collectible pre-paint) then the matter of the power ring is a non-negotiable aspect of the restoration.

I roughed-in the emblem of the ring with MS, and then proceeded to carve it to shape. Once the emblem was a-b-d, I then finished the edges, and carefully restored the band. The gauntlet unit is now curing in the oven. 

Once cured, all that remains is final finishing; a final once over, and priming. . . 

Stay tuned! 

UPDATE 22.07.2018. . . The power ring and gauntlet unit have been finished and primed.

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Kilowog -- Painting: UCing

First of all, this is a relatively straightforward paint--as much for the undercoating as for the oils. In fact, save for the head/face, this would make an ideal first figure. Having said that, a caveat if I may. . . Over the past few years, I have heard comments about how heavy white-metal figures are. . . blah, blah, blah. . . and they were only talking about 80-90mm figures! Kilowog is pushing 120mm and it is primarily lead--solid lead! Minus the gauntlets, it weighs approx. 1.25 lbs.! If you decide to tackle this poozer, plan accordingly!

Anyhoo. . . the head/face and boots are now uc'ed and curing in the oven. I am looking at a total of three sessions to uc the main figure, so hopefully by the end of next weekend, I will be break- ing out the oils. 

UPDATE 14.07.2018. . . Session 2--the green singlet--has been uc'ed! The remaining black will be executed in 2 sub-sessions: a) the arms; and, b) the legs.

UPDATE 15.07.2018. . . Session 3 (a & b) is DONE! UCing has been completed!! 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Kilowog -- Painting: Prologue

The GL uniform--as well as the GL emblem!--has appeared in various iterations throughout the history of the Corps. As this is a representational depiction of Kilowog, I selected a version of each that I felt was most complementary to the sculptural representation. That being said, the exceptional quality of the clean sculpture allows the more adventurous and knowledgeable minia- turist willing to put-in a little work (disassembly, clean-up, polishing, careful reassembly) to make this figure his or her own. 

PS--The figure is primed, cured, and on the painting bench!

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Kilowog -- Prepwork DONE!

The prepwork is done; the figure has been washed; and it is now drying and pre-heating for priming. 

All that remains to be finished is the gauntlets unit. I am resculpting the power ring, so it may be as long as fortnight before this piece gets primed (Stynylrez White); but there is really no hurry as this will not be attached until the entire figure has been completed.

Stay tuned! 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

He's back, poozers!

Its been a rough couple of weeks, and I just want a straightforward project to lose myself in. . . 

Yesterday, I indulged in one of the most maligned superhero movies ever released: Green Lantern. I not only thoroughly enjoyed it, but got my inspiration for my next bench-resident, Kilowog.

I've had Eaglemoss's DCSHC Special Edn. #13 for over 6 years. In spite of its size and mass (remember, it's a "white metal" [read: lead] casting), this is one of the best EM castings I have ever acquired! Easily a solid A!! 

When we last left him, the prepwork was all but done; however, at that time, I intended to do him as a Black Lantern, so there was still a considerable amount of alterations, however minor, to be done. I just wasn't feeling the BL-achromatic vibe any longer, so I decided to do a straight rendi- tion of the GL of Space Sector 674. 

The mandible is now permanently attached. As before, the maxillae will be painted (interior) and attached post-priming, but before painting the head. 

More to follow. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

Asp

In 2012, I broached the theme of two Marvel super-villain teams, the Serpent Society (SSo) and the Serpent Squad (SSq). It was also my initiation onto the world of Eaglemoss's pre-painted collectible figurines. . .

The other day, as I was exploring the Eaglemoss Marvel and DC collections, I decided to order Blink (CMFC #97) as a potential base figure to convert into Maxine Hunkel, bka Cyclone, one of my favourite JSA characters for any number of reasons. But upon arrival (VG+ 4 pc. casting, BTW), it occurred to me that this figure would be the ideal jump-off for a conversion to Cleo Nefertiti, bka The Asp. Cleo was an Egyptian (human) mutant exotic dancer whose unique abilities attracted the attention of the SSo.

And so, for the time being, it appears that my Serpents project has been resurrected.

To date, I have begun reworking the hair; reworking the breasts and bodice; and resculpting the shoes. So far. . . so GREAT!
 
More to follow. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

RIP--CHARLES E. "CHUCK" ROBINSON (1944-2018)

This past Wednesday was a painfully sad day in the global figure-modelling community, for on July 4th, Chuck Robinson passed away at the age of 73. The worldwide hobby has lost one of its pillars... 

Chuck needs no introduction to the figure-modelling community--domestic or foreign! He was arguably the most well-known retailer of miniature figure kits in the world! And for the last two decades or so, he was a reliable vendor and collector of high-end, 1/6th-scale action figures. Not surprisingly, he was also a knowledgeable collector and agent of-and-for finished/painted miniatures. 

But most importantly, Chuck will be remembered--and never-forgotten!--for his humor, his generosity, and his devotion to his family, friends--and the hobby he made his own.  

I met Chuck in his first Atlanta Show in the early 80s--if memory serves it was 1983. Save for last year, I am hard-pressed to remember an Atlanta Show without Chuck! But I am even more hard-pressed to imagine what a show without Chuck will be like! As long as Chuck was there, the show was worth attending. As a consumer, it was Christmas in February! As a friend, sharing a cream soda with him, taking a smoke break, or covering his tables while he took a well-deserved breather--it made the show an "event". This is the sad end of an era!

I could go on--endlessly; but I prefer to reflect in private. Reflect on the loss first of a friend, but also of a colleague and a patron. You will be, you already are, missed! Rest in peace, Chuck-ie! On behalf of the readership of AMF, I would like to extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Donna and the family. 

AJR