"The Face of Crime" - Painting: Oils - Black (2)

There were three black items waiting to be painted: the mourning armband; the shirt cuffs; and the shoes.

The armband is now done. While I was at it, I tweaked the finish on the pocket square.

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: Oils - Purple

Mistah J's suit is in a somewhat unique tone of Joker purple. While perhaps 'unique' for the color- ist, anyone who is familiar with 'sharkskin' suits will immediately recognize the target palette. . . 

The key to this iteration of "Joker purple" is temperature control vis-à-vis lighting. The trousers are decidedly cooler (read: bluer) than I anticipate the jacket to be: decidedly warmer (redder), but not dramatically so. . . more at a subtle temperature gradient hinting at 'sharkskin'.  

Phase 1 of the trousers is complete and setting. As with the u/c'ing, the application of oils went smoothly and predictably.   

UPDATE -  03.02.2020. . . Phase 1 of the jacket is now complete! This was surprisingly straight- forward--and enjoyable!! Let me just say that the key to achieving the envisioned results was the select application of Alizarin Purple. . .

I will now let the paint "settle" for a few days before proceeding with Phase 2: defining the outli- ning and shading, and controlling the lighting by enhancing select highlights. . .

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: UC'ing 2

There were two colors still in need of u/c'ing when I sat at the bench this morning: green (the tie) and white (the gloves, spats, and exposed forearms). The tie is now done; the whites will be ad- dressed as the oils of the surrounding colors are completed in order to minimize after-the-fact touch-up work. . . 

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: The Head (2)--Eyes

I blocked-in the irises with oils this evening. Too soon to render an opinion save that they're a so- lid foundation. I will probably take a by from the bench tomorrow (month-end), so hopefully they wil be ready to finish over the weekend. . . 

UPDATE -  02.02.2020. . . Save for glazing and final outlining, the eyes are DONE! 

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: Oils - Black (1)

I decided to leave the eyes for now, jumping to the black of the jacket collar, shirt, waistcoat, and pocket square. 

This was easily managed using the blacks at my disposal, as well as mixing a proprietary warm- ish black. Carefully applied, it was a breeze to paint--again underscoring the importance of proper canvas preparation--and application.

More to follow. . .  

UPDATE -  30.01.2020. . . The initial blacks are dry-to-the-touch, but still tackier than I'd like. The head will be permanently attached sometime this weekend. . . 31.01.2020--DONE!

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: The Head

With the body essentially undercoated, I was at a fork in the road: break out the oils on the body--or the head?  I opted for the latter.

The head was primed with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer-White. This would serve double-duty as primer and undercoat. And as I mentioned in the Priming posting, I intended to treat the head as a stand-alone 'sub-project'. . .

Phase 1 (basecoating the face) of the head is now done. This was an interesting--and enjoyable!--exercise in capturing the effect of a flayed face. I have followed the "comic" effect, as striving for realism would be not be very appealing.

Phase 2 will entail u/c'ing the hair DONE and the eyes DONE, as well as "highlighting" the white of the face IP and the teeth. . .

Stay tuned. . .  

UPDATE -  28.01.2020. . . The face is all-but done! I kept a loose, fluid, multi-media approach along the lines of my approach to Jessica, the Queen of the Prom. . . and I am very pleased!! The Joker is one of the few subjects where the head is decidedly the defining aspect, and this iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime takes this up more than a few notches. Thus it is easy to see why I elected to start with the face! 

I will tackle the eyes next; and once they are done to my satisfaction, I will proceed with the shirt (and waistcoat) as a preamble to permanently attaching 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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: UC'ing 1

With the figure primed, it was time to break out the acrylics. . . 

The purplish-violet is now done! "Joker purple" is a tricky color, and the blue-biased warmish tint of this iteration is especially so. The key is to do your research, and have the particulars of the color firmly imprinted in your mind. 

The time spent "prepping the canvas" yielded ample dividends: the u/c went on smoothly, and was eminently manageable. 

NEXT: the black. . . 

UPDATE -  26.01.2020. . . Save for the shirt-sleeve cuffs 02.02 DONE, the black is now done.

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

"The Face of Crime" - Painting: Priming

The figure is now primed! 

As I mentioned in the last (to-date) installment of the Prep arc, there remains some work to be done on the face/head before that can be primed; however, one of the advantages of having a se- parate head is that it can be treated as a stand-alone 'sub-project'. As long as the head is ready to paint by the time the oils are finished on the main figure, it's all good. . .

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