“JUSTICE” – Judge Joseph Dredd

"JUSTICE" -- Judge Joseph Dredd: Epilogue

As I said in the concluding posting of this project, this has been an awesome project! And the main reason for that is that this is what I like to call an "onion figure". 

What is an "onion figure"? That is a figure that can be appealing to--and modelled by!--miniatur- ists of virtually any level. A beginner can take the figure at face value, and with basic skills and a relatively simple palette, achieve results that they would be proud to call their own. By the same token, advanced miniaturists can 'peel the onion' as far as they deem fit, and wring out every nu- ance afforded by the masterful design and sculpture. The outcomes will vary, but I can assure you that the satisfaction derived from the doing and the finished piece will be very similarly gra- tifying.

Before closing, a hint for anyone contemplating doing this figure: paint the head completely before permanently attaching the head to the torso. In retrospect, I backed myself into some- what of a corner by having to maneuver around the raised right arm. It is certainly doable--but it would have been a lot easier to attach the completed head once done.

Judge Dredd - Painting (VIII): The Home Stretch

Dredd is now mounted on its permanent display pedestal! And as such, the project can be deemed completed. 

That being said, the helmet remains to be done. This will be a modular sub-project executed over the next 72 hours. Once the epoxy has cured and set, I will undercoat the helmet. If time--and inclination!--permit, I will then attempt to work the red trim tonight. Once that is done, it's just a matter of finishing the helmet.

This has been an awesome project! In closing, I have heard any number of 'comments' re: the price point of the DWC kits. All I will say is:

1. You need to check the current price of like-scaled figures. . . DWC's prices are very competitive. And. . . 
2. This figure more than lives up to its price point. In fact, it far exceeds "bang-for-the-buck" expectations. . . as long as the goals that you are setting for yourself and the figure will require more than a casual weekend to realize--and you have the chops to execute!  

I have scheduled a photo-shoot for Dredd and The Rhino on Wednesday or Thursday. Images of both will be posted by Monday latest.

UPDATE 10.02.2014. . . Save for the final glazing of the visor, and any points of detail that might have been overlooked in the preliminary once-over, "JUSTICE" is done! Sidebar note: Given the difficulty of achieving a glass-smooth compound surface of moderate size in a smaller scale, I decided to give Dredd's helmet a slightly textured finish. It provides that added touch that grounds this rendition on "our" side of the reality fenceline.  

Judge Dredd - Painting (VII): Wrapping-up

The steps that comprise the wrapping-up process were launched a week ago. While there is still LOADS to be done, the sooner I got into outlining, etc. the sooner I would have an idea of what the finished product would look like and/or what needed to be done to have it look the way I envisioned it. 

30.01.2014 - I began outlining and deepening the shadows--in short, maximizing the sculptural detail and flow through visual relief, focusing on the gauntlets, the cartridge belt, and the jump- suit. And I am very, VERY pleased!!! Yes, the figure is based on the comic book Dredd, but the appearance is very believable, and the finish realistic. . . PERFECT!

04.02.2014 - Buckle undercoated. For those of you unfamiliar with the uniform of a Judge, the belt buckle is an escutcheon of the US arms on the breast of a gilt eagle. 

05.02.2014 - The white metals are done! (see here)

06.02.2014 - The white stripes on the buckle are done. The lightning-bolt reflections of the visor are all-but-done. Both are now curing under the lamp, and I will hopefully be able to proceed with the reds tomorrow. . . And to make the most of the opportunity, the daystick and the Lawgiver have been given their first dry "stain" of black. . .

07.02.2014 - The red stripes on the buckle are done. I also began to apply the tonal washes (oils) to the yellow metals, which I will then follow-up in the next 72 hrs. with a super-highlight session. And I continued the outlining and shadow-deepening, veering into the range of blacks as planned. Finally, I painted the ocular on the Lawgiver's sight.

Judge Dredd - Painting (VC): The Metallics, pt. 3/ Conclusion

"Conclusion" is perhaps somewhat of an overstatement since the gilt escutcheon of the helmet remains to be done, but this is more of a final detail than a "step" per se.

I finished the "white" metals today: the Lawgiver MK1 and the daystick. This was a straightfor- ward application of Gunze-Sangyo Mr. Metal Iron, which once buffed out, was highlighted with Mr. Metal Stainless Steel. I will let this set for a few days before picking out the details with black/ brown/blue oils, and overpainting with Mars Black, respectively.

Movin' right along. . .

Judge Dredd - Painting (VI): The Groundwork, pt.2

Today is by and large an 'off day' for painting to let things dry, etc. So I decided to spend some quality time with the groundwork. And to this end, the eagle plinth is now permanently attached to its display pedestal! 

I think I will leave well enough alone, and resume painting on the morrow. With respect to the plinth, this means the exposed, battered stone. Insofar as the figure is concerned, I hope to be able to finish undercoating the remaining primed surfaces by Wednesday night at the latest. 

Stay tuned!

Judge Dredd - Painting (IIIB): The Green Gear, pt. 2

Phase 1 of the boots and knee-pads is now done!

One would think that the boots would be a breeze to paint, but for this miniaturist they were as trying as the cartridge belt! Again, it all depends on your vision for the items and how much mileage you are willing to squeeze-out of the impressive foundation. 

Speaking of which, as with the items in part 1, these will definitely be revisited once the oils settle to get the most out of the "landscape".

NEXT: The Helmet and the Daystick. . . 

Judge Dredd - Painting (VI): The Groundwork, pt. 1

As it is a bit late to jump into the boots and kneepads, I thought I would use the time to start work on the "groundwork". 

If you recall, this is an extensively reworked Kabuki Models’ Eagle Rock Plinth [NOTE: though still available from any number of retailers, Kabuki Models has apparently discontinued their line of plinths.] that is representative of an Eagle on the Grand Hall of Justice in Mega-City One: I made any number of enhancements that reinforce the Judicial theme.  

My vision of this presentation is that of Dredd on top of a battered, gilt stone eagle topping one of the towers of the keep of the Great Hall. While hardly original (think Batman on a gargoyle), it is most effective!

Painting would be the most challenging aspect of the execution: how to best depict weathered and battered gilt stone? For this challenge, I elected to try metallic acrylics, Andrea's to be precise. And while I have only completed Round 1 of the painting (initial gilding), I think this is going to turn out rather nicely. 

Round 2 will tackle the exposed, battered stone. . . Stay tuned!

Judge Dredd - Painting (VB): The Metallics, pt. 2

The yellow metals are now done! At least Step 1 is. . . As before, once the inks/lacquers are cured, I will go back and create deeper tones with oils in situ, finishing it by selectively punch- ing-up the highlights with printers' inks. 

I can't say enough about the dividends that varying the yellow metals will yield! Think of your me- tallics as the catchlights of the figure and vary them accordingly to create the visual flow that you have envisioned. 

Assuming there are no surprises to be stumbled upon as the day unfolds, the right pauldron will be permanently attached before calling it a day. DONE!

More to follow. . .

Judge Dredd - Painting: Intermezzo

Save for the right pauldron, Dredd is now completely assembled! 

Movin' right along. . .

Judge Dredd - Painting (VA): The Metallics, pt. 1

While a relatively small element of a Judge's uniform, the metallic components absolutely define the tone and presence--to say nothing of the character!--of the figure and subject.

I began with the left pauldron. This was undercoated in Polly-S Bugbear Fur (cf., the right paul- dron was undercoated with Vallejo Gold Brown). I then "scrubbed" Gunze-Sangyo Mr. Metal Gold lacquer until I achieved the depth and tone I was looking for: the pauldron was then permanently attached to the torso. This is but Step 1. Once the lacquer is cured, I will go back and create deeper tones with oils in situ; and finish it off by selectively punching-up the highlights with lacquers and printers' inks. 

More to follow. . . 

FOLLOW-UP. . . Left pauldron done! Right pauldron has been "under-stained" (read: grisaille) with a mix of Raw Umber and black.

Judge Dredd - Painting (IV): The Face/Head

The face and Phase 1 of the helmet visor are now done! Assuming that all is as envisioned, I will be able to permanently attach the head to the torso tomorrow, Thursday latest. 

More to follow. . . 

NEXT: Assembly. . . and the Green Gear, pt. 2. 

UPDATE 29.01.2014. . . As a result of a most egregious dereliction of duty by local govern- ment/s, the metro Atlanta area is now effectively shut down due to what can only be described as a minor snow event. Time to break out the lemonade! After some minor touch-up work, the head is now permanently attached to the torso. If circumstances permit, I will begin glazing the visor later today. . .

FOLLOW-UP. . . Phase 1 of the glazing has been completed! So far so good. . . 

Judge Dredd - Painting (IIB): The Jumpsuit, pt. 2

The torso was painted late last night and it is now complete(!)--save for the metallics (badge and chain), of course. . . 

A productive but exhausting weekend that will probably mark the end of my brush work through  midweek. I am going to try to begin work on the face/head tomorrow if possible, but I ain't holding my breath. . . 

Finally, the base/groundwork is primed and undercoated. Having that available to paint should provide the filler activity needed to see this project through to completion.

Stay tuned!

Judge Dredd - Painting (IIIA): The Green Gear, pt. 1

Phase 1 of the cartridge belt, the elbow pads, and the gauntlets is done! So far so good. . . 

The base colours for all the green gear will be formulated around Grumbacher's Pre-Tested Chrome Oxide Green (Opaque): IMHO, the best COG on the market. 

The cartridge belt is one of the more trying items that I have painted in a v-e-r-y long time. For starters, there is the scale. Then, there are the TEN (!) individual pouches. Finally, the fact that, 
in the absence of the torso, there is no value context. I know that I will have to revisit these once the torso is permanently attached; but, for now, I am delighted!

The gauntlets and the elbow pads were a very pleasant surprise: they simply "took" to the paint! These will definitely be revisited once the oils settle a bit to get the most out of the sculptural foundation.

NEXT: The Torso. . .

Judge Dredd - Painting (IIA): The Jumpsuit, pt. 1

In spite of a brutal day at work, with but three weeks left to go, it was definitely not the time to wait for a more opportune moment. . . so the legs of the jumpsuit are now done! As is my wont of late, I paint fully intending to revisit once everything is done to deepen shadows, punch-up highlights, and, in general, do a wet outline with variable blending. 

The question now is what to do next? Do I proceed with the upper half of the jumpsuit? Or do I block-in the inside of the cartridge belt and buckle first and set aside to dry, so that when the torso is done, I can then assemble the body halves the next day. . . hmmm. . . 

Stay tuned!

FOLLOW-UP 25.01.2014. . . Recent developments at work have forced a re-consideration of what lies before me. Firstly, there is now a very strong possibility that Dredd will not be complet- ed by the Show. If I am to avoid that, my painting strategy must be a model of precision and timeliness; thus, I have decided that my next step will be to paint the cartridge belt and the gauntlets in their entirety. Next I will paint the torso of the jumpsuit, and set aside to dry. I will then begin work on the flesh and the underside of the helmet; and hopefully, I will be able to assemble the three principal subassemblies the following day. We'll see how this pans out. . . 

OFF TO WORK!!!

Judge Dredd - Painting (I): U/Cing

The painting of Dredd has FINALLY begun!!! 

While I didn't get far, the foundation piece--his jumpsuit--is now done. I am very pleased with how it turned out: I used a roughly 60-40 mix of Vallejo Black and Reaper Midnight Blue, and the achieved undertone is perfect for what lies ahead!

NEXT: the boots and gear!

UPDATE 22.01.2014. . . Dredd is now undercoated (nb: The "white" metals are still in primer, as is the helmet.)! I used Andrea's American Uniform/Olive Green from their first series of paints for the boots, gauntlets and gear--an ideal green with just a hint of blue bias. 

To be continued. . . 

The Rhino - Painting (V): Wrapping-up

The Rhino is now effectively done! Done, yes. . . but his vacating of the bench is still days--if not weeks!--away. I fear there will be many a tweak and touch-up to be done before Aleksei can officially be retired to the cabinet--or transferred to the display table!

But for now, I can at least shift my focus exclusively to Dredd! I will hopefully be able to start with the oils this weekend.

Back to the bench!

UPDATE 09.02.2014. . . THE RHINO IS DONE!!! Images to follow by next week. . .

"JUSTICE": Judge Joseph Dredd--Priming

Dredd is now primed! At least I was able to check-off one of the things on the to-do list in what has turned-out to be pretty much a wash-out of a weekend. . .

There is a remote possibility of being able to get the UC'ing underway before calling it a day, but I am pretty much resigned to not breaking out the acrylics until tomorrow. In the meantime, I will continue working on the display pedestal. . . 

A little under five weeks to go. . . !

FOLLOW-UP. . . The display pedestal is finished! I am going to hold-off priming until next week- end (the long one!) to ensure that I didn't miss anything, but the workbench is pretty much in the rear-view mirror of Dredd's Lawmaster. . . FINALLY!!

"JUSTICE": Judge Joseph Dredd--Intro

Being oh-so-close to priming as I am, I thought it was time to get the ball rolling on the painting portion of the project. . .

Firstly, I will say that this will be rendered as originally conceived; i.e., with a black/blue-black uniform. I will probably custom-mix my black to give myself a little more flexibility in my tonal shades, as well as provide a more vibrant appearance to the figure. While most of the artwork shows the Judges' jumpsuit as a medium to royal blue--with the de rigueur hard-edged shading in black, as in so many cases in the Silver and Bronze Age of Comics, what we the readership see is the result of artistic deliberation and/or concessions to the limitation/s of the printing process, not necessarily the conceptual canon. To further complicate matters, Dredd was originally published in B&W: he would not be graced with full-colour until Fall 1988 (Prog 589), over 11 years after his introduction in Prog 2!

As with most venerable comic book icons, points of detail are as varied as the artists behind them. For example, most of Dredd's gear is usually depicted as a tone of Chrome Green; but there have been any number of instances where his elbow and knee pads have been yellow/ ochre/buff. As of this writing, I haven't decided which colour/s I will use. . .

So much for that. I hope to have whetted your appetite for the visual feast around the corner. And any comments, especially from our die-hard 2000AD fans, are most welcome!