"The Revenant" -- Prep #1a

The last major pre-prime hurdle is now behind me. . . The bust has been pre-mounted on its display base, and all is now set to accept the painted work. 

While I will do a quick color sketch on the "groundwork" to block in the colours and get a feel for the hues and tones prior to transferring the bust to its "final resting place", the groundwork will be painted in situ once the bust itself is painted and permanently mounted.

Let the final clean-up and finishing begin!!!

"The Revenant" -- Prep #1

The bust is now securely mounted on its working base, and I have filled the inscribed name of Ossorio that graced the ankh. Without the nameplates, this would be a potential source for misinterpretation (no context) by the "uninitiated", as well as a distraction.

The worst is now behind me! All that's left-to-do in the pre-prime prep is removing what seam lines there might be, and pre-mounting the bust on its display base. All projects should be so easy and straightforward!!

More to follow. . .

Project title

It has been decades since I've had to work with Latin to any great degree; and even longer since it was part and parcel of day-to-day life, so I am unabashedly stumped to come up with a "correct" title for my revenant project. . .

This is what I have to date. . .

Miles Christi spiritus funesto (or should it be funestus???)

which translates as: "Soldier of Christ (reference to any crusader, but in particular the Military Orders) deadly spirit (spiritus was used at least through the 13th c. to describe a ghost or revenant)"

If anyone is up to speed with their Latin, and would like to comment and/or suggest, it would be most welcome--and appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Augie

"The Revenant"

The title of this post is but the working title of my latest project. Hopefully, I will be able to come up with something more inspired by the time it is completed. . .

The subject is Quarantine Studio's newly-released 1/4 scale bust of a blind revenant of a medieval crusading Order (more on this later), sculpted by the inimitable William Paquet as an homage to the inspiration for this artistic tour de force: the first film in Amando de Ossorio's Blind Dead tetralogy, Tombs of the Blind Dead (La Noche del Terror Ciego). I've been a huge fan of this series since I stumbled upon it at a Blockbuster over 25 years ago; when I saw what William had come up with, I ordered it immediately!

Before delving into the bust, please indulge a brief quasi-historical meandering. The knights in these films are generally referred to as Templars; but in fact, this descriptive is not introduced until the second film, Return of the Blind Dead (El Ataque de los Muertos sín Ojos). In the first film, they are simply referred to as the "Knights of/from the East". The inferred identity is contextually fairly obvious, but it provides free reins to the creativity of the backstory, including the mystical cruciform device in the shape of an ankh.

Back to the bust. It is a one-piece casting that measures 10.5" in height. The casting is impec- cable, with minimal seam lines--I would suggest that when you do find them (and they are there!), you mark them lightly with pencil to give you a trail to follow. I should point out that the resin used is remarkably light in weight/density, which makes this sizeable bust a breeze to handle.

I would have considered doing this one straight OOB if not for the extended support for the bust itself that includes two in situ nameplates: the English version on the front, and the Spanish version (with a Templar cross!) on the back. These are extremely well-done (as one would expect), but therein lies the rub, at least for me: while I should be focused on the moldy, undead crusader, my attention is drawn to the nameplates at the base of the sculpture. . . !

I was able to remove the expanded base in short order thanks to the low-density resin, and the bust is now upon my bench awaiting final clean-up. I do intend to add some personal enhance- ments, but this will not come into play until the bust is completely painted and mounted on its display base, so the project itself will be "stock".

More to follow. . .