Joker - Arkham: Painting--Oils III - The Face (1): The Eyes, etc.

The eyes--sans pupils--and the deep eye-shadow umbrae are now done! It truly is a testament to the quality of the sculpture and casting that this was one of the easiest set of eyes I have ever painted!!

I also applied a light grisaille of  black around the lips and the deep folds of the upper lip--pre-shading, if you will. I then blocked-in the red of the lips, taking special care around Cupid's bow; and base-coated the eyebrows. . . 

Movin' right along. . . 

FOLLOW-UP. . . Phase I of the face is now essentially done! The next step is finalizing the straitjacket before transferring the bust to its permanent display base.

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

Atlantean Warrior--and mount

Those of you that know me know that I love the open water and its inhabitants. Hence, it should come as no surprise that I am very much looking forward to the December release of Aquaman. When I first heard that Jason Momoa has been cast in the titular role, I was not exactly jumping for joy; but after seeing him in Justice League, I was sold! This may be the first movie I've gone to see since The Dark Knight Rises in 2012!!

The concept art and the occasional still have begun to make their way onto the Web, and I am very excited--especially given the extent to which the denizens of the deep have been embraced and incorporated into the storyline. Which means that some of the toothier amongst them will have a prominent presence. . . in short, SHARK RIDERS!

There are two protagonists with their mounts already announced by Mattel in their movie tie-in action figure line: Aquaman and a Great White, and Nuidis Vulko and a [Great?] Hammerhead. The sharks could be modded and brought up to "standard", if one were so inclined--and for the latter, I might still consider it. But for the Great White, one can do no better than Pegasus Hob- bies' 1/18 scale (90mm) Great White Shark! 

This is a magnificent rendition of this mega-predator! The only drawback is the fact that the shark itself is cast in semi-hard vinyl--albeit flawlessly, and there will be quite a bit of seam-work (joins) to muddle one's way through (all the fins, the head, the jaw, etc.). That being said, anyone with a modicum of experience with vinyl should have no problems whatsoever.

I have one kit of the Great White, but it has already been spoken for, project-wise. So I was sur- prised to see that this kit is getting somewhat difficult to come by--and priced accordingly. I found one for a reasonable price, but if you are interested in this kit, I would not think about it too long.

More on this project in the months to come. . . 

“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--Oils - Intermezzo I

In order to let the bust itself rest, I spent the remaining time this evening working on the hand. The main focus was the blade of the straight razor, or, more appropriately, cutthroat razor. This was given two or three wet coats of Vallejo black, allowing each preceding coat to dry before applying the next. 

Once that was done, I applied a grisaille of Vallejo black over the entire hand, creating a tonal landscape over the white primer. Once this is thoroughly dry, I will decide whether to continue applying acrylic grisailles, or paint it in oils. 

Movin' right along. . . 

“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--Oils II - The Scrubs--and the Neck!

There are two major "sub-canvases" that comprise this piece: the straitjacket, which was done yesterday; and the head/face/flesh. Normally, I would have done this second "sub-canvas" next, adhering to the painting version of "Hund's bus seat rule"; however, the unique flesh-tone allows me to do the collar and the neck at one sitting.

The scrub's collar is done in institutional orange, using Liquitex Cadmium-Barium Red Light as a base. The inner surface of the collar is in turn shaded with the addition of Payne's Grey--not very carefully, I might add. The resulting mix is then methodically feathered and drawn-up the neck as a dry grisaille that doubles as the shade. Nothing could be simpler!  

“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--Oils I - The Straitjacket

The entire piece revolves around the straitjacket; thus, very little real progress can be made until it is done. So let's get to it. . . 

The straitjacket is now done, "done" as in Phase I. If I decided to go no further, it would look fine as is; but keeping in mind that this is a dirty, grimy garment in one of the worse mental institu- tions for the criminally insane, it is, by definition, a Phase I application.

A brief note re: application. Straitjackets are made from heavyweight canvas. ergo a textured sur- face would be apparent. To achieve the hint of a texture, I stippled Titanium White thickened with Dorland's wax medium. Since Dorland's increases the translucency of the oil, a cool 'unbleached' bias due to the yellow gray uc is evident. Shading was done stippling the shade tones (Gamblin Black Spinel and/or Raw Umber) into the folds, and blending by drag stippling. Once the surface is dry, I can go back and apply wet stains, washes, and glazes to achieve the desired effect.

“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--UCing II

This morning, I finished the main uc'ing on this bust, namely the collar of the prison scrubs. After lunch, I will create a border of green along the hairline to frame the flesh. . . and that should just about do it. I will still have to undercoat the plinth, but this won't be painted until after the strait- jacket 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

"Dressed to Kill"--The Joker

Save for the eyes and the hair--and the usual final tweaks and touch-ups--this project can be deemed COMPLETED!!! 

I am going to try to finish at least Phase I of the hair over the weekend: if I can finish the hair by the end of the week, this piece should be in the display cabinet by the end of next weekend.  

Hitherto, I've had two favourite pieces: the "Queen of the Prom" and my "original" bust of the Red Skull. "Dressed to Kill" now joins this exalted company to round-off the "terrible trio".

“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--UCing I

With his dapper alter-ego hell-bent on the finish line, it was time to begin addressing the needs of the psychotic inmate.

Given the relative largeness of this piece, I thought I'd begin with the straitjacket. This could have been a rather daunting undertaking, but fortunately I had an unopened bottle of Polly-S Fantasy's Yellow Gray. This is one of my all-time favourite acrylic colours: the acrylic version of Liquitex Parchment with a slightly green-ish bias. 

Next, I touched-up the face which I had lightly over-primed with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer-White.

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--Home Stretch

In spite of the amount of work remaining, the piece exudes an all-but-finished aura about it. And, personally, I am delighted with what is before me. In fact, even at this relatively premature stage, it vastly exceeds any expectations I might have had!

Tonight will largely be an "off" night. That is not to say I may not tweak things here and there, but for the most part, I will let things settle and cure. . .

Oh, one final thing. You might recall that in the first posting of this thread I mentioned that I had revised the title of the project to accommodate the absence of Harley. Henceforth, this piece will be known as. . . Dressed to Kill.

FOLLOW-UP. . . Phase I of the eyebrows is DONE!

03.08.2018. . . The right eye is done. All that remains on the eyes is distressing and glazing. Phase I of the boutonnière 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

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

With the tailcoat done, I decided to take this project into the 'home stretch' and mount it on 

its display base. This could have gone "south" very easily; but it just felt right; and thankfully 

it worked out beautifully!

Assuming I have an hour or two to paint each night, this project may be completed over the weekend!

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 Joker "TwE" - Painting: Oils (III)--The Tailcoat

The tailcoat was a very simple process, much simpler than anticipated. I decided early-on that I would use Ivory Black with a touch of Liquin for the silk/satin lapels. The collar and the minute portions of the coat itself were primarily executed in Lampblack. 

“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--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