How to paint battered bronze

Hello friends and fellow hobbyists,

Before I continue with this article I would like to express my feelings:
I CAN'T STAND THIS HEAT!!!
Okay now that I got that off my chest, we can continue... Thank you for understanding.

Some of you have seen my painted version of Achilles by Young Miniatures and I've gotten a ton of compliments about how I painted the bronze armor. I did take some pictures of the painting process but not really step by step.

Luckily, I also had a bust of Hector, by the same company, and in order to tie them together, I wanted to paint some elements the same way. The center relief on the shield was the perfect spot for this.

Materials I used for this paint job:

• Scale75 matte black paint (depending if you want to start with a dark base) 
• Scale75 Ancient Gold
• Synthetic brush (size 2) 
• Van Gogh oil color Ivory Black
• Thinner
• Blister sponge

Now you can start this particular technique in two ways, depending on if you want a darker or lighter end result. I wanted to match the dark armor on my Achilles bust, so I started with a black basecoat. If you want to create a lighter bronze look, you can best start with a dark gold or bronze base.

(PS: I apologize for the horse nudity, but that is how it was on the original movie prop)

Okay, but since I wanted to match with Achilles' armor, I started with a black basecoat, just regular matte black acrylic paint from Scale75.

Since we will also be working with oil paint, and thus will also be using some thinner, you might want to protect your paint job with a coat of varnish. I did it without varnishing my paint job since I've done it before with these paints and didn't have any problems.

So If you started with a gold basecoat, you can skip this following step once! It is time to stipple on some gold. For this, I use an irregularly ripped blister sponge to sponge on some of the Scale75 Ancient Gold. Try to make it look as random as possible by using different angles and twisting and turning your sponge.

As you can tell from the above picture, it does create a nice texture, but it looks way too bright! What I like about this technique is that you will hit raised surfaces and larger flat area's, but the crevices next to the detail won't get touched by the gold so much. Next step is to tone down that bright gold. people who started with a gold base and thus skipped this previous step can chime back in now!

Now get some of the black oil paint and put it on a piece of cardboard. This will suck out some of the oils, which makes it easier to work with. Next, get some of that black paint and put it over the previous (partially) gold layer. Don't freak out if it covers your gold completely! Just get some thinner on your brush and work the black paint around on the model until some of the detail from the previous layer starts to show through.

From this point onward, just repeat the previous two steps for a while until you're happy about how it looks. From this point, I did two or three more layers, each layer creating more depth because you keep seeing some of the gold from the underlying layers and you're creating an actual texture to the surface that you're painting.

Okay, so at this point, I'm pretty satisfied with how the embossed relief looks. It might be a little darker than the one from the movies, but it ties in really nice with the armor of Achilles. To give it a little individuality I decided to paint on some verdigris. This is the greenish oxidation or rust that you sometimes see on bronze statues. To make this, I mixed some green and turquoise together and applied it randomly in the crevices where I thought it looked nice.

There you have it! You can, of course, use this technique for different kinds of metallics, but I especially like it for this aged and worn bronze.

I hope you found this little tutorial useful and if you did or want to see more tutorials like this be sure to leave me a little comment down in the comment section.

Untill next time!

MOAR ORCS!

Hello friends and fellow hobbyists,

recently I shared an article showing the Orc Champion V1 by GT Studio Creations. In this article, I want to quickly cover his two siblings, the Orc Champion V2 and the Orc Female Champion.

Not a lot of companies sell female orcs. I think that this is because most universes in which orcs live, orcs are created or spawned, so they don't have a need for female orcs. Now the GT Studio Creations' orcs have a lot in common with the Warhammer orcs. Both in looks and in the fact that they do have female orcs.

The GT Studio Creations' female orcs aren't just females but also fierce warriors who fight alongside with their male counterparts. There are orc female queens, champions, warriors and wolf riders. They are, however, a little bit smaller and less bulky compared to the male orcs.

The cast of this Orc Female Warrior is super clean! There was a little flash on the weapon and I had to clean up the resin vents but other than that there were no issues to fix or moldlines to remove.

The Orc Champion V2 had some mold lines on the hammer and also some gaps where the arms connect to the body, but nothing a little putty and a quick scrape with a sharp blade won't fix. It is still a very imposing looking orc!

The Orc Champion V1 and the V2 are based on the same figure. Basically, the two models only have different arms and a different head, but the changes are significant enough to change the entire stance of the mini. And when I say mini, I don't really mean mini, because this bad boy is 60mm high, while in the 1/48 scale range.

I really like the Orc Champion V2 because of his collar. I was building a base for the V1 champion, but changed my plans and will use the V2 for this base instead! The fact that the two miniatures have the same legs and torso makes this easy!

I guess that concludes this article. For now, I have nothing more to say about these figures.

I will continue working on my vampire creature bust, Kahl-Agul, by Karol Rudyk and I need to find him a good plinth to display him on when he is done.

Until next time!

Scale Model Challenge 2017

Hi guys and girls!

I will be visiting the Scale Model Challenge 2017 this Sunday, October 22nd, 2017! I'm hoping to meet up with friends, make new ones, and to bring back some loot, so stay tuned!

I hope to see you there! 

Tribal orc

Hi everybody,

In this article, I would like to show off my recently finished tribal orc. Officially, this is the first bust I painted that I consider being finished! 😜

I used a combination of acrylic paint and oil paints. It was the first time for me using oil paint like this and I must say that I really enjoyed using it and it made painting highlights on the skin a lot easier! The oil paints I used are the AMMO Oilbrushers. These have a nailpolish style bottle with a in-bottle applicator.

The bust is sculpted by Olivier Bouchet as an academic orc bust. I painted him for skin tone practice and to get out of my comfort zone. He is painted to be partially in darkness with directional highlights.

Academic orc bust with dark skin and white war paint

Light side of the orc with more warpaint
patterns on his shoulder

The blue "shadows" on the shadow side are
just to create something interesting to 
look at

If you guys would like to see work in progress pictures in a step-by-step article, also showing the techniques I used to paint him, please let me know in the comments!

See you next time and keep on painting!

Broken - by Trovarion

Hello, dear paint-sprayers and brush-lickers,

In this article, I want to show you guys and girls a beautiful little bust by Trovarion. Christoph Eichhorn, the person behind Trovarion, is a painter and sculptor. He has made many figures and bust that can be often seen on Putty&Paint, Facebook or at conventions and competitions.

The bust I got is a very cute, small bust of a damaged android. I haven't measured it but I'd say it's about 5cm high. The droid's right jaw and cheek (the viewers left) is damaged due to some unknown cause.

Front view of the bust

The undamaged side of the android

Shot of the damaged cheek

As you can see, the bust doesn't feature a lot of different textures, but it does have more than enough options for patterns or some nice weathering. Since there are not a ton of cool sci-fi busts out there this is a real gem! The original price was €25 but Christoph figured out how to get the price down to €21 for new buyers. Contact Christoph via the Trovarion Facebook page to check the current price and availability.

Well, that is all for this little review. I hope you enjoyed it as I will enjoy painting this little droid bust.

Thank you for reading and don't forget to keep the tip pointy and the airbrush needle lubed up!

- UPDATED - My next project

Hi there paint and hobby addicts!

I have published a lot of articles about new busts I received, but I haven't got around to painting them yet. I'm currently finishing up some of my still unfinished projects, but I would like your help to decide which I should start next!

Thank you for participating! (the vote ended September 14th, 2017)

- update -

A massive thanks to the "thank you" to all the 29 people who voted to help me pick my new project! The results are in!

*drumroll* 

It seems Kahl-Agul by Karol Rudyk Arts will be my next project!
Thank you again for voting!

Kahl-Agul - a vampire bust by Karol Rudyk Art

Hi, fellow hobbyists!

Today I will show you the latest addition to my pile of shame. I was very excited about this bust because it has a unique look and shape!

Karol Rudyk Art is a company from Poland, founded by Karol Rudyk who himself is a sculptor and award winning painter. Browsing his website, you will currently find dragons and vampires of the highest quality. He has two very large dragon models, both with a rider and a large scenic base. He also has some vampire busts for sale.

And I got my hands on one of them...

Kahl-Agul is a heavily deformed vampire, more bat than man. There is no back story for him so that is totally up to you. He could be transforming into or from his bat form, or he could be a feral vampire, feeding on himself and rodents (bats and rats), mutating him to this state.

Side view of this resin bust, take note of the hunched over
pose of the vampire.

This resin bust, sculpted by Luke Starkie, has a really scary feel and looks like it stepped straight out of a horror movie. For a bust, it has a bit of a strange pose, leaning forward and his arms/wings slightly forward and outward. The bottom is also completely flat, so you can't just stick it to a standard bust plinth cut on an angle. This means it needs a slightly more creative solution and this can be hard for some people, and me. 😜

The flat bottom of this bust makes it hard to for to think of a
suitable plinth. But maybe an oval shape can work!

This bust is about 6,5cm high...

... but almost 9cm wide!

This monster has some awesome details. The prominent ones are in the face. The wrinkles and wide open mouth, but there are also the muscles on his back and shoulders, the muscle fibers on the chest and the veins running under his skin!

This will keep you up at night!

Very cool facial features!

The model comes in three pieces, the body and two separate jaws that need to be glued into the mouth. The vents from pouring the resin can be easily removed by cutting them off and using some fine sanding stick to smooth them down. Be careful with the ears, however, they are fragile. Behind the ears, you will most likely find some flash and holes. this is because it's a multi part mold and the back of the head is where the pieces come together. I was a little disappointed at first, but it's not something a little putty and some precision sanding can't fix.

The problem behind the ears

The price of this bust is €59, which, in my opinion, is a bit high. Yes, it is a unique bust and you can see the time and dedication that has gone into designing it but for that price, I would have liked to see the mold problem behind the ears fixed. Luckily, Karol often has discounts on his models or combo deals, where you can buy multiple busts at a discount.

All and all I think that this is a really cool bust with great potential! It just needs to end up in the right hands. Karol himself is starting to paint one of these himself, so keep a close eye out on his Facebook for pictures.

That's it for this article. If I had to rate the bust I would give it an 8,5/10, with the only downsides the price and the holes behind the ears. Other than that, if you are a fan of vampires or monstrous busts, this is definitely something for you!

If you reached this point, thank you for reading through my ramblings, and I hope to see you next time!

To know when done is done!

Hi, everybody!

In this article, I want to share my opinion and insight on the matter in the title, to know when to put something away and consider it finished!

A lot of you might have the same struggle that I have, a pile of unfinished projects...

eternal WIP project, tribal orc

Eternal WIP project, Chaos Lord

Recently, I came to realize that it is WAY BETTER to finish a project without it being perfect instead of struggling through the eternal path to perfection.

Eternal WIP project, Durotan

Eternal WIP project, Orgrim Doomhammer

From now on, I am just gonna finish stuff. It is important for yourself and your personal development as a painter or sculptor or whatever artistic clan you associate yourself with to finish projects and to learn from it.

Eternal WIP project, wrecked T-34 tank

Eternal WIP project, Dungeon Explorer

The end result might not be as good as you want it to be but the important part is that you had an idea and brought it to life, start to finish! Don't worry about your project being perfect because in one or two years from now you will have learned so much more that you won't like your old projects anyway.

Eternal WIP project, Abalam prince of hell

Eternal WIP project, Feral orc

Finishing projects, makes you learn so much more than struggling with that one project, trying to make it perfect.

Also, when it's done, it is done. This might sound like crappy advice but it will allow you to put your project away and focus on something new, to use what you learned in your previous project and bring it to life!

From now on, I will stop worrying about making a project as good as it can possibly be. I will start planning what I want to do with it and just do it!

I know this article isn't so much about painting itself but more about the project of making a finished model but I hope you liked it anyway and that maybe this will help you with your current and future projects.

Next up will a finished project! 😜
Cya all next time!

Katsumoto - by Mitches Military Models

Hi everybody,

I want to apologize for my lack of recent posts but I've been busy with everything except painting. I did paint a few small project or made very little progress on current projects but nothing worth posting or writing about.

At the moment, my hobby seems more to be a collector of models and busts instead of being a painter.

My most recent purchase is a bust portraying Katsumoto from the movie The Last Samurai by Mitches Military Models. They have a large assortment of 120mm, 200mm resin figures, and busts. They range from historical models to modern day soldiers.

Some of the movie inspired pieces immediately caught my eye, and some of them were on sale as well! Lucky me!

The bust comes in 3 pieces. the head
and body, and 2 pieces that might be
ornamental or added armor

The bust is cast in light, yellowish resin. I believe this resin is toxic when inhaled so be sure to wear a dust mask when sanding or sawing! That being said, it is good practice to always wear a dust mask when sanding resin, to prevent Pneumoconiosis.

The model does require some cleanup, there is a pretty nasty mold line on the back of the model, running across the back and the back of his head. There are also some little blobs of resin between his collar and neck. The obvious flash should also be removed.

The blue-green dot is a part of the
silicon mold

Okay so it's obvious that this bust needs some serious cleaning up, but I'm still pretty excited about it! The bust is a perfect resemblance of the actor and character in the movie and it has some beautiful details! I'm definitely adding this one a little higher on the to do list for future projects!

A comparison between the bust and the original

So we have reached the end of this article. I will try to write more in the coming months. I have some interesting projects on the shelf so I hope I can find the time to start and finish them and write about it.

Thank you for reading and until next time!

Gürmuz, the barbarian + academic bust review

Hi, everybody and welcome back!

Lately, I got more busts then I am able to paint but I want to at least, show them to you all and share my opinion about them.

Warning, brace yourself for a long one!

My latest acquisition is Gürmiz, by Hera Models. I got this bust during their anniversary event, so it came as a pack with the academic orc bust and got a nice discount. The bust is sculpted by Raul Garcia Latorre and it is based on the concept art of Victor Guerra.

Sadly, the anniversary sale has ended and everything went back to their normal prices. This means that Gürmuz, a limited edition bust, sells for €50 and that the academic orc bust can be bought for €27. (or your regional equivalent)

Let's do this unboxing! I will start with the smaller but not less impressive academic orc bust.

Safely packaged in a hard cardboard container

The bust is about 5cm tall and it depicts a part of the naked torso and scarred face of Gürmuz. It is cast in a nice dark resin and doesn't require any clean up. It is designed for practice and made in a way to make it as easy as possible for the painter to start painting. I can imagine this being a great bust to use for workshops.

Frontal view of this beautiful sculpt!

Truly a face only a mother can love

Semi-profile pic of his good side

To see a sped-up example video on how to paint it check this video by DiegueteStudio.
If you want to buy the Academic orc bust for yourself click this link. The price is €27 plus shipping.

Now on to the full bust!

Gürmuz, the barbarian is a limited edition bust with a total of only 125 copies available. Because it is a limited edition bust, it comes with some extra's in the box, like a certificate of authenticity, a special poker card, and a sticker.

There is no backstory available for Gürmuz, the barbarian. The only things I am able to tell is that he kind of looks like Azog, the white orc, from the movie The Hobbit, but without the scars. His armor is sophisticated for an orc. His shoulder pauldron seems to be made of layered leather, his garment is lined with a fur collar and he wears a decorative torq necklace around his neck.

The whole figure comes in two pieces, the full model plus his upper teeth. I think the teeth were taken out for ease of removing the bust from the mold without breaking them off. It comes in a hard cardboard box protected by thick layers of foam. This model also comes with a showcase base (a diagonally cut, circular plinth) 

The base is also safely packed in the foam

The cast is what I've come to expect from Hera Models, superb! There are no mold lines on the model that require cleaning up and the details are super crisp! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Without teeth, he's even uglier! 

Oh... My... God... check those stitches! 

Just look at all those lovely different textures to paint!

As you can see that is one sexy looking orc! Wait that is a weird sentence... But it is a beautiful bust! 

He is currently still available, although I don't know how many copies there are left. If you want him, follow this link to pick him up! It will cost you €50 but it is most definitely worth it! 

So if you made it this far, thank you for bearing with me! Haha. There were a lot of pictures and a lot of things I wanted to say about these busts.

If you are new at painting busts, I recommend picking up this (or any other) an academic bust. They are usually a bit cheaper than a full bust and it makes for great practice to get used to the scale and how to build up volume by using shadows, mid-tones, and highlights! 

That's it for this article! If you got this bust and if you painted it up, feel free to link to your work in the comment section! I'd love to see your work!

I want to thank you for reading and I hope I will see you all next time!