Greif8 Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) I have started the process of rigging the Albatros. I only took one photo of the port wing which is finished. Rigging the wing was not too bad and it turned out ok. Attaching the aileron rigging was much more difficult. Below the model photo is a series of shots showing the progress on the figure's head from start to finish. Once it is dry I will take a couple more photos of the finished product. As I said at the beginning the photos will have short descriptions of what I did at each step. Turned out ok and I only used a couple of naughty words while rigging the wing. The head after a light wash to bring out the folds in the face so I can see them better for painting. I have also applied the oil skin base. I painted two very very light translucent coats. I mix Titanium White, Gold Ochre and Burnt Sienna at a 4:1:1 ration to get a base skin color, though there are many variations to this that will work fine. Shadows prior to blending. I darken the base skin color with a bit of Gold or Yellow Ochre for shadows. Shadows in the process of blending. I use a fine pointed brush to gently stripple along the edges where two shades meet. Blending of shadows complete before any retouching. Intermediate highlights before blending. With oil less is better. You want to use very small amounts because the paint goes a long way on this small of a surface area. Even at this stage the face is taking on some character. Intermediate highlights have been blended and the high highlights have been added. All highlights have been blended and minor touch ups have been made. The face now has a definite expression. It does not take much stripling to blend the oils. It is best to move the brush in tiny increments. This sounds harder than it is and after just a little practice you will find your stride. Final blending is complete and the face is ready to have the details added. The eyes have are done and I have added eyebrows (and need to fix the left one!) It is hard to see but I also gave the lower lip and the cheeks a pink tint to add warmth to the face. I use a very light shade of the base flesh color for the eye sockets as I find this avoids the dreaded "pop eyed" look. I break toothpicks until I have a very fine point and use that to add the irises. I opted for the figure to look straight ahead, which is more difficult to get right than having the eyes looking left or right. I thought the "straight ahead" look fir better with the expression on the face. The oils are still wet and the face will better once the are dry. I will snap a couple of photos once the face is dry - and I have fixed that eyebrow! I also finished the uniform using the exact same method for painting the face and hands. I'll also take a photo or two of it when it is dry. Edited February 15, 2020 by Greif8 LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greif8 Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 The figure is finished. Now that the oils have dried you can see the transitions between highlights and shadows better. The last thing I do on faces is add a bit of gloss to the bridge of the nose, the chin, forehead and high up on the cheekbones. This helps with light reflection and adds depth. I dirtyed up the figure's uniform a bit adding a couple of oil/grease stains (that don't show up well in photos) and some dust (which does show up) I anticipate finishing the Albatros tonight. I hope the SBS on figure painting was interesting and helpful. The completed face. The completed figure, I just need to put the Barograph in his hand. LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greif8 Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 This build is finished. I will post it in the "Ready for Inspection" section once I finish the base for it. Following are some photos of the finished model. LSP_Kevin, Lenny320, monthebiff and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 Nice, very clean finish! Regards. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greif8 Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 51 minutes ago, monthebiff said: Nice, very clean finish! Regards. Andy Thank you Andy. I normally do a certain amount of weathering to my builds but I liked the looks of the simulated varnished wood so much I decided to go with very minimal weathering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wegener Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 Very nicely done. About the laminated prop, wouldn’t the shape of the blade cause the laminations to make a different pattern where they ‘outcrop’ (to use a geological term) on the sloping surface? If the laminations are perpendicular to the drive shaft axis, rather than parallel to it, I’d expect some curves on the blade faces as the surface crosses the laminations at an angle. From the side, they would be straight lines though. Does that make sense? I’m not saying it’s easy to do, quite the opposite, by the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrotten Highlander Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Wegener said: Very nicely done. About the laminated prop, wouldn’t the shape of the blade cause the laminations to make a different pattern where they ‘outcrop’ (to use a geological term) on the sloping surface? If the laminations are perpendicular to the drive shaft axis, rather than parallel to it, I’d expect some curves on the blade faces as the surface crosses the laminations at an angle. From the side, they would be straight lines though. Does that make sense? I’m not saying it’s easy to do, quite the opposite, by the way! What you are describing is correct. The propellers were laminated, then the propeller was carved out. This link is to a company that makes wooden propellors (1:1) using the traditional method.http://spitfirespares.co.uk/RFC Propellors.html I have just started working on my Christmas raffle prize - the RODEN Spad VII - and am considering making the propellor out of wood. I know the method and can use the plastic as a template. Just need to think which wood veneers I will be using... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greif8 Posted February 18, 2020 Author Share Posted February 18, 2020 12 hours ago, Wegener said: Very nicely done. About the laminated prop, wouldn’t the shape of the blade cause the laminations to make a different pattern where they ‘outcrop’ (to use a geological term) on the sloping surface? If the laminations are perpendicular to the drive shaft axis, rather than parallel to it, I’d expect some curves on the blade faces as the surface crosses the laminations at an angle. From the side, they would be straight lines though. Does that make sense? I’m not saying it’s easy to do, quite the opposite, by the way! 10 hours ago, Landrotten Highlander said: What you are describing is correct. The propellers were laminated, then the propeller was carved out. This link is to a company that makes wooden propellors (1:1) using the traditional method.http://spitfirespares.co.uk/RFC Propellors.html I have just started working on my Christmas raffle prize - the RODEN Spad VII - and am considering making the propellor out of wood. I know the method and can use the plastic as a template. Just need to think which wood veneers I will be using... Thank you for the information guys. You are both correct that the joins of the different wood would be curved. I made the mistake of making them straight, having never tried to simulate a wooden prop through painting. Live and learn! LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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