Sunday 1 July 2012

Young Miniatures - Obersturmführer, SS Cavalry Division, Florian Geyer, 1944

Just thought I would kick start this month by sharing a "spotty" piece of work on the SS-Erbsenmuster I'm currently busy with. My personal take on Young's characterization - brutish features and the penetrating gaze - makes him out to be a villainous partisan hunter that feeds into the Waffen-SS stereotype.

I'm quite liking on how this leisure project is coming together; the caricatured look of the defined features allows more permutations of colors to be introduced into the color space. Phthalo Green was used as a shadow color around the eyes to convey an aura of evil to the gaze.


That is all for now. Hopefully new week heralds some free time to resume painting on the back of the figure.

Cheers, 

Calvin



5 comments:

BOAZ said...

Hi Calvin,

A beautiful piece of art as usual.

I hope you dont mind me being cheeky, but would it be at all possible for you to undertake a project that explains the technique of painting realistic woodland pattern, as it looks so simple but never seems to come out looking right.

I am looking to build some figures from OIF and pieces of kit that are in woodland pattern looks so good, when added to a figure in desert uniform, adding some interest as well as making them realistic.

Thanks,

John M

Calvin Tan said...

Hi John,

Thanks for the compliment.
Unfortunately, I do not have any projects in the near future that elaborates the painting of the woodland pattern in a SBS format.
What can perhaps help is for you to send me a picture of your attemps and for me to address the issues that are troubling you.

Cheers,

Calvin

BOAZ said...

Hi Calvin,

I am ashamed to admit that I have never kept any of those that I have painted and in truth, just avoided adding figures by not attempting anymore. This is because despite my models advancing in skill, woodland or temperate[UK] Pattern uniforms never seemed to show any progress.

I have at various times bought items of uniform to add to those that I have been issued as both a regular and later on reserve soldier, but can never seem to find a happy method of copying the methods that are employed in printing the fabrics. I suppose that part of the problem is in not understanding how they are printed with regard to overlay of colour, whilst maintaining the fact that patterns repeat at regular intervals.

Your many articles on painting German camouflage in magazines, books and online have been very helpful in that you seem to have a great deal of understanding in the methods that are used in developing camouflage cloth, in respect of starting colour, overlay colour and pattern and how the cloth is printed and indeed interpreted at the scales we work with.

I may well have a go in the future and then ask you for your advice and any suggestions in technique to plan and paint these quite complex patterns.

Yours Aye',

John

SCOTT CAPLE said...

Dearest Calvin,
Scott Caple here, from Canada and NYP a few years ago, remember? Just dropping by and saying hi! Sorry to be out of touch for so long. You probably have five kids by now, right? The work looks great, as always!( I see Brian alot still. He is coming over there this summer, I believe..me, too, very soon!)

Cheers,
scott

Calvin Tan said...

Hi Scott,

long time no hear! I'm also equally to blame for not keeping in touch - so don't beat yourself up for that ;)

Gwen and myself have two kids and it's more than we can handle.

I've have been actively following your blog with your teaching notes on perspective drawing and layout. They are really awesome considering how direct and simple they are to comprehend.

Please give Brian our regards the next time you see him and we look forward to seeing him soon in this part of the woods.

Have a great summer and hope that you can make it here as well!

Cheers,

Calvin