12.SS Pz.Div HJ PzRgt.25 Normandy 1944 - Teaser

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Just thought I'll slip a teaser to make this weekend more enjoyable.

Calvin

12.SS Pz.Div HJ PzRgt.25 Normandy 1944 - WIP

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Just thought I'll take a short break from painting to post some pictures of today's progress. With all the hype about it impending release generated from the discussion forums and the unfortunate circumstance surrounding this particular release, it looks like I'll have to step up one notch to get the pair completed before the week closes. Xiao Liao.....

 

Close-up of the SS-Unterscharführer which is almost towards completion with only the spare head remaining to be rendered for the final photo shoot for the official box art.

Today's progress for the "Junger Schütze".

Calvin

SS-Unterscharführer, 12.SS Pz.Div HJ PzRgt.25 Normandy 1944 - WIP

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Just a quick update of last weekend's progress. I'm almost done with the Italian camo trousers and begun work on the Oak Leaf camo helmet cover. In tandem, work has also begun on Italian camo overalls for the second figure.

Calvin

12.SS Pz.Div HJ PzRgt.25 Normandy 1944 - WIP

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Hi All,
just thought I'll take a breather to post some more updates to the Normandy vignette from Alpine Miniatures. Reckon I'll proceed to work on the Italian camo trousers as soon as I make the final refinements to Oak Leaf pattern on the back of the smock latter today. Also I'll try to post the colour recipes and swatches when time permits.

 

Calvin

Some FAQs answered...

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Just thought I'll take this opportunity to post some answers to some reoccurring questions from a recent email to kick start the new year.

When you talk about using washes to smooth over the dry brushing, what type of brushes are you talking about?For smoothing large areas, I use the cheap synthetic nylon brushes. No particular reason as they are cheap.

When you apply the wash do you apply it to the whole figure or to the shadow areas only?I seldom apply the wash throughout the whole figure unless I wish to alter the tone of the colour. But often than not, the washes are applied to specific areas like the shadows, mid-tones etc…

Do you use highlight washes or just apply the highlights that have been thinned down?
I use a highlight colour that has been thinned down to a CONSISTENCY of a WASH.
Two factors are critical in the painting of tonal transition on the figure; FLOW and OPACITY.
OPACITY is affected by how much the paint is thinned and the ideal opacity should be about 1 part of paint to 4 parts of water.
Amount of paint loaded onto the brush affects the FLOW of paint. Too much paint on the brush will cause the paint to flood all over the figure’s surface resulting in water marks. Always UNLOAD the excess paint onto a piece of cloth or napkin and TESTING it on a piece of paper prior to application. The ideal condition of paint on the brush should be MOIST and not wet. It's usually inevitable to repeat the process to attain the desired result.

Here's also the usual line-up of colours I regularly use for painting flesh tones. If time permits, I'll try to present more of my colour mixes such as Field Grey, Oak-Leaf camo etc.. this way as it saves a lot of time typing the names of the ingredient colours.

cheers,

Calvin

A Happy 2008 to One and All!

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As some of you might have speculated, the hedgerow was definitely for another figure project. And without due, here's a sneak preview of the vignette involving Alpine Miniature's next release; two Panzergrenadiers of the 12th SS Panzer Division, Regiment 25 clothed in the ubiquitous Oak-Leaf camo smocks and Italian camo overalls. It's a welcome change from Taesung's current line of figures that are designed in "neutral" standing poses for the 1/35 AFV modeller. I have my suspicions that might be due to an overwhelming plea for more "dynamic" figures from him. I sincerely hope that more modellers will peg their money to their requests so that we might be able to see more genres of such figures from his hands in 2008.

 

Happy New Year,

Calvin

Season's Greetings and One Year On....

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Wow! it did not occur that this blog has been going on for a year now. It has been really fun and encouraging to receive many positive responses and queries about my works and techniques (especially the one about the Fimo Deko Gel). So just to kick up a notch from the small clump of undergrowth from base of the SS Deutschland figure I though why not make a hedgerow during this festive lull based on the techniques described HERE .

Dried sea-foam weed was used as a base to construct the hedge. The texture of the stem is re-created with a thick coating of Gesso primer(type used by artists to prime their canvases)

The sea-foam weed is undercoated with flat black applied with an airbrush.

The individual leaves are carefully attached on to the sea-foam with superglue (yes I know, it's crazy)

Got a little cross-eyed when I took this picture.

Three days old and there's still a lot of bald spots to cover. Thought it does not look like a Christmas tree but it will have to do for me. So here's wishing everyone and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Calvin