Getting My Paint On!

Thought I would put down the sculpting tool for awhile and get some paint work done! The images below are all works in progress - some needing more work than others, but all nearing that magical moment of completion. The painting of these figures in my opinion is just an extension of the sculpting process because this is where I deliver the depth of the folds, bring out the textures and reveal the expression of the character which before have been nothing but a neutral blank slate. It's awesome to sit back and watch the sculpts I've invested time in come to life one brush stroke at a time. I love it!

Anyway, enough of that - I'm sure many of you will be pleased to see some of these pieces come to fruition - trust me, so am I! I've got some big plans for some upcoming projects and to free up some elbow room on my workbench will be just what the doctor ordered! So let's get to it!

First off we have a teaser shot of three individual figures nearing completion or in the case of one of them, has already reach it. The image is of (from left to right) Del Moomo - Ithorian bounty hunter, one of two brothers as seen in the Dark Horse comic series, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. Next is one of my favorites, the bounty hunter Furlag from the multimedia release of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. Finally is a close in shot of the Gotal smuggler Lumbra, from the Dark Horse comic series Star Wars: Dark Times...who might I ad, within the past couple months revisited the sculpting table to have articulated ankles added (he's very pleased LOL!).

Below is a close-up shot of Del Moomo's eyes - I think these are some of most entertaining eyes I've done so far. Also noticed as I added the paint that I captured some of the unique illustrative style Brian Ching contributed to the comic...I've noticed that I tend to pick up a little bit of the artists' technique in my sculpting...I just don't create a neutral interpretation of the character (sometimes I do), I try to bring a little of the artist's style into the piece itself.

Below is another close-up of Del's outfit - sorry but didn't have any time to take more detailed shots of the other two. No worries though - you'll get more that your fill for each one of these soon enough :)

Went back and reworked the paint job on Deliah Blue's head sculpt - I wanted bigger eyes and a slight change to the skin tone. Next to her is a work-up of the Morrigan Corde's head sculpt...which is the focus in the next several photos below...

Here is the completed sculpt of Cade Skywalker's mother - Morrigan Corde from the pages of the dark horse comic series Star Wars: Legacy.

The next couple images below show the figure primed and ready for some color. I prime all my figures using a brushable acrylic, not spray paint. I use Floquil Testors acrylic color Undercoat Light Gray. Before you apply your primer, be sure that all joints can move freely and not work against each other, reducing the amount of space between each joint. If you fail to do this, your paint will wear away from critical articulation points like the elbows and knees. I'll post a separate tutorial about this soon.

Below I've started by adding the flesh tones first as well as work on the head sculpt. Morrigan will eventually be a blonde but while I work on the rest of the figure, she'll remain a brunette. I always start by filling in the flesh tones first, working them close to completion, then going back and adding the colors to the clothing and accessories. This isn't some golden rule in painting, just a preference that works for me.

These images show the addition of the jacket and green bustier. The comics show the jacket having a glossy sheen which I will add to it later using a clear gloss coat after the final painted piece has been fixed with matte spray. I'm really happy that some of the mild texturing of the bustier has shown through the paint work :)

I mentioned that Morrigan will eventually be a blonde - the image below is an earlier paint up (about a year old) which includes an additional "wave" of hair that drapes over one of her eyes. I will keep this head sculpt as an alternate, but will attempt to do another version and tighten up the eyes a bit.

Next up are some paint progress images of Starkiller from the Lucasarts game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. Below is an image of the primed figure ready for some color. Tricky to paint around the soft goods but it can be done :)

The following images are close-up shots of the work in progress...at the time these photos were taken, I have added color down to the belt. None of the smaller paint details (metal clasps, connectors) have been added yet.

The next few images are of a new figure I've began working on - I've said that one of the versions of Starkiller I would be creating this year would be that of the Sith Apprentice Robes. Below is one of the completed head sculpts...

The hood is just for show and isn't the final accessory for the figure - The skin of Starkiller has grown muted, veiny..gray...while his eyes burn with sith fire. Much more intense that what is seen in the video game but whose to say I won't do another head sculpt that's more similar? :) I will be adding more shades of gray around the cheek bones and chin - it's a bit too flat presently. I want the eyes to be wide open and intense. The head sculpt is the same as the Arena Combat version you see above, no changes to the sculpt.

The next series of shots are that of my first in a series of Yuuzhan Vong warriors - As of yesterday, this figure's paint work has been completed! The armor is both heavy and organic, so I used a thin, watery light coat of Oily Black acrylic over previously painted parts of the figure to give the armor a living, breathing appearance. I took a bunch of inspiration from H.R. Giger and how he painted his biomechanical creations. I have four more Vong lined up and two more frames being built...

The Vong Warrior comes packed with a TON of articulation! More will be shown when final images are taken.

By the way, I'll be creating an alternate head sculpt (suprise) of the Vong Warrior wearing the Gnullith - Which is a biotechnological breathing apparatus used for space flight and on non-atmospheric worlds...

This last shot below is an older image but still represents well of the final piece. Final images coming soon!!!

Next up is Darth Malgus, from the upcoming Bioware game Star Wars: The Old Republic...and his official, FINAL alternate head sculpt. Number 5!!!

This head sculpt is of Malgus as featured in the Hope cinematic trailer, smiling deviously as he runs though a Republic soldier with his lightsaber in true Sith tradition. This is the final alternate head sculpt for this figure - 5 in all - the most I've made for a figure. Now all I need to do is get the body sculpt complete!

All five side by side...

Another completed Sith head sculpt - this time from the Dark Horse comic series Star Wars: Legacy. Darth Stryfe wears the markings of the One Sith - the sith order lead by the Dark Lord Darth Krayt.

I think this is the second "red flesh" sith I've painted with the black tattoos - first one being Darth Talon which by the way is going through a second metamorphosis on the work bench. Stryfe's body sculpt is still being work on but is close to completion! :) The next red skin sith to be created will be Darth Wyyrlok...

My final update has to do with the alternate head sculpt to my non-animated version of Savage Opress. But before I get to that, I completed the horns to the primary head sculpt! I used a dark brown as the base for each horn, then used a light dry brushing of several lighter colors.

If you recall the last time we saw this beast he was leaving on a quest to find his lost brother, Darth Maul. Before that, he had a "Fight Club" moment against two Sith, two Jedi and a boat load of droids...and walked away with a few "scratches" LOL...Brutal! That episode inspired my alternate "Brutality" head sculpt of Savage...

The above image shows the primed head sculpt painted with multiple coats of dark brown.

After allowing the dark brown layer to dry, I apply several coats of yellow to the entire head sculpt...thin layers will allow the brown coat underneath to darken the yellow being placed over it...you don't want the yellow layer to be thick and heavy or it will become flashy like the store bought, animated version...

Allow the yellow layer to dry, then take a fine tipped brush, and apply the tattoo markings. I personally don't try to make them exact...I work to make each side symmetrical but if a point is a little rounded, or if a curve isn't rounded enough...I don't have a problem with it because in my opinion, makes it more real to me. This goes for the Darth Stryfe head sculpt previously mentioned...

Time to accentuate the battle damage! I made the damaged eye to appear wider, bloodshot and bruised. Darkened the flesh around the eye and cheek, and added a darker orange and red to show trama. Then I took a dry, hard brush, dipped it into some red paint, wiped off the excess then ran the tip of my finger across the top of the brush that in turn shot a misting of red spots across the eye, cheek and forehead - blood splatter!!!

Some good news about Savage - His sculpt is almost complete! This shot below was taken yesterday - all that remains is the straps around the arms, some additional buckles on the boots and a lightsaber hilt.

And that's all I got for this update - I'm trying to get more updates pumped out and placed on my blog so I hope August will have more than two entrys. If you want to keep up with daily updates and progress of my work, chaeck out my facebook page - Sith_fire30 Creations
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Still hoping to hit 1000 fans before the end of the year...the way it's going now, looks to be an obtainable goal!

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If any of you guys/gals have questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact me here, my facebook or my e-mail - sith_fire30@yahoo.com. I made a typo in my email address within my last entry so if you tried to email me and got a bounce back, try again - My fault and I apologize :)

I'm working to complete some tutorials - till then if you have any questions about anything I've worked on, please don't hesitate - happy to help.

Alright ladys and gents - Cheers!

Sith_fire30