I started this bust a couple of weeks ago. I undertook to make a short demo about figure painting at the Dublin IMSS show, and this bust was my choice. First of all, it is easier to show the painting of face, and especially the painting of eyes on a larger scale figure. Secondly, this is a very easy to paint figure, you can progress quickly (which is not a disadvantage when you're making a demo...)
Unfortunately there was no chance to make sbs pics, but hopefully you will find some useful tips though ;)
So, let's get it started.
In first step I gave a basecoat to the figure with my favourite Mr Surfacer 1200. There was no need for sanding or other preparation, the figure had no remarkable moulding lines or bubbles.
I always wait at least 24 hours before start to paint the figure to give enough time to the primer to get completely dry.
Usually I start with the eyes. Why? Because it is relatively easy to make a mistake with this tiny little feature. And in that case, if it happens, it is always easier to restart from this point, than ruin all your efforts you placed in the painting of the face, isn't it?
A small white dot in the iris and a light pinkish wash around the eyeball brings even more life to the eye of your figure.After the eyes were ready I started to paint the face. My favourite base colour is brown sand from Vallejo. I thin the paint at this stage in a 50-50 ratio, and cover the whole surface in 3-4 steps.
I mixed a lighter shade with adding some basic skintone to the base colour, and diluted the mixture with adding more water (around 5-8 times more water). In first step I covered about the half of the face, the most highlighted areas.
I added more basic skintone to the mixture, and even more water. Covered with this a relatively smaller area than previously. Than added even more basic skintone, and covered even smaller area.
I mixed a darker colour with adding some burnt cadmium red to the base colour. Followed the same method as with the highlights, just to the opposite direction.
In 4-5 steps you need to see the base tones on the face. Look at your figure from a further distance (half meter or so) and check the general impression. At this stage it's still easy to correct the contrast between the highlighted and shadow areas. You can still add more highlight or shadow to an area, or go back with very diluted base colour to soften an effect.
I added some red to the basecolour and covered lightly the lips. Be careful with the amount of red you add: again, you can make it too feminine.
I painted the hair and eyebrow with a light black colour. This helps to see the whole impression of the face better.
Next time I will continue with adding more shades with artistic oils.
