"Trapper - 1830" - Step by Step Painting the Aut

[Guy]

Today was spent doing the preliminaries to the Trapper kit by AuthorSculpt Miniatures. The little sanding of the joints before joining with epoxy....sanding a couple of rough spots on the horse's rump......attaching the arms to the Trapper prior to spraying with primer. Now the horse sits waiting for the Magic-Sculpt to harden where I applied a small amount over the horse joint on the rear top of the horse and a small area on the belly.

Over the years since I have had the internet and access I have saved any images of Mountain Men / Trappers / Native Americans that I came accross while doing research through Google. Here are some of the reference images I will be using for painting the Trapper.

Above is one of my favorite prints that I have hanging in my den. Its by the artist David Wright.

With the 2 beaver pelts included in the kit I pulled from my reference folder a couple of images of a beaver and a stretched pelt.

http://www.modelsculpt.org/forum/userpix/35_JB00010lg_1.jpg[/img

[img]http://www.modelsculpt.org/forum/userpix/35_JB00015lg_1.jpg

I will also be using several books for reference in both historical text and photographs:

Paul Calle - An Artist Journey, by Mill Pond Press
My wife gave me a copy of this book last year for Christmas. A real "must have" for anyone painting alot of Mountain Men.

The Art of James Bama, published by Bantam Books
Another great book for worn leathers, aging of people of the Old West.

The Mountain Men, by George Laycock, published by Outdoor Life

There are many more images and books I will use and have here by my desk but the above are the main books I will keep on the corner of the desk.

 

[Guy]

Also for location of the kit parts I will keep on hand the assembled photographs of Sergey's Trapper.

And of course the color guide Sergey provided with the kit will also be kept handy for reference, especially the guns.

I started off deciding to drill the edge of the resin base supplied with the kit and fastening it to a wood work base with screws to hold it on the base.

My next step was to assemble the horse by epoxying the 2 halves and then the head together. I then sanded the rear rump of the horse and applied a thin coat of Magic-Sculpt.

While I was waiting for the epoxy to set on the horse I attached the right and left arm to the torso of the Trapper and drilled up into his bottom and inserted a 1/16th brass rod. The rod will be held in a hand vise for the painting.

After the arms set with epoxy I took the Trapper out into my garage shop and spray primed him with Floquil R9 Primer.

Now comes 2 long long days of waiting for the primer to set and cure on the figure. I have found with resin figures it takes longer for the primer to cure than on metal figures. Damm....I hate waiting....lol

 

[LS]

 

[Guy]

Thanks Sergey. I just looked at your gallery on your website.......you have done some awesome sculpting my friend.

 

[LS]

Thanks Guy.
With impatience I wait for continuation of your narration, my friend!

 

[Guy]

I'll finish up with the reference photos before posting the pics of progress so far.

Below is the photo of a Paul Calley print I have hanging here in my studio. I will use this portrait for painting the head.

Horse Reference Photographs

Below is where I am at today with the base coat for the white and the base coat for the brown. Both enamels. The first two photos are of the horse with the primer coat on which also acts as my white base coat too.

And now below the brown is added using the horse photographs as a guideline.

More to come!

 

[Guy]

Below are some photos of where the progress ended for the day with the Mountain Man torso and head. The flesh was done last Saturday and left to dry for several days. I base coated the Khaki hunting shirt its first coat. The hat and pouch were painted the 1st coat of 2 as were the waist belt and some of the other accessories sculpted into the shirt. This all gets a second coat tomorrow before setting it aside to dry before I blend and shade the colors.

All comments and questions are welcomed.

 

[Злобов Сергей (Zlobov*S)]

Hello my friend Guy!
I had long (very much) a holiday New Year and have passed{missed} a lot of news.
Now I watch{keep up} with pleasure for yours SBS - very interestingly to observe of a birth of a figure, continue please.
It is the first figure mine trapper which begins in painting.
Yours faithfully, very much I wait for continuation.

 

[Guy]

Thanks my friend Sergey. I am working on the Trapper today and hope to have more progress photos soon.

I am glad you had a good holiday.

 

[Guy]

I have been working on the upper torso of the Mountain Man over the last few days. This area (upper chest and head) will probably take longer than any other part of the figure as there is so much detail to bring out.

My first step was to base coat all the colors in and with some colors give them a second coat before continueing on to the blending and shading part.

Above shows the hat and belt accross the chest done in an enamel wash and set aside to dry.

Above is the first dry-brushing of the fur hat and the beard. The dry-brush is taking the original base color and adding a drop or two of white to lighten the dry-brush and gently with a flat edged brush go accross the fur and hair like you would accross the grain of a piece of wood. Also the hunting shirt has been blended and shaded and will highlight again in the next step.

The above photos show the hunting shirt highlighted and the fur hat and beard dry-brushed once again with yet a lighter color than the first dry-brushing.

Above is where I am at today with the fringe now highlighted and the folds again highlighted to give the shirt more depth.

More to come......thanks for looking.

 

[Karl_Ieronim]

Hello, Guy!
You for a long time did not spread continuation.
You will show?)
It is interesting to see Your painting of the Mountain Man.

Michael

 

[Guy]

Hi Michael,

I will add some updated photos later today. I am a slow painter.....lol

 

[Злобов Сергей (Zlobov*S)]

Hi Guy, hi my friend - I see fine continuation, I like wrinkles of clothes!

 

[Guy]

Thanks my friend Sergey. I appreciate your kind words.

As this figure from AuthorSculpt is for my own collection and NOT for a commission I sometimes have to work on other projects pictured below for collectors. Several of the busts will be delivered next month at the Atlanta show. So it is in my spare time in the evening I work toward completition of Sergey's beautiful Trapper.

As you can see above I have to work in the Trapper with other figures promised to others.

Below I have base coated the legs with 3 colors of buckskins.

After the base coat dries I begin the blending and shading for the shadows and highlights of each color.

Below you can see the total progress made on the upper torso of the Trapper. More colors to paint yet on the beadwork on the shoulders.

Below is a test fit of the Trapper to the horse.

Hopefully by the middle of the week to the end of the week I will show you blending and shading of the horse.

 

[Karl_Ieronim]

Thanks Guy.
Excellent work! Great painting!
I Shall wait for continuation...
This theme is very interesting to me.)

Michael

 

[Gennadius]

This theme is very interesting to me.)

Michael

For me too. Marvelous work indeed!

 

[Guy]

Above I have finished the horse except the mane. The saddle has been blended and shaded to represent red leather and the blanket to be from a Hudson Bay blanket.





Above are close-ups of the saddle detail so far. The metal cinch rings need to be painted as well as the buckles on the saddle and bridle.





Above is where I left off last night. The cinch rings and buckles have been painted and the mane dry-brushed a lighter brown to make the hair of the mane give more detail. Today it is on to the saddle bags and bed roll of the horse and finish the hoofs of the horse.

All comments welcomed.

 

[Karl_Ieronim]

Hi Guy,
Good horse! As alive! The leather of a saddle old and grated - is very convincing.
Painting - acryle, or oil paints?

 

[Guy]

Thanks for the kind words Karl. I use Floquil and Humbrol enamels for everything except the Mountain Man's flesh. For flesh I use tube oils.

I have painted all of the accessories and now start to attach them to the horse along with the figure. Still alot of detail work to do yet plus pick out a base for the horse and rider.







All comments critiques are welcomed. Thanks for looking.

 

[Злобов Сергей (Zlobov*S)]

Cool my friend - is pleasant all!
I for a long time look at various variants of painting - each figure searches for the variant of color. More precisely - each form has the color!
Forgive, I was possible poorly translation of language.
I very much like breed Pinto, but it is possible for this figure color of a horse light brown.
It not criticism, only opinion my friend.
Any case I see a fine variant of the author for painting!
Yours faithfully.