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Iron Painter 8 Round 6 (Final!): "Last One Standing"

Started by Bexley, February 25, 2012, 09:24:22 PM

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Bexley

Well, the colors are pretty close to how they really are, so I'd rather leave the saturation where it is. I think maybe I'm just tired, as I don't seem to see the glow now. It was sort of halo against the dark background. Not super obvious, though. I think it might just be a trick of the light, due to the bright colors and dark background.
CounterClockwise

Bexley Andrajack

finescalerr

I agree about the colors I see here. But I assumed you were seeing something different on your screen.

So leave the photos alone. I'm certainly not criticizing them.

Russ

Junior

Great looking dio with some excellent paint job, story etc. The only thing that bothers me a little bit is the stowage, looks a little plastic like compared to the rest that is very realistic. Maybe some more paint/washes to bring out the details otherwise superb work.

Anders

Malachi Constant

Well, I'm still really completely distracted by the missing wing-nut ... where ever the heck that was supposed to go!  ;D

Fabulous scene ... unbelievable job for a 12-hour paint session ... that alone is unbelievable.  Snap below had the gamma turned down to .80 in irfanview and the contrast reduced -10 ... not necessarily ideal, but it maintains the saturation and color tones while killing that glow a bit.  Someone more skillful than myself could tweak the pix perfectly.  (Okay, I said "unbelievable" twice in the same sentence, but I could have spent 12 hours on either of the figures and not gotten that far!)

Great stuff!  -- Dallas
-- Dallas Mallerich  (Just a freakin' newbie who stumbled into the place)
Email me on the "Contact Us" page at www.BoulderValleyModels.com

Malachi Constant

Further reduction of gamma and contrast.  Again, wonderful dio that really tells the story!
-- Dallas Mallerich  (Just a freakin' newbie who stumbled into the place)
Email me on the "Contact Us" page at www.BoulderValleyModels.com

Ray Dunakin

Visit my website to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!

Ray Dunakin's World

marc_reusser

I second what Dallas said (except whatever that gamma ray stuf was). I could not have done as well in 10 times the amount of time you had. Contrats and good luck.

...now, back to how you made that road surface.

M
I am an unreliable witness to my own existence.

In the corners of my mind there is a circus....

M-Works

Bexley

#37
I made up a batch of plaster, tinted with Woodland Scenics black pigment. I dipped a piece of cheesecloth into that, then spread it out on a teflon cookie sheet. Once I got it nice and evenly smoothed out, I mixed up another batch of tinted palster, only this time I added sand as well. (Play sand from the hardware store, which I'd sifted through a piece of window screen. I used what went through the screen, not the larger chunks.) I spread this over the still-wet cheesecloth, and used a spatula to get it as thin as I could. Once it had set up (and dried out), I crumbled it up. The cheesecloth keeps it all together, and the sand helps keep the plaster from breaking in straight lines. The sand also gives the edges of the chunks the right texture. I then went at the cracks with a dental pick, to open them up more. I also found that by bending the sheet "up" (um... making breaks by bending in them towards the top surface, if that makes sense) tends to make chips flake off the top surface more, which reduced the amount I needed to use the pick. Then I cut it out with an X-Acto to fit the base. After that, I took a small torch to it, to burn off any exposed strands of the cheesecloth. Once it was glued down, I gave it a bunch of dilute black washes, then drybrushed with a warm dark gray. Then I rubbed in powdered pastels, mixed to match the color of the dirt. (Dry pigments would have worked better, but I didn't have any on hand the same color as the ground on my base.)
CounterClockwise

Bexley Andrajack

marc_reusser

Thanks. Will have to give that a go.
I am an unreliable witness to my own existence.

In the corners of my mind there is a circus....

M-Works

Bexley

Well, after both of my opponents failed to submit anything (about 40 of the 130+ people that signed up didn't finish or submit an entry) I was re-matched with two other entrants who also had opponents fail to enter. Scores were announced today, and even though one of the four judges dogged me for some reason (about five points below the other three judges, out of a possible twenty points per judge) I have passed into the next round. The next theme and pairings will be posted tomorrow.
CounterClockwise

Bexley Andrajack

marc_reusser

I am an unreliable witness to my own existence.

In the corners of my mind there is a circus....

M-Works

Bexley

Well, I didn't take photos as I went on this one. I spent one of the two weeks playing with ideas, and the other experimenting with peeling wallpaper, which I couldn't get to look right. So I didn't start this until Friday evening, four days before the deadline. Also, it's a little more cartoony/gamey than the normal fare on this forum- I'm only posting it here to share my progress in the contest. The theme for the round is "The Next Step."

CounterClockwise

Bexley Andrajack

Malachi Constant

You are a disturbed individual!  But the results of that are fun to watch.  :)  -- Dallas
-- Dallas Mallerich  (Just a freakin' newbie who stumbled into the place)
Email me on the "Contact Us" page at www.BoulderValleyModels.com

marc_reusser

I concur with Dallas! Glad you posted this. It's a neat scene. What scale is this, and where did you get the skeleton figure?

My critical comment on it would be, that IMO it might have been even more dramatic if it were cropped a bit more/tighter. Narrowing the scene by shortening the upper landing (so she is almost stepping off the end, and then cropping the wall and ground space past the stairs on the right.

Let us know how you do.

M
I am an unreliable witness to my own existence.

In the corners of my mind there is a circus....

M-Works

Ray Dunakin

Very nice, especially considering how little time you had to put it together.
Visit my website to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!

Ray Dunakin's World