Dwarf with Mohawk,
aka Gort the Red
DeepGroover-(T)
April 18, 2014
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April 6, 2014 Sunday:
my newest project.....the dwarf bust.
I've already started on him. Friday evening I washed it, then glued it
to the wooden cube base. Saturday I applied the first coat of
flesh....a mix of basic flesh and leather brown. This didn't cover
evenly, so today I applied a second coat, and also basic black for the
foundation of his hair color. He's going to have reddish-brown hair,
and his mohawk will be more reddish. I've decided to name him "Gort the
Red" in tribute to an old video game I used to enjoy playing. I've
never been much for games, but I played that one all the way through
several times. It was called "Shining Force" for Sega.
I plan to finish Gort before the Houston show. He may be the last
completed project before that event.
April 18, 2014:
I put the final touches on Gort, my Dwarf bust. You all know I can get
excited about some of my projects, but this time I was especially so.
I'd come across this company on a website I usually visit, and was
struck by the detail of it in the photo. I linked to the company website, and saw not
only did they have some other cool items, but their prices are very
good. I guess it doesn't hurt the company is in Poland. I ordered this
piece, and a smaller bust. Total shipping cost from Poland to Houston
was $10 US. When the package arrived (rather quickly) I was impressed
with the box and packing. Upon opening the box I found the Dwarf bust
well wrapped in paper. The other item was in a clear clam-shell package.
This bust was all that I'd hoped for, and more. The detail was
stunning, and casting was darned near flawless. I took it around and
showed it to some of my co-workers. They were very enthusiastic too,
and some hoped I would tackle this one soon. I did.
It took me about 3 weeks to complete, and I think it was all worth it.
I started with the skin, wanting a tan look since he would have been
outside a lot. I got this by mixing leather brown with flesh. It took 2
coats to cover properly, but the end result was exactly what I wanted.
The shadows in his skin are done with dark brown, and the highlights
are flesh mixed with a touch of white. Seeing his bulbous nose, I
thought it should be red, as if somewhat inflamed. I got this
appearance by mixing red with flesh, and applying it very thinly. I
also did the bags under his eyes with a mix of red and grey, using grey
with a hint of black for the creases. His green eyes are two different
greens mixed together, then darkened with black and lightened with
white. They are sealed under a coat of clear epoxy resin. I applied
clear resin to his teeth and mouth too, and lower lip.
I had many options for his hair color, but decided to do it red. That's
a fun color to do, and I chose it based on a character from an old game
I used to enjoy playing for Sega named "Shining Force". The Dwarf in
the game was named Gort. Painting the hair was the most intricate part
of the process. I ended up using 6 different colors......black for the
base coat, rust, rust mixed with red, straight red, red mixed with
yellow, then finally white mixed with the red/yellow for highlights. I
had fun feathering the colors to imply light hitting the higher areas.
All of this was accomplished using the dry-brushing technique. It's a
simple technique, but as you can see quite effective.
The rings on his beard braids, as well as his earrings, are all unique
in design. I decided to color them each a bit differently, for a
realistic randomness. I used gold as my base, adding copper or silver
for effect. The last step for the rings was to flow black oil wash into
the details.
Notice the veins in his temples. I looked at my own hand, and
duplicated the color I saw using light green mixed with flesh. I barely
touched it to the veins, giving the right amount of translucence. I
also added a touch of red to his ears.
This was a fabulous piece to paint, and I have every intention of doing
more by this company. I've already written them a glowing letter
praising their quality and service. It will be a pleasure to represent
their products in the upcoming shows I'm attending. Gort will compete
in Kentucky and Grapevine Texas this year. He might even be a contender
for the 2015 Nationals in Ohio.
This past week, on Thursday, I brought Gort with me to work. It meant a
lot to me to show him to the people who'd seen him just as he
arrived....before paint. I next took him to Pressure Links.....where
several of my friends who follow these emails work....but a meeting
kept many there from seeing him. I then stopped by Monarch Trophy,
where I get my name plates done, and was happy to show him to several
of the ladies there. All in all, Gort had a nice outing. He was a
popular guy.
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