Prepping for Atlanta

Workbench report; This little fellow is a commission that I was able to get done a little bit ahead of time. I did an Airfix conversion of a WWII Australian in the same pose a few years ago. I like the idea that the figure is wading through a nasty backwater. I tried to pick a head that had a facial expression that conveyed a bit of miserable determination. I tried something a little different to simulate the algae. I think this adds to the effect pretty well. I'm still hammering away at the USS Constitution Fighting Top. The focus lately has been on figures. I am at full stop on the top itself until my custom base is completed. I'll be honest and try to be delicate at the same time about these figures. It would seem that the caster is not used to sprueing up figure kits. There are some odd and heavy mold seams on many of the figures. A couple had such significant mold shift that if the company were still in business, I might consider asking for replacements. Luckily, I have enough redundancy in kit pieces that enough good figures can be assembled to complete the top with crew.

A while back on the forums I lamented that I had gotten fed up with trying to use acrylics as undercoats. I decided to give Humbrol enamels another go. I had gotten pretty disgusted with their formula switch to "Super Enamel". I had noticed lately that Humbrol no longer labeled their paint in such a manner. I was hoping this meant that a return to the older formula had also occurred. On a trip to St. Louis I stopped by CRM and grabbed a handful of colors I thought I might use. One of these was still labeled "Super Enamel". I opened it and one of the others and stirred the respective contents. The newer label seemed to have significantly more sludge at the bottom. This could only mean more pigment. I used some of this new paint to undercoat a couple of figures in the queue. I flowed off the brush like a dream and covered in one coat. It dried dead matte. What more could an oil painter ask for? Call me a throwback, but I'm back on enamels.

I'm planning on going to the Atlanta show this year. Last year I skipped in lieu of going to the MFCA show. Perhaps this is how I'll manage the show circuit going forward. The Atlanta show has such a homey atmosphere though. The draw MFCA has for me is an opportunity to see lots of European work and a huge vendor's area.

I'm still recovering from my surgery. I still have some weakness in the right shoulder. PT is helping, but mostly I just have to wait for the nerves to heal. At first it hampered my ability to sculpt and paint. I had rearranged some items in my studio to accommodate. Now I have enough strength that it's become unnecessary.