Rebel in the Making - Part 18 (details!)

My goal for NaMoPaiMo this year was to focus on better white markings. If you haven't heard already, I am loving the Faber Castell paint pen to outline and fill in the markings. In the last post, I shared my technique for smooth opaque markings, but the technique doesn't allow for refined edges and mapping. 

I first tried using a couple Jo Sonja colors, but I found they got too grainy too quickly. 

Even the glazing liquid didn't smooth the paint to my liking. 

Then I swung the other way by going to a blend of Golden fluid acrylics, which are very 'slippery' with not much tooth, but these were not opaque enough for my liking. 

The third try was just right (I'm starting to sound like Goldilocks!). I've used Lascaux titanium white before and it's been a staple in my white markings for awhile. I need to find a new source for it... I mixed in a touch of the Golden high flow acrylic titan buff, which is the same color mixed into the white marking base I talked about in the last post. That way the color should be seamless since I am hoping to focus only on the edges and not cover the entire pattern again. 

I thought natural light would be better for this picture, but not so much! Painting mapping is very tedious, so I mixed it up with doing some detail work along the way. 

I love trying out new paint colors and the Jo Sonja line has some interesting colors. On a whim, I picked up this Bisque color. When mixed with this pink craft paint, I found it made for a nice muzzle color. Now that I've found something I like,  I need to see if they still make this craft paint color, which is starting to get tacky since I've had it so long, and buy a fresh bottle.

With all the real estate that needed blending into white, it took me multiple tries. The Jo Sonja builds up texture quickly, so I wiped it off plenty of times and retried and retried. I ended up sealing it a couple of times to try to build up the color. While I loved the color, I struggled to really get a nice transition with the white paint. I added some strategic kissy spots. :)

Somewhere along the line I added some soft dapples and added some more washes, mostly titan buff to bring back that buttermilk color. The key for me is this glazing liquid. It prolongs dry time and helps to smooth the paint in place of water. I used it on the muzzle pinking, on large areas of color washes, on hooves, and in the white mixture. 

Trying another background so you can better see his color. Still too dark! But you can see the eyeball I mention a little later down.

For his shell hoof, I used the Jo Sonja bisque to build up a solid base. I didn't want to use the same beige colors I used on his body. Then I used titan buff and burnt sienna (maybe something else?) and did light washes following the growth rings. 

For his dark hooves, I used the dark pastel base and used Liquitex Neutral Gray 5 in a wash with the glazing liquid, with it more concentrated at the coronet band to create the periople. Easiest hooves I've ever painted and I personally really like them! 

For his shoes, I started by using black where the hoof meets the shoe to try to simulate shadow, as well as where the nail holes are on the hoof wall and the grooves inside the shoes. Then I used Golden Iridescent Silver (fine) to paint the shoes and the nail heads. One bottle will last you a lifetime. You can see him 'hanging out' for his hooves to dry over the edge of the table. I did the same thing when I sealed them, though I was super careful to cover up the side he lays on so that it didn't get any spray on it. 

For his eyes, I started with titan buff and burnt sienna for eye whites, followed by black for the rim of the iris. Then I filled in the eyeball with the Bisque color (you can see this a few pictures above). I probably sealed at this point. Then mixes of burnt umber, titan buff, maybe burnt sienna and probably something else? for the iris color. Sorry, I didn't take good notes! For the pupil, I laid down black in an elongated oval parallel to the ground, followed by a touch of Jo Sonja Blue Iridescent centered within the pupil. Again, a bottle of this should last a lifetime!

Rebel Just for Kicks

I am so happy to have completed him in time for NaMoPaiMo! This blog post actually covers the work I did over several days (including some really long painting sessions). 

I still have all his hairdos to finish, but Jennifer agreed that forelocks were optional for NaMoPaiMo - pshew! After I've caught up on adulting, I'll get back to work on all his interchangeable manes, tails and forelocks, so come back soon!