Nosey! Mitches 1/9th Wellington Bust

[Guest]

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I had intended to start a bit of armour next, but as the kit hasn't arrived, it was on to Mitches' Wellington bust, another 1/9th sculpt by Pavol Ovecka.

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He's plastered in decorations, which are a combination of those shown in the portraits above. My favourite is the third from the left, which is by Goya, no less, and which resides in the National Gallery, where I've spent much time admiring it. The one on a right is a photo (daguerreotype) taken in old age.

The kit comes in two parts:

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I looked at the face under a slanting light last night and noticed that the eyes were a bit dodgy, which should have prepared me for the struggle ahead:

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This was an absolute pig. The eyes were very, very difficult to get right, and at one point I had to remove the paint and take the scalpel to the upper lids. I've done my best and am going to leave the face now.

May just have time to start on the uniform tomorrow before heading off to Lewes for a few days of Granddad duty.

[rtfoe]

Peter, I'm scare to comment in case you might throw it in the bin...not your fault as the sculpt didn't quite get Wellington's eyes and forehead right in the first place.

Cheers,
Richard

[Guest]

Hi Richard - Don't worry, I won't bin it. I'm happy enough with the way the face turned out - it was just a struggle getting there.

[Guest]

No worries Pete, it looks fantastic as usual.

[Peter Gillson]

Peter - the resilt is worth your efforts, looks nice

[Guest]

Peter - Thanks. I still need to do a bit of refining and tidying up on the face. Ultimately, I think this one is going to be about the bling.

[scottie3158]

Peter,
Excellent as always, bring on the bling.

[Guest]

Thanks Scottie.

Just been trying to work out the colours for the bling. He seems to be wearing different combinations of decorations in each portrait, but the basic colours are gold, silver, black and red.

The tunic will be red with gold buttons, the collar will have gold chasing on a dark blue background, and the sash will be dark blue.

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

I was curious about the mixture of "decorations" and what was the sculptor's inspiration, there seem to be so many combinations!

You really cant see anything wrong with the head or eyes, but you are at the sharp end of the brush.

The metalwork will really shine through, when you return from your Granddad duties.

Enjoy the break and change of pace.

My bones are all OK and crunched back in place

Happy Peppa pig weekend

Regards

Steve H

[Guest]

Morning Steve, glad to hear that they're slotting everything back into place.

It looks like Wellington had so many decorations, it was a question of what to wear for each occasion (no doubt diplomatic reasons dictated some of the choice). It appears that there were some he always wore, like the Order of the Golden Fleece, the most complicated to paint, and the tunic changed according to where he was.

I'll get a bit more done today before setting off for Granddad duties. It's the Teletubbies and Hey Duggie I have to look forward to. Also, she's had another round of jabs, so may be quite grumpy.

[BigGreg]

Are you going to put this bust in front of the Napoleon's bust?

[Guest]

Hi Greg - He and Blucher are going to be trampling Boney underfoot! Seriously though, they will probably be lined up on a single plinth.

Here's what he's looking like now:

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The decorations so far are my best interpretation based on the portraits, with a bit of artistic license thrown in. As with all of these busts, I could have wished that the detailing had been just slightly better, but as a whole I suppose it works.

The tunic was painted with combinations of Vallejo Dark Vermilion and Black Brown for the base, with Scarlet added for the highlights.

That's it for a few days - off on Granddad duty......

[scottie3158]

Peter,
That is great work enjoy your baby sitting

[Guest]

Cheers Scottie. Have just arrived and the baby's asleep! Some greeting.

[Steve Jones]

Two down - one to go. I am so glad you persevered with the face. It certainly has come out really well. Wonderful work on the tunic. I am sure you will post all three together once done. It will be a special grouping. Great work sir