Friday 7 August 2015

Princess Merida [WIP - Freehand embroidery pattern]

While I have had some freehand practice painting up the various noble houses' heraldry in my Game of Thrones project, I haven't actually done any freehand painting of dress patterns or embroidery designs until Princess Merida came along. After spending so much time getting a smooth colour transition on her light sky blue dress, I was reluctant to mess it all up with potentially bad freehand work. But in the end it was a risk that needed taking. The alternative was a horribly bland dress.   

Princess Merida latest work-in-progress: Freehand embroidery pattern on the fringes of her dress
Freehand design was created for it's ease of painting
Doodling a design simple enough for use in the freehand attempt

That this freehand dress pattern was even possible in the first place was due to a Raphael 3/0 Kolinsky Sable paint brush I had acquired a while ago. Put simply, it made all my previous freehand attempts using nylon brushes a complete waste of time. Its ability to consistently maintain a sharp point and yet still be flexible without losing its overall shape (or surface tension) makes the brush ideal for painting delicate freehand designs. Though imperfect, the results I got wouldn't be even remotely possible with a nylon brush; at least not achieved as easily as with the Kolinsky Sable one. 

Closeup of my take on a embroidery pattern on Princess Merida's dress
Pattern comprised light on dark lines to give the illusion of depth

Citadel acrylic colours - Snakebite Leather, Bubonic Brown, Skull White mixed in varying ratios - were used to paint the embroidery design. My intention was to create a 'raised effect' that you would usually see on embroidery. That's was the only way I could think of to replicate such a texture. 

Closeup view of the embroidery pattern from the back
Final design differs from the actual one in the movie Brave 

Princess Merida is now about 95% complete; all that's left are her eyes and shoes. After the mentally exhausting work with her dress' freehand embroidery, I didn't have anything left in the tank to attempt her eyes. Mess that up and all the hard work spent on Merida would have been a waste of time. One thing is for sure, I will definitely be using Kolinsky Sable brushes to paint the princess's eyes.    

http://shireworks.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/shire.works

16 comments:

  1. HAHA! That is sooo freaking GOOD! Well done :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic free hand ! I love the colors !
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mario. It's all thanks to the Kolinsky Sable brush.

      Delete
  3. Wooooo! Beautiful! Astoundishing! The effect you got there is pure sci-fi for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh heh ... I was going for fantasy but I guess Princess Merida can be a Princess Leia if she wants to ;) And thank you very much Suber.

      Delete
  4. Fantastic, you turned a toy in a wonderful mini!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grazie Luca. So far so good. I hope her eyes turn out well or it will all be for naught.

      Delete
  5. That is really beautiful work, well done Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is amazing work. Some major brush skill there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Minor skill but major brush ... pardon the lame pun. Thanks Greg!

      Delete
  7. Great looking freehand. I wish my hands were that steady!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Moiterei. My hands aren't steady at all ... all that coffee I drink makes sure of that. I guess it's just a matter of the right tool and ensuring that my hands are anchored properly so that both they and the miniature move as one even when my hands shake badly.

      Delete
  8. Outstanding work, Kuan. You're right too, Kolinsky sable brushes can't be beat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Finch. Yep, I love those Kolinkskies. It's a pity they have been banned in the US.

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...