1:10 Blackfoot Raven Bearer

Young Miniatures 1:10 Blackfoot Raven Bearer - resin bust

A portrait bust in modeling resin in 1:10 scale from the Young Miniatures studio, with a raven feather bearer as its subject. It is supplied unpainted and is not built like a model: putting the parts together is a matter of minutes, whereas preparing the surface and the painting take up most of the time. The subject is interesting for a painter because alongside skin and hair it brings feathers, a surface that is painted quite differently from cloth or metal. It is not painted as an area but barb by barb: a base, a dark glaze between the barbs and a light pass along the edges. In 1:10 scale there is enough room for that.

Preparing the casting

Wash the casting in lukewarm soapy water, because resin holds mold release agent from the mold and neither paint nor primer will stick to it. Cut the casting gates off with a sharp scalpel and finish the surfaces with wet sandpaper; protect your airways while sanding. Dry-fit the parts first so that you know where to fill. Fill the seam with modeling putty or with super glue and an accelerator, sand it back and restore the interrupted texture with a scriber. Finally apply a thin coat of primer, ideally gray, which shows up the remaining scratches and unifies the base.

Painting the skin, the hair and the feathers

Build the skin up from a mid-tone layer: glazes in the eye sockets, under the cheekbones and in the corners of the mouth, lightening on the forehead, the bridge of the nose and the chin. Oils let you blend the transitions soft, acrylics layer faster. Paint the eyes in an off-white, never a pure white, then the iris, the pupil and the line of the upper eyelid. With darker skin tones take care that the lightening is not gray; mix it into warm shades, or the area will look dusty. For black hair use a very dark brown or blue-gray as the base rather than a pure black, which cannot be shaded any further. Paint the feathers element by element and leave a dark division between them. Set the leather and the natural materials apart with a satin finish against the matte skin, and leave the small beads and metal elements until last. Pin and glue the finished bust to its base and display it under light from above and in front.

Who the bust is for

• Figure painters who want to practice darker skin tones and the texture of feathers
• Collectors of portrait busts in 1:10 scale outside the military range
• More experienced modelers, since resin calls for washing, cutting and filling
• Anyone who enjoys patient work with small repeating details

The bust is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Paints, glue and putty are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.