The Inspiration
I’ve been always fascinated by Greek mythology. When I saw the movie 300, I was infatuated by the visual FX used in the movie and this project was inspired by it.
The Rites of Passage has been a tradition anywhere in the world, but mostly it was designed for young men and to celebrate the come of age. The ritual typically involves surviving in the wild.
The Materials
I have wanted to work on a vignette with a backdrop, to create a somewhat 3 dimensional environment for the figures.
For this project, I used the Artemis model from Hasslefree Miniatures and the White Stag from Ral Partha. A thick plastic sheet for the backdrop, papier mâché for groundwork, plant roots and tree bark were used for the base.
The Creation Process
To start, I drew a rough concept of the composition; where the miniature will stand, the dead animal, the moon for source lighting.
I glued the plastic sheet on one side of the plinth and then built up the groundwork for the base using papier mâché for the uneven ground, combined with broken bark pieces.
Then all the miniatures are mounted with poster tacky for dry-fitting to make sure the composition and placement are identical or close to the sketch
After all the placements are confirmed, I removed all the trees and figures from the plinth. I painted the moonlight scene on the backdrop and followed by painting the boulders, the soil and the flat rock bed.
Then i painted the dead stag, added the roots to look like an old mature tree on each side
Now it’s time to paint the figure. It’s particularly difficult to match the light source and the ambience of the surrounding to the skin tone.
First, I basecoated the figure. At this time the shield is detached because there are some areas that were hard to reach if i have the shield attached. Then I took several pictures to get a reference for the light source. Once I found the right one, I use that picture to guide me in locations to apply the highlights and shadows.
Repeatedly I put the figure back to the base to make sure I was still on track on the ambience; making sure she is not too light or too dark.
After I am happy with her highlights and shadows, I switched to the shield. I painted both shield and helmet with bronze and hand painted the scorpion symbol on the shield. Once the shield is done, I glued it to the figure and put her on the base.
As the finishing touches, I mixed Tamiya Clear Red with a bit of black for cuts and blood splatter on the sword, the neck of the stag and the cuts on her body.
The Finished Piece
