Hi there

Here's the latest in the ongoing Albatros saga...

I've given up on oil paints for the wooden fuselage, stripped it all off and re-painted with water-colours over a matte enamel base. The effect might not be quite as good, but it's so much quicker and "user-friendly"!





There's still a load to do, but this the last time you'll see most of this "wood", 'cause it's got to disappear under a coat of mottled green... but at least I'll know it's lurking underneath the camoufllage! :-)

All the best

Rowan

Looks nice- subtle, yet very realistic looking. What type of watercolors did you use? How much did you thin it?

The panel lines really make the work stand out by the way-
I'm also doing an Albatros for the campaign- hope I can come close to your work!

Peter

Cheers Peter :-)

It's nice to feel I'm beginning to get to grips with this model...

The watercolours are Windsor & Newton and Rowney "poster colours". I used Vandyke Brown, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre.

I mixed what seemed reasonable colours add a little saliva(! :-) and pretty much daubed them over a base of matte beige enamel.

I let it dry and then kept on brushing with a damp brush, to remove most of the paint and get a grain effect. It took several passes, but I found it much easier to control than oils...

After I'd sealed everything with Klear, I still felt the effect was too strong , so I misted on ultra-thinned beige and sand to try to "knock everything back" further.

I've still got to add another coat of varnish, so I think the grain effect may intensify a bit again... we'll see. :-) I'll probably add a brown wash to bring out the panel lines and detail more... call it artistic licence...

All the best

Rowan

:-) Rowan, looks pretty neat. A bummer having to remove your previous good work
I bet, like me, you would have put that model to one side after it became a dust mgnet. If it wasn't for the campaign :-)
Mal

Hi Mal :-)

Spot on! :-) Armorama campaigns are the best thing to happen in my modelling in years!
:-)

I went through a really bad patch of never finishing anything... but the campaigns mean I just can't get away with it anymore!!

Once I've got some discipline back, I'll try building "non campaign" stuff again... I sound like a drug addict under therapy...

All the best

Rowan

:-) Rowan, I finished my 17th model, since January, today. When I joined Armorama I wasn't finishing anything either, 5 of those 17 are built from scratch, the others were started when I joined. I still have quite a few to go (I had 32 started when I signed up) but I will finish them, now :-) I have also started an armour model, nearly ready for painting and a WWI aircraft model. Although I always fancied doing a WWI subject, it was the campaign that gave me the shove I needed. :-)
Mal

Hi Mal

I'd love to say I'll work through my back-log and finish them... but I think there are simply too many!! I've got a Shelf Of Shame to haunt me....

Things have moved on with the Albatros, and most of the "wood" has disappeared under a kind of "sponged" mottle... it looks... pretty horrible at the moment!!! After all the work on a wood finish, it nearly broke my heart.

In the spirit of campaigns, I promise to soldier on and finish this sucker...

All the best

Rowan

Wow Rowan, I'm really liking that faded, very subtle wood grain effect you've got going on. I am very impressed-can't imagine myself pulling that off.

I smell a build or technique article in your future..lol!

Well here's the proof that I really did cover most of that wood up with really mucky camouflage! It only really shows on the underside now...



There's still lots to do - it's all looking like a bit of a blob at the moment!! I don't know why the purple looks so vivid in the pics... it's actually a dull aubourgine... maybe the lighting...

Ah well! At least it's starting to look like an aeroplane... there'll soon be all the rigging to look forward to... great joy!

All the best

Rowan

:-) Rowan, looks superb. The wooden prop is particilarly good, how did you achive the look of laminated and varnished wood? After all the effort you put in to achieve a good looking wood finish on the fuselage I though you might change your mind about the scheme and do one that retained the wood finish :-) Still we know it's there. I hope the rigging goes more smoothly than the wood finish, don't loose heart, it's going to look fantastic when iy's done :-)
Mal

Cheers Mal :-) I really appreciate it! :-)

I very nearly withdrew this pic, 'cause it looks such a pile of poo! :-)

When I first saw this scheme I thought "Yeah!! That's the one!!", but, once I started splodging green gunge over my wood-finish, I really began to wonder if I'd lost my mind!!

Hopefully, some wash and shading work will bring some shape back to Mr Blobby :-)

The propeller is more of the "poster paint" technique - as outlined above - just done darker. I know I haven't really got the laminations right... but it is my first try! (excuses..excuses!)

Cheers

Rowan

This isn't simply an excuse to post another pic of Mr Blobby!

I learned an important lesson in digital photography today.... check your white balance! Don't rely on the "auto" setting!



Yep! That's the same model as last night's "Hendrix purple" Albatros! As a video editor, I should know better - and I hang my head in shame... I only deal with this sh*t every day! (sometimes you can't see the obvious staring you in the face...)