Yet another diorama project (1 Viewer)

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I didn't want to name this as it may turn out to be a dud. I really am juggling quite a number of projects but this one really jumped out at me.
So overnight, I selected some leftover spares and started to knock up the pose. I had a spare resin cattle which would never have been used elsewhere so here it is being converted. I then interlocked the two beasties together before the putty hardened. So far, so good.

 

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Bulking out the beasties. I added horns to the cow and also altered the leg proportions. I selected another reject figure for conversion.

 

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Starting to refine the beasties. The figure is converted into a cavalryman. At this stage, it is still touch and go. Nothing looks decent at all. Sigh...

 

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OK. I've managed to get the cow looking the way I want it. The horse and figure are coming along too.

 

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Even as the major work on Susanna and the Elders project is mostly done, I am now starting to focus on this piece.

I wanted to cut my teeth on a simpler project than Rivoli (which has a lot of figures and horses) and was looking around for a suitable painting. The western art of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell caught my eye, especially the latter which has a lot of colour and action in his paintings. Similar to a Delacroix painting but with more details.

I finally decided on this painting The Broken Rope by Charles Russell.



However, the landscaped painting fully done up as a diorama would be quite extensive and I've decided to crop the scene to represent only the three cowboys. So far, I am quite satisfied with the main elements sculpted here and hopefully will be able to pursue and finish this project.

 

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The horse was shortened by about 1 cm (!). The fallen cowboy is being further sculpted.

Another horse and cowboy is being developed. A third rearing horse is being constructed but from 1/35 scale parts.

 

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I've assembled the cow with the the horse, joined by a thick wire which can allow for some final manipulation of the pose. The underside shows some attempt at creating the forelegs for the cow. The other two cowboys and the mounts are also being sculpted.

 

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some WIP on the two other cowboys. Beginnings of a hat for each and some woolley pants for one of them.

 

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I added tails to the cow and gored horse. A hand for the fallen cowboy.

Some details were added to the other cowboy.

 

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From arthropods to anthropoids, I think that the cowboys are starting to look like humanoids. I added hands and boots and shaped the cowboy hats. The pieces are getting there.

 

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Worked more on the 2nd cowboy. Added a mane and sculpted more of the arms.

I added teats to the cow as this can be seen in the painting. The hoof was made cloven.

 

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Now that most of the sculpting is done on Suzie, I am shifting to work more on this piece.

The horses have been given ears and saddles. Minor cleaning and sculpting on the cowboys to flesh them out.

I changed the pose on the third bucking horse quite drastically.

 

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On cowboy 1, I reshaped the horse head and also added hair and a right arm for the the figure.

On cowboy 2, I added what seems to be horse blankets and a pistol (Airfix 8th Army) and worked more on the saddle pommel.

 

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Since most of the major sculpting has been done, I've mounted the figures on wires stuck to cork for ease of handling and also to spray an undercoat.

More details have been added. Some of these are guesstimates as the painting is vague on some areas. I used a few cowboy book references on western saddles to navigate these details.

On the horse 1 being gored, I've added two fore legs. Most of cowboy 2 has been done.

I'm still working on horse 3, resculpting the face and the body.

 

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I sprayed the pieces with matt undercoat. Markings are made to the areas which need more work.

 

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I'm trying to get on with this diorama before I get distracted again. There are a few existing dioramas lurking around and new ones keep popping up...

After yet more reworks and resculpts, I've done a second overspray. I think that most of the elements are ready to be painted now. I'll correct any mistakes and add on the necessary details as I go along, including the horse bits and any fine and fragile details so that I don't break them off at this stage.

 

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This is experimental. So far, in every piece that I have done, I have tried unusual techniques.

For example, the Charging Chasseur incorporated a cutout and added horsehair. The Susanna and the Elders incorporated casting resin and UHU water effects.

I'll try something new in this piece as well. Russell used loose brushstrokes and his sculptural style was rough. I need to translate the style into a 3 D miniature. I am also trying to use a limited palette. I've started to lay down some basic undercoats of enamels.

 

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I've started painting the horse of cowboy 2 with terra rosa. Nice colour and it seems to soften the surface.

I've added stirrups and mounted cowboy 3 onto his rearing horse.

 

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For cowboy 3 and horse, I did radical surgery on the two hind legs to properly represent a rearing horse. I am quite satisfied with this new pose and will finalise the details now.

The groundwork is being crafted for this piece.

 

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For cowboy 2, I changed the stirrup position and resculpted part of the wooly trousers.


Added horse shoes to the horse 1 and horse 3.