Fake Dallaire vs the real thing

And finally, a photo of the bust next to the General.

Painting Dallaire

As noted below, I undercoated the Dallaire bust with Games Workshop Skull White spray primer. It’s a bit expensive for spray paint but I haven’t found anything else as good, despite attempts to replace it with generic auto primer from Home Depot. The Games Workshop paint has the benefits of being matte, of having good coverage without obscuring detail, combined with good tooth to take acrylic paints.

I initially painted the bust’s face in Liquitex professional bottled acrylics. I was quite happy with the result but thought I could do better. The face seemed a little too contrasty for my liking. So I repainted him in Vallejos and Citadel inks (which luckily I still have despite the fact that Games Workshop has stopped making them). As an aside, I found after a quick Google search that many companies make water based inks - so the loss of Games Workshop’s line is not as tragic as it may seem.

 

When comparing the two paints (i.e. Liquitex vs. Vallejos), the differences in the two products and the techniques they demand are readily apparent. The Liquitex face looks rough and cartoonish while the Vallejo version looks photo-realistic. Same brushes and same technique so the only real difference is the paint. I think the results speak for themselves.

 

Some other significant points – the signature UN blue beret benefits from the addition of a sky blue ink. This goes a long way toward brightening it up. I actually had to tone it down a bit with Vallejo washes so he didn’t look fluorescent. 

·        The name tag instilled fear in me. A Canadian Forces name tag is two part plastic with gloss black over white. The name is etched in to expose the underlying white ground. I had to paint the tag free hand in very small scale to simulate the precision of type face – white paint on black. Needless to say, with this type of contrast, any imperfections would be instantly apparent. The Gods of modelling were with me and I pulled it off first crack with no adjustments required. I think I am proudest of this single element of the model.

 ·       Similarly, the insignia on the epaulettes, including crown, crossed baton and sword, maple leaves and the “Canada” text were also very intimidating. Both epaulettes had to look the same. All elements of the insignia had to go on free hand at a very difficult angle – i.e. Painting downward on top of this shoulders. The “Canada” was the worst. After several misfires I painted it on in oils and waited for the text to dry. That failed but did serve to provide a textured ground for my next attempt. Finally, I realized that the high quality Liquitex paint would come into its own here. Once I switched to that paint, “Canada” was a breeze. 

·       The maple leaf on his shoulder and the UN patch on his other side were also daunting. But after multiple misfires I got them done. The first time I painted the UN patch I did a great job but found that I had not left enough room for the last “s” in “United Nations.” Damn! Had to start all over!

  

      The texture of the shirt was a challenge. I got to use the Vallejo glazing and shading techniques I have hear so much about. Subtle gradations in shade applied very thinly.  A large fan brush to ensure a reasonable blend. Thank G*d for the stay wet palette!

All in all a success I think. It looks like Dallaire. Several people, including my lovely wife, told me so without any prompting. I tried to get his look of stress and a bit of a blank look indicative of shell shock or PTSD`s “1,000 yard stare.” And the uniform is very evocative….shirt sleeves order with the light Khaki shirt but brought to life with the vibrant blue beret, the forest green epaulettes and various colours in the medals, and insignia.

The base is African rosewood from Thomas Art Bases and the label was made on my PC. Text box reverse printed on a plastic overhead page and then sprayed on the reverse with gold paint. Works great!

 

I sent photos of the finished product to the General himself c/o the Canadian Senate in Ottawa so we shall see if he responds.And now on to my next project.

Sculpting Dallaire"s portrait

I sculpted Dallaire in the same manner I always use. Shape an egg shaped orb of putty, pinch the back for a holding spot, and begin to shape the facial features. I use an Xacto knife to shape the major planes of the face, then rubber colour shapers to futher define them. The eyes were drilled with a dremel, putty orbs were added for eyes, and the lids were sculpted in. When I finished the facial features, he looked like this. You can see the pinched putty used to hold the face for sculpting in the middle photo below.

 

Next step was to cut-off the holder and shape the back of the head. Once that was done, the ears were shaped and haor added. Finally, the beret and beret badge wer added. The beret's surface was roughened with putty diluted with sculpey dilutant and a paint brush. The beret badge was sculpted to look like Dallaire's own individual model, a subdued cloth version rather than the metallic one used by many UN soldiers. The details were referenced to screen captures from DVD's like "Shake Hands With the Devil" (documentary) and "The Ghosts of Rwanda." Even the Canadian cinematic release of "Shake Hands With the Devil" starring Roy Dupuis is a good refernce source as Dallaire loaned some of his insignia for Dupuis to wear on set.

After addition of the neck, final baking and after brushing on dilutant, he looked like this.

 

You can see the mole on the right side of Dallaire's face and the small distinctive bump on the left  tip of the General's nose. I think small touches like that make the difference between an adequate portrait and something that is truly evocative of the person. 

Once the face was done, I proceeded to build the chest of the bust. The chest was built up on a wooden spindle. The collar of his shirt was particularly challenging. The sculpey had to be rolled thin enought to look like a shirt collar. Luckily super sculpey firm is also quite strong and thin material can be added with some confidence that it won't break after baking. Buttons were added and a needle was used to indicate thread holes in the buttons. Buttons and other minor insignia were added from magicsculpt.

Prior to priming with matt white spray paint (Games workshop), I added a name tag from plain plastic sheet.

Setting the model on an upturned Tim Hortons coffee cup with a central hole in the base to accomodate the wooden spindle is part of my traditional approach for busts.

Next project

My next sculpted bust project is Major General Romeo Dallaire, portrayed as he would have appeared as Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in 1994, during the genocide. Dallaire is now a Canadian with international stature following his performance in command of that failed Chapter 6 UN peacekeeping mission.

I settled on Dallaire as my next project because he is a change of pace for me (before this the most recent historical figure I had modeled had been from WWII}. Also, I admire him and he presents a challenge with his fascinating craggy face. Finally, the colours of the uniform appeal to be - khaki shirt, green epaulettes, light blue beret. Getting the stressed looked that I see in many pictures of Dallaire will be an additional challenge.

Dallaire had the misfortune to be dumped into a command role in Rwanda immediately prior to the re-ignition of a brutal civil war, one that morphed into the worst genocide since WWII. As a senior Canadian officer, he was presumed by the UN to be an expert peacekeeper as well. Sent in to command insufficient troops (none who were Canadian) drawn primarily from former colonial nations, such as Belgium, and neighbouring African countries like Tunisia and Ghana. Dallaire was admittedly not prepared for the political and cultural minefield he found in Rwanda.

He is his own strongest critic, freely admitting his own failings that led in part to the disaster. The worst failing in his eyes was his inability to convince the UN and the international community to intervene.  I still recall hearing him pleading for support and to "send me troops!" every week on CBC radio as a country died around him. The West ignored his pleas, afraid to trigger another Somalia fiasco.

He also made a decision on the first night of the genocide that he could not use force to free 10 Belgian para-commandos under his command given insufficient forces and constraining and unrealistic rules of engagement. He had few troops, virtually no ammunition and unarmed observers spread all over the country. As a result, any armed assault to free the hostage Belgians would have breached his orders and resulted  many more deaths. In addition, he had only seconds to make the decision. Many Belgians are still bitter that Dallaire did not forceably free these men as they were subsequently brutally murdered.

His book "Shake Hands with the Devil" is a wrenching read and the section where he is ordered to leave by Kofi Anan and to abandon the Rwandans to their own devices is compelling reading. In concert with his African second in command, he refused orders to leave and managed to save perhaps 30,000 to 40,000 souls who had taken refuge with his UNAMIR troops.

As Dallaire's Assistant, Major Brent Beardsley said: "We could have packed up dead bodies, put them on a Herc, flown to New York, walked in the Security Council and dumped them on the floor in front of the Security Council, and all that would have happened was we would have been charged for illegally using a U.N. aircraft. They just didn't want to do anything. ..."

Asked how he can still believe in God after Rwanda, Dallaire responded that in Rwanda he shook hands with the devil and for that reason knows that there is also a God. A fascinating man who is now an international campaigner against genocide and the employment of child soldiers, Dallaire was deeply scarred by his experiences, being diagnosed with PTSD and later attempting suicide three times. You can see his sadnesss and the beginnings of the "1,000 yard stare" in the first photo at the top of this post.

"Rwanda will never ever leave me. It's in the pores of my body. My soul is in those hills, my spirit is with the spirits of all those people who were slaughtered and killed that I know of, and many that I didn't know. … Fifty to 60,000 people walking in the rain and the mud, you know, to escape being killed, and seeing a person there beside the road dying. We saw lots of them dying. And lots of those eyes still haunt me, angry eyes or innocent eyes, no laughing eyes. But the worst eyes that haunt me are the eyes of those people who were totally bewildered. They're looking at me with my blue beret and they're saying, "What in the hell happened? … My failings, my inabilities, not taking advantage, lack of skills, all of it is there. What could I have done better, well, we can discuss that for hours. But there's one thing for damn sure: I was in the field, I commanded, I did not convince, I lost soldiers and 800,000 people died. And there's no way of taking that away. …"

Major Heinz completed

Here is the completed Major Heinz bust. The label was computer generated and the base was procured at Michaels' Art Supplies. He now has a new home with the Heinz family, where.I hope he will be enjoyed for many years to come.

 

Painted EMI Marshal Murat in 54mm

Murat by Gerard

I don't paint a lot of commercially available figures but as soon as I saw this 54mm figure a few years ago I knew I had to have it as I love doing Napoleonic personalities based on paintings and I love hussar uniforms. Its a repro of a famous portrait of Murat by Gerard. The figure was sculpted by A. Laruccia. The painting is currently housed in the Musee de Versailles. Who could resist painting a portrait of Murat.

Joachim Murat was Napoleon's most famous cavalry commander and was married to Napoleon's sister. Based on nepotism and his military successes, Murat was made King of Naples by Napoleon. The painting shows him in the uniform of a light cavalry general, perhaps of the Neopolitan Guard.

 Murat was the Herman Goering of his day: overly confident and flamboyant; ambitious; fond of cosmetics and of designing his own show-off uniforms; leader of a critical arm of his master's military forces; and a member of the inner circle who ultimately let his leader down.The model is true to the painting and includes Murat's boy servant holding his master's colpack (fur cap). The sculptor did a great job in turning the 2D portrait into a 3D rendering.

Murat was born into the family of an innkeeper. During the French Revolution he entered the army, and soon became a colonel. He served under Napoleon in Italy and in Egypt, rose to be a general of division (1799), returned with Napoleon to France, and on 18th Brumaire (9 November 1799) dispersed the Council of Five Hundred at St. Cloud. Napoleon gave him his sister, Caroline, in marriage. In command of the cavalry at the Battle of Marengo, Murat covered himself with glory, and in 1801 was nominated Governor of the Cisalpine Republic. He contributed to the victories of Austerlitz (1805), Jena and Eylau; in 1806 he was made the Grand Duke of Berg, and in 1808 he was proclaimed King of two Sicilies as Joachim Napoleon. He took possession of the Kingdom Naples (encompassing most of hte southern half of Italy, though the Bourbons, supported by Britain, retained Sicily, and he won the hearts of his subjects.

In the Russian campaign he commanded all of the cavalry, and indeed, the whole army after Napoleon left it during the retreat from Mosclow. He crushed the Austrians at Dresden (1813), fought at Leipzig, and concluded a treaty with Austria and truce with aBritish admiral; but on Napoleon’s escape from Elba, he threw his weight behind Napoleon again and commenced war against Austria and was twice defeated. With a few horsemen he fled to Naples, and thence to France. Napoleon rejected his services for the Waterloo campaign due to his fury at Murat for launching an attack on Austria before Napoleon was ready. There is a school of thought that, had Murat rather than Ney commanded the cavalry at Waterloo, the outcome may well have been very different.

After Napoleon’s final overthrow, Murat proceeded with a few followers to the coast of Calabria, and proclaimed himself king; but he was captured by some customs officers and a mob, court-martialed and shot by firing squad.

His last words were in character, to the effect of  "Shoot for the body, save the face!"

Painting Friedrich Wilhelm Heinz

I decided to paint the bust in acrylics. While I have a large selection of Vallejo hobby acrylics, in this case I decided to experiment and use bottled Liquitex artists' acrylics. I did use a few Vallejos mixed with the Liquitex and of course I also used my Citadel inks. While I hated Games Workshop's hobby paints for being over priced and for their propensity to dry up within 2 months of purchase, their inks have an indeterminate shelf life and are awesome for staining, glazing and washing figures. They are a key tool in my face painting technique. However, in true Games Workshop fashion, they discontinued their only good paint product to replace them with what I am told is a vastly inferior line of washes. Apparently artists inks from Winsor Newton and other suppliers fill the void but I won't get the chance to find out until my GW inks finally dry out or get used up.

The following photos show the bust painting in progress.