After VLS split with VP, we began buying and creating aftermarket companies. We began with Warriors and Custom Dioramics and restarted Techstar. Over the following couple of years, we started Letterman Publications, VLS Brushes, Legends and Lore, 1/35th Construction Battalion, Trakz, Wingz, The Streets of Laredo, Fanta-Z, Lincoln County Line, and a couple of others.
We normally released 10 to 12 new releases a month from these companies and when i sold VLS, we had about 2000 products on the market. Mostly the figures were painted by Bill Chillstrum and Chris Mrosko, but I painted almost every other product for it's box art. I di paint some of the figures as well from time to time, but not that many.
That was the main reason I am still working on Logistics. During those years from 1999 to 2007, it was all I could do to keep up with painting box art. Dave Harper, who worked for VLS and was also one of my very best friends was obsessed with the Pacific Theater of WW II. He even located the only LVT for the TV series, The Pacific. He worked as consultant on that movie and was also heavily involved with the models of the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico.
Each time VLS would release any product related to the Pacific Theater, Dave would park himself at my bench and take dozens of in progress photos while I painted the box art. I just had an operating system go south on my computer and during the fix, I found a bunch of photos Dave took of Custom Dioramic's Jungle Hut as I was painting it. I told Moon Puppy and he thought I should post those photos, so here goes.
The master was created by Ben Jacobsen, a Canadian and a regular pattern maker for VLS. He is one of the very best in my opinion.
Since it was to be box art, I painted it as though it had recently been built, nice, new and pristine. The resin color we used at VLS made a great base color for straw and other surfaces, so I didn't bother to paint the areas that were to become straw. Here is the resin kit after building it.
Here I painted all the parts that were to be wood using Vallejo's light flesh.
Here is the roof section.
Then over the resin colored straw, I used artist's oils raw umber mixed with rectified turpentine to the consistency of milk.
As soon as it is covered, use an old T-shirt wrapped over your finger and begin to blot, not wipe, the raw umber mixture from the model until it begins to look like straw. It will look better when dry, but even wet, you should be able to tell when you have blotted enough. See upper right corner
Continue until the area is complete.
Then the other side.
Then continue on the other areas where straw/grass will be simulated.
This side is finished.
Now all the grass/straw areas are complete.
Now I prepared a mixture of artist's oils Burnt Sienna, a touch of raw umber and again with artist's rectified turpentine on a pallet .
Then, using a wide, Russian sable brush, I begin painting the sienna mixture on the parts that will simulate wood.
Once painted, use a clean but damp with the turpentine brush to smooth in the wood grain.
Then I use a very tiny filbert, (No. 2) to make tiny swirls in the wood areas to simulate knots.
Then on to the remaining wood areas.
[
As it is painted, I use the clean brush to simulate the wood grain and then the knots.
I have always worked on my lap. Weird, but that's most comfortable for me.
Almost finished on the work bench.
And finally, finished!
This took all of about a half hour. By using the water based flesh color, you can immediately apply the oils with the aggressive rectified turpentine without possibility of removing the base coat. If you want to make the hut look older as if it had been around for awhile, then on the wood, switch to raw umber and a touch of Paynes Grey. It will give it a grayish, weathered appearance.
Bedebedebede, that's all folks!
We normally released 10 to 12 new releases a month from these companies and when i sold VLS, we had about 2000 products on the market. Mostly the figures were painted by Bill Chillstrum and Chris Mrosko, but I painted almost every other product for it's box art. I di paint some of the figures as well from time to time, but not that many.
That was the main reason I am still working on Logistics. During those years from 1999 to 2007, it was all I could do to keep up with painting box art. Dave Harper, who worked for VLS and was also one of my very best friends was obsessed with the Pacific Theater of WW II. He even located the only LVT for the TV series, The Pacific. He worked as consultant on that movie and was also heavily involved with the models of the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico.
Each time VLS would release any product related to the Pacific Theater, Dave would park himself at my bench and take dozens of in progress photos while I painted the box art. I just had an operating system go south on my computer and during the fix, I found a bunch of photos Dave took of Custom Dioramic's Jungle Hut as I was painting it. I told Moon Puppy and he thought I should post those photos, so here goes.
The master was created by Ben Jacobsen, a Canadian and a regular pattern maker for VLS. He is one of the very best in my opinion.
Since it was to be box art, I painted it as though it had recently been built, nice, new and pristine. The resin color we used at VLS made a great base color for straw and other surfaces, so I didn't bother to paint the areas that were to become straw. Here is the resin kit after building it.
Here I painted all the parts that were to be wood using Vallejo's light flesh.
Here is the roof section.
Then over the resin colored straw, I used artist's oils raw umber mixed with rectified turpentine to the consistency of milk.
As soon as it is covered, use an old T-shirt wrapped over your finger and begin to blot, not wipe, the raw umber mixture from the model until it begins to look like straw. It will look better when dry, but even wet, you should be able to tell when you have blotted enough. See upper right corner
Continue until the area is complete.
Then the other side.
Then continue on the other areas where straw/grass will be simulated.
This side is finished.
Now all the grass/straw areas are complete.
Now I prepared a mixture of artist's oils Burnt Sienna, a touch of raw umber and again with artist's rectified turpentine on a pallet .
Then, using a wide, Russian sable brush, I begin painting the sienna mixture on the parts that will simulate wood.
Once painted, use a clean but damp with the turpentine brush to smooth in the wood grain.
Then I use a very tiny filbert, (No. 2) to make tiny swirls in the wood areas to simulate knots.
Then on to the remaining wood areas.
[
As it is painted, I use the clean brush to simulate the wood grain and then the knots.
I have always worked on my lap. Weird, but that's most comfortable for me.
Almost finished on the work bench.
And finally, finished!
This took all of about a half hour. By using the water based flesh color, you can immediately apply the oils with the aggressive rectified turpentine without possibility of removing the base coat. If you want to make the hut look older as if it had been around for awhile, then on the wood, switch to raw umber and a touch of Paynes Grey. It will give it a grayish, weathered appearance.
Bedebedebede, that's all folks!
