A bit out of season but I have finally finished painting these figures:




Step-by-step photos in my blog so I don't exceed my bandwidth limit

http://fbminisworkbench.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Nativity%20-%20Odemars

You are pretty courageous to get into something that was done a million times before by a million other artists
Seriously, it's once again a masterful job, I love the use of very pastel colours which sort of sets up the scene in XVIth century paintings or so, like the ones you have on your background pics

Nicely done, it's what I have come to expect from you.
I love seeing the photo in the background.
Great to see looking forward to seeing the ground work done.

Always a popular subject and I very much like the way you have presented it,especially the elevation changes of the base and scene framing of the wall and tree. It invites the viewer to come in closer to see your figures, which are equally pleasing to the eye.Very well finished and great colors.
The wood finish of the base gives much elegance and respect to the scene. Great job!
Thanks for sharing and please continue sharing the progress.
Cheers!
Rick

Thank you all for your encouraging words

The figures were made by Odemars (the brand is now extint), I bought them out of curiosity but also intending to present them to my family. During my research, I discovered the works of Giorgione, namely is painting about the Nativity of Jesus, which immediately motivated me to try to build a more elaborate scene.

Making the terrain is the step I enjoy the most and I've already chopped some styrofoam and balsa wood, as you can see. More to come soon

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=1109

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgione

Saludos, Juan

We usually call it Presépio, from the latin word praesepium. However, I much prefer the results I got from Googling the word "Belen"...

http://www.google.pt/images?q=belen&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:pt-PT:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

I'll be finishing this in time for Christmas :-)










The automotive primer reacted with the styrofoam a little...

This shouldn´t be too much of a problem and may even add natural shape to the stone?? Great job on the cave and painted figures. They really look the part. It might be a bit out of season now, but it should be finished ... perfectly in time for the right season?

Hey Francisco, This is turning out very nice. Your colors make your figures stand out beautifully. Waiting to see this one complete. One question for you, what are you using for your tree, looks great.

The plant that I've used as a tree is commonly known as "seafoam", it's name is actually Teloxys Aristata. I've been attempting to grow it for 3 years now with some nice results. You can read more about it in my blog, where I've registered my weekly results during it's growing season.

http://teloxysaristata.blogspot.com/



Quick update, the scene is now ready to be painted:

Great job!

Paints used:

1.Flat Earth+bit of Red and a bit of Yellow
2.Previous mix+Desert Yellow+White
3.Flat Earth to blend it all together
4.Some Khaki to add a greenish hue here and there.

Everything was sealed with Model Air Flat varnish to prepare for oil washes. (Now I think I should have sealed it with Future or similar).

5.Tree trunk, some stones and other details painted with Vallejo acrylics;
6.Oil washes with Winton Burnt Umber, Raw Umber and Burnet Sienna.

7.Drybrush with White+Burnt Umber oil paint.

Finished! Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave a message.

That is absolutely beautiful. Your figure painting is masterful! Great job and thanks for sharing. Thanks also for the courage to take on this subject!

Very Nice Francisco! And Merry Christmas!

very good job.

I will surf your blog, I care what the tree

Saludos y Felicidades
Domi

Looks absolutely wonderful and perfectly timed in presentation!
Merry Christmas!

I agree with everyone else, Francisco. This is beautifully done, and just in time for the Christmas holiday! Thanks for sharing it!

Great Job on this, Very Well Done ! milvehfan