Metal Earth Model – Type XXI U-boat

This is the last of the series of Metal Earth models of places I’ve been. As with the last one, this is more of a close-enough than a been-there. I’ve never been on a Type XXI U-boat, though I’ve been on a Type IX.

Most of this build was fairly straightforward. The bend on the sides was a little tricky to get exactly right, but it was easy enough to correct once the pieces started fitting into place. One of the forward dive planes snapped off, and the main periscope was a little fiddly. Beyond that this one was mostly error free.

I had fun putting it together. This is the first time since I was a kid that I did a cut-away model of a sub.

Leaf Ghost #99

I found a couple of colors in Copic’s Blue Green range – BG15 Aqua and BG49 Duck Blue – that I hadn’t used before. With Yellow Red on the opposite side of the color wheel, I fell back on a pair of previously-used oranges for the background.

The new trick this time was a light grey (N1) for the drop shadow. I went over it twice to darken it without obscuring the background colors too much.

Leaf Ghost #98

Still sticking with blue and grey.

The experiment this time was to work with two similar colors (Winsor & Newton Ultramarine and India Black) but vary the line widths. It’s an interesting effect. Not only does it create enough difference between the shades to clearly distinguish fore from back, but it also adds different textures. I can definitely see doing more with this.

Leaf Ghost #97

Here’s two things I told myself I wasn’t going to do again anytime soon: grey paper and colored pencils. But I’ve been looking at some illustration work by Donato Giancola for which he used a mid-tone paper (more tan than grey) with colored pencils and other media. And I was encouraged to give this another try.

I’m glad I did. The pencils are still hard to work with, but I really like the results. Very ghostly.

 

Leaf Ghost #96

More grey on blue, this time in gouache. I decided to abandon efforts to make it look neat and just go with big, visible brush strokes. It shows up more in the light grey than the other colors. That’s Cerulean Blue, Cerulean mixed with Titanium White, and two levels of grey made with Lamp Black and Titanium White.

I also tried an experiment, using Navy Blue for the drop shadow but lightening the paint for the lighter squares. It didn’t make a dramatic difference, but it’s noticeable when you look closely.

Leaf Ghost #95

The leaf this time around was an unusual shape. On the page, it looks almost caligraphic.

I knew from experience that Winsor & Newton Ultramarine and Blue weren’t dramatically different. But after the close Copic blues last time, I thought it might be fun to try them together. I’m pleased with the result.