Dracula by @ferminiatures , sculpted by Pedro Fernandez. I wanted to paint this bust for a long time, and finally got a chance to do so during the Preshade 2024 painting camp that I attended last weekend.

This is a beautiful, expressive hand-sculpted bust full of that raw analog charm, and as such I thought it would be perfect to complement it with a painterly style, subdued palette and a of course a heavy dose of textures to accentuate the dark, gothic feel of decaying elegance that this sculpt evokes.

I'm pretty sure the sculpt was inspired by that one portrait of Beethoven that everyone has seen but doesn't remember who painted it, so I further looked for inspiration there and borrowed the white shirt, red neckerchief and the way I painted the hair.

Hope you enjoy, as it was a blast to paint.

  • Roman LappatPLUS

    A lovely character! It is a blast to observe your work on it. The texture is amazing. Very well fitting color choices. He looks bloodless. Crazy. Keep on Happy Painting!

    • Piotr Pieścik

      Thank you! Glad to see my choices read well :)

  • OrigalumPLUS

    Maybe I miss some hue (at least some tiny) but still the work is great!

    • Piotr Pieścik

      Thank you! I was actually thinking about making his hair a little bit more saturated as a contrast to the rest of the mini, but ultimately decided to go full bleak (except the tie), so I know what you mean

  • Eduardo Garcia Lope

    Excellent work, nice muted tones, they give the “cold” look needed.
    I like your “illustrator” or “drawer” free brush.

    • Piotr Pieścik

      Thak you, glad it’s working!

  • Paraskeyas Marazakis

    θεωρώ ιδιαίτερα πετυχημένο το βάψιμο. Αποδίδει πολύ όμορφα τον χαρακτήρα και την παγωμάρα που εκφράζει. Εξαιρετικά ατμοσφαιρική δουλειά, συγχαρητήρια...

  • MarcPLUS

    J’adore !

  • Mrfoxx01

    Choć niestety zagłosować mogę narazie tylko pisemnie to gold odetnie.Mocno mi się podoba ( tak jak i reszta prac)

  • Tommy Gunn

    You really brought this character to life, or should I say death!

    Gold.

  • Alexander "Skrytnik" Loskutov

    Gold!

  • Štěpán Tichý

    I think you mastered a pale-ish skin tone. Really, it looks ancient and unhealthy. The textures on the coat is amazing! Love the mood of the piece and cohesion of colours.

  • Frédéric BISSEUX (MINOS)

    Magnifique, on frissonne d’effroi !!!

  • EloyMunozOrtiz

    Gold, amazing…

  • schiragaPLUS

    Gold

  • John Delamere

    Love it!

  • Stanislav_Musevich

    Gold!