"Inharmonious" - Chinese human rights diorama

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

I haven't posted on WAMP in a really long time, but I thought I'd get back in the swing of things with this project I'm working on, which was inspired by the documentary Ai Wei Wei, Never Sorry, which I highly recommend (available on Netflix streaming).

So the scene is a couple of People's Armed Police, delivering some kind of fine or warrant to a mother of three children, obviously in violation of China's One Child Policy. I'm thinking of adding some signs of other kinds of resistance in her apartment, like a Falun Dafa emblem or something, but I haven't decided on that yet.

The figures are all from Reaper, although the two policemen are highly modified/converted.

Here is the concept "sketch" I put together when I first started.



I later converted the mother's gun to a knife and gave the girl a frying pan:



And this is where I've gotten so far:

I think the rat is too big, and will probably pull him off and put some trash there instead. And I want to make the OSL stronger, though I'm not sure how to do that. (Any feedback in that area would be appreciated!)

[Rannar Find all posts View Profile Close Rannar]

OSL is a good idea. Try Youtube for tutorials. I see this like in the middle of the night...

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

Following some advice from a friend, I added more yellow to the lamp light. I think it helps the OSL. I also added more black to the shadows, and painted a white light coming from the open door. Next, I took off the walls and painted the carpet inside, with an oriental rug design I found somewhere. This is the first time I ever tried painting a fabric texture. How did it turn out?


The family and apartment interior will all be painted with a very warm palette, leaving the outside cold.

ChineseDioramaWIP09A.jpg

[warhammergrimace Find all posts View Profile Close warhammergrimace]

The one child policy was a bit of a farce, as my partners parents had two children.... But were never charged with violating the policy..... It no longer exists these days....

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

It is difficult to get accurate information about what goes on in China, but the one-child policy is excessively enforced, especially in rural areas, through coercive measures, including forced abortions and sterilizations. It is for exposing such atrocities that Chen Guangcheng had to flee to the U.S. Embassy in May of last year, to seek asylum for himself and his family.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/...ons/56465974/1

[Endor Find all posts View Profile Close Endor]

Great work on the oriental rug - I actually thought it was a piece of fabric you had worked on! Anyway, I would have preferred sharp edges framing the scene. The edges of the 'cube' are very rounded, kind of falling off towards the edges. I find this a bit distracting, but might be a matter of taste. I'd frame the whole dio with plasticard or the like to get straight edges. Just my two cents ;)

[Normski Find all posts View Profile Close Normski]

Hey Mama, nice work so far, I can see Endors point about the sloping edges but its your burger have it your way but if it was me I would have to make it straighter just a bit of OCD lol

Im no expert on OSL but light fades the further away from the sourse it goes so to make it seem brighter you may only need to shade the surrounding areas more so the area around the lights look brighter? maybe a couple of layers of dark wash from the edges inwards? if ya know what I mean?

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

Yeah, I know the sides are kind of bulging. I did use plasticard, but it was after I had already did the plaster thing on the walls. I decided after I saw it that I wanted plain black there, so I wrapped the plasticard over it. I was too chicken to trim it first.

Thanks for the OSL advice. I'll probably put some more time in on that soon. In the meantime, here's the Mom. She needs a few touchups, but she's mostly done. The hair was really fun to paint!

[Endor Find all posts View Profile Close Endor]

Great work, I like the sheer effect and the hair looks really black with the right shine to it. What did you use to highlight it? Working a lot with blacks lately and always on the lookout for new ways to approach it :)

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

Great work, I like the sheer effect and the hair looks really black with the right shine to it. What did you use to highlight it? Working a lot with blacks lately and always on the lookout for new ways to approach it :)

Nothing special, just black and white.

[Darklord Find all posts View Profile Close Darklord]

great work on the stockings and hair.

I would drop the rat, looks more like a capybara at that scale!

the OSl reflections look good but I wuold go much brighter (using white in the mix) on the lamp itself. Then I would really push the contrast on the OSL by making the Shadows much darker, almost black at the edges. Doing this will not only make the OSL pop but also give a sense of dark oppressiveness which will help the mood of the piece

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

Thanks, DL. I keep,going back and forth on the rat. Some people love it, and some hate it. I think it's too big, but others point out it is a symbol of fertility in China, so I don't know.

thanks for the OSL advice. Just what I was looking for. I'll try what you suggested!

[MamaGeek Find all posts View Profile Close MamaGeek]

I worked on the OSL some more, and the police are attached now. The door, doorknob, and hinges are painted as well. I need to add an apartment number somewhere, I think.


And I'm still not thrilled with that rat. I think I will take him off. I just need to figure out what to put in its place. Here's what I have in my bits box:
closed book, empty wooden bucket, wooden barrel, long-handled shovel, chicken (to scale), coiled rope.


I am not very good at sculpting, but I could probably manage some trash.


Any ideas?

[Corporea Find all posts View Profile Close Corporea]

A pile of newspapers? Otherwise the bucket would look good, maybe with a sponge and partial graffiti? The lighting looks awesome!

[Iacton Find all posts View Profile Close Iacton]

I ended up watching an art programme on BBC a few nights ago and Ai Weiwei's Sacred piece was featured as part of the modern art thing currently going on in Venice. The inspiration to you is obvious in what you've done so far. :)