Walter Nowotny and his Fw190 Illustration Progress
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This is the initial start of Walter Nowotny’s Fw190. The prop is the darkest areas next to the tires which takes time to gradually build the value from light to dark using 6H through 2B leads. I doubt anyone would believe me if told you how many hours I have already in just what you see here.
Progress on Walter Nowotny’s Fw190 has been slow, I’ve been busy lately. The black and white shades of the nose and prop will be partial “swatches” or guide lines to set the stage for the different color values of the aircraft and it’s pilot. I intend to darken the prop blades a little more for contrast.
 
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Been working on some of the fun details on the Fw190. I’d like to spend more time on her but once again I've been pretty busy with commercial work projects and some new fun 3D modeling/CAD nose art for my fellow online pilots.
I was going to wait until I was further along to post a progress report, but I am pleased how Walter Nowotny’s portrait is going. It maybe hard to tell from the crumby black and white photo I pulled off the Internet. I decided on this facial expression, he had a slight (all knowing) smile for a 24 year old pilot.
 
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Progress again is slow when then there is a lot of detail work, but it’s enjoyable for me...like the folds in Walter Nowotny’s leather flight jacket, the emblems, the landing gear and underwing gear bays. Working on Walter Nowonty’s aircraft I can’t help but wonder what it must haven been like then—twenty-four year old with 258 victories, did he feel invincible flying the most technically advanced aircraft of the day—the Fw190 and the very first jet, the Me262. For me it’s a time portal, a window into the past. Fun stuff!
I'm back illustrating Water Nowotny’s Fw190 after duking it out with sinus problems for two and half weeks, ugh! Finished some nose art illustrations for a fellow online pilot “Zinc’ which you can view under “Nose Art” on the website. The starboard wing is finished and I hope to have the starboard landing gear and Walter Nowonty along with part of the cockpit completed by my the next progress photo. Weathering the paint, adding exhaust streaks and denting inspection covers will be some of the final touches I’ll give the aircraft.
  
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I finally finished illustrating Walter Nowotny and the starboard landing gear. I’ve been anything but bored working on commercial business projects, and more fun nose art illustrations like “Lethally Built” and “Playfully Deceptive”... with a new one in the works, all of which are in the "nose art" page. I need to darken the starboard landing gear tire and start work on Walter Nowotny’s parachute, it'll be next to his right boot. Once the parachute is done the most complicated fun detailed parts of the illustration will be finished. The Fw190 is almost at the half way point with the parachute and part of the port wing done. Most of the real detailed work is now completed, illustrating the rest of the aircraft should move along fairly quickly. I enjoy the detail work, it’s a challenge, and done correctly it makes the illustration believable. There are areas of the Fw190 that are completed that I keep fine tuning by smoothing out the light to dark vignettes.  
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I can now envision the completion of Walter Nowotny’s Fw190 even though there are some large surface areas that still need to be illustrated...and yes, they do take time. I am already thinking about how I am going to weather the aircraft, chipped paint, dented and bent inspection covers from maintenance crew’s scaffolding bumping the aircraft. It was an incredible task keeping these birds flying between sorties.
I can see where I am going to have to darken underneath the port side wing and a couple of the other areas. It’s always easier to go darker then lighter using pencil. Over all I’m fairly pleased how this illustration is coming together. The tail gear has some intricate workings that will be fun to illustrate.
 
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Walter Nowotny’s Fw190 aircraft is basically completed, I'm darkening areas that will enhance the aircraft more. Once I feel comfortable with the over all look I’ll weather and chip the paint, add exhaust streaks, and dent areas from maintenance scaffolding so she doesn’t look so pristine. Adding the grass and ground shadows will be the finishing touch.
It looks like I’ll be checking with my printer. I’ve chipped the paint, dinged up the wing and wheel covers, added exhaust streaks and bent some of the maintenance cover edges on the Fw190. Once prints are available I’ll post the announcement on the 334th, Fw190 and my FB page and here on my website.