Ever since we purchased our cabin near Canyon Lake I’ve been working overtime trying to find decor that would be worthy of the Native American history in the area. I was cruising eBay when I came across this interesting vintage Native American bust. I knew I could make it look cooler so I bought it and waited for it to arrive!
I knew I wanted to create an aged face. If you’ve ever seen those antique black-and-white photos of Native American chiefs, their faces are heavy with wrinkles and lines. I wanted to try and somehow capture that on and create dimension this flat surface of a face.
After hours of detailed painting, I got to the point of applying war paint. I wanted to do something simple and without any real meaning. I decided on the simple design that would still allow a good portion of his aged face to be displayed. The way the lines look on the face, it kind of has a comic book feel to it. I don’t know if that makes sense?
I also wanted to make sure the aging carried onto his neck. Once the other part of the warpaint is done he should be finished!!!
I’m really happy with the way it turned out. It might be hard to tell but this bust has glass eyes which help add to the realistic appearance. Unfortunately, there’s no makers mark, but I can tell from the look of it that this thing is probably pretty old. We just picked up a vintage Ranch Oak Hutch and this will sit on top of it!!!
This isn’t a vintage headdress, it’s a reproduction. It’s been reproduced very well with real feathers and what I assume is real fur. Onto the next project!
Hepcats Haven 