corp.

I usually start really thinking about what exact color palette to use for the skin 1. after ive changed the canvas color (i usually like light beige / beige, blueish grey, or a dark-ish red) 2. after ive done an underdrawing and blocked in the shadows and eyes with one or two colors (i like to use a dark brown for the core shadows, and then maybe a lighter color for the cast / lighter shadows), 3. after ive painted a sort of outline / background surrounding the portrait That way theres enough happening on the canvas that I can get a decent sense of what will work best as the base color for the skin After all that i create a layer underneath everything, make my brush really big, and test out different colors for the base skin color by filling in everything until i settle on one that i think works the best, then i create a layer above it and map out the color zones of the face by using variations on the base color. I'll sometimes circle back to the shadows from the initial block in and paint over them with slightly more saturated colors if needed.

it depends on the reference, but for lighter planes of the face i try and keep the contrast with the base color pretty low, and save the super bright highlights for last.

The big bronzes are Sestertii of Trajan and Faustina II, and were damaged/defaced in antiquity. Roma is on reverse of the Trajan sestertius and exhibits the same graffiti.

Left to right (not including the big bronzes)

Denarius - A. Terentius Varro. Struck 206-200 BCE Obverse - Roma, X mark of value to the left. Reverse - Dioscuri on horseback, VAR below Denarius - Anonymous. Struck 206-195 BCE Obverse - Roma, X mark of value to the left. Reverse - Dioscuri on horseback, star below

Denarius - C. Servilius M.f. Struck 136 BCE Obverse - Roma again, with a wreath to the left. ROMA below Reverse - Dioscuri on horseback, C SERVEILI M F below

Denarius - Q. Thermus M.f. Struck 103 BCE Obverse - Portrait of Mars Reverse - two warriors fighting, the one on the left is protecting his friend who fell down aw (its kind of hard to tell because its so worn) Quinarius - C. Egnatuleius C.f. Struck 97 BCE Obverse - Portrait of Apollo Reverse - victory inscribing a shield on a trophy

Denarius - M. Volteius M.f. Struck 75 BCE Obverse - a laureate portrait of Jupiter with some bankers marks Reverse - temple of Jupiter Capitolinus Denarius - C. Hosidius C.f. Geta. Struck 68 BCE Obverse - Diana with a bow and quiver over her shoulder Reverse - boar that's been wounded by a spear and being attacked by a hound. Denarius - Octavian. Struck 32 - 29 BCE Obverse - Portrait of Octavian Reverse - Pax holding an olive branch and cornucopia Denarius - Trajan. Struck 103 - 111 CE Obverse - portrait of Trajan Reverse - Dacian in mourning, sitting on a shield. Denarius - Hadrian. Struck 126 CE Obverse - portrait of Hadrian Reverse - Pudicitia

Fourrée Denarius (Contemporary plated counterfeit) of Caracalla Obverse - Caracalla Reverse - Mars advancing left Bronze of Aelia Eudoxia, Struck 401 - 403 CE Obverse - portrait of Aelia Eudoxia Reverse - Victory inscribing shield with Chi-Rho

Pontic bronze from the time of Mithridates VI The obverse depicts a Bashlyk with a bow to the left. Theres a star on the reverse too, but the Bashlyk is the cool part.