Painting Update

Three things to update you with.

The first half of the new French horse regiment - Orleans - have been finished and mounted on their black horses. These horses were the ones painted violet and then had two thin washes of black over them to give the definition. Manes and tails requird a little more black. The musician rides a grey for contrast and wears the royal livery as was common amongst the French army.

Next I've started the third batch of swedes. This time it's staff, musicians and grenadiers. There's enough staff on the go for one and a half battalions but only grenadiers for one.


Finally, talking of Swedes, there are the finished thirty figures I've been working on. Bases have all been completed. For these I've changed the way I do them and you have Frank at Minden miniatures to thank for that. This time I put polyfilla on in a thin coat to even out the figure stand. Burnt umber washed over that. Then fine gravel again washed with burnt umber (I've found that this way the gravel area doesn't end up overly dark). Next highlight the whole with Inscribe Caramel and then Dulux soft stone. Static grass next and then some other flock on a few (approximately 1 in 3) bases to break it all up. I'm pleased with the result and the waythey come together.

Painting Thoughts

My thoughts and mine alone before you go any further.

I say that because it strikes me that figure painting is very much an individual taste. There are different churches and adherences but in the end it all comes down to "Am I happy with what I've done?". The answer is never, in my expereince, a clear yes or no.
I'm generally happy with the end result but accept that it is the limitation of time and ability that prevents me exceeding the standard.
I aspire to paint like Alan Ingham (very detailed and accurate landscape artist) but am happy to end up with a Turner (more impressionistic in approach by comparison). My style was dubbed impressionistic by one reader and I like that phrase.
The figures look very good, again my opinion, from several feet but lose the effect the closer you get. Something borne out by the recent photographs I've posted where the smaller image is better than the magnified picture.

So that's my approach and that's one of the reasons I like Musketeer - the detail is crisp but not over elaborate and a simple approach pays dividends.

Matchbox Twenty

Five years since their last album - was it really that long? I suppose the Rob Thomas solo album inbetween help bridge the void but I hope it's a shorter interval until their next full album release (Exile on Mainstream is a hits plus new tracks record).

Last night they were on stage at the NIA in Birmingham and they were terrific. Great vocals with excellent musicians performed flawlessly - well apart from Rob wrecking the drum riser! All the hits were there, including for the first time an acoustic Rob Thomas solo version of Reststop which was awesome.

If you like the music of Bryan Adams then you'll enjoy this outfit. they paved the way for Maroon 5 & Fallout Boy but do it better and more consistently.
They're one of the few bands that I can honestly say, if you like rock, you won't have heard of but once you've listened to the music you'll be hooked.

Painting Swedes - Part Two

So having allowed the flesh was to dry I've now gone over the face with bronzed flesh again to bring out the features. Then mixing 50:50 bronzed flesh to GW Elf flesh and watered down by 50% i've highlighted the nose, cheeks & chin.
Base colour for the coat is neat GW Regal Blue but thinned down by 50% to flow into the creases (I also painted over the collars as well. Hair was GW Burnt Earth highlighted by a thin brush of GW Bestial Brown.
Next it's a 3:1 mix of Inscribe Golden yellow to water to go over the caramel parts. I try and avoid the creases here to give some definition.
Then GW Enchanted blue over the coat straight from the pot. At the same time I take a very watery GW Golden yellow and go over the highlights of the yellow (I find this gives a more even colour to the yellow).
Black next for hat, scabbard, shoes and garters. GW Chaos black thinned a little with Future floor polish to avoid any graining.
Burnt earth again for the staff. GW Skull White thinned with Future for the lace and buttons (two coats of milk for the white gives a more even colour and less graining).
GW Bestial Brown for the staff an gloves, again thinned 1:1 with Future. Then GW Bad Moon Yellow at 50% mixed with Future for the final yellow highlight.
GW Snakebite Leather for the belt and gloves. Follow this with GW Bubonic brown for the same . both neat from the pot. Finally a last highlight of GW Dessert Yellow washed over (1:2 with Future) for the last highlight.
Metals are last - GW Boltgun highlighted with Mithril silver for the staff & buckles, GW Burnished gold highlighted with GW Shining Gold for the swrd and scabbard.

One figure = 60 minutes including photographs.

Updates

Three updates today, well four if you include this but don't, so apologies for the delay in between.

Painting Swedes Part One

Here's the first part of my cover of "My Way".

I basecoat the face with Games Workshop (GW) Dark Flesh watered down to almost the consistency of milk. When dry I apply GW Bronzed Flesh straight from the jar and slap it on. Next a wash of neat GW Flesh Wash. Whilst that is drying I've also undercoated the waistcoat, breeches & leggings with Inscribe Caramel, I've left the collar because of the wet flesh wash around the neck. Can't really do anymore until that's dry so onto other things (like a glass of wwhisky and watching Battlestar Galactica!).

April Painting

Another month gone and to show for it there are 24 Swedes finished. you've already seen the pikes so here are the musketeers to go with them - or at least some of them.

I also finished the French Royal Marine and the Russians that I sold on Ebay. I've also started the next French horse regiment and have nine horses completed so far.

So points for the month is 61 making 254 for the year.

Frieburg - Monday Night

Instead of a points game we had a semi refight on Monday. I say semi because my fellow gamers were unaware of the scenario and the force that they were playing. mark as the English chose the attacking Blue force and thus played a Frenchman (Corporal John is turning in his grave).
Frieburg was the opening encounter of the war and saw Villars French army crossing the Rhine against Baden-Baden and the Imperialist army. Villars marched his infantry across the cultivated plain and attacked the Imperial foot through the heavily wooded foothills of the Alps, whilst the horse of both sides fought across the wide flat fields below.

The game went much as planned. The horse headed straight for each other and fought most of the day before the numbers of heavier horse from the attackers told. The game started with each side having 21 squadrons (the attackers 12 horse & 9 dragoons, the defenders 9 horse & 12 dragoons - although four of these were on the hills). Luck is as they say everything in a game and the attacking general seemed to have had his usual share with multiple sixes being rolled across the board.

In the center the attacking general moved some of his foot back down the hills and moved against the defenders command post in the village of Haltingen. Defended by a lone battalion of grenadiers (actually Danish guards on the night but ....) and two field guns the resistance was stout but ultimately doomed. Repelling one English battalion and making holes in another the village fell to the attackers. The defenders missed their opportunity of the night when at one point the attacking grenadiers had both flanks exposed to a potential cavalry charge but the chance slipped by unnoticed in the heat of the battle.

On the hill the attacking foot advanced and were met with fierce resistance from the defenders. The first wave of foot hurled back throught the second line. Unfortunately the defenders advanced and got out of line and were themselves thrown back in confusion. As the second line of defenders wavered the attackers numbers pressed home - ten battalions was always going to be hard to stop and so it proved.

In reality Baden-Baden won the day. Villars saw his infantry appear on the far side of the woods and as he watched the Austrian run he began writing his victory dispatch to Louis. Baden-Baden ran down the steps in the church tower in Haltingen mounted his horse and galloped after the fleeing Austrian infantry. Rallying them he returned them to the fray and surprised the French who in turn fled. Villars, unaware of the turn around, had to ride from the battle to avoid being captured and was only saved from utter defeat by the French horse.

Fianlly I present two shots of Andy Hamiliton's exquiste Austrians. The figures are all Front Rank although he has mounted some of the cuirassiers on Conniseur horses. Don't forget to mop up the drool when you've finished looking!

Just Read

The adventures of Hector Lynch in two volumes - Corsair & Buccaneer - by Tim Severin.

Corsair takes a young Irishman through adventures with the Barbary pirates, French galleys, arabs and despotic African emperors.

Buccaneer sees the young man meet Governor Morgan in Jamica before adventuring on the Southern seas of the Pacific ocean along the American coast.

Both books are set in the late seventeenth century and whilst there are a few historical inaccuracies, most of the time Severin makes a good story teller. As with most heroes Lynch is an extraordinarily lucky fellow but then it wouldn't be much of adventure if he wasn't would it? There are several scenes in both books that could inspire games and scenarios for the gamer without a lot of expenditure.

Severin has a distinct style of writing but I found these two books much easier to read than his Viking trilogy.

So now where do I buy pirates for the 1670's?

Petition

The government over here in the Uk have instigated ameans to allow the public to petition the government on an issue that they have concerns for.
There are thousands of such petitions on the website but here's one that should appeal to a number of readers (to sign in agreement you have to be a UK citizen or expatriot).

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/1759-SYWar/

St. George's Day

We should not be prevented from celebrating our national day.

Fly the flag.