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Passionate about Pefectly Productive Painting Poetic Hyperbole?

Well, well. Lately, my painting conscience isn’t hurting me as badly -- I’ve managed a few short painting sessions over the last couple of evenings on my Jaegers zu Fuss. Each man now has a “British Rifle Green” jacket, light blue facings, turnbacks, smallclothes, and breeches, and the bases are a uniform coat of Games Workshop “Goblin Green”. What a great color for bases, and how nice the battalion now appears on parade. Yes gents, another batch of digital photos will be here shortly. Rest easy!


Way back in the mid to late-1980s, I used to paint the bases of my Napoleonic troops a fairly similar shade of green, and I had forgotten the pleasing appearance this method yields. Have to say that “old school-style”, unflocked figure bases -- that are simply painted a nice shade of green -- look more pleasing to my eyes than the most expertly flocked/landscaped bases out there. And I've done it both ways over the years. When I eventually resume painting and modeling 15mm Waterloo-era Napoleonic figures, I’m returning to the plain green bases. I like the look. Guess I'll have to order a few more bottles of GW's Goblin Green, huh?


Anyway, since I’ not showing a film to the students in my Film Noir course tonight, I’ll get in a little painting today too. It will be white wigs on the officers and NCOs this time with brown hair on the enlisted men. Tally Ho!

Comments

Bluebear Jeff said…
I use "craft paints" by a variety of suppliers so I don't recall the exact company . . . but I use "seminole green" for my bases.


-- Jeff

http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com/
8:59 PM
MurdocK said…
I use the 'painted' grass look on my 'for sale' miniatures as this seems to draw more attention from prospective buyers. I have been told two reasons: 1 that they like the green painted 'classic' look and 2 that they plan to static grass or grass flock the mini's themselves to match the other troops they already have.

I favor the grass (or other) flocking. I suspect that this comes from the duller look that the ground takes on once I flock on the materials. This comes from the minwax building up on the base tops as it 'settles' off the main miniature.

I have also 'flocked' a unit in snow, using a pumice medium, white & blue paint. Then while the pumice & pain mix was still wet and on the bases I took a toothpick, dipped it in brown paint then 'smeared' the snow behind the footsteps of the battalions so as to make the snow appear more trodden on with the progressive 'marching' of the troops. The first time the unit was used the other player stated,
"Hey only finished and flocked miniatures in this game."

Whereupon he was called to take a closer look at the troops...
12:34 AM
Bluebear Jeff said…
Now I personally have an "If its not painted, its dead" rule . . . . but I'm not about to tell someone else that their paintjob is "defective".

I might not like it, but they aren't my figures. He might not like mine either.

As long as they are painted, I'm happy.

That being said, nicely done bases really finish figures off . . . and that's true whether the bases are flocked, terrained, just green, are snow or whatever.


-- Jeff
1:34 AM
Anonymous said…
I like te textured bases I use on my 25/28mm figure collections. However, when it comes to 15mm the game rules we use are more "stylised" and brigades become the operating norm not battalions. Because of this I favour having my Austrians on plain bases, I use polyfilla to make the bases flat (covering the edges of the figure stands)and then wash with leaf green from Inscribe over a base coat of Goblin green (and you're right it is a superb colour for bases).
2:05 AM
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