Highlighting the Horse Tack. . .

A close-up of the dark gray being applied with a feather touch and an old 000 sable that has served me well for 20+ years believe it, or not.

So, how are we faring with those horse grenadiers?

Well, getting very near the end, or rather nearer. This weekend, I have spent various painting sessions, usually no more than 60-90 minutes at a time given the tedious nature of the work, applying dark gray highlights here and there to the various areas of horse tack. Yes. I know, I know. It's official. I need my head examined.

Once dry and at arm's length, however, it adds some nice dimension to the figures and the overall impression they make. Blame the work of Doug Mason and others as featured so long ago in Miniature Wargames and early issues of Wargames Illustrated, which has always been my pot of gold at the end of the proverbial painting rainbow where my own efforts with the brush are concerned.

Just a few more brush strokes -- dabs really -- to get the bridles highlighted, and then silver and brass oils for the stirrups, bits, and various tiny buckles on the bridles plus the two trumpets. Then, touch-ups, trumpet banners, as well as the cords, tassels, finial, and colonel's standard. Little by Little if you'll excuse the mid-1980s Robert Plant reference.

-- Stokes

A Painting P.S.

Yes, there are indeed a few tight spots when painting cavalry already mounted in pairs to their permanent bases, but anything to reduce the number of steps necessary before the figures are all done, you understand, since the number of miniatures is effectively doubled when tackling riders AND horses.

Good lighting is a must, of course, and when working on smaller bits, I try to think like a dentist or surgeon and look for the best angle of approach as far as the lighting and brush go. It might not work for everyone, and it is certainly somewhat unorthodox, but it works reasonably well for me.

However, I have found recently that the old eyes sometimes need help focusing, or take a moment to do so. Sigh. I fear the time for bifocals may be at hand when the next eye exam comes around this fall. It will be time for the Grand Duchess to put me in a home for the aged (or the criminally deranged) before you know it.

A Little More Brushwork. . .

A little more brushwork on the first batch of (my version of) the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment yesterday (Saturday). Taking a different tack this time and addressing many of the details first before the white coats and other larger areas of uniform. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that I've painted the (dark) red stocks of the enlisted men. Always a difficult and frustrating item to paint, it made sense to paint from the inside out as it were and get that particular detail out of the way first rather than try to paint it in later after much other painting has been accomplished. Trying to reduce the need for later retouching of other items on the figures you understand. Hopefully, I will be able to get back to these later today after a second trip back to the Apple Store for help with a couple of new iPad issues and, following the return home, some revision of Google Slides for tomorrow's meetings with my students. -- Stokes P.S. And according t...

Basic Reds Done at Last. . .

S till quite a way to go with the current batch of 20 human figures and a horse (of course), but they're actually starting to look like something after all of the red distinctions. Quite a bit of painting in hour-long sessions the last week as and when time has allowed. Mostly applying the basic dark red to facing areas and turnbacks followed by the inevitable touch-ups to clean up wobbly edges and those misplaced, minute splotches of Citadel Khorne Red. They're looking like so many Austrian infantry regiments of the era at this point, but the eventual flags will turn them magically into the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment, more or less, of the AWI period. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. One frustrating point (ahem) of sad discovery. I've started trying to use those Winsor & Newton 'Series Seven' brushes (#1 rounds) purchased last spring, and the blasted things simply will not keep a point. Very frustrating since I have heard over the y...

It's Early Days Yet. . .

M aking some early progress with Batch A of the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment over the last several days/evenings. Nothing terribly exciting just yet, but the basic black, brown, and flesh areas are done as are the green bases, and gray undercoat. The latter two areas needed some careful retouching early in the week. Next up, the neck stocks. I might just do these in red for the enlisted men although some of my source material suggest they were black, but I always look for an excuse to shake things up a bit. Any errant splotches of red (or black) can be covered with another application of light gray before I move onto the next step. "Giddy up!" as one Cosmo Kramer might have said. -- Stokes

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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