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Another Test Figure Underway. . .


Two views of the current test figure after a couple of happy hours or so at the painting table.


I spent some time, after my usual summer evening walk around the neighborhood, in the painting chair yesterday (Thursday) at work on a single test figure for the second squadron of 14 horse grenadiers.  Everything is pretty simple and even mindless at this early stage.  For instance, the blue coat and saddle cloth began with an undercoat of very dark Ral Partha 'Dark Blue' with some judicious 'True Blue' highlights on top of that.  The silk bag atop the bearskin has been given a quick slop of dark 'Cherry Red,' which is later highlighted with 'Scarlet.'  A few of these recently purchased cheap craft paints have their uses.

The horse was painted with a very, very thin glaze of alkyd oil 'Ivory Black' over an acrylic 'Zinc' undercoat, a color I would describe a medium gray.  He appears a wee bit dark in these photographs, but the horse's musculature comes out nicely in person, though I think I might try a lighter gray undercoat on the rest on the squadron's mounts.  I might also try 'Paynes Gray' for the wash on a second horse to see how that looks before I dive in headfirst and tackle the rest.  

At any rate, things should begin to look a bit more, well, interesting on this test figure after additional parts are painted this evening.  Stay tuned!

 -- Stokes


P.S.
The Ral Partha 'Dark Blue' above is one of two remaining bottles that I purchased as a graduate student more than 20 years ago from a now long gone gaming store on State Street in Madison, Wisconsin where I lived while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Amazingly, it just keeps going and going as does its partner bottle of 'Leather Brown.'



 


 Two versions the uniform worn by The Royal Cravate Cavalrie from Kronoskaf.  The lower 1753 version is a bit simpler and thus perfect for the second squadron of my composite regiment of horse grenadiers.  Both serve as the inspiration behind the current test figure and planned second squadron of my composite regiment of horse grenadiers.

Comments

Der Alte Fritz said…
OMG you are using acrylics? 😱

I still have my Partha Paints / Iron Wind Miniatures bottles of True Blue, Red Brown, and Dark Grey and I use all of them frequently. The TB color is what I use for blue highlights on my figures.

I cried on the day that my Partha Silver and Flesh bottles dried up after 15-20 years.

Jim
3:47 PM
WSTKS-FM Worldwide said…
Oh, yes! I use a mixed media approach, most of the time using thinned alkyd oils on larger figure surfaces and acrylics for smaller details in most cases. Before my extensive collection of Humbrols dried out, I also relied on those for certain things too. I finally bit the bullet when we packed tthe house for the move to Michigan three years ago and tossed out the last dozen or so sludgy tins that I've never bothered to replace.

Best Regards,

Stokes
4:46 PM
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