Here's the current grenadier battalion on the morning of Day #25. Look closely, and you'll see lots of buttons on the coats and waistcoats plus white markings on the colonel's horse. The colonel is also done except for his wig and queue. Lurking in the background are Soubise and an aide (mostly painted early last winter), whose horses also needed white markings and related lighter-colored hooves.
After a couple of evenings off, and an annoying, persistent problem with internet access (at all), I'm back at the painting table. Scrambling to wrap things up on these Minden grenadiers during the final six days of the self-imposed month-long painting challenge.
As a reminder, the composite units are based upon Wurttemburg's 6. Hausgrenadiere, and Hessen-Kassel's Hessenstein Regiment, ca. 1749. Things are starting to diverge a bit however when it comes to buttonhole lace and cuff details, Prussian versus Swedish, etc. Most of the details and colors are right however, and the unit will serve in my semi-fictitious armies anyway, so I am at peace with any erroneous discrepancies that have arisen.
But back to painting!
Yesterday was devoted to the mounted colonels horse, carefully 'spotting' the buttons on uniform coats and waistcoats, and a few additional small details. Still not quite there yet, but outstanding items are all fairly small and restricted in area, so few should take too much time to do.
Buttons are a pain in the neck to do, but taking the time required to paint them (tiny drops of paint really) yields its own reward. Lots and lots of metallic buttons really help a tabletop unit to glitter in a way that ignoring such minute details does not. I don't always have the patience to paint buttons, but I am happy that I did this time.
BUT, nearly all require a fairly small brush, considerable holding of the breath, and real focus/care to avoid making those irritating mistakes that require touch-ups before putting everything away for the evening. Think drums (there are two), drummers' swallows nests, hair and queues for example.
I have been squeezing in afternoon painting sessions now and again when time has presented itself, but The Young Master is usually also down here at those times, playing, but also very interested in what ol' Dad is doing. Or just asking questions about everything under the sun, not all of which have to do with figure painting, as children are wont to do.
All of which makes for distractions. This was fine when I was just slopping paint on larger areas with large brushes, but it doesn't work when concentration is necessary. Might just need to leave the 'breath-holder' datails for the evening after Paul has been tucked in, and I can steal back down to Zum Stollenkeller for some uninterrupted brush time.
Next up? Buttonhole lace (where apparent), swallows wings, and maybe drums. Or mustaches. Or wigs and queues. And there are some sparing highlights for the musket stocks as well. Decisions, decisions!
-- Stokes
The slightly out-of-focus colonel atop his horse. Despite the crummy shot, it does give a reasonably good idea of said colonel, on whom I lavished quite a bit of attention yesterday.
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