The First Company Takes Shape. . .

 

Appropriately enough for Waterloo Day 2022 -- Or perhaps not? -- here is the first photograph of where things stand with my version of Austria's Wied Infantry after about six days of painting an hour or two a day here and there.  Not as fast or as regimented (ha-ha!) as some painters out there, but it is nevertheless amazing what one can accomplish when wife and child are away.  Hmmmm.

After months and months of mulling over which 'proper' Austrian regiment to paint, the Wied Infantry (green facings) is underway!  Here is how I am tackling the brushwork on the first two companies thus far:

1) Green Bases

2) Black Hats, boots-gaiters, and Cartridge Pouches

3) Brown Musket Stocks, Knapsacks, and Canteens

4) Flesh tone 

 

Once I get to this stage, it is time to catch up with the next company of 19 figures (and small regimental staff at the rear) before addressing the neckstocks and then returning to larger, easier-to-tackle details.  As an experiment, this time I will leave the white highlights until the very final step, taking care to allow enough of the light gray undercoat to show around the edges and parts of the figures that don't catch as much light.  So much of painting is all about creating the illusion or impression of something, in this case nominally 'white' uniforms from 250+ years ago. 

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Longtime visitors to The Grand Duchy of Stollen blog might recall that my unit organization is largely based on that laid out in Charge!  Or How to Play War Games (1967).  So, for line infantry regiments, three companies consisting of 16 privates plus an officer, NCO, and musician plus a regimental staff (mounted officer, two ensigns, an officer on foot and a Regimental Sergeant Major).

When it comes to cavalry squadrons and infantry/militia/engineer battalions, I beef up effective numbers a bit from the unit organizations that Young and Lawford suggest.  My cavalry squadrons are 14 in number (officer, musician, guidon bearer, and 11 troopers).  Battalions, on the other hand, consist of 33 figures divided into two companies of 15 (officer, NCO, musician and 12 privates) plus a small staff (mounted officer, officer on foot, and NCO).

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On the latter note, I am thinking about redoing the light infantry contingent for my Stollenian army (based on the Prussian and other allied armies of the mid-18th century) at some point down the road.  Possibly a single company of jaegers and another of frei-infanterie (double blues)?  So again, about 30+ figures, which seems about right for light infantry of the mid-18th century.  Nowhere close to the number of troops capable of skirmishing duties like we see, for example, in the Napoleonic era or later. 

The Holger Eriksson jaegers in the collection -- painted by John Preece and featured way back in the Sittangbad refight of 2006 as seen in the pages of the much missed Battlegames -- are great, and I am happy to have them, but they don't quite work for me since they are in just two poses, firing and advancing. 

Parenthetically, how many of you thumb occasionally through old issues of that particular magazine?  I enjoyed issues #1 and #2 again a couple of evenings ago and rediscovered a simple, quick, and very interesting way to address close combat in the latter.  But I digress.

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Ultimately, for light infantry, I have grown to prefer more varied figure poses (firing, loading, advancing, kneeling, etc.).  The revision is low on the priority list, however, so I wouldn't describe it as planned just yet.  But certainly thought of and mulled over along the lines of, "Hmmm.  If I were to do this part of the project over again, I'd go about it like this. . ."  You know?  As we do.  But in the meantime, let's get back to those Austrians, 'cause they won't paint themselves.

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Last of all, an early Happy Fathers' Day to all of the dads, grandfathers, and other father figures out there.  Mine was my maternal grandfather, who I think of daily and miss terribly.  In so many way, he was instrumental in my younger  life and still provides daily guidance in all sorts of little ways.

-- Stokes

 

P.S.

The brushes used for painting so far include a fairly new #6, #4, and two venerable #3's along with a #2 round, the latter for applying flesh tone carefully to the faces and hands.  The Vallejo paints are a joy to use.  A couple of drops or three goes a long way when thinned with a bit of water or flow-aid.

And, of course, the flesh tone is my usual Winsor & Newton alkyd oil thinned with a single drop of Liquin 'Fine Detail' medium.  The mixture dries to a tacky stage before the end of a painting session and to the touch by the next morning.  Especially given the relatively tiny amount used at any one time.

I rely on small rectangles of waxy palette paper to decant and/or thin my colors regardless of whether they are acrylic or oil-based, and use the same piece until it gets really mucky and then simply toss it into the trashcan.  Needless to say, a large sheet of the stuff torn carefully into four smaller pieces lasts for months of figure painting.

Oh, and the bright green bases for nearly everything in the Grand Duchy of Stollen collection?  I've always felt those were perfect for military miniatures ever since I was a child in the 1970s.  My maternal grandparents and uncle never failed to bring gifts of Britains toy soldiers (plastic by that time) and Corgi vehicles to me on their return from various stints -- family visits, studies, and later work -- in the U.K.  So, bright green bases as is only right and proper in my view.  All present and correct.