Continuing with the Cuirassiers and T-Minus Two Days and Counting. . .

Just a quick update this morning. First off, thank you to everyone for your kind words about the first twelve Austrian cuirassiers. They are a fun unit to paint, and I worked for an hour or so on the second squadron of one officer and eight troopers last night, applying black Liquitex acrylic paint to the horses, men's hats, and cuirasses. You might recall that I typically prime all of my figures, metal or plastic, with black acrylic gesso (available in most artists' supply stores), but I add the acrylic paint on top of that for a couple of reasons.

First, while gesso provides good "tooth" for later coats of paint, it sometimes is a little spotty in its coverage, allowing the metal to show through a wee bit. Second, on those parts of the figure that stick out, like the top of the men's heads and the horses' ears/tails, for example, the gesso can rub off without careful handling. The black Liquitex acrylic provides some added durability since it encases the figure in a tough acrylic-latex casing. A nice thick coat of the stuff soon dries to a tight, flexible, and satiny finish. Finally, that same black Liquitex has a blue-black sheen to it, which seems just right for those massive black cuirassier steeds, especially since I drybrush* the horses with a dark blue to provide a very subtle highlight.

Finally, we should be parents by Tuesday morning. The Grand Duchess will be admitted to the hospital late Monday afternoon, and the baby will be delivered early Tuesday morning. And after a few days, Sonja and Little Nimbus (we have names picked, but you'll have to wait a few days to learn them!) will be home again. Both are doing well this morning, though the poor Grand Duchess is uncomfortable most of the time now, finding it hard to sit in a chair, bend over to dry her feet after a shower, or sleep comfortably, so I suspect actually having the baby will give her some much needed relief in these areas.

One area where the Grand Duchess is not suffering, though, is where her appetite is concerned. So, with that, I am off to fix us our final late Sunday breakfast as a couple -- eggs, sausage, wheat toast with home-made German preserves from our close friend Anita in Berlin, and copious amounts of orange or grapefruit juice. Next week, The three of us will be enjoying breakfast together, though I suspect Little Nimbus might demand his/hers much earlier in the morning! ;-)


*That particular painting tip, by the way, came from Henry Hyde, the man behind Battlegames, when he was more active on the Old School Wargaming Yahoo group a few years ago.