Just a Few Days Left until the BIG Day!!!

Another unusual Victorain-era St. Nick with purple robes once again. I think one of the reasons that I like these older Christmas images so much is that they are fairly subdued relative to many, more recent seasonal images, and that fits in with my general aesthetic philosophy -- less is more!

Found a couple of hours for some painting last night and worked in a slightly different order this time. While my enthusiasm is high, during the early part of the painting process, I'm tackling the more difficult, smaller parts of the figures, i.e., lace edging, belts, facings, etc. That will leave the fairly large, mindless, and easier-to-do area (breeches, coats, and saddlecloths) for last, when I just want to finish the darn things and move on to something else. Filling those in with the requisite colors will be easy, kind of like coloring in a coloring book with crayons as a small child. So, yesterday evening, it was the lace edging on saddlecloths and the edges of cuirasses along with several shoulder belts and cuirass straps, but I ran out of time. That means I'll need to finish these this evening before continuing on with red facings and turnbacks. Here are a few photographs to illustrate what I'm jabbering about. . .

Here's the squadron officer with his silver saddlecoth and red cuirass lace edging all done.

And here is a picture of one of the third squadron troopers with his lace edging and belts all finished.

For good measure, here's a shot of that same trooper's back, showing things in a bit more detail. Darn! Looks like my bottle of Ral Partha white his become grainy. Grrrrr. . . How did I miss this? I'll have to retire it and begin using my bottle of GW Skull White to finish up this step tonight.

Here's an RSM Painting Update

Here's a picture illustrating my (S-L-O-W) progress with the second company of Stollen's Leib (Grand Duchess Sonja's Own) Grenadiers. You can see I'm doing things a bit differently this time, altering the painting process to keep it interesting basically. This evening, I'll do the white gaiters and, if that goes reasonably quickly, and time allows, the red breeches. Still lots to do, but I like the way these fine fellows are shaping up along side the completed 1st company that's standing in formation just off camera, to the left here. Until tonight then!

Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Having a "No Day". . .

F or the almost 20 years that she lived in Mexico, one of my late mother's Irish friends frequently mentioned having a "No Day." A day with no social obligations, chores, tasks, or other work that interfered with whatever personal interests took one's fancy on the day in question. Since today -- a gray and chilly Saturday -- is Mom's birthday, the Grand Duchess is out with friends, and the Young Master is ensconced on the sofa in the TV room with a cold, yours truly is taking his own such No Day. I think Mom would approve of my decision to make the world go away, as the old Eddie Arnold song intoned, even if only for a little while. So, I will spend Saturday afternoon focused on that first squadron and small regimental staff of Eureka Saxon cuirassiers. These have stood waiting untouched over on the painting table for almost three weeks while we skied and otherwise gadded about with snowy, winter outdoor activities. I hope to share a painting update Sunday...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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