A photograph of the pre-Christmas Weihnachtsmarkt in Muenster, Germany where the Grand Duchess spent a year as an undergraduate many moons ago. Difficult to see the actual market and associated festivities, yes, but the shot of all the great old townhouses was awfully difficult to resist.A windy, cold, and snowy first day of Advent here at Stollen Central, but Young Master Paul and I bundled up anyway and made a trip out to run a few errands. None, sadly, that had anything to do with the Christmas season or preparations for it, but it still felt good to get out in the cold air, and Young Master Paul was as good as gold. Indeed, he seemed to enjoy himself as much as I did. And only two days of the university semester left! Then we are FREE (more or less) until after January 1st. And so, as Tiny Tim rightly observed, "Hurrah for Christmas! The best time of the year!"
Not too much to report on the soldier front other than that I have almost finished applying two coats of Future/Klear acrylic floor finish to those Garrison artillery crew. They look mighty good if I do say so myself, and I'll have a photo posted here in a day or two. The two related MiniFig cannon are all assembled and awaiting a basecoat as are the 30 Holger Eriksson dragoons. I've decided to dig out my Windsor-Newton alkyd paints to use on the latter.
Alkyd paints are similar to standard oil paints, exhibiting the same brilliance and durability, but they dry to the touch in 24 hours or less thanks to the pigment being mixed with an alkyd medium instead of linseed or poppy oil for example. Anyway, I've made the momentous decision to basecoat the HE figures in white, at least for the horses, and then apply thin washes of various browns and greys over the white in a kind of glazing technique. I might even convince myself to add some black lining for added definition as I complete the figures. Peter Gilder would be pleased I think. We'll see how it goes, but it seems only right that these truly old school figures get a different treatment than my usual GW acrylic hobby paints treatment.
Well, that's about all for now. I feel as giddy as a schoolboy this afternoon and could babble on and on about nothing in particular for quite some time before conking out and collapsing onto the bed for a late afternoon nap, so it seems like a good idea to quit while I'm ahead. ;-) Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another seasonal scene along with more related soldier and painting chatter!
Comments
Enjoy, sir (and Master Paul as well).
-- Jeff
Enjoy!
Alan
I've just come across this picture and what happy memories it brings back. I spent 1980 - 1985 and 2002 - 2003 in Muenster as first a young army officer and then as an older one! It is such a fantastic place and I still have some very good German friends from my time there. Indeed one is a Godfather to my eldest son and I was his best man. Does the Grand Duchess remember Otto Schuecanns, probably not spelt properly, on the Prinzipal Markt, almost opposite the Stadthalle, where the Treaty of Muenster was signed in 1648? It was the most most wonderful place to go for 'Kaffee und Kuchen, mit ein kleine cognac auch, am Samstag morgen' and to see all the pretty girls!! My apolohgies for my dodgy German...pretty rusty these days.
I am writing this in 2014, so Happy Birthday as well.
Best wishes,
Simon