Would Sigmund Frued lable my painting lethargy hussar envy?

A hussar and musketeer of Lauzun's Legion.  I'm using the former as a basis for my own unit of 30 Minden (Prussian) hussars.

Just a very quick entry as the Grand Duchess, Young Master Paul, and I are off for nine days of spring vacation with Good Ol' Mom and her dogs in Mexico today.  I've been working on the first dozen Minden hussars here and there, but I find that these castings are so good that they are a bit intimidating to work with.  I want to do them justice after all!  

That means that I have spent an inordinate amount of time the last few weeks looking at the figures in question, studying them, and thinking about painting them, thinking I SHOULD be painting them, but not actually getting to it.  Avoiding the simple act of opening a bottle or tube of paint and getting to it if you will.  Just the sort of thing I ranted about in that last article in the Classic Wargamers' Journal.  You know the one about would-be wargamers?  

Of course, the Grand Duchess was away for five days at a conference last week, which meant that Young Master Paul was my sole responsibility, and most evenings I was just too wiped out by his bedtime to contemplate serious painting for two-three hours at the painting table.  That's my excuse at any rate.  So, no photo updates just yet.

Nevertheless, the first dozen horses are almost finished (just some white markings to add) as are the faces (these look really good) and mustaches of the men and officers along with their white wigs, gloved hands, and silvery sabres.  The yellow facings are about half done, as is the brown fur trim on all twelve pelisses.  I've also painted 24 stirrup leathers and a dozen girths a nice shade of leathery brown.  The plan is to take care of all the difficult, tedious bits first and then simply block in the larger areas of color at the end of the process.  That's the idea at any rate.

Oh, and what of the hallmark of any hussar uniform, the intricate braiding?  Well, I have dry-brushed silver onto the braid of one officer's dolman and pelisse, and the effect seems pretty good.  It allows the black undercoating to show through beneath and around the silver, which makes it stand out nicely, rather than flooding the area in question with silver paint and obscuring Richard Ansell's wonderful detail. Time, care, and a steady hand are all that has been required here.  Now, I just need to replicate this on the next 11 figures when the times comes!

Oh, and the uniforms are based, more or less, on those worn by the hussars of Lauzun's Legion during the American War of Independence/American Revolution, depending on which side of the Atlantic Ocean you live.  See you in a couple of weeks everyone!