Step 6.2 Scarlet Highlights Completed. . .

The 36 Minden Austrian dragoons are really coming together now and quickly too.

Fewer colors are more fun to apply to figures than a nice shade of bright red or scarlet! It really makes 'em come alive. Incidentally, red is my favorite color. Let's skip what that might suggest about me psychologically speaking though and talk about this particular step in a bit more detail.

Yesterday, during a couple of breaks from the computer and finalizing online courses for the fall, I sat down and applied dots, dabs, and dashes of Citadel Evil Sun Scarlet to the previously defined cuffs, turnbacks, and facings. All managed quickly and this time without any mistakes to fix. The painting gods were smiling on me I guess. I went for subtlety, uncharacteristically, and made sure to leave some of the darker red showing, already applied to these areas some days ago, to suggest shadow/shading.

I must come clean here and admit to observing carefully over the years how other painters and wargamers around Bloglandia acheive this. For instance, Jim 'Der Alte Fritz' Purky is adept at highlighting his figures in a similar way. Practice is essential when it comes to improving as a figure painter, but equally important is the inspiration to try and adapt new approaches that you can pick up here and there from other dab hands.

In any case, somewhat less coffee than usual yesterday, the related steady nerves, surprisingly good results, and the related will to keep going given how lovely the scarlet looked once applied meant that everything involved with this particular step was managed in fairly short order. I'd say two 50+ minute sessions tops, one in the afternoon, and another mid-evening. There was even time following the second such session to apply a white highlight to three of the shoulder belts at the rear left, just to see how they'll look when all done.

Not too shabby if you'll pardon my saying so. Looking ahead, it's shoulder belt highlights this evening, and possibly dark gray highlights to boot toes, heels, and upper edges if things go well. Allons, allons mes enfants!

-- Stokes

The Eventual Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment. . .

The Anhalt-Zerbst regiment musters in the drill square to sort themselves into platoons and companies during the coming weeks Fall maneuvers if you will. A large dose of real life the last few days with the start of classes next Monday, various preparatory meetings, and finishing up a few other things this week. But, I managed to sort out 60 or so Minden Austrian infantry from the pile and get 'em stuck to temporary painting bases. Must carefully drill out the hands of several NCOs for flagpoles and pole arms this weekend before the usual basecoat. I'm thinking of mixing the usual white gesso with the usual light gray to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Applying both base- and undercoat in one fell swoop as my grandmother used to say. In the meantime, the recently finished squadron of Saxon cuirassiers has been placed carefully in one of the clear acrylic boxes on my shelves until I have the suitable flag to affix. -- Sto...

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!

And It's the End of September!!!

Saxony's Ploetz Cuirassiers, an illustration lifted from the Kronoskaf website, which has thus far guided my spectacularly glacial painting of 30 28mm Eureka Saxon cuirassiers purchased all the way back in October 2016. A gray, cool Saturday here in Mid-Michigan with rain in the forecast. The Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so it's just "The Boys" here at home. The Young Master (almost 15) has retreated to his room for something or other following breakfast while I have stolen back down here to Zum Stollenkeller (masquerading as my office) with a second mug of coffee and both cats comfortably ensconced nearby. Enjoying the late morning and still in my pajamas! Not much planned for today beyond designing a couple of promotional flyers for workshops my department is presenting (small parties we will throw?) in October and November. With maybe a bit of on the next podcast script. More important, I am toying with the idea of returning for an hour or...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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