Happy New Year from the Grand Duchy of Stollen!!!

Yours truly captured by the Grand Duchess on the trails mid-afternoon on New Year's Eve 2025

From one kind of white to another, the Grand Duchess and I slipped away for a couple of hours of local skiing just 10 minutes up the road from the house. Once home, we enjoyed large mugs of peppermint hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, before showers, and my return to the painting table. Just nine more coats to apply white washes to, and then its onto the multitudinous brass buttons and cockades/hackles. As usual leaving the drummer details for last, but he should be pretty quick to, ahem, brush up once the other 19 in the current batch are finished.

Happy 2026 Everyone!

-- Stokes

The light of my life, the Grand Duchess Sonja before we unloaded the skis, poles, and clipped in to begin our tour through the Michigan woods.

And one more of yours truly schussing quietly through the woods. You can't quite see here, but it was snowing lightly as we skied, making the experience even more magical. I never feel as good as when I am on skis during the winter.

Comments

The Good Soldier Svjek said…

A good new year to you all , Tony

1:50 AM

Duke of Baylen said…

Happy New Year to you and yours.
Stephen

1:56 AM

David Morfitt said…

A Happy New Year to you and your
family, Stokes. :-)

2:09 PM

Fitz-Badger said…

Happy New Year to you and yours! Here's hoping for some improvements in this new year!

3:41 PM

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said…

Thank you everyone! I agree. Let's hope that 2o26 is a less frustrating year than we've all had or observed. Jeeze Louise!

-- Stokes

8:23 PM

Richard said…

Happy New Year.

3:53 AM

Rob Young said…

And a belated Happy New Year to you

4:38 AM

And We're Off!!!

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Warboss Green Bases. . .

I t's amazing how something as simple as applying two coats of Citadel 'Warboss Green' (ex-Games Workshop 'Goblin Green') can enliven a unit of figures and get 'em that much closer to glossing and completion. In much the same way that applying fleshtone early in painting process helps bring the figures to life. Just some limited dry-brushing to bring out the manes, tails, and some equine musculature, and I'm calling my version of Saxony's von Polenz Cuirassiers, circa 1733, done and dusted. Longtime visitors to the Grand Duchy of Stollen might recall (the blog will turn 19 years old in September) that I generally go for an old school approach when it comes to unit bases and paint them a nice, bright green. Exceptions include command vignettes, skirmishers of one kind or another, transport, camp followers, and various other civilian one-offs. The approach is not to everyone's taste, but I like the cheery toy soldier appearance once everything...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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