EMI 5th Macedonian Legion - Update #3

I have finally been able to attach the figure to the base and all that remains is to paint the shield/spear and attach them as well. I have the shield partially completed but am not yet satisfied with how it looks so that may take some time. The concern is the design on the face of the shield. This is a heavy piece, between the weight of the figure, base and wood. This is surprising for the scale but that piece of wood weighs a lot.

Late Roman's are interesting subjects and these days with all the new releases from Soldier's we have a lot to choose from. I hope this project sparks some modelers to try this often neglected time period.

Soldiers Veteran Marine - Legio XII Antiqua - Weathered

After further review and with some valid comments and critiques from friends I realized the error of my ways and added some weathering to the figure as I should have done in the first place. No Roman is complete without some dirt and so I added some subtle dirty/dusty staining to the lower third of the shield as well as some "stuck" sand on the lower edges of the shield and feet. Now I can truly say I am done and move on. Thanks for the reminders guys.

Art Girona King David - New Project

This is what happens when you free up space on the bench. Moving back in time a bit we have Art Girona's wonderful kit of King David in 54mm sculpted by the ever talented Mr. Laruccia. This is my next little painting project and as I type I have already started painting the groundwork and flesh. In addition to the four pieces assembled here plus groundwork there are, scabbard, shield, frontal sash bow and 2 shoulder armor pieces. These will be painted separately and assembled later. All of the figures in Art Girona's "Historical" line are must have pieces and this is one of my favorites. Stay tuned as we tackle the painting.

Roman Gladiator Vignette - Part 8

After many months of fiddling here and there this vignette reached a milestone today with the second figure being attached to the base. I have quite a bit more detail work left but the two figures have reached the point that they can interact on the same base and soon I will be able to get this piece off the bench and into a display case (thus making room for more projects). I have been working on the leather, metal and cloth details of the Retiarius. I ended up repainting the left shoulder guard as I had been unhappy with the effect for quite sometime. Some of the details are sculpted rather soft on this figure and this has caused a bit of extra paint work to give the eye something more focused. I must be honest in saying that I will be glad when this grouping is finished. I seem to run in fits and spurts at times and have limited my work to those times when I feel inspired.

Veteran Marine - Legio XII Antiqua - Completed

Another figure for the Roman collection completed. This veteran Marine from Legio XII Antiqua was a real fun piece to paint and the groundwork was a real nice experiment in what can be accomplished with simplicity and a bit of ingenuity. The base is a real nice piece of Deep blue dyed wood that I picked up at Euro-Militaire years ago and the odd shape lended itself well to this project. The bronze painted helmet appears greener in these photos than in real life. I wanted to strike a delicate balance in the hue of the golden-green bronze and it is lost in the pics. I may well do a bit of light weathering on the shield yet. I am deciding how I want to tackle that and how far I want to go. There should be some wear of course, but how much is too much? That remains to be seen.

Soldiers 54mm Marcus Aurelius - Update #3

Progress continues on this Roman figure. The base is a long way from being completed as I have simply blocked out the highlights and shadows, committing myself to the hues and tones that I desire. This weekend I plan to begin working the color details of the veining and pattern in the marble floor sections. Once that is complete I will work on the column more. I plan to do a separate posting on these techniques. I hope they will be useful to someone out there. The figure progresses as well. I am at the stage where I can begin to do the final highlighting of the flesh and perhaps some strong harsh lighting shadows to fulfill the effect of the scene. You will note the current darkness of the skin tones. This will be even more obvious when you see how and where I highlight. My goal is once again to capture the light of a late afternoon sun back lighting the subject as he walks up the steps and past the column. It is a tricky plan, I just hope I can pull it off properly.

Boudica Painting Demo - Update #1

I haven't done as much with this figure as I would like but I have completed the basic colors of the undershirt sleeves and laid down a base color for what will become a woven plaid patterned dress. Once I am done with the dress I will be able to go back in and further highlight and shadow the hair details. There is a lot of shine in the paint to this point but that will be taken care of in the end. This is a natural issue with oils that I have learned to live with and fix in the final stages using a variety of methods. Every color dries to it's own level of sheen which is exactly what gives a canvas painting the look that is so desirable on the wall in a gallery and undesirable on a miniature figure. However, I wouldn't trade in my oils and the depth that I can achieve with them for any other medium.