Figure It Out

Roman Heavy Infantry - Groundwork

2012-01-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

The focus of this post is the groundwork for my two heavy Roman Infantrymen. The scene of this battle is set in what is known today as Ceylanpinar Turkey, on the border with Syria. The land is arid, dirt and scrub land. I began to build my groundwork with Apoxie Sculpt after putting toothpicks in the holes drilled previously for the pegged feet of the figures. After initial rough shaping the toothpicks were removed and the feet of the figures were pressed into the putty to locate. I always dip the feet in water first, in order to ensure they will not stick to or lift the putty.

Once dry I added more putty to further finalize the desired shape. Some surface detail was worked into the putty while wet using various tools at hand. I rolled the surface of rocky areas with a toothpick that had bits of dried putty attached. This rough surface helped bring out a rough rocky look to certain areas. I also work some areas with a bit of broken balsa wood which also creates that rocky effect. I constantly test fit the figures to make sure I haven't lost a tight and natural connection between the feet and ground.

After everything has thoroughly cured I began shaping with my Dremel tool, using various grinding bits. This further shapes the surface and helps develop sharper rocky surfaces in scale with the figures. This can either be subtle as on this base or more dramatic as seen in many of my previous projects. The photos below show the groundwork after all the putty work was completed.

The next step was to apply a scattered coat of very fine sand to the surface of the putty. This is attached using a 50/50 mix of waterproof Elmer's wood glue and water. The thinned glue dries quickly and being waterproof, will be impervious to any paint or additional products that will be applied later. The scrub grass is the usual mix of model railroad static grass and some of the finer bits of leaf seed material that I collect from my White Birch each spring. This is all attached with the same glue/water mix. After I have primed the surface I will apply one or two of those wonderful little Fredericus-Rex tufts of grass to vary the scrub.

The groundwork is at this point complete. Prior to priming I may add a few small rocks here or there to add a bit more variety to the surface. I will also be inserting some fine brass wire to replicate the shafts of arrows stuck in the ground. Paper fletching feathers will be applied prior to priming. This is a battle and the arrows are an important part of the story.

Roman Heavy Infantry - Assembly & Staging

2012-01-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

Now that I have completed a large portion of the assembly and prep on these two figures I have spent some time staging the two figures. The base has a distinctive shape that works well to encompass the two figures, their long spear shafts and the battlefield debris that will be directly in front of them. The shape should also draw the viewer towards the action. My desire is to keep the two figures as close and compact as possible. This photo shows the figures without the shields attached so they seem further apart than they actually are. Additionally the front figure will most likely be holding two smaller throwing javelins in his shield hand.

My vision should become clearer as the groundwork is sculpted. There will be a slight downward slope from the viewers left to right, with a broken shield, weapons and spent arrows on the ground.

As to the figures, the spear shafts included in the kits have been replaced with brass rod for strength. The spear points will be glued back on after priming. Swords and shields will be painted separately and attached in progress. The shields will be quite colorful and distinctive.

New Project - Roman Heavy Infantry, Battle of Resaena 243 AD

2012-01-16T19:57:00.001-05:00

My brain never stops planning projects and in the case of this little grouping I have chosen to continue my run of late Roman subjects. The two figures shown are SR-39 and SR-60, both Heavy Roman Infantrymen from Soldiers in similar and complimentary poses. This should be a fun little project.

The base I have chosen to use is a Ken Thomas burl base in an interesting shape that I have had around waiting for just such an occasion as this. Both figures are wielding long shafted spears that I would prefer to keep within the confines of the base to limit the possibility of damage. The shape of the base is such that depending on the positioning of the figures can both protect the figures and possibly draw the eyes of the viewer into the drama of the vignette.

The photo below shows the kit components prior to cleaning and assembly. Both are sculpted Laruccia and are masterfully detailed in every respect. As is usual for my figures all lance shafts will be replaced by brass rod including the small throwing spears that the top figure carries along with his shield in the left hand.

The Battle of Resaena was fought in 243 AD near Ceylanpinar Turkey, between Roman forces under Praetorian Prefect Timesitheus and a Sassanid Empire Persian Army under King Shapur I. King Shapur I is the subject of a very nice portrait figure also sculpted by Laruccia for Art Girona of Spain. I plan to paint this figure to be displayed alongside this pairing sometime in the near future.

The battle was part of a larger campaign ordered by Emperor Gordian III (Emperor 238-244) in an attempt to reclaim territories lost in previous years during the never-ending conflict between the many claimants to the Roman throne. The Romans were victorious but Timesitheus fell ill and died shortly afterwards and was replaced by Philip the Arab. Gordian's troops eventually revolted due to lack of pay, purportedly killing Gordian and raising Philip the Arab as Emperor (Emperor from 244 -249). Various versions of events exist but it is known that Philip completed the campaign prior to returning to Rome.

Karl von Fasbender Update

2012-01-16T19:13:00.003-05:00

As so often is the case, one finishes a piece only to find that a modification needs to be made due to faulty research. Such is the case with our friend here. In the course of researching the piece I utilized as one of my resources a plate in the Osprey Elite series book on German WW1 Generals. That plate showed what appeared to be a Navy Blue collar. After sending Ulrich the photos I was informed that the collar should have been green. In looking at the plate again I discovered that a written reference to the shoulder boards in the plate being green is in the back of the book but the appearance in the plate is of a blue edging. Obviously there was some sort of color shift in the printing process. Either way, I was forced to repaint the collar as seen here. Fun Times!

Karl von Fasbender Bust Completed

2012-01-15T18:13:00.001-05:00

I spent the weekend completing this box art for Ulrich Puchala's kit of Karl von Fasbender. What at first might appear as a simple subject without much color soon shows it can be an interesting subject for the painter. The fun little details were the shako crest with it's enameled Bavarian crest and the challenge of realistically representing the glasses hanging at the front of his uniform.

I really enjoyed this kit and plan to paint many more from this wonderful line of busts. Thanks for the opportunity Ulrich! Now on to Zeppelin!

Vexillarius of Constantine the Great Completed

2012-01-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

After all the little tweeks and touch-ups I am marking this project as complete. This is quite an amazing little figure and one that I am happy to add to my case full of Roman subjects. I'll limit the words and focus on the photos.

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius -Update #7

2012-01-07T18:44:00.001-05:00

Lots of minor details to complete but this figure is nearing completion. I wanted to show how the standard turned out. Quite a bit of time was taken on making the gold trim appear "stitched". I have a bit more highlighting work on the vine motif and the lettering, details on the tunic designs, leather and armour as well as the "Chi-Ro" on the standard. Should be completed this weekend (fingers crossed).

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius -Update #6

2012-01-02T18:06:00.000-05:00

A bit of work on the latest Roman project. I have completed the cape, leather, sword and scabbard and begun the Labarum design and further details of the tunic. The hem and sleeve bands and details started as Dioxazine Purple with some highlighting. The purple is drying glossy so a touch of clear flat will no doubt be required. I will wait until I finish further highlights and shadows to see how it looks. Further highlights of light Cad Red were applied to the tunic to get it closer to the color it should be. The cape is Cad Red Deep and Medium with Light Cad Red highlights. Once the figure is completed I will add some weathering around the hem. All of the gold bits on the standard were started using the usual mix of gold inks and Burnt Umber.

Choosing how to paint the Labarum has required some research as well as conjecture on my part. I have included a picture of coinage from the period following the battle to show how the Labarum was depicted at the time. Descriptions of the Labarum clearly state that Constantine's image was depicted on the cloth but the coins show three round shapes. This has been explained by experts as a period requirement not allowing the actual image to be depicted on the coin reverse. I don't know whether to believe that or not. Some have said that the three discs represent three images of Constantine or the trinity. The box art from Soldier's depicts a face on image of Constantine but I have been unable to find any reference to support that choice. My belief is that this is again, conjecture on the part of the artist.

In the end I chose to use the image style used on coins of the period, side-on. This is due to a desire to not copy others unnecessarily when no independent reference exists. The only thing that is known for sure is the wording in Latin "In Hoc Signo Vinces" or "In This Sign You Will Conquer" supporting the story of Constantine's supposed vision and subsequent purported conversion to Christianity. What you see in the photos is my first basic color layer of gold on the standard. More work will go into the image, edging and fringe.

Saxon Vignette Update

2012-01-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a while since I last updated (or even really worked on) this little vignette but there has been progress of a sort so I thought I would start off the new year with an brief update. I did do more work on the groundwork as well as a bit of color work on the figures. Trying to find a color palette for three figures that unifies the scene without looking like it was a planned thing can be difficult. I want to go for an earthy tonal value throughout and so I have begun with various greens and browns. There will be splashes of brighter colors such as red and golden yellow to add interest and definition. I hope to spend some time on this once I finish my current Roman subject.

General Ritter Karl von Fasbender - Update #1

2012-01-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

First of all, Happy New Year to everyone out there that follows my little blog! Last year was a mixed bag of good and bad for everyone including myself and I hope that 2012 will be a better year for us all. No complaints about the hobby however with lots of amazing miniatures released and the promise of more wonderful pieces this year.

I have been working on three of Ulrich Puchala's very nice WWI era busts and my focus has been on this one representing General Ritter Karl v. Fasbender. All that you see here is in early stages but you can begin to get a feel for the subject. I won't be happy with the face until I have done some more work on details, highlights, shadows and complete the Shako and uniform/coat collars.

Below is a triptych photo showing the process of painting the face to this point. My only thought is the shape of the moustache doesn't taper downward like in the photo. This changes the likeness somewhat for me but still it is a good representation.

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius -Update #5

2011-12-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

After a short stay in the hospital I am finally feeling the strength to paint return just a little. I wanted to post an update to this figure showing how it stands as of now, before I do anything else to it. Really observant followers who know their Late Romans will note that the "Chi-Ro" device on the standard has now been reversed to face the proper direction. How many times did I look at it without ever recognizing that I had glued it on backwards?

The sections of cape were painted on the sides facing the figure prior to being attached to the section cast integrally on the torso. This obviously allows me to avoid having to risk getting paint on areas of the figure previously completed. The mixes of various shades of Cadmium Red are fairly straight forward so matching colors on the areas still to be done will be simple.

Additionally the field of the standard has been painted as well as a variegated base color for the gold fringe and vine details. This is a mixture of Yellow Ochre and Cad Yellow Medium with a tiny touch of Mars Black added to darken and shift the tone. Leather work has begun as well with Mars Brown and a touch of deep Cad Red applied, followed by a wash of Mars Black once dry. Much more work on these areas is to come.

I am committed to completing the previously posted busts and will be working heavily on them this coming week prior to my being allowed to return to work. In between though you can expect more work on this little beauty.

And Then There Were Three!

2011-12-05T19:45:00.001-05:00

So having shown two of the three busts I am painting yesterday, I now present the first of the three that I will be painting. This bust is in the same series and represents General Ritter Karl von Fasbender in the uniform of the 1st Bavarian Jager Battalion, 1916, Amiens. Again this is a very nice portrait piece in this series from Ulrich Puchala and the highlight for me is the detail sculpted on the Shako logo. I will be starting on this straight away and am really looking forward to seeing how I do with his likeness.

I think the likeness is quite good and I am told that Fasbender had a sparkle to his personality. The photo below is a later portrait of the man but still very helpful. Ulrich has given me some insight into all three characters so that I can work on capturing that in their portraits.

Again, my thanks to Ulrich for asking me to tackle these pieces.

Two New Busts

2011-12-04T14:32:00.001-05:00

Two new busts primed and ready to paint. Both are sculpted by Ulrich Puchala for his Centaur Line of miniatures. The busts are portrait pieces, cast in resin by YS Masterpieces. As I said in my posts while painting the last bust, I have a strong interest in WW1 subjects and Ulrich was very happy with the job I was doing on the SK Miniatures piece so he was willing to let me paint these for him as box art pieces. I want to thank him for his trust and hope he will be happy with the end results.

Ulrich's kits come with a comprehensive color instruction sheet containing a ton of references for the subject of the kit. I won't need to do nearly as much research before painting these as he has done his homework.

Assembly was straightforward as with most resin kits although I found myself doing more prep work than I am used to due to many small air bubbles and the fact that one of the kits had suffered from a mold that should have been replaced prior to making this casting. These things happen and having been in the business myself, I am both overly critical of castings as well as understanding of how things can slip through.

I would recommend these kits to anyone with a passion for this subject matter as Ulrich's research and sculpting are impeccable.

The First kit is of Ferdinand Graf v. Zeppelin in 1891 wearing the uniform of Generalcommander of Cavalry, Uhlan-Regiment "King Karl" (1. Wurttembergisches) No. 19 - Ulm.

The second kit is a portrait piece of Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, 1914, in the uniform of General of Cavallerie, Carabinier Regt. 2nd Cuirassier Regt.

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius -Update #4

2011-11-24T13:44:00.001-05:00

A bit more progress, starting the Labarum (standard) and the armor.

The armor starts with a basecoat of Gold Printers Inks and a bit of Burnt Umber oils added. Once dry I will start adding washes of browns and blacks before highlighting with pure printers ink. The Labarum started with Cadmium Red Deep and Extra Deep from Liquitex to set the mid tones. The shaft of the standard has gotten an initial coat of Burnt Sienna.

The helmet was aged with a patina created by applying pure Mars Black and letting it sit for an hour before wiping the oils off with a lint free cloth. Once I start painting the cloak I will attach the neck guard and paint the leather trim.

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius - Update #3

2011-11-22T21:37:00.001-05:00

I have been busy prepping two busts that I will soon be painting for a friend in Germany but I need to keep the hand in the brushes as well, in order to keep working my techniques. With that in mind I have been working on the tunic and trousers of this little 54mm figure from Soldiers. As the figure will be wearing a cloak that will be reddish in tone I wanted to go for a red tunic that would be totally different in tonal value while still holding the coloration that I would expect in a fabric from the time period. I decided to go dark, with my plans being that the cloak will be lighter (faded). I also wanted off-white, greenish umber tones in the trousers. I'm pretty happy with my progress to this point.

For the tunic I started with a mix of Cadmium Red Deep and Mars Black. This was applied overall and allowed to dry overnight. The next step was to apply Cadmium Red Deep to the mid tone areas and blend outward with a soft brush. This thins out the paint to act as a "filter" for the undercoat and gives the deep red tone that I desired. This dried overnight and a second highlight tone was applied to the brightest points, using Cadmium Red Deep and a touch of Titanium White. An even lighter mixture was used to touch the lighter worn edges of the sleeves and lower hem line.

The back side of the tunic is the darkest and has stronger contrasts because it will be mostly hidden by the hanging cloak. What will be seen should stand out a bit due to the greater contrast.

The trousers were first painted with a mixture of Raw Umber and Titanium White. This was highlighted initially with straight Titanium White blended wet on wet to give mid tone highlights and shadows. Once dry, a thinned coat of Greenish Umber was applied overall and brushed out to tint the cloth a greenish hue. Once dry I began to bring out the highlights with repeated applications of White mixed with a tiny bit of Greenish Umber. Each application had more and more white added to further pop the highlights, never using pure white.

I know how dark everything looks in the photos. This is enhanced by the areas still primed white and will die down as more of the figure is covered in paint. Dark is the goal, but being this dark is simply a trick of the eye/camera from the contrast with the white. Stay tuned.

Konrad of Thuringia - Romeo 54mm Teutonic Grand Master - Completed

2011-11-16T21:20:00.001-05:00

Finishing touches have been applied to my last little piece before going to the Long Island Show this weekend. It's nice to clear a small bit of space with this and von Mackensen done. The figure is a Romeo 54mm kit and the arms on the shield represent Konrad von Thuringen in 1239. The tree trunk is one Armand Bayardi's little gems. This was a fun and simple piece to paint until getting to the shield. Very satisfying and now I can get back to my work on the other items in various stages of completion that seem to mock me every time I sit at the bench. Enjoy!

August von Mackensen - Completed

2011-11-15T22:51:00.001-05:00

August von Mackensen is complete. I may well see some little things that need a touch up here or there but for the moment I can take my mind off of it and get some space for my mind to clear. I find this always helps to see areas that need fixing. After awhile you get to close to the piece and you miss details that need further attention. I loved painting this piece, I have a connection with the subject matter, the sculptor (Matt Springer) and the manufacturer (SK Miniatures - Steve Kirtley). Thanks to both for their help and interest in my work. Now on to Graf von Zeppelin, Wilhelm Ernst v. Sachsen-Weimar and Karl v. Fasbender for more WWI fun. Enjoy!

Label created using Microsoft Publisher, sticker paper and a little creative fun.

Uniform details.

Von Mackensen - Progress Report #3

2011-11-14T17:55:00.001-05:00

Von Mackensen is getting closer to completion, but as always with these things the details take the longest. I have begun to work on the metallic and lace bits with these photos having been taken on Friday and more completed since then. I have an evening of tiny black chevrons on the knotted cording ahead of me this evening as well as the basic brass color on the scales and the fur highlighting. I probably won't post another update until he is completed. My hopes are to have this little gem completed for the Long Island Show this weekend, as well as the Teutonic Knight I have been working on. After that I have a couple more busts in this time frame that I will begin to paint for box-art. Stay Tuned!

Romeo 54-035 Teutonic Knight mid XIII Cent. - Update #3

2011-11-01T21:47:00.002-04:00

Although I still have quite a ways to go to complete this miniature it is always a milestone when you can join the figure to it's base. That is the situation here, with most all of the details that would have been obstructed from easy access by a brush being completed. Once the figure was attached to the base I could glue the left hand with weapon and begin applying the first of many layers of browns to the shaft. I have also begun painting the back of the shield which will be glued under his arm once the rest of the figure details are completed. Should be complete by this time next week (fingers crossed).

Romeo 54-035 Teutonic Knight mid XIII Cent. - Update #2

2011-10-29T16:48:00.002-04:00

In an effort to have at least one new figure completed for the Long Island Show besides von Mackensen, I have been working on this little figure from Romeo. The tunic was completed today, minus pure white edging and a bit of dirt that will be added once the figure is based. I did a bit more shadow work on the mail arms and head using the same mixture that I used to do the deep shadow outline washes on the tunic (Mars Black and Raw Umber). I need to do the same with his legs before starting on the leather belt and scabbard. Shield has been primed and the tedious Teutonic heraldry will begin this week as well. I also want to add further highlights to the face tonight as it is showing way to dark in all that white.

Von Mackensen - Progress Report #2

2011-10-27T20:22:00.001-04:00

I started painting the tunic last night as well as a bit more work on the colpack (Prussian busby).

What you see here is my initial mid tone highlighted and shadowed tones on the tunic. Photos of actual coats show a variety of grayish green tones. To get the initial colors I used Rembrandt Greenish Umber, W&N Titanium White and a bit of W&N Mars Black to grey out the greenish tones a tad. Once applied I went in and roughly outlined details and filled in shadows with more Mars Black. This sketchy mix was then stippled with a soft round brush to blend the colors slightly. This gives me subtle mid to mid shadow tones. Again this technique was used for the mid highlights by applying patches of Titanium White and again stippling the colors to roughly blend. This will be allowed to dry and I will begin to work on final highlights and shadows before starting on details such as medals, shoulder boards and lacing, cording.

An additional wash of Mars Black was applied to the colpack as well. I will now start building highlight tones there as well, also paint the red bag.

Von Mackensen - Progress Report #1

2011-10-24T16:12:00.002-04:00

Progress report on this nice bust from SK Miniatures. I am about 95% done with the face, with only a few tweeks and possibly some paler, greyer toning to show the age a bit better. The fur on the hat is about a quarter way to the final coloring as this seal skin has so many tonal values in it. I started with Yellow Ochre washes, with Burnt Sienna and Van Dyke Brown overcoats. I will apply Mars Black and some grey to off-white highlighting to continue the effect.

I hope to begin the first work on the jacket tonight so stay tuned.

MMSI Chicago 2011 - Part 3

2011-10-18T17:25:00.002-04:00

Equally represented was the fantasy community with exhibits from a number of talented artists. Two of the stand out for me are shown below.

If there was anything that I disliked about the show it was the separation of fantasy and historical in two categories. I was told that this was done in the clubs ongoing effort to include all aspects of the figure painting community while still allowing the separate styles some autonomy in their displays and judging but I'm not sure how much that actually helped build camaraderie. This separation was also the case at World Expo and MFCA and I'm really troubled by the separation. Hopefully over time the two facets will feel comfortable enough to be exhibited together as one.

Mathieu Fontaine was one of two Canadian Masters whose work was on display. The two Chaos figures shown below were wonderfully painted and far more impressive than my lousy photos indicate.

I have known Rick Taylor for years as an amazing artist whose figures and flats have constantly wowed the crowds. His exhibit this year consisted of four 28mm figures in the "Painters" category and an amazing scratch/conversion of a Kabuki figure in the "Open" category. Too appreciate these pieces one truly needed to see both the front and back of each as can be seen in the photos below. I would have given anything to have been able to photograph these pieces with my set-up rather than by hand, to show the amazing patterns and designs. Hopefully you will get the idea from the pictures below.

If the photo above doesn't amaze you then there is something wrong with you. Remember, 28mm or around an inch and a half tall!!

Hopefully I will see you all at the MMSI show next year, Enjoy!

MMSI Chicago 2011 - Part 2

2011-10-18T17:07:00.001-04:00

Exhibitors like Doug Cohen, Rod Curtis, Anders Heintz, Matt Wellhauser and others, proved that we do have a strong body of quality painters here in the US and Canada. With visitors like Mike Blank and Stephen Mallia you can't go wrong. This was equally represented in the Fantasy categories which will be seen in my third post.

Continuing in the Historical vein, Jason Green has an amazing display of work, including both busts and full figures. I think Jason is the star for Mike Cramer at Michael/United Miniatures. His box art busts were amazingly well painted and his full figures were equally well done.

Dan Capuano has been a prolific painter and modeler of all things WWII and his huge display at this year's show was quite impressive. As can be seen below, he works in every scale from 90mm to 200mm as well as busts. I am sure that over time as his skills continue to evolve and his artistic vision grows he will be a force to be reckoned with.

My old buddy Chris Mrosko represented extremely well this year with his "Congolese 1st Armored Brigade" a spooky trio on a Type 69 Hybrid resplendent with skulls. I'm not really an armor guy but I really loved this piece. Well done Chris!

There were lots more figures, dioramas and vehicles of all types, including a pretty cool box diorama from Lewis Pruneau, depicting the burning crash of the Hindenburg. More photos are out there so check out the postings on various forums for more goodies. I was fortunate as one of the judges to have the luxury of getting lots of opportunities to take good long looks at the work. This is one of the best avenues for learning other peoples techniques. I always recommend attending shows if you want to grow as a modeler. Ask questions of those whose work you respect, you'll be surprised what you may learn.

MMSI Chicago 2011

2011-10-18T16:48:00.002-04:00

One of the highlights of the show season here in the U.S. is the annual MMSI Show in Chicago, held each year in October. I have been looking forward to the event this year as it has been ten years since I last attended the show. I was looking forward to seeing many old friends for the first time in years as well as seeing some of the cream of the North American talent pool and I was not disappointed. Here are a few photos of the show spread out over three posts.

The show was held at the Marriott Schaumburg, west of downtown Chicago. The main hall had the exhibit in the middle dividing two vendor areas, with more vendors in the front lobby. There was something for everyone with vendors including Chuck Robinson of The Red Lancers, Sentinel, CRM, Rich Salzburg and others selling figures, old and new. Jack and Jan Muldoon were there selling flats and John Jefferies was manning his base supply as well (very nice selection of natural burl bases). Manufacturers were represented as well, with Mike Stelzel, Michael/United Miniatures, Lost Battalion, Thunderbird and others. Book sellers, Toy Soldiers, Militaria, prints, you name it, it was there to be purchased.

Every show has it's highlights on the tables and this year was no exception. I have a number of individuals whose work I always look forward to seeing. Bill Horan had a very nice display of work, as well as Greg DiFranco. Greg had two entries (seen below) that struck a chord with me. The first was a wonderful vignette of two troublemakers entitled "Plundering The Pfalz", a wonderful grouping that was masterfully sculpted, posed, and painted. The second was an amazing drummer that was so dramatic you could picture his surroundings despite the piece being a single, based figure.

Mike Blank was in attendance and had his amazing "The Emperor's New Clothes" diorama which won this year's "Best In Show" award. Mike also displayed a scratchbuilt Knight and a stock dandy in the painters category.

Jason Whitmann once again presented an amazing body of work (shown in the photos below) which combined with years of excellence garnered him this year's "Chicago Medal". Well done Jason and congratulations!

Von Mackensen - Research on a Real Tight Budget!

2011-10-07T18:19:00.000-04:00

So there you are with a new figure or bust and you want to do it up right but you've got nothing much on the shelf to offer in the reference department. Where do you turn?

That is the subject of post number two on my nice little bust here from SK Miniatures. This could be the case really with any kit out there. Most have a nice photograph on the box and a little reference sheet listing color choices inside, that's all. Many people rely on the quality of what they get but if you are like me you want more information, more choices, more details, more accuracy.

Now if you are like I was ten years ago, you have a library of stuff acquired over years of being in the hobby. I would be willing to bet that most are like me now. I have a small but carefully selected research library that focuses on my specific areas of interest. In my case, Roman, Greek, Medieval and Asian subjects. For this bust that is worthless. Ten years ago I could have popped a few books and magazines off the shelf and had everything I needed.

What I rely on most these days is primarily multiple sourcing on the Internet. Anything can be found if you just look. A warning however, like in books, you can't always trust what you find. Many simply repeat old outdated info so the "Multiple Sourcing" can be very important. I start with Google. In this case my search started with specifics related to Von Mackensen, from there I searched on the specifics of his awards and various uniform and regimental links. I keep a file full of saved pictures broken down by era and within that specific to the project. So everything I find is dropped in the file. Right now the file for Von Mackensen has 86 images and I'm still looking. I started with the photo posted in my last blog post. A quick check of Wiki found linked photos of his awards. I then did Google searches on his various uniform items, saving pictures of original equipment and replica equipment, anything that gave me details that might come in handy later. A few phone calls/e-mails to buddies gave me some more details that I couldn't verify on line. (Now if Shep just responds to my last e-mail.......). If anyone out there is planning on doing this bust, here are a few little gems that I found:

Uniform:
http://www.derrittmeister.com/home.htm#indextop
specifically the following page for Attila details:
http://www.derrittmeister.com/productpages/20145.htm
Also: http://www.kaisersbunker.com/feldgrau/tunics/fgt03.htm

Shoulder Boards: Although primarily WWII, this page has "prewar" boards for the rank of generalfeldmarschall halfway down the page. Not specific to Von Mackensen but enough reference to apply the details needed.
http://www.themarshalsbaton.com/GFM%20and%20High%20Ranks.htm

Leib-hussaren Fur Busby:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeo7abf/id61.html reproduction but nice examples.

Aiguilette:
http://www.derrittmeister.com/productpages/15534.htm
Cool site for references on the Pour le Merite:
http://www.pourlemerite.org/
Order of the Black Eagle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Black_Eagle
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross

So there you have a few interesting sites for reference on this subject. Once I gather enough info I use Microsoft Publisher to create a quick reference sheet to remind me of the highlights of my research. You could do the same with Word. This is what I created for this figure. If I need more detail or close-ups, I simply turn around and look at my computer files.

I even used a color swatch created by making a rectangle and setting the fill to the R:G:B: listing I found on a site for "feld-grau". I'm not convinced, as I've seen this uniform material for real before, but I also know that no two uniforms look alike in person or in photos so that will be where "artistic license" come in handy. I hope this post has been helpful for a few of the newer members of the hobby, maybe even for a few old hands like me. Now let's pick up the brushes, mix paint and have some fun! Next post, the face!

And Now For Something Completely Different!!

2011-10-06T21:12:00.001-04:00

I have a few side projects going at the moment as the weather changes. Along with the previous posts that everyone has been following I am painting two subjects that may seem a bit different from what you all have begun to expect from me. Both will be subjects of regular posts here and my desire is to use them to focus on areas of our hobby that I haven't spent a lot of time discussing in the past.

The first piece is this nice little bust from SK Miniatures, sculpted by my friend Matt Springer. I'm not sure the age of this piece but I believe it to be one of SK's earliest releases. WWI has always interested me, especially the German transformation from a colorful Imperial force to the Feld-Grau Army that typified the Great War period. I have especially harbored a deep love for German WWI Aviation. So, that being said a piece like this is of great interest to me.

August Von Mackensen (6 December 1849 to 8 November 1945) was an interesting figure, coming from the heart of Imperial Germany, beginning his military career in the Franco-Prussian War and surviving to the end of WWII. He was a true German war hero who became a supporter of conservative monarchist political groups in the twenties. After Hitler's election, Von Mackensen became a symbolic figurehead for the Nazi party despite his monarchist beliefs. He was never truly trusted by party leadership however because of his past support of Hindenburg. One of his last highly visible public appearances was in full uniform at Kaiser Wilhelm II's 1941 funeral. Quite the dichotomy I must say.

The bust is cast in two resin parts, headgear and torso/head with two white metal castings for the Blue Max/Iron Cross and Peltzmutze cockade. The photos above show the kit assembled and primed, ready to begin. Assembly was simple and straightforward with just a small amount of clean up, typical of most resin kits. A round rosewood base from Thomas Art Bases was selected to offset the color tones of the finished bust.

The subject that I will focus on first is reference. This is possibly the single most important aspect to our hobby prior to ever exercising the artistic side of things. I take a lot of joy in the research as I am an avid reader and a bit of a fuss about getting things as close to "right" as possible. Instruction sheets and painted figure photos in kits are great but I NEVER rely solely on their use. In the case of this bust my research began on the Internet as I no longer have the wealth of research materials in my library that I used to own. This will be the focus of my next post but in the meantime here is the photo that I believe was used as Matt's reference for this sculpt.

What I found so fascinating about this picture and what draws me to this bust is just what I referenced in the beginning about my interest in this period. He is wearing a great mixture of old and new, with the fur busby of the 1st or 2nd Leib-Hussaren Regt. of which he had been a part, and the Attila or Hussar jacket being in the Feld-grau of the period. This won't qualify as an extremely colorful piece but it will be a mixture of tones and textures that I find visually appealing and historically important. I would like to think that was why Matt chose the subject, but that may be presumptuous of me.

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius - Update 2

2011-09-22T20:07:00.000-04:00

I completed the face last night. Having said that I might make a few tweeks here and there as the figure progresses but I am happy with the results. When you are looking at the photo all blown up, remember we are talking 54mm here so all in all a decent result.

I have also started the trousers. Off-white is the direction I am headed here. so this is a good start. More to follow.......

Romeo 54-035 Teutonic Knight mid XIII Cent.

2011-09-22T19:59:00.000-04:00

So here is the figure that goes with my little groundwork demo piece. This is a Knight of the Teutonic Order, mid 13th Century. The kit is a 54mm Romeo casting and once complete, will be resting on his shield and holding a lance. These first few photos show fitment testing as the painting began on the base. As you can see I masked the mail areas and used my usual white automotive primer.

Painting began with the face as always. Typical mix and technique. Once done I used a bit of lacquer thinner to clean the paint from the mail before it dried and began to apply.............

................washes of Mars Black to the mail to begin pulling out the detail. The mail here is not as diminutive as I am used to with some figures so I'm not getting the strong crisp details that I am used to. My plan is to use a thicker coat of Mars Black rubbed into the deeper shadow areas to further darken and delineate the mail. A brush dipped in thinner and drawn over the higher details after the black sits for awhile will pull the natural metal highlights back out. That will be for a later post.

Shadows were applied to the face and Burnt Sienna/Titanium White oils used to paint the lining around the opening of the mail as well as the horizontal lacing around the upper head. This is really nothing more than a base coat as their is visible lacing detail that will need to be carefully picked out with various colors once the face and mail are complete.

Here you can see that I have begun the shoes as well as the initial work on the white tunic. The base color is a mix of Titanium White, Raw Umber and a hint of Lamp Black. Over this I worked a few mid level highlights wet-on-wet, applied a thinned capillary wash of Mars Black around belts and laces to pop out the detail and set aside to dry. The shoes are Burnt Umber with a bit of Mars Brown added for warmth and after drying, initial washes of Mars Black. Worn edges and further highlighting have not yet been completed. I will paint the straps and spurs while the figure is on the working base but final highlights may well be left until the figure is mounted to the groundwork so that I can unify the colors.

These last three pictures are the finished face. Leather and mail remain unfinished and I may well work a bit more on the color of the moustache. If the lights had been lowered you would see that yes, there are eyes under there somewhere!

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius of Constantine The Great - Update 1

2011-09-20T18:08:00.002-04:00

I have been working on this figure off and on over the past two weeks, trying to formalize the color palette in my mind. There will be various reds involved and each one needs to be a separate tone, richness and warmth. I've started the face as can be seen in the two photos below. Usual mixture of oils involved, nothing new. The first photo is basic flesh mixture with first highlights completed wet-on-wet. The second photo is with the shadows roughed in.

I have also been painting the shoes and groundwork. The groundwork was done with washes of Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Mars Black and Greenish Umber. I will start working some highlight tones in as I begin to paint his trousers (White/Off-White).

Painting Groundwork With Oils

2011-09-19T18:12:00.000-04:00

I know that in the past I have always treated the groundwork step-by-step as part of the overall figure, making references to my methods as I go. I thought it might be nice to separate the groundwork out as a specific focus for an article. This would give me the chance to solidify my techniques.

This is a simple groundwork base for a single 54mm figure. I utilized a Walnut base, an Armand Bayardi resin tree stump, epoxy putty, static grass, dirt and White Birch seeds from my front yard (basically the same thing you get in a Hudson & Allen bag but I get them for free every two years.).

I shape the groundwork in it's basic form using the epoxy putty, after placing the stump in it's desired location. I use a few pieces of broken balsa wood to work a stone like texture in the putty. Balsa snaps unevenly and gives a nice varied tool surface for this task. The figure's feet are weted with water and pressed into location, lifted and the base is set aside to dry. Once cured the base is coated with thinned wood glue (I use one that dries waterproof to withstand the washes of color I use). Over the glue I apply light varied sand sparsely and then the static grass in patches. Later I glued down some of the seeds to resemble fallen leaves. Once everything was dry I masked the base and sprayed everything in white automotive primer.

The pictures above show the groundwork after two initial wash coats of Burnt Umber Oil Paints. I applied the wash to everything to unify the tonal values. As you will see in the following pictures the colors separate down the line in the process. I do apply the color heavier in some areas than others to pop out details (See how the leaves are lighter than the tree trunk above?).

In the photo above I applied a wash of Greenish Umber and Chrome Green Deep to the grassy areas. This was allowed to dry and an overall wash of Greenish Umber and Burnt Umber was applied to blend the two (below).

I used touches of Cad Yellow Medium, Cad Red Light, Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna to paint the leaves. This mix was thinned like a glaze (not as thin as a wash). Once dry a further wash of Burnt Umber was applied in certain areas to further define the ground, tone down the leaves and shadow where the figure will be standing.

Burnt Umber, Mars Black and Titanium White were mixed in various shades of grayish brown and applied to pop out the tree bark and lighten the exposed tree trunk where it has split. This mix was yellowed out a bit with Ochre and used to brighten the grass and the edges of the leaves.

Now the base is ready to accept the figure once he is completed. This will be shown in a few upcoming posts. Stay tuned and Keep Painting!!

Soldiers SR-59 Vexillarius of Constantine The Great

2011-09-06T20:46:00.000-04:00

Well as if on cue, the weather has begun to change. One day it is in the 80's and sunny, the next it is in the 60's and wet. I never like it when it changes this quickly but it does signal the time to start focusing more time at the workbench and less time on the bike. I'll still have another month or so before I'm forced to completely give up but in the meantime it has given me a chance to start planning the winter projects.

I am back on my other earlier projects but I couldn't help starting something new as well. This fine figure from Soldiers is a very nice Vexillarius carrying the "Labarum" of Constantine the Great, early fourth century AD. Story has it that on the eve of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine had a dream that led him to convert to Christianity. The reality is more along the lines of his conversion happening on his deathbed but the story remains and this standard is the documented item carried to battle against the Emperor Maxentius. To many this figure may seem familiar. You would not be mistaken in thinking this as the body is for the most part the same exact figure as my previous Soldiers kit from this time period (SR50). Enough is different however to make this an acceptable use of a previous kit by Soldiers in my opinion.

As you can see in the pictures below, I have assembled the kit almost entirely except for the cloak. This will allow me to paint the piece unimpeded and attach the cloak later as I did with the earlier kit. Groundwork is the usual A+B putty with sheet plastic backing on a very nice Ken Thomas round rosewood base. I will apply some plant life, mask the armor and prime prior to beginning the paint.

To give an idea of the direction this piece will go, I have included a photo of the kit box art as reference. The standard will most likely be copied as seen in the photo but I will play with the clothing colors a tad as I proceed. I have read conflicting descriptions of the labarum but I would expect my interpretation to be very similar.

Two Very Inspirational Blog Sites

2011-08-14T13:06:00.001-04:00

I don't often promote other sites in a post unless I feel they have something unique to offer or are impressive at a level way beyond the norm. Two such blogs have recently struck my fancy. The first is a German blog by "Trull" (actual name unknown) entitled "Trulls Fantastische Welten". The focus here is on Architectural Models for fantasy gaming and dioramas and the work is absolutely brilliant. As an individual who feels that figures deserve more than simple basing to tell stories, this site appeals to me greatly. Check it out!

The second site is a painter's blog like all the others but the work this individual is doing at the moment simply blows me away. "Praolo's World" focuses on the work of a Spanish painter (Alfonsito Prado?) as well as that of his friends and influences. His current project is Andrea's Henry VIII and I believe this to be the best version of Henry I have ever seen. Check it out!

Soldiers Gunther von Schwarzburg - Update 5

2011-08-13T17:32:00.000-04:00

Well as you can see from the photo above, I have gotten a bit further with this project. This is where he is at today. I hope to get some painting time today and tomorrow so I should progress further on the red leather and gold armor.

In the first three pictures below you can see that I had begun to build the highlights on the helm as well as paint the surcoat base color of blue. Prussian Blue with a bit of Titanium white was used for the base with highlights of Cerulean Blue. I did tone the blue mix down with a bit of lamp black but it doesn't appear in the photos, that's for sure. Once dry I applied the base red trim color. My next painting session will be further shadowing the surcoat and applying some highlights to the red. Then the fun of painting little lions will begin.

Repeated layers of Titanium White glazes were applied to the steel of the helm to build the highlights. You can't see it in these photo angles but as with the bascinet helmet I applied some reflected blue to the steel where it is directly facing his surcoat. Once the lions are painted I will know whether there should be a bit of yellow as well (If a lion is close to the helm.). A final thin outline of black was applied and attention turned to the brass work on the facial cross and the lion crest.

The first highlights were Yellow Ochre and Titanium white lightened with more white each time I worked the brass. I didn't like the tone I was getting (too yellow), so I gave the whole thing a light thin wash of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna to redden the colors. Finally the crest and helm rivets were painted to the same coloration.

Finally a wash of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna was applied overall to the armor remaining, as this will be red leather with gold armor appliques. I have spent a long time looking at the helm trying to decide how to further develop my highlights and shadows. While doing so I repeatedly have looked at Igor Dzis' painting of this subject and have noticed that he chose to do the lion crest in what appears to be either red paint or covered with red velvet. I am leaning toward changing the crest to better match his painting even though other versions of this figure have been done in gold as well as a period memorial. Honesty will force me to admit that this is partially driven by my dissatisfaction with the appearance of the crest as it currently stands. I feel that I have lost the cylindrical transition in highlight and shadow tones, top to bottom and either way I choose to go I will have to do more work on the crest while I work on the peacock feathers.

Andrea 54mm Sir John de Creke - Completed

2011-08-13T16:11:00.000-04:00

Well here he is in all his glory. This is a very simple figure in what many would consider a very static pose. I like the defiant stature and distinctive style of armor worn by the figure. My focus was simply on painting the piece so the groundwork is far more simplistic than I normally might like to work with. In the end I am happy with this simple little figure that starts the medieval shelf in my display case.

Soldier's Gunther von Schwarzburg - Update 4

2011-08-13T16:04:00.000-04:00

I'm really not sure why it has taken me so long to post progress pics on this figure. I have been working on the piece, albeit slowly, and making steady progress. I guess when I looked at my Photobucket file I realized how many in progress pics were there and decided to play catch up. This is the first of two updates that I will post today on the helmet and figure, with an update on the completed "de Creck" in between.

The first step in painting the helm was to replicate the steps used to paint the bascinet helmet for the white metal bits and apply a brown base coat on the gilded lion crest. A first glaze of Prussian Green was applied to the peacock feathers as well. Lamp Black and white mix was applied to the helm and wet-on-wet tonal highlights were applied. Once dry a base of brown/black was applied to the front helmet crosspiece.

A second glaze of green and brown was applied to the feathers and crest followed by a wash of Mars Black to the whole helmet, crest and feathers. In the last few pics you will see that I applied a wash of Prussian Blue to the surcoat as well.

The next post will focus on highlighting the helm and painting the surcoat base color as well as a start to the rest of the armor.

Soldier's Gunther von Schwarzburg - Update 3

2011-07-11T16:28:00.000-04:00

So here we have Gunther's head in it's latest stage. I have begun working the highlights and reflections on both the helm and nasal using thinned glazes of Titanium White. In the case of the nasal a bit of Yellow Ochre was tinted into the white.

At the front of the helmet I began by applying the white to the lower edge of the helmet as well as the nasal attachment and blending upward. This was followed by a final thin line of white to pop out the edge. A line of of white was then applied vertically to the front of the helm and blended out to the right. Two hot spots were slowly worked into the left side of the helm and a bright white highlight was applied to the top. This same white was lightly brushed onto the mail ad stronger white spots were applied randomly to highlight areas to add a fake sparkle. The same vertical line on the helmet was taken down through the nasal giving continuity to the helmet's shading.

After I paint the lacing and leather holding the mail aventail I will move on to the arms, helm and torso.

Soldier's Gunther von Schwarzburg - Update 2

2011-07-09T19:57:00.001-04:00

Work continues on my experiment in nonmetallic painting with this figure. If you look back at my last post you will see that a basecoat of black had been applied to the bascinet and mail. In the photos above you can see the next step as I gradually worked from bottom to top of the helmet applying white to begin bringing up my mid tones. I also worked a bit more white into the lower rim of the helm. This tone should run in a line where the brightest light reflects off the helm at the same time it gets lighter moving up the helm.

Once dry I began to apply some light washes of reflected color. Unlike chrome or a mirror you wouldn't see a true reflected image, simply hints of tonal values in the color of the steel. If you think about what would be reflected in the helm you would say maybe sky on top, reflections of the surrounding ground in the lower portions and any colors that might be in the immediate area on the figure itself. With that in mind I applied a light wash of Cerulean Blue on the crown/front of the helm to reflect a blue sky and keep with the cool tones that will be seen in the blue surcoat and green peacock feathers. A mixture of Cadmium Maroon and Van Dyke Brown was applied as a wash to indicate reflected ground and lastly a clear green wash was applied on the side of the helmet nearest the peacock feathers on the great helm in his right arm. I also worked a bit of that thin wash of green to the mail near the feathers as well as some of the blue on the left shoulder and back to hint at reflected sky again. As I begin to apply thinned white to pull out the reflected hot spots these thin colors should augment the color of the metal without reading as spots of color. If they begin to wash out I will apply more reflected colors.

At this point I also have begun working on the brass nasal piece by applying a bit of Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna with a few Titanium white spots blended into the highlights wet-on-wet.

Once dry I played up some dark reflections with a bit of Lamp Black applied in a vertical line to the left of the nasal and rubbed in to the surface. This was also applied to the shadow area on the lower back of the helmet. Additionally I used a Mars Black wash on the raised details to pop them out more. Mars Black was also used on the nasal to apply shadows and separate it a bit more from the face. I also worked a bit more black into the areas of the mail that are under the chin.

Here is a photo of the whole figure so that you can see how the fence section and shield will fit on the base. The fence was made out of strip wood and washes of oil paint with some dry brushed highlights has been used to age and weather the fence. The Shield will be painted separately and fixed to the post at the end of the project. The fence has not been glued to the base so that I can easily paint the figure. It simply slides down onto a brass rod into a depression in the groundwork.

This is a fun project and I have to admit I am flying by the seat of my paints here. Once I get down to the great helm I should have the technique down a little better and the gold armor is something I've tackled before.

Andrea 54mm Sir John de Creke - Update #1

2011-06-24T18:59:00.000-04:00

Progress continues on this little gem that has been in my collection for many years. A little side note here: I had to buy a second figure on Ebay to do the kit as I had used the hand and sword for another project 10 years ago. Rule #13.5 is always replace components lost/used elsewhere, immediately to avoid surprises later on.

This figure is admittedly stiff and boring in it's pose but I have always liked the figure and felt it had a certain presence. It also helps that the armor is very distinctive in style and accurately represents the burial brass of this individual. Comparing these two pictures with those found two posts back will show my progress. I darkened the armor with further washes of black, added further highlights and shadows to the blue surcoat, started the belting and leather work. More to come....

Soldier's Gunther von Schwarzburg 54mm - Update 1

2011-06-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

Painting has begun on this great little figure. As I said in my last post this figure will be an "all paint" project for me. That is to say that no metallic oils or polished white metal will appear on this figure. I am attempting to rise to a challenge by Greg DeFranco to paint a knight in armor entirely in colors. I decided for my first attempt, (That is right, I am a glutton for punishment and I will do another attempt after this one - such commitment!) to work a piece that had limited areas of actual steel armor with areas of brass, leather, cloth, light, dark, rich and bold colors. This figure has a little something for everyone. The helm and bascinet are steel, along with the mail. The majority of the remaining armor is brass, red leather, cloth, etc. The surcoat is blue with gold/yellow lions rampant.

I began with the face, being the only bit of flesh on the figure and my usual starting point. I have explained my flesh mixture in depth before but quickly repeating; Burnt Sienna with a bit of medium cad red and medium cad yellow as well as a tiny touch of yellow ochre for the base color (seen above). wet on wet highlighting begins with med. cad. yellow and Titanium white, applied to create all of the basic mid tones.

This was then followed by final highlights and shadows created with glazes once the initial flesh had fully dried. For highlights a lighter mix of the yellow/white formula mentioned earlier was used after first creating shadows with Brown Madder. Further hot spots of highlight were added after the eyes were painted. As I look at the photo above it is easy to see the fact that one eye is slightly larger than the other. This is only a visual issue when the figure is blown up in photos (or when I am staring at it thru my Optivisor). In real size the difference is negligible.

I have also started the armor at this point. A black oil base color was applied to the mail coif and a lighter shade of Mars Black and Titanium White was painted on the bascinet. This was then highlighted wet on wet with more white. The rest of the tones will be created with successive layers of lighter and lighter tones to build up the highlights. These steps will be the subject of my next few posts.

I have also started the groundwork. The rod sticking up in the back is for a section of jousting fence that will be placed behind the figure with his shield hanging draped from the post. More to come.

Two new projects

2011-06-16T20:06:00.001-04:00

I've got two newer projects on the bench at the moment along with the Saxons and two commissions as well as some box art. I thought I would share these figures as they are newer subjects and I am playing with two new techniques (at least for me). The first is Sir John de Creke a 54mm figure from Andrea that I have had for nearly 15 years in the drawer. The figure is based on an effigy that is fairly well known. As you can see in the photos below I am painting this figure over a hand painted colored basecoat which is something I never do. I was driven to try this on this particular figure as a more expedient method of basecoating than my method of masking the armor and spraying the figure white. Sometimes my masking agent can give me fits so I thought this might be quicker. So far, so good.

The second technique should be obvious to those looking at the figure below, especially for those who read my post immediately after MFCA. AS I said at that time, Greg DiFranco had challenged me to work on painting a knight in armor without the use of either metallic paints or polished kit metal so......that explains the total white primer coat. This project will be the source of many SBS posts so lets hope that all goes well (or at the very least is somewhat educational/entertaining). The figure I'm using is Gunther Von Schwarzburg a 54mm figure from Soldiers, sculpted by Stefano Borin. Should be fun.

Still Alive Out Here and A Blast From The Past!!

2011-06-16T19:44:00.000-04:00

I know I have been quiet since coming back from MFCA. I'm still alive and I have been busy. I've primed a few figures, some are new and some are older commissions owed to two old friends. I will post the new projects in my next blog update. The pieces for others will show up a bit later on in their progress.

And now for a bit of news. As many of you may remember I was the guy behind Fort Duquesne Military Miniatures many years ago. Due to a drastic life change back then I sold the business off and took a leave of absence from life ( and some would say my senses ;-)). Much of the line was sold to someone here in the states and from what I see these days hasn't really seen much life. However part of the line was sold to a company in Japan with the hopes that it would see a new life in a burgeoning figure market that was just starting over there. In the end that part of the sale went horribly wrong and has colored part of my life ever since.

I have spent the last year trying to get something of my old line back from the people that I sold the masters to years ago. Well after a lot of aggravation I have the samurai busts and figures back in my possession and I have found a new home for them that will remain a mystery until that individual decides to make his own announcement. Unfortunately all but two of the masters arrived back to me in some state of damage with the worst being the old mounted samurai kit. I have taken the responsibility of repair seriously which is slowing these beauties from getting to there final destination. However after ten years off the market I think a little more patience will be rewarded soon. I hope that this is as good a piece of news for some out there as it is for me. These kits were an important part of Augie and my life and getting them back has meant more to me than anybody out there will ever know.

MFCA - WOW!!!

2011-05-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

Well, another MFCA show has come and gone and what an amazing show it was. The quality of work was high as always and the opportunity to share and learn with so many talented people made it all worth the trip. I find myself always inspired by what I see and the opportunity to spend some time with people like Greg DiFranco gave me some ideas for future projects. I have been pushed to play more with specialised lighting on my pieces as well as working more with non-metallic painting of armor. Greg was very encouraging and hopefully by the Long Island show in November I will have a knight or two with everything painted in oils. We shall see.

The opportunity to take my daughter (now 16 years old) to Gettysburg and MFCA was great fun. She has an artistic streak like her old man and is a history buff as well. Who knows where that will lead. I think meeting Keith Rocco and Ron Tunnison as well as having Greg teach her about his painting techniques with light and shadow on flats really made it all worthwhile for her.

'Colaccio Beccadelli - Cavaliere Emiliano 1330

2011-04-27T12:09:00.000-04:00

This bust of Nicolaccio Beccadelli was created by Augie Rodriguez in 2001 as part of his "Historicity" limited edition resin line. I was fortunate at the time to be at the top of the list for artist proofs (all of my kits are #2 - lucky, lucky!!). I recently started working on this bust again after having it sit for years and here are the completed results. This beauty was a joy to paint and my thanks to Augie for all his support and friendship over the years.

My areas of focus have broadened as everyone can see. I have some Romans and Medieval subjects in the pipeline now so stay tuned for more new work.

MFCA

2011-04-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

Hey folks we are just days away from this year's MFCA show in Valley Forge!!

I'm really looking forward to seeing all my old and new friends there. Introduce yourselves so I can put faces with names!

A brief bit of business here. I don't do commissions anymore but I do sell my work. The years of chasing what others wanted took it's toll and now I paint for me and nobody else. That being said, I will have a large display of work (display only - not in competition - I don't chase that car anymore either). I love having a nice case full of pretty figures but if any collector wants something at the show, don't be afraid to ask. Everything is available.

Bonaparte's Mongol - Completed

2011-04-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

The Mongol is completed. This the first BIG figure I have painted in years (besides busts) and was a little fun diversion. It is one of the pieces I owe Chuck Robinson and will be delivered on Friday at MFCA. The kit was nice and had a lot of personality. It did however have a few issues. As mentioned previously I had to sculpt the laces on the shoulder armor plates and some of the attachment points for the bow case and quiver didn't really make any sense. That is because there were NO attachment points. Knowing your Mongols would help if you are doing this figure. I note that it is no longer listed as available on their web-site so some of you may have this in your "grey army" stash.

Bonaparte's Mongol (1/9th?)

2011-04-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

This is the last thing that will be done before MFCA. This is a piece that is for Chuck Robinson and is WAY overdue. I hope he likes it.

The kit is an old Bonaparte's kit and after looking at their website it seems to no longer be available. I think it is a beautiful kit. The groundwork was part of the kit so it is a simple piece to paint. I have more detail work to do on the figure (fur, belts, armor, etc.) and am in the process of painting the bowcase, sword and arrow quiver. For some reason their are no laces on the armor and I will be adding those with a thickened paint technique. I will post some pics once it is done.

Enjoy!

"Flatter" Oil Paints

2011-04-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

OK, First off let's get one thing clear here. The title says "Flatter Oils" not Flat or dead matte or anything like that.

I get a LOT of questions about how I get a matte finish on my miniatures. Everyone knows that oils tend to dry with a sheen, some colors glossier than others. I am fortunate to have learned over the years how to minimize this issue. I will share a few thoughts on the subject here. These are only my personal findings so they may be total quackery - try them for yourself and see what works for you.

First let me say that I hate dead flat miniatures. I know I am in the minority here but oils are designed as a medium that has a certain life to it. Go to a museum and compare a oil painting on the wall that is open to the air with a painting that is under glass and you will instantly see what I mean. I don't try to get dead matte finishes but I try not to have glossy sheen on them either.

The first technique I tried was to put my oils on 3 X 5 note cards to absorb some of the oils. This is fine but limits the working life of the oils (IMO). As my techniques have changed this idea has become unworkable. For years I put my figures in an open crock pot to help pull the oils out but that has gotten old as well and I just don't have the space anymore. In an emergency I will apply a thin coat of Testor's Matt Lacquer from the bottle but I hate doing it as it harkens back to my earlier comment about paintings under glass, something gets lost.

What does seem to work for me is in the photo above. I have been using this brand of brush cleaner for years as a thinner for my glazes and washes. I have seen that it's use over the colors that do dry with a sheen (Blue, green, some browns) will take away the sheen as I apply my highlights and shadows. In addition, it's use in small amounts mixed with my initial mid-tone color also helps. I don't know what it does, but it does something. Other thinners have actually made the colors dry glossier.

This product can be found at A.C. Moore and sometimes at Michael's. In the old days I used to buy it at Pearl Paints but I haven't shopped there in 15 years so I have no idea if they carry it anymore. I hope this tip helps a few people out there.

Historicity Colaccio Beccadelli, 1330

2011-04-18T20:47:00.000-04:00

I have been busy completing a few displays items for the upcoming MFCA show, mostly older commissions that I owe people. This bust is simply for me and is a piece that is near to my heart as it is sculpted by one of my oldest friends in the hobby and someone who contributed greatly to the old Fort Duquesne line with his work. Augie Rodriguez did a series of busts in his own line entitled "Historicity" that I was fortunate enough to receive the 2nd castings of during their release. I have had three of them in various states of completion for ten years now and recently I started back in on two of them.

When I was doing my hands on demonstration at the local "BuffCon" IPMS Show a week back I wanted something larger to paint on so that people could see what I was doing. Lets face it, 54mm figures can be tough to demonstrate on. I was having so much fun with this one that I decided to keep going. I have lots of work left to do but thought I would share my progress with everyone.

The figure is resin and I know I will get some questions about how I got such realistic metallic work on the bascinet. I use buffable metallizers over a black automotive primer base coat, buffed lightly with a Dremel and the white cotton wheel that comes in the set. I will do a posting on this after MFCA as I have a series of photos showing the technique on an older bust or two.

Nameplates Simplified on the Computer

2011-04-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

I have been asked a few times recently how I make my nameplates for the figures I complete. It's really very simple and so I thought I would write a brief blog post on my technique. Above you will see a sheet of nameplates that I have created on my computer. These are printed on sticker paper that can be purchased at any office supply store. I buy the whitest version I can find for brilliant color, solid sheet sticker paper so that I can cut the individual labels out with a blade and straight edge.

On my computer I have loaded Window's Office Suite which usually includes "Windows Publisher". I used to use Adobe Pagemaker back in the day to create all of my packaging artwork, labels and instruction sheets so I have a long history of dabbling in the simple aspects of desktop publishing layout. Microsoft's software is pretty easy to work with for simple projects like this, club fliers, instruction sheets, etc.

I begin by measuring the face of the base to determine the size of label I want. I then create a rectangle of color for the label's background. With this software you will learn quickly that there are all kind of effects you can create with the background; fades, transitions from one color to another, etc. Over this I place a rectangular border, usually in black but again, you can get creative with the colors. Simply add a text block in the middle for whatever the figure depicts and link them all together. If you are doing a series of figures you can simply copy the original and modify the type. I also paste in artwork and collect various fonts and wingdings to get creative. Search on the web and you will be surprised how much free stuff (fonts, borders, etc.) is out there.

Label sheets aren't inexpensive so as you can see I tend to lay out my labels in advance so that I won't waste any paper. All in all it is pretty simple after you play with the software. This can be done on other software packages as well so play with it.

Pegaso 54mm Guillaume de Vienne Toison d'Or - Completed

2011-04-11T19:43:00.000-04:00

At last, the completed photos! I have a few little tweeks planned prior to delivery of this piece at MFCA, but for all practical purposes he is complete. Knight number two is in progress and I will have photos up on that one in a few weeks. All in all this was a fun project, and one that has sparked a widening of interests for me. Expect to see more subjects from this period along with the usual Ancients.

Pegaso 54mm Guillaume de Vienne - Finishing Groundwork

2011-04-11T17:32:00.001-04:00

Once happy with the level of paintwork on the lower portions of the horse, I started working on the groundwork. My idea for this figure was the trampled dirt of the tournament ground, churned earth with a bit of wetness. If you've ever looked at horses after running a race (US Triple Crown) you would get a good idea of the effects I was trying to achieve. My groundwork had been simple "worked" epoxy putty with a mid/dark brown acrylic base coat. Over this I applied a thick wash of Burnt Umber.

Once dry I applied progressively lighter coats of Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre and Titanium White to the surface, sort of a not so dry "dry brush" technique. As I lightened the mix I pulled it across my palette paper giving me a range of oils from light to dark that I was able to use to dirty up the horse. If you look at references you will see that mud/dirt on any object is drier at the top and wetter on the bottom. Therefore lighter in tone at the top and darker on the bottom. I used a soft blending brush to stipple thick oil paint in spots on the horse and tabbard. This not only gives me the color of dirt but if the paint is thick enough, some realistic texture. Sometimes I will let the paint sit overnight or during the day on the palette so that it gets thicker, before applying.

While the horse was drying I began work on the rider's heraldic crest. My progression can be seen below. The colors and process are pretty much self-explanatory.

Next post, Figure Completed!

Pegaso's 54mm Guillaume de Vienne - Painting the Rider

2011-04-05T22:17:00.001-04:00

So as with the horse I layed down a red acrylic basecoat followed by the same shades of Red listed in the previous post. The face was painted next with heavier shadows and stronger highlights than normal so that the features would be seen through the "basket" (I must admit to not knowing the technical term for this piece on this style of tournament helmet) once attached. A brown base coat was applied to the wooden weapon.

The same process with the eagles was followed on the front, back and sleeves of the jupon. Similarly to the horse's tabbard, blue was applied to the showing undersides of the jupon. Prussian Blue and Titanium White were used for wet on wet shading, with W&N Indigo used for the shadows, Mars Black deep shadows and the worn edging highlights were completed with Indigo and Titanium White to cut the blue and grey it somewhat.

Breeches and belts painted as well.

Rider attached to the horse and top of helm attached to rider (primed for painting). On to the groundwork painting and the stirrups and reins. Just two more eagles to paint.

Pegaso's 54mm Guillaume de Vienne - Painting the Horse

2011-04-04T21:22:00.001-04:00

So with the armor started, my next step was the horse. I began with a some colored basecoats on the red and brown bits back when this was started. This was a change of pace for me as there is so much to paint and so little armor plate. I could have more easily masked the plate and that is the direction I will go in future. I painted the exposed horse parts using tones of Burnt Umber mixed with Burnt Sienna with Mars Brown highlights blended wet on wet. This was all repeated a few weeks later with transparent coats of the same colors to add a bit of depth that I find important for horses. The base red began with Cadmium Red Medium and blended highlights of W&N Permanent Red (A tone between light Cad Red's orangey color and Medium Cad Red's deeper hue). More work was done later on the red (see my next post).

The basic shapes of the heraldry were painted on freehand using a mix of Golden Ochre and Yellow Ochre.

Dioxazine Purple was blended wet-on-wet in areas that should be shadowed in the design. Purple is the opposite of yellow on the color wheel and is a perfect shadow tone for yellow and golden tones.

I then went in with the first mix and, adding a touch more Yellow Ochre to the intial color, highlighted a few areas. This was subtle, as once dry, further tonal highlights would be added.

In the following photo you can see the overall appearance of the horse at that stage. If you compare the photos you will see the effect of the second layer of paints on the horse as well as the beginnings of "socks" on the fetlocks. The photos are a bit over-exposed so the red is lacking in some of the shadowy tones apparent in real life. I'm still playing with the camera - one never stops learning.

Once completely dry I began adding highlights and a few details to the "birds". Using a mixture of Yellow Ochre and Cad. Yellow Medium I was able to begin highlighting the wings, torso and trailing feathers.

Adding Titanium White to the mix allowed further work on the feathers.

At this point I recall seeing Golden Eagles in my sleep. Remember I was painting the same design (multiplied by four) on the rider. You can see that along with the birdies I had been working on the saddle, belting and blue underside of the horse tabard. All of that detail and once I start painting the dirt there will be some of that brown covering the beautiful colors!!!

After contemplating the horse for awhile I found areas that needed more work. That is pretty much always the case. The saddle needed some variation in tone. The front piece is cloth covered on the face and so I left it the same color as the tabard. The inner face is pretty much in shadow once the knight is attached so a deep tone of Mars Black and Cad. Red Deep was applied and further shadowed with Mars Black once dry. The back support was red leather covered in my opinion so a thin glaze of Cad. Red Deep was applied to darken the tone and utilize the shadows previously applied. Once dry, the edge bead was painted with gold printer's inks mixed with Burnt Umber. This will later be highlighted with straight gold ink.

Tomorrow's post will focus on the rider. Stay tuned.

Pegaso's 54mm Guillaume de Vienne - Toison d'Or

2011-04-03T21:57:00.001-04:00

I have been working on a pair of Tournament Knights from Pegaso's wonderful set of knights depicting the first members of the Toison d'Or (Order of the Golden Fleece). These are for a friend of mine who has been patiently waiting for a long time to receive them. The goal is to have both for him at the upcoming MFCA show.

Pegaso has made available three kits and three accessory sets that consist of the changing headdress for all 25 of the knights that are pictured in the armoury illustrations as depicted below. Between the three figures you can choose three armament choices in each kit depending on the type of tournament competition you wish to depict (Lance, wooden sword, wooden club - the latter two for the "Melee"). Between these choices there are seemingly limitless choices for depiction.

The Order of the Golden Fleece or "Toison d'Or" was created by the Duke of Burgundy in 1430 to reinstitute the ideas of chivalry that were believed at that time to be in steady decline. For a more detailed history of the order you should go HERE.

As with all of Pegaso's kits, cleanup was a breeze and assembly straightforward. Let's face it, I like to paint figures not assemble them so the better the quality and ease of assembly the happier I am. After I had prepped all of the parts and assembled everything in sub-groups for ease of painting, I started on the figure. Due to the sheer amount of armor I took advantage of the medium and began with my usual progressive washes of color. Beginning with Prussian Blue, followed by Dioxazine Purple and Mars Black, these successive layers of color will bring out the details of the casting and add reflected color that will add to the realism once the figure is completed. After these layers dry I hand primed the face, jupon, belts, breeches etc. prior to painting.

My next post will focus on the painting of the horse.

Soldiers Roman Decurion Update #2

2011-03-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

MFCA is coming soon and I am looking forward to the trip. I have been busy working on completing some commission pieces that I have owed for far too long but at the same time I have been working on this figure a bit at a time.

The horse assembly has finally been completed, taking longer due to some sculpting work that was required to get the saddle cloth halves to align with the cast on straps. In fact I had to remove two of the four straps and resculpt them to get everything aligned and looking right. This is a product of having an older casting.

I have completed the face and am about 3/4 complete on the helmet. The armor is coming along nicely as well, but there is a ways to go before I am anywhere near satisfied. No rush though as there are other far more important pieces to complete before the end of April.

Soldiers 54mm Praetorian Guard 312 AD - Completed

2011-03-21T20:29:00.000-04:00

It is always a joy to complete a figure and this particular one was nice to see finished. It is a very nice subject, casually posed but little to excite the viewer in the personality department. The amount of red involved was a challenge to create in a variety of tones without becoming repetitive, something that is very difficult to capture on film. In the end it was fun to research, paint and display. My goal was to carry the oval shape of the shield, cylindrical effect of the column and spear shaft through the shape of the base. I rarely use round or oval bases but this base was perfect for the figure. In fact I have had this base since my first or second figure show in New Jersey back in the mid 1980's. It is an old Base Camp base and has stood the test of time and storage well. I'm glad I could finally use it for something so nice. Now onward to my other projects, including something that is a bit different for me......stay tuned this week for a preview.

Saxon Warlord Vignette - Update #5

2011-03-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

The fun part has begun after weeks of preparation. I began as always with the flesh (what little there is of it. Facial features on these figures aren't as pronounced as some but it's all there I would have liked to have applied some darker shadows and may well go back in once I get further along. I have a very difficult time when the face is set so deep in closed helmet spaces.

The fur was started with washes of Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber. This is really just a base tone or undertone for all the colors to come.

My technique with armor like this is to apply three colors as washes, each one day apart from one another to allow for drying. The first is Prussian Blue, second is Dioxazine Purple and lastly Black, either Mars or Lamp. As each dries and prior to adding the next, I use an old cotton t-shirt to rub the excess off. I find that this bit of color on a smaller figure gives a nice appearance of reflected color once the rest of the figure is painted. Against the surrounding white primed surfaces it simply looks like what it is, blue, purple black. Wait until I get further along and be the judge. On larger figures (120mm and above, busts, etc) I will not use the blue and purple, but may well add a thin reflection of what ever color surrounds that area of armor prior to working with the black. In the larger scale you need to be specific with your color use for scale realism.

Soldiers Praetorian Guard - Update #3

2011-03-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of updates to catch up on here. This one should get us up to date on this figure as of tonight. I developed further highlights on the mantle. I want to keep the color dark and rich so my highlights never made it past a mid cadmium red tone. The patterns on his tunic are near complete and the shield design has been started. The design will be golden yellow on the red field. I hope to have this piece completed by the coming weekend.

Soldiers Roman Decurian Update #1

2011-03-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

Groundwork prep has been completed and the horse assembly completed as well. I did a bit of rework on the horse to get the saddle halves properly aligned with the molded on straps on the horse halves. The groundwork has now been primed and the horse will be primed and left on a working base until painting is complete.

As usual on white metal figures I have masked any areas that will be steel/iron and primed the figure. The masks allow me to use the natural appearance of the white metal rather than paint the surface. No silver paint ever looks as realistic as the real thing.

Soldier's Praetorian Guard - Update #2

2011-03-13T22:04:00.001-04:00

Work continues on this late Roman subject. Decorative border edging has begun to be added at the lower hem and sleeves as well as a round design (orbiculi) on the lower right portion of the tunic. The spear will be segmented red and yellow.

Saxon Warlord Vignette - Update #4 The Figures

2011-03-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

After the figures were fully prepped I used a liquid masking agent on all of the armor and primed the exposed surfaces with automotive primer. Each figure is on a wood working base with one of the figures left in two parts for ease of access.

Saxon Warlords Vignette - Groundwork Update #3

2011-03-13T21:50:00.000-04:00

The final preparation for the groundwork on this piece was completed a few weeks ago and is outlined here in this post. Fine sandy dirt was glued to the putty surface with a thinned mixture of waterproof Elmer's Wood Glue and water.

After this dried I applied a thin sealing coat of the same glue mixture and sprinkled model railroad static grass in patches that will stay glued by absorbing that sealing coat. Once dry I was able to mask the wood and spray the entire structure with white automotive primer.

Once the primer coat was dry I removed the masking tape from the wood and began applying washes of brown and black oils. The picture below shows the base after the first initial wash of Burnt Umber with Black shadows in a few small spots. Further washes of various colors and tones will be added before I began to drybrush the weathering tones on the wood.

EMI 54mm Villanovan Warrior Completed

2011-02-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

Well, here he is, completed at last. I hope everyone likes the outcome as much as I do. I'll let him sit a few days and then revisit the completed figure. I'm sure I'll find spots that need a bit more touch-up. In the meantime, onward to the Saxons and Decurion.

Soldier's Roman Decurion - Staging and Groundwork

2011-02-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

This Roman Decurion is kit number SR35 in Soldier's Roman Series and represents one of Rome's cavalry elite from the 2nd century AD. I have had a soft spot for this figure for many years and always wanted to add a horse to any scene that I would use the figure in. Once Soldier's made their cavalry horse available as a seperate item from the kit it came from (SR29 from original kit SR19) I snatched one up so that this little grouping could be created. I have cleaned and completed basic assembly of the two kits and started the basic groundwork the other night. I know it seems like I have a lot of irons in the fire now but this is part of my ongoing prep for my seminar that I am giving in Pittsburgh in a few weeks.

One of the problems with staging is that sometimes what looks right in your mind or on paper won't be right when you get the components together. What you see in the next three photos is my process of staging the figures while creating the groundwork. When the putty was still wet on the base I pressed the figures in where I thought they should go. After the putty cured I was able to place the figures on the base again and sit back to think about what I had. At that point I was less than pleased with their placement. Using Blu-tac to temporarily hold the figure I made minor adjustments, first moving the figure closer to the horse, then pivoting him for better visibility. The lesson here is play with the scene before committing yourself to something you can't fix later.

Here is a picture of the groundwork prior to addition of dirt and grass. The post comes with the Decurion figure and has been pinned to the groundwork. Once I have redrilled the locating holes for the figure and filled in the earlier holes I will continue to work on this piece.

EMI Villanovan Warrior - Final Assembly and Details

2011-02-24T18:51:00.000-05:00

Finally, the figure is attached to the base and the spear is located in the figures right hand. I first primed the spear with a thin coat of acrylic white paint. A glaze stain of Mars Brown was applied to the spear shaft and a gold base coat was applied to the spear tips.

After the first colors had dried (24 hours) I applied a wash of Burnt Umber to the spear tips and a glaze of the same color as a second stain coat on the spear shaft. After this had dried a further wash of Mars Black was applied to the spear points and full strength Burnt Umber and Mars Black applied to deeper shadows on the shaft such as around the hand and joins with the tips.

One of the difficulties with this figure is the join between the hand and the shield. There is no locating pin on the hand and the shield would be very hard to get a good fitment simply with glue. During prep I drilled two small holes in the hand and inner shield boss. Two brass pins were glued to the hand with a rough surround to better adhere to the 5 minute epoxy I would use to attach the shield.

Here you can see the process of working from base color to finished product when painting bronze using metallic gold printers inks. The first picture is the base mix of gold ink and Burnt Umber. The second picture shows the spear with it's wash of Burnt Umber. The third shows the completed spear point after a wash of Mars Black and final highlights with pure gold inks. You can also see the progress of the spear shaft. Sometimes I use brass rod as with this figure while using actual wooden dowel, sanded to scale thickness, for larger scale figures. In that larger scale you can really see how the oil washes bring out the grain for added realism.

54mm Villanovan Update #6

2011-02-19T21:51:00.001-05:00

A busy day here at the workbench, with the winter weather returning with vengeance. While it snowed and the wind blew outside, I was able to get a lot of detail work completed and there is light at the end of the tunnel for this wonderful little figure. The more I work on the figure, the more I appreciate the sculpting of all the little details. These figures give the painter so much to work with.

I began by working on the boots and belts. Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber along with a bit of Van Dyke Brown were lightened with Titanium White (separately, not all together) to begin working in "wear" on the boots. The use of these three tones vary the weathering to such an extent to add more realism to the finish. Using only one tone would have simply made the boots monochromatic to the eye. Further use of the Van Dyke Brown/White mix on the straps of the boots added further variation. After these photos were taken I edged the straps with pure Titanium White to make them more crisp. After the boots I edged the straps for the breastplate with Mars Brown and Tit. White followed by light wear cracks of Yellow Ochre and Tit. White. These are too faint and small to appear in the photos but they are there.

Finally I painted the ropes with Yellow Ochre and highlighted, followed by final highlighting of all the bronze armor and the funerary shield which I attached to the completed groundwork. All that remains is to attach the figure to the base after it dries, paint the spear and finish painting the shield. Various details remain but these can be painted once the figure is united with the base. I think it may well be completed by the end of next weekend. Enjoy!

54mm Villanovan Update - Clothing Details

2011-02-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

I have spent the last few evenings working on the hem details of this figure as well as the shadows on the bronze armor. For the edging I started by painting the hem with thinned Cadmium Red Medium. The thinning of the paint gave a faded look to the color.

Once dry I spent yesterday evening painting all those little blue diamonds using W&N Indigo with a touch of Titanium White to lighten the color a tad. I will go in and highlight a bit before going any further as it is all a bit flat tonally at the moment.

I also completed all the shading of the bronze armor. Now I can begin to paint the boots, belting, details, and highlight all the bronze work.

Soldiers Praetorian Guard Update #1

2011-02-14T19:56:00.000-05:00

Further progress on this more recent release from Soldiers. I have completed highlights on the trousers, edged the armor, painted the red leather belting and the upper portion of the mantle. At this point I attached the helmeted head. I primed the two mantle halves that will attach in back of the figure and painted the maroon color on the insides. Once dry they can be glued on with epoxy before painting the back. I must paint the hem and sleeve details as well as a round design on the lower half of the tunic that was a frequent element of tunics from this period. Lots more work to do on this figure but it is progressing nicely.

54mm Villanovan - Update #4

2011-02-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

While I am waiting for one of my other figures to dry a bit I thought it would be nice to work on this piece. It has been awhile and I have been hesitating due to my indecisive nature. I need to tackle the bands of color around the hem of the figures tunic. I have seen this figure most often painted with solid color ribbons but I would like to paint a geometric pattern as this appears in many references. The problem with painting figures from this far back in history is frequently a lack of reference on things such as this. Frequently the best way to proceed is to research decorative patterns on those items that do still exist, such as pottery, architecture or any other decorative art from the culture that has survived. If you find common patterns then it is usually a safe bet that they would have been used on clothing as well.

In the meantime I did further shading on the tunic, outlining belts and equipment with thinned Raw Umber. I then applied my bronze undercoat of gold printer inks mixed with Burnt Umber. Once dry this will receive further washes of Burnt Umber and Mars Black as well as specific shading in the darker areas with those same colors applied as a light shadow rub (thinned to a glaze but rubbed into shadows with a soft brush to filter the underlying colors).

Saxon Warlords Vignette - Groundwork Part 2

2011-02-08T16:24:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I completed the basic groundwork for my Saxon Warlord Vignette. Now that the balsa core had been completed I was able to begin creating the rock and dirt of the hillside using A+B Epoxy Putty. The next three pictures show my progress in the first batch of putty. I worked the putty into the rough shape using a large dental spatula and then worked the surface texture in using a broken piece of balsa wood. This has always given a very random texture that works well for me in the initial stages. The toothpicks are inserted in the holes previously created for the pinned figures.

The following photo shows the base once the putty was completed. The groundwork has not been glued to the wooden base. I like to leave it loose to minimize contact with the finished wood. Once the putty had cured I sanded the transition between the plastic shell and the edges of the putty to create a smooth surface. The next steps will be to refine the details with a Dremel tool and small grinding bits. After that is done I will add fine dirt on the flat surfaces, grass in a few spots, some plant life and prepare to paint the base. I have also noted a few areas on the wall that need some more weathering and attention. The woodwork will be stained using oils on the raw wood and the groundwork will be painted with the usual techniques (oils and oil washes).

Prior to going any further however I wanted to once again test fit the figures to check their stance and again review their staging. It was at this point that I realized I wasn't happy with the placement of the figure on the right of the photo. I re-drilled the holes, ground out a bit of area so that he would stand where I wanted and will re-putty the old holes. It always pays to check and recheck your work. Nothing is worse than realizing there is a problem after the thing has been painted.

Saxon Warlords Vignette - Creating the groundwork Part 1

2011-02-06T22:38:00.001-05:00

For scenes like this I like to build a solid cored base that will be created separately from the decorative wood base. To that end I created a paper template that would mimic the cylindrical shape of the base and used it to cut layers of balsa that I used for the back of the core. To the front of this I attached pieces of basswood to create the outside face of the hill fort. All of the basswood was distressed using a steel wire brush. this gives an aged rough hewn look to the wood that will weather well under the painting process.

Once the wall face was complete I began to use scrap pieces of balsa to build up the core of the groundwork. This will save me a lot of putty in the long run and help me build up the groundwork to properly stage the figures as I had originally envisioned. I also trimmed the sides of the wall straight and softly rounded the edges to conform to the cylindrical shape I am working with.

I periodically placed the figures on the balsa core to test for the best placement. This is a very important step in keeping the staging under control.

I began to skin the balsa and basswood core at this stage in plastic sheet. I started by using my paper template to cut out a plastic circle that would fit in the hollow of the oak base. This sheet was glued to the bottom of the core with 5-minute epoxy. I then wrapped the core with a sheet of paper and marked out the outline of the core, cutting a template that was used to mark out a sheet of plastic to wrap the back and sides. Once cut and test fit, this sheet was curled around a wooden dowel until it held the cylindrical shape of the core. This wrap was now glued to the core, again with 5-minute epoxy. Once the glue cured, I trimmed the plastic around the outline of the wall. Please note that I left the area around the rocks and earth untrimmed. This will be completed once the groundwork is sculpted.

Now I created a walkway on the back of the base with strips of basswood and sanded the edges to conform to the shape of the plastic cylinder.

In the next post I will begin to create the groundwork on the front of the base using A+B Epoxy Putty. I will also continue to add details to the walls and walkway.

Soldiers SR-50 Praetorian Guard 4th Cent. AD

2011-02-03T17:38:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago I started this new figure from Soldiers. The kit is SR-50 and is a 54mm Praetorian Guard from the reign of Massentius in the early 4th century AD. As with all of their kits, this one is a beauty. I have gotten quite far in a short period of time but as always the devil is in the details and with this kit there will be a lot of detail work on the tunic (hems and sleeves). In an effort to ease my work on the face as well as the details around the collar and mantle I have left the head separate for now. Once the figure is further along and I can attach the two pieces that make up the trailing mantle, basecoat and paint, the head will remain separate.

The face was fun to paint and I have a bit more work to do on the leather edges of the helmet, cheek and neckguards as well as the stitching and the painted frame for the crest. In my second post you will see my progress on the groundwork.

Soldiers SR-25 Completed

2011-01-30T12:15:00.000-05:00

Soldiers SR-25 is completed. This figure is a "portrait" piece of Marcus Favonius Facilis, a Centurion in Legio XX Valeria Victrix, 1st century A.D. Sculpted by Adriano Larrucia in 54mm, the figure depicts a haughty, strong and deservedly arrogant leader of men as he marches down a dirt road somewhere in the Empire. Much of the research that goes into these figures is based on graves and monument sculptures found throughout the Empire. I continue to find this period of history fascinating and to provide endless opportunities for study and figure painting. Thanks to Marco and Adriano as well as others for providing such great miniatures to tackle. Enjoy!

Saxon Warlords Vignette - Visualizing A Setting

2011-01-29T15:14:00.003-05:00

I am starting to do the prep work on a vignette that I have wanted to do for a while. I had read the Bernard Cornwell "Saxon Stories" series of novels and had developed a vision of a group of warriors standing in front of a wooden hill fort palisade. These three 54mm figures from Romeo fit the bill nicely with their strong yet simple posing and seemed to belong together on the same base. My initial reaction when I opened the kits was a happy surprise because the details are actually stronger on the sculpting than initially appeared on the box art.

I always start any project by putting a lot of thought into the staging of figure and this is especially true when more than one figure will be on the same base. Typically for vignettes I will create a few simple line drawings as studies for the project. This helps me visualize and flesh out my ideas. My vision is to have a gentle sloping hillside going up to the outer face of the wooden hill fort walls. I will be positioning the figures as shown in the photos, with the figure on the right being slightly behind the other two. I see them as looking off in the distance at some Northern Raiders (Northumbrians or Norse Raiders).

After trying out various base choices I settled on this round oak base from Ken Thomas that I have had around for about ten years now. It's simplicity, color and wood species fit the setting well. The paper template that you see on the base will be used to cut out Balsa wood pieces that will be layered to build the core of the hill. This saves on putty and gives a solid structure to build the wall on. For the wall I have pieces of Basswood that will be weathered with a steel wire brush prior to cutting and assembling the structure.

My goal is to use this project as part of the basis for a seminar I am giving in March at the Three Rivers IPMS Regional Convention in Pittsburgh PA. I will post photo updates as I progress, so stay tuned.

Something A Little Different - Sad Panda

2011-01-28T15:38:00.001-05:00

As the title says, this is something a little different for a change. I decided a while back that I wanted to paint this great little mini from Dark Sword Miniatures. They have a wonderful line of masterfully sculpted 28mm minis including a line of figures based on the characters from George R. R. Martin's amazing Fantasy Novels. If you haven't ever seen their line, simply follow the link in my list of manufacturers (right hand sidebar). Fortunately I got one of these JUST before it became sold out.

The reasons for choosing this figure are two-fold. First I am painting it for my daughter who has a thing for Pandas. Secondly, somewhere along the way I acquired a nickname at work that has stuck with me over the years but varies from day to day depending on my ever-shifting moods - Sad Panda, Angry Panda, Happy Panda. So I thought it would be a good idea to paint this figure as a bit of change.

The groundwork is nothing more than sculpted putty, and there will be a little hat and bedroll that will be hung from the trunk. The mini is well sculpted and should be a fairly easy paint job as it progresses. Painting the groundwork took two evenings and once the figure is painted and permanently attached I will do a bit more shadow work around the grass.

Soldier's SR-02 Roman Aquilifer - Update

2011-01-28T15:17:00.001-05:00

Now that the Centurian is almost done I can continue working on this interesting figure. I had completed the flesh and leyed in initial mid tone and shadows on the tunic as well as initial washes on the armor. The next step for me will be to begin applying color to the groundwork and paint the helmet and inside of the wolfskin. The pose is very dramatic in this early Laruccia figure and the variety of surface textures and colors will make for a very interesting subject once complete.

Soldier's SR-25 Centurian Update

2011-01-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

I'm nearing the finish line on this one finally with just a bit of weathering and a dull coat finish on the cape, and some subtleties to apply to the feathers and mount. I used an interesting mix of Deep Reds and Reddish Browns on the mantle with tans and white used to dust the edges and highlight. I may add some lighter tones to further fade the cloth. This should show up better in pics once the sheen is removed. The next post on this one will be the last.

Soldiers SR01 Republican Legionary Completed

2011-01-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

This Republican Legionary, the first Roman subject from Soldier's in their SR series was a fun little figure to paint. If you compare this figure to the current releases in the series you can see the development of Adriano Larrucia's sculpting skills. All in all a very fine, relaxed example of Rome's military backbone.

Soldiers SR-25 Centurian Update

2011-01-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update to show progress to this point on this figure. The leather is done except for the caligae (shoes). After the brass details are painted and the sword and dagger added I will begin painting and attach the cloak.

Soldier's SR-01 Republican Legionary - Update #3

2010-12-20T21:01:00.003-05:00

This early figure from Soldier's is nearing completion. I have now attached the completed shield and have applied some dirt, mud and filth to the overall campaign appearance of the piece. Next will be more detail painting, painting and attaching the pilum as well as further work on the base and groundwork.

Soldier's SR-25 Roman Centurian Update

2010-12-20T20:47:00.003-05:00

I have been kind of busy with this figure, working on the leather and laying down some of the colors on the tunic. I started the leather with a mixture of Mars Brown and Burnt Umber. Once dry I applied a wash of Burnt Umber to tone down the reddish tone and accent the creases and stitching. My next step will be to work the deepest shadows with Mars Black and Burnt Umber. This will also shadow the red tunic. I also spent some time reworking the face to get the angry stark look that I felt was missing when I first painted the flesh. There is quite a ways to go yet on this figure but I'm happy with what I have at this point.

Figure Photography - A Brief Tutorial

2010-12-11T08:21:00.004-05:00

One of the best ways to be inspired by and learn from other people's work is by reading articles in magazines and following people's work on the Internet. Being able to see great photographs has always inspired me to tackle subjects or improve my skills. Nothing aggravates me more than poor quality photos, especially as I have learned from other how really easy it is to take near studio quality photos on a shoe-string budget. As you can see below I use a simple setup that utilizes two goose neck lamps with 65watt "daylight" bulbs for lighting. An additional light has been built in a homemade wooden box using a lamp repair kit that can be found in any home-improvement store (Go to Home-Depot not Lowe's - I'm partial as I work there). This third light creates a "hot spot" on the bottom of the colored backdrop that gives you a nice reverse lit effect behind the figure. I'll explain that more in a moment. All of this sits on a table with the various sheets of colored paper clipped approx. 10" or 150mm behind the box light. Another example of a tabletop photo setup that is very nice can be found on my friends site at Massive-Voodoo. Roman uses a very cool diffuser for his lighting that is made out of a translucent white garbage can. Ingenuity folks, that is where it's at!

One of the first things we learn from experience is the effect that color has on the camera lens, specifically backdrops. The interplay between the colors of your figure and the color of the backdrop will appear in photos. Your eyes can filter this and make adjustments in real life but the camera cannot. It simply captures the light that it is exposed too, where our brain works it's magic and "auto-adjusts". When I finish a figure I will take my photos in front of all of the various color papers I have and then select the one that best depicts what I see in real life. I prefer not to tweak my photos with software but I will from time to time by using a software photo filter that acts the same as putting colored filters over the lens of the camera. For this I choose to use Adobe Photoshop Elements. Below you will see my recently completed Marcus Aurelius figure shot in front of four different backdrops. If you look at each picture in detail you will see how the colors are effected by that background. Some figures are effected more than others but all figures require a particular background to appear normal.

In addition you can change the appearance of your photographs by how you adjust the goose neck lights, forwards/backwards, closer/further, side to side, etc. Obviously your camera plays a role in this as well. Everybody has their favorite. For years I used a high quality reflex camera and scanned my images from the photographs. This was done because 15 years ago when I was writing articles we didn't have the benefit of today's technology. Now with a simple, inexpensive digital camera set on macro, a simple tripod and about $30 worth of lights, paper, wood and clips you can take really great quality pictures of your work to show everyone as well. I thank Phil Kessling and Bill Horan 15 years ago for showing me how simple it really is.

Soldier's SR-02 and SR-25 Update

2010-12-11T08:12:00.004-05:00

Work has begun on these two little Romans from Soldiers. I have started on the flesh with both figures. These photos are over a week old with SR-02 showing only the base flesh with starting highlights. The yellowish tone is always played down with the addition of shadows and further highlights. The shadows have been applied to SR-25. I am not happy with the face and may well repaint it. I would prefer that these figures be sculpted with the cheekpieces cast seperately as they frequently make painting facial features very difficult. The head was painted seperately and attached only after the scarf was painted. Doing them together would have been impossible. Both of these figures are further along now and I hope that after this weekend's painting sessions I will have newer photos to show.

54mm Villanovan Etruscan - Update #3

2010-12-11T07:50:00.004-05:00

Work has begun on the tunic. These items could have been made of wool or other natural cloth and typically undyed. I have chosen to build the white up from a base of Raw Umber mixed with Titanium white with the hems being purer white. The hem bands will be painted with geometric designs.

At this point my greatest frustration lies with the decorative canteen that should hang on the figures right hip. I seem to have misplaced it and no amount of looking has turned it up. I have a vague fear of where it may be and that means that I will have to wait for a thaw in the weather (possibly springtime). When I primed the figure and it's components, I did so out doors. The parts were on a big sheet of card stock and as I went to bring them in a gust of wind blew the sheet off the table and the parts went flying on the cement patio. At the time I was sure that I had gotten everything but obviously not. This being Buffalo, I now have a ton of snow and ice that must melt before I get on my hands and knees to search. If all else fails I will have to buy another kit to finish the figure as the detail on that piece is far too elaborate to duplicate. Oh well, the joys of our hobby......and usually it's the tiny bits lost in carpet.

Marcus Aurelius Completed - Photo Project

2010-12-04T10:28:00.003-05:00

So as you can see, I have completed Marcus Aurelius. These images will give an idea how the piece looks. All of the shadows on the stonework were painted using a glaze/rub of Mars Black, heaviest by the feet, and thinning as it goes away from the figure.

Now I am challenged to get photos that help show the vision I have of the figure. Photographing miniatures is an interesting sideline to what we do. Getting a photo to look like the actual miniature can sometimes be daunting. I use a variety of backgrounds and frequently shoot a figure in front of them all in order to see how the color affects the image. After awhile you develop an understanding of how a selected backdrop will effect an image. Similarly, as you would expect, lighting position will also effect the outcome of your final image. In addition, what I see on my monitor is most probably NOT what you see on your own. Monitors have different color color settings, so what I see is adjusted to match what I think the miniature looks like and may well look all wrong on your own.

I will continue to play with the pics and if I get a definitive image I will post it. ~Jim

EMI 54mm Villanovan Etruscan - Update #2

2010-11-22T21:46:00.004-05:00

These pictures were taken earlier this evening after application of the first thin filter layer of shadows. These were applied using W&N Burnt Umber oils which are a very transparent color, allowing the warmth of the undertones to come through. Additional washes of Burnt Umber were applied to the hair and an outline of color at the sleeves, hems and boots to more clearly delineate the flesh from the clothing. After this is dry I will apply a further shadow coat with Brown Madder Alizarin and move onto the stronger highlight tones. In the meantime I can now start to paint the clothes and armor.

Here is the groundwork as it was looking Sunday night. I have worked all the deep browns and greens with one more shadow tone left to go before beginning to pick out highlights and details. I always like to paint the groundwork simultaneously with the figure to maintain consistent tonal value, usually with the figure attached. In this case the tree trunks wouldn't have allowed for good brush access so the two are painted separately.

More New Figures Prepped for Winter Painting

2010-11-22T21:34:00.004-05:00

Two more 54mm figures are prepped and primed for painting. Both are from Soldiers, the first being SR-02, a Roman Aquilifer from the time of Caesar (1st Cent. BC) and the second SR-25 A Roman Centurian from Legio XX Valeria Victrix, (1st Cent. AD). Again it is interesting to compare the work of Laruccia with a few years of growth and development of his skills as seen in these two great figures. The first is a favorite of mine due to the dramatic pose, something rarely seen in these figures. The second has a real nice feel to the figure with a bit of a haughty air, something you would expect of a Centurian in the Roman Army in that period. The figure is based on the grave stele of Marcus Favonius Facilis in the Colchester and Essex Museum, Colchester U.K. I have depicted the figure walking down the road in Britannia, while the first is obviously in battle, most probably against the Celts that so made Caesar's military career.

EMI 54mm Etruscan Villanovan - First Step, Flesh

2010-11-22T20:57:00.004-05:00

I started the Villanovan 54mm figure from EMI over the weekend. As with most all of my figures, a base color mix of Burnt Sienna with a bit of Cadmium Red Medium and Cadmium Yellow as well as a slight touch of Yellow Ochre, was applied overall and initial highlights applied with Titanium White and Cadmium Yellow. This is all done "wet-on-wet" using oils to achieve soft blended tones. That was on Saturday night. Sunday I worked on the groundwork a bit to allow the figure to dry and tonight I went to the next step of initial shading. That is for the next update.

Two completed Projects - Clearing Space For New Projects

2010-11-14T13:14:00.003-05:00

It's always nice to get done with a project, especially one that has been on the bench for what seems an eternity. I managed to get two things completed and in the case while starting two more projects.

The first item is the Gladiator vignette that has been "in progress" for years. This really was done a few months ago but just sat there waiting for a few small detail touches and the addition of the sword blade on the Retiarius. I finally took the time to get it done after realizing I needed the space for my new projects. The second was the completion of King David from Art Girona's "Historical" line.

Both pieces were very nice projects that have allowed me to test some new techniques for metallic finishes, controlling the sheen of oil paints as well as creating nameplates using Microsoft Office Publisher. I am now printing these onto bright white sticker sheets and applying them to the completed base. I'm pretty happy with how they have turned out.

Soldiers SR-01 Republican Legionary - Update #2

2010-11-13T10:24:00.003-05:00

A simple little miniature really, and one that shows the development of Soldier's Roman line and the skills of Adriano Laruccia (compare to our Emperor Marcus). Sometimes something simple requires something special, so on to the shield. The back of the shield is completed so that I can attach it to the figure and the base once the groundwork painting and weathering is complete. As you can see I have started dirtying up the figure already with some splashed dots of thinned brown oils. Next will come the mud.

Soldiers Marcus Aurelius - On Base

2010-11-08T20:02:00.003-05:00

With the figure finally mounted to the base I can begin to work on finalizing shadows, highlights and tonal glazing to get the proper lighting effects I am looking for. You really need the figure on the base to get the color shading to match up right.

Figurine TV - French Language Videos

2010-11-08T15:54:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the guys over on Massive Voodoo I just found this wonderful web-site that has a number of very nice videos related to our hobby. The web address is www.figurines-tv.com/kws/ and although all of the commentary is in French you will find some very nice video show reports and "how-to" videos. I watched the videos of the Gerone and Blagnac shows and got a good feel for the atmosphere of these shows as well as 360 degree views of many of the better exhibits. Check it out by clicking on any of the subject pictures and then click on the little movie camera on the following page. Some of these can be found on YouTube as well. Enjoy!!

Soldiers 54mm Marcus Aurelius - Update #4

2010-11-04T21:06:00.002-04:00

I have been working on the Soldiers Marcus Aurelius piece a bit more. The front "shaded" side of the figure is nearing basic completion. The back "lit" side of the figure will continue to get lighter and brighter with more coats of white as I build the glaze up to pure white highlights. Once completed the figure will be attached to the base seen below. At that time further refinement of shadows as well as creation of the shadows on the base will be worked. You can't really visualize these things until the two come together.

The marble ground in the base was created from sheet plastic, which was scribed to represent the sections of stone/marble seen here. I used washes and splatters of oils to create the impression of variegated stone. The trick is to mask all but one section at a time, applying the finish, re-masking then moving to the next section. Once completed the pattern is guaranteed to appear random as seen here. The next post will be with the two components assembled. Stay tuned.

Art Girona 54mm King David - Update #2

2010-10-29T13:51:00.003-04:00

This figure is in the home stretch now. I have begun painting the shield and doing all the little detail painting and crisping up the existing work. The sash was painted with W&N Indigo with a bit of Prussian Blue added. Highlights were built over the black boots with Mars Brown and Mars Orange with a bit of Yellow Ochre added.