discussion Verlinden 120mm Napoleonic Grenadier Peninsular War

[rtfoe]

Peter, you must tell me which brand of bleach you use for the whites. :smiling2: Painting is superb for this one. :thumb2: Could this be attributed to the longer painting time alloted to each part of the figure? Good thing is no more fear of white now. :smiling4:

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Guest]

Steve - We went out in the end, but only to buy me some new walking boots. My wife prefers to do the Christmas shopping alone, partially because I did it for years and she felt left out, but also because I moan so much.

Richard - If it's worked out well, I think that's purely down to the sculpt - despite the oversized head this is one of the best figures I've ever worked on.

I've also changed my approach to painting whites. In the past I spent ages building up layer after layer to get an opaque white, the worked in the shadows after. This time, I've found that by adding even a tiny amount of black brown, the pigment becomes more opaque and one can paint as 'normal'. The main reason it takes longer is because of the need to build up opacity in the purer whites. I've really studied Ian Succamore's approach, which is to use a range of greys and only use the brightest white for the highlights. It is hard to photograph though - I've used Vallejo Off White throughout, but it looks very bright in the pics.

I stuck him on the base last night:

View attachment 322386

I've also added all the weathering he's going to get. Less is more in my book, and anyway It's very difficult on white - dirt naturally rubs onto the most exposed areas, which is also where the highlights are, so one runs the risk of losing the contrasts (clothing does not get dirtied in the same way as armour). My aim is to suggest grubbiness and suggest context.

 

[Guest]

I've now painted and mounted most of the equipment:

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All of the straps were made from paper as usual.

 

[Guest]

Hands and pipe:

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Just the musket to do now.

 

[Steve Jones]

I watched Waterloo yesterday and thought of you:smiling2::thumb2:

 

[Peter Gillson]

Looking good.:thumb2:

Peter

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
That looks excellent. The challenging white is spot on as is the weathering of his trousers.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Thanks chaps. This is someone who wouldn't have touched anything Napoleonic with a barge pole a couple of years back.

 

[rtfoe]

Thanks chaps. This is someone who wouldn't have touched anything Napoleonic with a barge pole a couple of years back.

Same here Peter, but since I was given the Airfix Polish Lancer to pair with my Courasier and ScotsGrey, all I need now is the Hussar to make the set of four. The ScotsGrey was the catalyst that made it possible so hope the other three will be as enjoyable with less hassle at re-detailing.

Peter, it just can't be all the figure's quality...after the amount of figures you have painted surely you have perfected and finetuned your brush and colour skills to a T and it's proven. Look forward to many more from you.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

Very well done, your painting skills have shone through again

The figure looks just right and doesn't seem to be out of scale, head wise

Lovely subtle weathering too.

White uniforms?, tick that box

Cold and misty here, hopefully a better day for you?

Enjoy the finishing stretch with the Grenadier

Regards

Steve H

 

[Guest]

Richard - It was attempting to build the Airfix 54mm Napoleonics as a teenager that put the frighteners on me for years. This is a superb sculpt, and I have come to realise how much that matters when painting a figure.

Steve - Thank you. This has been an enjoyable one. Cold and sunny here, good painting light and I intend to spend time today tidying up some of my recent busts (off to Lewes tomorrow, so no time to start a new project).

I'm calling this one done:

View attachment 322453View attachment 322456View attachment 322458View attachment 322460View attachment 322461

I managed to paint the musket yesterday and fix it in place. As you can see, it couldn't be made to fit on the groundwork (the reason it's not at the proper angle on the box art) but I quite like the fact that it intrudes into the viewer's space.

I was also going to provide a rifle strap, but a good part of it would be covered by the firing mechanism wrapping, meaning that it couldn't have been used in reality. The reference seems to show that the strap was often stowed anyway.

So there he is....

 

[rtfoe]

Nice job Peter. :thumb2:

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Guest]

Many thanks Richard.

 

[Steve Jones]

Gob smaked!! You keep raising the bar Peter. This is an outstanding figure. I do like it when you add a bit of weathering into your work. Thanks for sharing

 

[Guest]

Many thanks Steve. The kit had everything going for it.

 

[SteveH]

Well done Peter

Great finish, the little splashes of colour, green, red, and blue add interest and depth to a wonderful piece.

The musket crossing the edge of the base is a masterful way of engaging the viewer.

Safe journey, enjoy the Granddad time too.

Snow this weekend, up here in the North, possibly?

Regards

Steve H

 

[Guest]

Cheers Steve, very pleased that you like him.

Off to be abused by the rail network - two changes, and Ashford station is cold. Granddaughter will make it all worthwhile of course.

I have another bust to do for Sarnia, then I will settle down to our special Christmas project.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
I like this very much. The character in the face, the weathered white trousers and the splashes of bright colour all make for a great result.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Many thanks Jim. The blues are a bit bright, but I let a bit of artistic license guide me there.

 

[Guest]

Excellent paintwork Peter:smiling2:.