Saturday, May 14, 2016

Photoshop Phun

With a little mucking about you can see the idea coming together. I'm extremely happy with the colour matching: no filters were used in this mock-up. I think I got the palate right for my parchment scheme. Into the future, with multiple units on matching terrain, scenic effects and buildings I am confident my Williamite Warfare creation will have that of-the-page look.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Making it Real (4): Finished


Well, the first battalion is done and I am satisfied with the results. I may return to lift the bases and ground work a little with further dry brushing but for the time being, this is it. I am tempted to Photoshop them onto a sketch backdrop. The light was poor at the time and given my general aversion to flash-lighting they appear darker than in real life.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Making It Real (3): Nearly There.

Based in accordance with my previous basing convention notes, my first battalion is nearing completion. A generic battalion, I am nevertheless labeling them for specific unit against the Seneffe order of battle. Whilst the practice was for three colours (flags) to be carried by a battalion within the Dutch army, I have represented them with only two. At this time, I am opting for entirely blank or plain colours. These I added after painting the ensigns with the rest of the figures. I make my own from fine cloth and for the next battalion, I have stiffened the cloth with diluted PVA and fixing them with the poles when I fix them to the miniature in the prepping phase. I have already commenced the next battalion.
I use pre-mixed wood putty which comes in a variety of colours but I only have it in brown. This has proved a pain in applying it, especially for the rear-ranks musketeer stands. Normally, the figures are painted in full colour and the bases are later covered in scenic effects and the figures dirtied up - so any contact the putty has to the figures simply adds to the effect. This time, I need everything in parchment shades and the textured bases will be painted in the same shades as the figures.

I thought this process would be much faster than it is but allowing 24 hours between painting applications, waiting for glue to set and putty to dry means it is taking be about a fortnight per unit. Still, it's been taking me a month to six weeks for fully painted units these days so I suppose it still is relatively rapid.