I made some progress this month although pictures have been sparse.
- Replaced the too-short flagstaffs on my British 33rd Regiment of Foot and basecoated the command group again.
- Made some modest painting progress on my French infantrymen.
- And... (Can you see it in the picture?)
... started assembling my chasseurs à cheval!
They are of course more properly known as horsey boys. Speaking of horseys, I completed a test model.
Stage 1. Basecoat Vallejo grey primer
Stage 2.
Vallejo 72.044 Dark Fleshtone: skin
Vallejo 70.850 Medium Olive: bedroll
Vallejo 70.862 Black Grey: hooves, tail and mane
Vallejo 72.034 Bone White: sheepskin
Stage 3.
Army Painter Quickshade Strong Tone: skin
Vallejo 72.090 Black Green Ink: bedroll
Vallejo 72.094 Black Ink: tail and mane
Army Painter Quickshade Soft Tone: sheepskin
Stage 4.
Tail and mane: Highlighted with Vallejo 70.862 Black Grey and Vallejo 70.836 London Grey
White details: Vallejo 70.820 Off-White
Metals: Vallejo 70.865 Oily Steel
Saddlecloth: Vallejo 72.005 Moon Yellow and Army Painter Quickshade Soft Tone
Sheepskin: Drybrushed Vallejo 72.034 Bone White and Vallejo 70.820 Off-White
Leatherwork: Vallejo 72.051 Black, highlighted with Vallejo 70.862 Black Grey and Vallejo 70.836 London Grey
Muzzle: Vallejo 70.862 Black Grey highlighted with Vallejo 70.836 London Grey
I'm documenting this as much for my own future references as for anyone else who wants to try to replicate the result.
The Army Painter quickshades appear to work best on lighter base colours like the sheepskin and saddlecloth than on darker colours like the horse's skin. The Soft Tone made the sheepskin too yellow for my tastes, which the drybrushing could not fully remedy. For the next one I'll try drybrushing bone white over khaki. For the next horse I'll try the Strong Tone over a lighter brown.
The regimental number is a pain to paint onto the end of the bedroll because the area's both small and deeply recessed. Glad the one that turned out best was on the lefthand side! I'm not entirely satisfied with the green. It looks just a touch too drab to my eyes. I'll see about getting a different colour from the store this week.
Sometimes I just get a burst of enthusiasm for a particular project. I find it's best to make the most of it while it lasts. Last week there was a tiny voice in my head screaming at me to paint some horses, hence my dropping everything I was working on to change tack. Look out for some more horses soon!