The Grand Duchy of Stollen

A Spring Ball in Krankenstadt: The Guest List. . .

2013-05-20T10:55:00.002-05:00

It's finally spring in Krankentadt. A perfect time for the Grand Duke's aunts to host a ball at the Residenz, a.k.a. Krankenstadt Palace.

Aunts Hilrtrud, Irmagard, and Waltraud, in yet another bid to see the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II marry and produce an heir to the throne, have decided to throw a springtime ball with the purpose of establishing an understanding of some sort between their wayward nephew and a young lady of acceptable family and station. While the guest list is large, extending to include over two hundred souls all told, certain names on it are considered special guests of honor. These include the following individuals:

General Maurice Leger de Main -- A former Saxon general, of dubious social origins, who attached himself to the Grand Duke's household in January of 1773. Strangely, he has yet to make clear what services he is able to offer Irwin-Amadeus II.

Signore di Polenta -- The Grand Duke's tailor of questionable tailoring practices and suspicious predilections. While di Polenta has a marked fondness for the chambermaids of the Residenz, certain young footmen and pages in the household do not escape his libidinous attentions either.

Uncle What's-His-Name -- Doddering husband of Aunt Hiltrud, who has been around for so long, no one can quite recall why the two married to begin with, or what the social connection was that their respective families hoped to establish, a subject that puzzles even Aunt Hiltrud lo these many years later.

Lady Marie Cheque de Voyage -- One of the Grand Duke's current crop of suitors.

Mademoiselle Amalie de Ambuscade -- Ditto

Liesl von Goshenhoppen -- Ditto but suffers from the dreaded man hands syndrome.

Lady Lucretia von Goshenhoppen -- Her mother. No more need be said.

Lady Solange de Badinage -- The most charming of the four young female hopefuls.

Bishop Sievert Tiburtius -- Spiritual adviser to and friend of the Grand Duke. In addition, he is an inveterate gambler and cardsharp with a fondness for peppermint schnapps.

Professor Detrius -- Professor of Philosophy, Logic, and Metaphysics at the insignificant University of Krankenstadt. Frequently annoyed, dismayed, and confounded by the Grand Duke's naive grasp and attempted discussions of Metaphysics during their long walks around the gardens of the Residenz.

Heinz-Ulrich and Leonora Christina von Boffke -- Former romantic rival to the Grand Duke and his Swedish wife, a one-time love interest of Irwin-Amadeus II. Since her laugh resembles that of a bull seal during mating season, precisely why the Grand Duke was so attracted to Leonora Christina in the first place is unclear.

Freiherr Heinz von dem Salat -- Prussian ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Stollen. Jovial and with a healthy appetite. The midday meal is his favorite. The household staff refer to him privately as the Man Who Came to Luncheon.

Felix von Schwerfällig und Schreiben -- Young, self-important libertine poet who is given to revolutionary ideals expressed through pages and pages of third rate poetry. Inexplicably, the Grand Duke's three aunts adore him.

Heinrich Schatzi von Pelznikkel -- One of the Grand Duke's closest ministers, who also had the unfortunate task of marching his monarch into the palace fountian, during the oppressively hot summer of 1767 at the height of what is remembered as The Grreat Lobster Costume Affair.

Katrina-Bettina von Heffelfinger -- Society page editor for Die Krankenstadt Tageblat. An overly familiar, presumptuous, and nosy gossip of the highest order.

Georg Biedermeier von Spiesburg -- Gentleman farmer, acquaintance of the Grand Duke's aunts, and occasional self-appointed art critic for Die Krankenstadt Tageblat via long, rambling, sometimes almost incoherent letters to the editor.

General von Tschatschke -- A flamboyant Stollenian general with a predilection for purple, pink, and lavender uniforms that he designs himself, actually appearing in them publicly AND on the battlefield.

General von Buttinski -- The indecisive Stollenian commander of heavy cavalry, who delegates tasks to his subordinates and then countermands their decisions and attempted orders anyway.

General von Drosselmaier -- The craven officer who lost the Grand Duchy's only functioning sawmill to the invading vile Stagonians during the Battle of Saegewerkdorf in the spring of 1769 and has lived ever since in self-imposed exile and shame on the family estate outside Dorpat. He is making the trip to Krankenstadt only as a favor to Aunt Irmgard, the middle sister, with whom he once had an understanding many years ago.

Antoine de Cavalcade -- Otherwise known as Anton Burg, an overly dramatic, affected, and pretentious actor on the Stollenian stage. Once a nameless extra in some opera, play, or other in Vienna as a much younger man, something he brings up whenever there is a lull in the conversation.

Benjamin Tobias von Wowereit -- A young, talented painter and unapologetic charmer of the ladies, who insists on stripping to his waist, or at least opening his shirt to his navel to exspose copious amounts of blonde chest hair, before he can begin applying paint to his canvas in earnest.

Ingetraud and Karl-Heinz -- A pair of distant, younger cousins of the Grand Duke who always seem to be underfoot at any function hosted by his three aunts. Generally unpleasant, mishievous, and malodorous brats. Perhaps one of the main reasons Irwin-Amadeus II has no real desire to marry and produce a family. And who can blame him?

Feberuary 15th-May 15th, 2013 Painting Challenge Output. . .

2013-05-17T09:51:00.003-05:00

The title of today's post says it all! The results of the recent painting challenge.

Here's a photograph of everything I've managed to accomplish in the last three months. . . wife, child, career, students, and life notwithstanding. Approximately 74 figures (if my addition is correct), some horses, musical instruments, picnic items, and artist's equipment either wrapped up, or painted from start to finish, in some cases some scratch-building and/or figure conversion, everything glossed, and scenic effects applied to the bases. A delightful mix of figures by Minden Miniatures, Jackdaw, Eureka, and RSM95 along with a few more by Fife & Drum Miniatures, Miniature Figurines, Spencer Smith, and two or three extra pieces of picnic paraphernalia by Foundry on the lower left-hand corner of the plastic tub shown above.

Among theses are some civilian vignettes as well as those with a more military theme. Each vignette is quite a bit different from its fellows. A refreshing and fun painting challenge all around. This is perhaps the biggest reason why I enjoy the hobby so much. It always provides an artistic outlet of some sort and a chance to practice, refresh, experiment with, and/or refine painting and modelling skills.

Of course, a number of other similar small tableaus wait in the wings here in Zum Stollenkeller in another large plastic storage tub -- 25 figures on foot and mounted plus 19 horses -- but I won't get to those until July. Once May Term is over, the Grand Duchess has another conference for a few days, and then we pack for an almost three week vacation in Mexico, where the three of us will visit my mother in Merida and spend several days at the beach just outside of Progresso on the Yucatecan coast where she has rented a fantastic beach house for the four of us.

In the meantime, I plan to put up my painting feet for a little while and get to some other pressing work, including an article that needs writing and a Norwegian-English translation that needs, well, translating. Coincidentally, today, May 17th, is Norway's National Day. God Nasjonaldag alle!/Happy Independence Day everyone!

The Final Two Vignettes for a While. . .

2013-05-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

The final two vignettes for a while: a couple of Croats from the Slavonian Border Grenz Regiment (left) and the Szluiner Grenz Regiment (right). The Croats and human casualty are by Minden Miniatures. The horse casualty if by, I believe, Garrison. I chopped it from its base and mashed the legs together before gluing it down to the asymmetrical scenic base for painting. Oh, and the discarded musket beneath the Prussian infantryman is a bit of RSM95 from the Dayton Painting Consortium.

A close-up of the Slavonian grenzer, whose uniform is based on the third figure shown on Plate F in Philip Haythornthwaite and Bill Youngusband's The Austrian Army 1740-80: 3 Specialist Troops (1995). Whoops! I forgot to dust off the extra bits of scatter grass material from the horse.

And here is a close-up of the Szuliner fellow, who has stopped to plunder and pilfer an expired enemy. His uniform is based on a small illustration and description on page 45 of Haythornthwaite and Younghusband. Grrr. . . I forgot to apply fleshtone to the dastardly fellow's hands. Rushing through one's painting just isn't cricket. Blast!

Gallping toward the Midnight Deadline. . .

2013-05-15T10:36:00.005-05:00

It's 10:28am here. We're in the Homestretch. Can I make the February 15th-May 15th Painting Challenge Deadline by Midnight CDT tonight?

Just a few things to wrap up here on those two kneeling Minden Croat vignettes. Some final painting on the dead horse for the first base. Red facings, lace, shoulder belts, and small straps plus a bit of dark lining on the second. Two coats of acrylic gloss for both (four figures in total). Finish with groundwork which involves a few different steps.

Not that much really. Should be able to accomplish everything in fairly short order. But hold on a moment. Factor in May Term teaching today for three hours, mowing the grass late this afternoon before it rains again (possibly the forecast says), supper, and the usual evening family things. Hmm. . . Is it possible? Well, I'll give it the old college try. The Grand Duchess might be on her own this evening after the Young Master has turned in at 8pm. Terraining the bases might, however, need to wait until tomorrow evening. Stand by.

On another note, the GD of S blog has managed to pick up a few more followers in the last several weeks. A hearty "Welcome!" to all of you who have just tuned in. Tell your wargaming friends and neighbors. Help spread the good word. Let's see if we can hit the 200 followers mark by September 1st as I continue assembling and painting vignettes plus that planned reinforced company of pioneers/miners along with some other (a-) historical surprises that are in the the longer term painting queue. Once we are back from Mexico in July, I've also got some actual gaming planned too. It's been too long. Summers are a good time east of the sun and west of the moon here in the Grand Duchy of Stollen.

Update. . .
I got as far as a coat of acrylic glass yesterday evening by about 10:30pm and the decided to hit the sack. The gloss seemed to be taking quite a while to dry anyway, but the figures look good this morning. Limited terrain work this evening plus the inevitable touch up or two, and then I take a break for the remainder of May while I write the article that goes with all of these different vignettes. Photos to follow later this evening.

The Next Officer Vignette in the Queue. . .

2013-05-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

A couple of high-ranking, nominally Austrian engineers converse with a field marshal as a mounted infantry colonel looks on. The figures are, naturally, by Minden Miniatures in the U.K., and wonderful castings they are too.

A birthday for the Grand Duchess, followed by Mother's Day, along with the usual May Term course duties, and an interruption of two days while new basement windows were installed here in Zum Stollenkeller notwithstanding, I managed to wrap up this latest command vignette yesterday (Sunday). The May 15th deadline in the current painting challenge among my loose group of wargaming friends and acquaintances looms dangerously close now. However, I will try my best to finish a couple of small vignettes featuring two different kneeling Minden Croats plus a horse and a human casualty before Midnight Central Daylight Time on the 15th.

And yes, before anyone comments, I realize that I inadvertently reversed the colors on the sashes worn by three of the officers shown here. Rats! Don't you hate it when you do something like that? Sigh. Well, they aren't real Austrians in my little world, and the painting is reasonably good, so why mess with things any further? The white edging also seems to make the sashes stand out better against the chests of the 1/56th scale figures. So, finished they are.

Painting this time was mostly done with Citadel and Ral Partha acrylics although the flesh areas, horse, and hats/boots were my usual alkyd oils thinned down with Liquin, which was dry to the touch by the next morning. I used very thin dark brown and/or dark blue hobby acrylics to add a little selective lining on the four figures along with some dark brown to stain areas on the field marshal's coat that were destined for gold lace. Metallics don't stand out well by themselves on white coats, you see. I might touch up two areas on the front of the mounted colonel's coat, which seem to have just a bit too much brown at the moment. Funny how you never notice these things until the photographs have been taken and posted.

The two coats of gloss on the miniatures were achieved with Liquitex acrylic gloss medium, while the groundwork on the base was my usual sand stained with dark brown acrylic paint. That was followed by a sprinkling of Woodland Scenics grass material held down with Liquitex acrylic matt medium and a few carefully placed Woodland Scenics shrubs, tacked down with one or another brand of superglue gel. Oh, and the base was cut from a piece of basswood and lightly sanded to knock off a few edges and splinters.

I don't think that this vignette is the most exciting and dynamic group of figures painted in the last few months, but I'm reasonably pleased with the way it turned out. Certainly, it was a nice change to paint Austrians in a color besides white! When I get to that large, reinforced company of Minden pioneers/miners and laborers later this summer, this group of officers will oversee their work. . . Whatever that might be at the time, depending on the game scenario or display.

How did this almost escape me?

2013-05-07T15:34:00.003-05:00

H.G. Wells and friends maneuvering their armies around the parlor floor. Considering where this falls on the wargaming historical spectrum. Sometime before Featherstone, but after von Hellwig and von Reisswitz. Might we, therefore, consider Little Wars Late Middle Old School Wargaming?

The opportunity to read the Sunday paper two days late certainly has its advantages. Once in a great while, you run across something about our wonderful hobby that doesn't present it in a goofy, uninformed, negative light. You know the familiar implication: These guys are a bunch of unsocialized morons in ill-fitting t-shirts and sagging cargo shorts, with matted hair and horrendous body odor, who live with fish tanks full of newts in lieu of an actual S.O., spouse, or partner and, thus, have nothing better to do with their time. Anyway, I just came across this interesting little essay in the Book Review supplement of this past Sunday's New York Times that is refreshingly different in its outlook and approach. Take a look if you'd like. Click on Little Wars to be magically transported to the text in question.

Time for some Austrians, er, um, Zichenauers. . .

2013-05-04T17:35:00.001-05:00

A generic Austrian mounted officer converses with his Hungarian counterpart while a stray Croat takes pot shots at the enemy from behind the relative safety of a broken down gun carriage.

Painting on, and the glossing of, this latest command vignette was concluded late this morning with scenic features added mid-afternoon. This time, most of the painting was done with Citadel acrylics although the horses, hats, and footwear were done with thinned oils. The scenic features, as usual, are a combination of Woodland Scenics over sand stained dark brown, which was gathered many years ago from my maternal grandmother's creek bed during a dry spell in the summer of 1984. The boulder and a piece of rotting tree trunk come from my driveway just outside Stollen Central.

This time, instead of black lining the reins and harnesses on the horses, I first used a watery dark brown paint, followed by a reddish brown highlight (?!) over top. Dark brown lining gives a less stark effect than black, but still makes these particular details stand out against the lighter colored horses. I later added a tiny bit of the same dark brown lining to the three white uniforms just to define things a bit more. For anyone else loony enough to add old school lining to their figures, I'd suggest either a darker compliment of the same color or dark brown, both of which are a bit more subtle than black lining. But, to each his, or her own of course.

Rats! I just noticed that forgot to paint the Austrian's sword loop around his right wrist. Don't you just hate when that happens? Well, I suppose it's a fairly easy and rapid job to take care of it before continuing on with the next Austrian/Zichenauer staff vignette tonight or tomorrow. That particular base will feature some engineer officers mounted and on foot, overseeing some project or other. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The inspiration for the base of figures featured in today's post comes from a 15mm French Napoleonic staff vignette that was featured in the August '89 issue of Wargames Illustrated entitled 'Designing and Painting Napoleonic Armies' by an American named F. Patrick Burk. Sadly, despite my repeated web searches over the last few years for clues as to his whereabouts and hobby activities now, Mr. Burk seems to have disappeared without a trace in the intervening almost quarter century. Yikes! Where has the time gone?

The mounted figures are by Minden Miniatures while the gun and the lone Croat are by RSM95. Figures from these two ranges complement each other perfectly with regard to size and proportion and thus extend both ranges considerably where poses and/or battlefield activities are concerned.

A Few Techincal Bits. . .

2013-05-01T15:40:00.004-05:00

Some of my earlier scenic vignette work from June 2012. Two companies of historically-based (as opposed to fictitious) Grenz along with a mounted officer. Figures are a mix of RSM95 and Minden Miniatures.

Thank you everyone for the recent comments and compliments on all of the command vignettes finished during the last several days.   More are on the way! Several of you have asked, in the meantime, about certain things, like the gloss medium and bases, so I figured (Get it?) I'd respond here.

The varnish I am using right now is Liquitex (acrylic) Gloss Medium and Varnish, available from arts and crafts stores like Michael's and Dick Blick here in the United States. I believe Liquitex artists' products are available in other parts of the world too. Anyway, the gloss medium stays exactly where you put it since it is somewhat thicker than Future/Klear acrylic floor finish, which I have used since 2006.

The problem with Future/Klear is that the stuff runs everywhere. Rapid to apply, but very messy, and it seems to run off of higher areas on figures like shoulders, raised arms, the points of bayonets and swords, etc., which means that the paintwork on those areas is neither as well protected from handling, nor as glossy as on other parts of the figures. The Liquitex stuff, in contrast, while slower to apply, stays put and dries crystal clear in about 10 minutes. A second coat makes the figures even shinier and makes the colors even more vivid.

The bases are just heavy pieces of approximately 1/8" thick card that I purchased a sheet of from Dick Blick in January 2010 when I was on one of my occasional house-building kicks. It's not too different from the kind that is used as the backing for artists' sketch pads and tablets of graph paper, but slightly better in quality, firmer, and so less prone to warping than the cheaper stuff I used to save from used up writing and graph paper pads in my younger, poorer days. Anyway, I've chopped it into irregular shapes and then carefully rounded the corners with judicious trimming, using a sharp hobby knife. You can't beat it for ease of use. I have recently tried thin plywood and basswood for my bases, but I think I prefer the cardboard stuff.

With my vignettes, I've been attempting to capture a "look" similar to all of those great old vignettes by Doug Mason that used to grace the pages of Miniature Wargames, Wargames Illustrated, and the Wargames Holiday Centre brochures throughout the 1980s and into the early 90s.

The vignette work of Phil Olley, Jim Purky, Bill Gaskin, John Ray, and the Kingom of Wittenburg blog, more recently, has also had considerable influence on my own hobby dabblings. I'm not necessarily in the same league, of course, but their small "scenes" have certainly introduced me to a new dimension of the wargaming hobby and the presentation of painted 25-30mm military miniatures that seems worthy of emulation.

If nothing else, command and other kinds of vignettes help add atmosphere, period flavor, and even unique personality to one's collection and tabletop set-up. These small tableaus also compliment the various units of infantry, cavalry, and artillery that comprise our tiny armies regardless of their precise historic era. . . in much the same way that a well-chosen wool or silk pocket handkerchief with paisleys or pheasants on it can compliment the day's necktie. Yes, yes. . .   I'm an unabashed dandy chap and proud of it! ;-)

More, More, More Vignettes!!!

2013-04-30T21:42:00.000-05:00

More RSM95 figures removed from their old single bases and regrouped into command vignettes.

I have just finished regrouping older figures in my collection, painted during the last several years, into three additional command 'scenes,' one Stollenian at the front and two Zichenauer at the rear. On the rear left, you'll note General Phillipe de Latte (dark blue) conversing with his rather animated ADC Major Paolo di Biscotti (white), who makes the point that one can never truly enjoy coffee cakes and sweetbreads without fresh espresso.

"The Grand Duchy of Stollen? Does that guy ever sleep?"

2013-04-30T17:17:00.002-05:00

The most recently "finished" figures. Miniatures by RSM95, Miniature Figurines in the background, and a couple of vintage plastic Spencer Smiths at the far right.

When you're hot, you're hot! Well. . . Ok, maybe not exactly hot -- Let's not get carried away with yourself too much, Stokes! -- but when the painting and modelling muse is actually present in the house, go with it! She is, at times, an elusive figure after all, so it's best to strike while the iron is hot.

The figures above have been painted and in my collection a long time. Some since December 2006. They've popped up in various photographs of my painting table and battlefields-in-minitature presented here routinely. But they were, until Sunday, based individually. That evening was the first time I actually got around to removing the figures from their old glossy green bases, and I next tacked these various generals and ADC officers down onto scenic bases. The usual brown-stained creekbed sand and Woodland Scenics treatment followed a little while ago. Ah. . . The end of term before final papers and exams roll in is a delightful few days!

Stollenian generals, including the interfering von Buttinski (yellow) , the foppish von Tschatschke (pink), and the craven von Drosselmaier (dark blue) are in the three vignettes in the foreground. Anonymous Zichenauer generals and officers are behind. Three additional bases of officers -- one of Stollenians and two of Zichenauers -- await completion this evening, including that most dastardly mercenary adventurer from France, General Phillipe de Latte, along with his equally nefarious (and crunchy) ADC Paolo di Biscotti. Stay tuned for more vignettes this evening or sometime tomorrow.

The Latest Batch of Figures. . .

2013-04-28T14:20:00.004-05:00

A lone Eureka Saxon grenadier (Vielen Dank Stefan!) at attention, painted here as a generic Prussian sort of fellow, guarding (wait for it) . . . a wooden crate.

Here's our lone grenadier once more, this time shown with a bunch of Minden figures finished several weeks ago. He is guarding a Zichenauer dragoon officer, who is being interrogated by several Stollenians and an English officer seconded to the Stollenian Army. "The box! The box! Tell us, my dear von Boffke, what is in the box?"

More figures by Minden Miniatures! Here, Hives (in gray greatcoat) and the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II eavesdrop on an argument between two Stollenian engineer officers, who cannot determine which way is up on their map.

Besides the Eureka and Minden figures show above, the extra bits in these photographs include a crate and barrel from Foundary, rocks and twigs from my driveway outside Stollen Central, and sand from my maternal grandmother's creekbed, which I stained with thinned dark brown acrylic paint (using Liquitex Flow-Aid) once it was fastened down to the bases with some Liquitex acrylic matt medium. The light covering of grass and tufts of shrub are, naturally, from Woodland Scenics. I applied dabs of the matt medium to the base -- the are various and sundry art supplies available that have all kinds of applications in the painting and modelling of wargame armies -- to cement the grass followed by small dollops of super glue gel to attach the shrubs once everything else was done.

The benefits of Liquitex acrylic matt medium to hold down grass scatter material are many. It doesn't smell bad, washes out of brushes easily, can be put exactly where you want it since it is somewhat viscous, and dries without any tell-tale shine peeking trough the groundwork. Perhaps most important, it does not shrink as it dries, unlike glue for example. So, your bases are less prone to warping than is the case when you use white glues, like Elmer's, to takc down your scenic materials. I picked up that particular tip in a book I bought almost 20 years ago (!!!) on model railway and diorama scenery. . . After quite a few years of irritatingly warped bases whenever I attempted to add scenic effects back during my 15mm Napoleonic days.

Another tip from the same book involves the ground foam rubber "grass" scatter material. The book suggests not going overboard with it but, instead, letting a fair amount your "dirt" show through. Thin spots in the grass cover if you will. That way, you avoid a manicured, suburban golf course appearance and, instead, end up with scenic basing that looks much more like untended coutnryside. I don't always get it right myself, but I'm especially pleased with the way the Grand Duke's and Hives' scenic base turned out. The ground below them actually looks like a country meadow with a thin covering of grasses, some bare patches, some tufts of weed or small shrubs, a dead log, and (just behind the Grand Duke) a dead or dying sapling of some kind.

By the way, the figures were painted, as has become usual in recent months, primarily with thinned oils over a base coat of white acrylic gesso. The Winsor & Newton alkyd oil paints were thinned considerably with Liquin Original and take about 12-24 hours to dry to the touch. Detailing (facing colors, buttons, lace, etc.) was carried out with a mix of Citadel and Ral Partha acrylics. Once everything was done, a coat or two of Liquitex acrylic gloss medium and varnish was applied, to approximate that lovely shine that has adorned so many of Doug Mason's and Bill Gaskin's Napoleonic figures over the years.

Presenting Aunts Irmgard and Waltraud. . .

2013-04-23T20:44:00.002-05:00

The Grand Duke's aunts, Irmgard in the green riding habit and Waltraud in the blue, younger sisters of the formidable Aunt Hildegard. . . She of the yellow dress along with Uncle What's-His-Name and the large group of frolicking aristocrats in a previous post. All three women are as ferocious as the gorgons, scheming, and eager to see their nephew marry and produce an heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. But for the good graces of his faithful English manservant Hives, poor Irwin-Amdeus II doesn't stand a chance!

Rats! I see that in my rush to gloss the figures and terrain their base, I neglected to add the silver and brass bits on the harnesses of the their horses. No matter. I'll take five minutes tomorrow afternoon and do it before movng on to the next batch of figures.

The two aunts viewed from another slightly different angle. I'm especially pleased with the way Aunt Waltraud's blue riding habit turned out. Very thin Prussian Blue alkyd oil color, by way of a blob of Liquin Original, lined later with Ral Partha acrylic blue to help the silver lace stand out and add a bit more definition.

And finally, another view that highlights the white feathers atop Aunt Irmgard's hat. I think this very same hat later made an appearance in the 1973 Blaxploition film classic Super Fly.

Stay Tuned!

2013-04-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

Bertie Wooster's ferocious Aunt Agatha, called 'Mrs. Gregson' by Jeeves and all others.

After a lovely, uninterrupted Sunday afternoon's worth of painting, my own Aunt Irmgard and Aunt Waltraud (courtesy of Minden Miniatures), mounted on horses and based together on a single scenic base, are finished painting-wise. If time permits after supper, I might even return to Zum Stollenkeller this evening to slap a couple of coats of clear, glossy acrylic varnish on them. Some limited groundwork will follow tomorrow before I move on to completion of painting the base featuring Irwin-Amadeus II and Hives on horseback along with two flummoxed engineer officers, arguing over whether their map is correct.

Frolicking Aristocrats Finished with a Flourish!

2013-04-14T11:06:00.004-05:00

Here they are, freshly glossed and terrained.

Finally finished those frolicking aristocrats by Jackdaw, and I must admit that I feel pretty pleased with them despite the apparent inability to cease and desist with the alliteration. Maybe I can have something done about that on an outpatient basis? At any rate, I kept the groundwork to a minimum, adding just a few tiny tufts of vegetation after the sand, a wash of thinned brown paint, and some grass scatter material. I concluded that my cast of characters here (and they will all receive names) has dispatched to a pleasant clearing, or even a handy meadow, post-hunt to observe occasional tabletop battles from a distance rather than some thickly wooded copse. After all, you can't frolic like this bunch in rough country and broken ground can you? Now, it's "Tally ho!" with aunts Irmgard and Hiltrud plus their respective steeds.

Waiting in the Wings. . .

2013-04-13T11:36:00.002-05:00

Various recently arrived Minden figures along with a lone Eureka Saxon grenadier in the back plus some odds and ends added to provide visual interest. I'm not sure whether the fellow kneeling over the deceased musketeer is cocking his musket, or pausing to rifle the body for plunder before continuing on his way.

Any available free time today (the Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so it is just the Young Master and myself all weekend) shall be devoted to adding the groundwork to the various bases beneath those frolicking aristocrats, their servants, and their picnic table and crates. However, there is little time to waste to and much to be done before my current obsession with small tableauxs is cured.

From left to right, Hives and the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus looking over the shoulders of two engineer officers, along with aunts Irmgard and Waltraud. These two scenes in miniature are intended to go along with the larger frolicking aristocrats scene although they can certainly stand on their own too.

Minden Austrian officers debating some point or other. These are destined to become a small group of opinionated, though woefully uninformed and ill-advised, engineer officers. If the stars line up properly, I should be able to paint them quickly: basically just basecoat of acrylic gesso, tan undercoat, white highlights, with red small clothes and facings. Plus faces and the horse. . . of course.

And here are the Minden and RSM95 figures destined to become a reinforced company of pioneers/sappers/miners/what-have-you. Again, they SHOULD be fairly quick and easy to paint, but we'll see how things actually transpire in the coming weeks. Gotta love those Austrian uniforms!

And besides the figures pictured above, I've made the decision to tack down all of those previously painted RSM and Minden general and ADC figures -- save for a few who will remain singly based to function as ADCs -- to bases, in twos and threes, over the next month and apply some scenic ground materials, to add yet more visual interest for my tabletop. Can full terrain ala the Wargames Holiday Centre be far off? Mmmm. . . . Nah! I like my old school bright green table. It's just got that certain indefinable something about it, but having a number of interesting little scenes spread around -- besides the large units of figures and scenery of course -- really adds to the overall visual impact of the thing. Hmmm. That's starting to sound like something Charles Grant Sr. once wrote.

The Scene Takes Shape. . .

2013-04-09T20:04:00.001-05:00

The post-hunt picnic takes gradual shape.

Painting is now complete on the 18 Jackdaw frolicking aristocrats! Just the clear glossy acrylic coat and limited groundwork to do before moving on to the two Minden mounted ladies, who will become the Grand Duke's aunts Irmgard and Waltraud -- two thirds of that formidable triumvirate of mature members of the female persuasion, who are determined to see Irwin-Amadeus II marry and produce an heir -- this weekend. Then, it's back to things military with a company of Minden sappers/miners and some additional command vignettes. No rest for the wicked!

Dogs, discussion, and dancing take center stage.

It seems that Signore di Polenta likes girls too. And what a dandy fellow he is!

Ponderous Poetry and Presentations.

Aunt Hiltrud and Uncle What's-His-Name observe the festivities.

Nearing the Finish Line. . .

2013-04-07T15:38:00.003-05:00

The latest three Jackdaw civilian figures (almost) completed. I'm especially pleased with the tray of fruit carried by the African servant. I should have been a confectioner and specialized in marzipans!

Almost finished with the three figures show above, but the gentlemen in green needs a bit more attention. . . and gold lace on his his cuffs plus a buckle on his white waist belt. The, it's on to the final base of four figures: two ladies, a bowing gentleman, and another tray-laden servant. The ladies are just about finished, so it's really just some detailing for the two males, which i might be able to accomplish in an evening or two, if life is kind that is, early in the week.

And then there are those two mounted ladies by Minden Miniatures. They are their steeds require some considerable detailing although the main colors are blocked in. I'm scrambling at this point to tie up several things, so that I can actually write the accompanying article, which I have promised for the end of May. And since I am teaching, as usual, a May Term film course, time is scarce for the next almost two months, and there is still much to do. The pressure is on!

A Frolicking Aristocrats Update. . .

2013-04-04T13:14:00.000-05:00

ONe of my inspirational illustrations for the current painting work in progress -- Picnic after the Hunt (1740) by French painter Nicolas Lancret.

Those 18 frolicking aristocrats by Jackdaw are just over halfway done. Eight remain, and they are mostly painted, simply requiring detailing of one kind or another. I am having a great time painting these, especially the women's dresses, which present some new challenges. Maybe I should have been a fashion designer, but the servants in their livery with their trays of refreshments are fun and challenging too, especially the African guy in turban, who is offering a fruit-laden tray to interested parties. Hopefully, I'll have a little time this evening to continue painting. However, there is a stack of eight or ten student papers just to my right here on the desk that *sigh* needs attention, so it might need to wait until Friday afternoon.

An Amazing Stroke of Luck. . .

2013-04-01T09:08:00.002-05:00

Napoleonic Saxons painted by the incredibly talented Doug Mason (one of my painting idols) and featured several years ago on the Unfashionably Shiny blog. This is just one of many units that will soon be in my possession.

Several months ago, I was contacted by the attorney of a distant cousin -- "Genevieve" -- from the state of North Carolina, several times removed and much older than myself, who passed away early last year. To make a long story short, it seemed that she had been extremely impressed by and grateful for some translation and editing work I did for her in back in 2007. Something she never forgot and mentioned often in conversations with friends and family if and when the subject came up. It also seems that her assets were rather more than anyone in the family suspected.

The long and the short of it is that the Grand Duchess and I have learned that we are now rather more well off that we ever expected to be as academics. Even after taxes. I won't belabor the point because, after all, talking about one's finances and how much you have is, let's remember, tasteless. Suffice to say that we have been able to invest most of it, ensure the Young Master's future education and comfort with a trust fund, and donate some to worthy charities. Even better, there has been some money left over to play with now.

Which brings us to the real subject of this particular post. We've been lucky enough to find and purchase an apartment in a delightfully old section of Hamburg, Germany, where the Grand Duchess spent some of her student days, and we plan to spend most of our summers there. Our close friend "Tante Anita," from Berlin, will reside there the rest of the year and look after things for us. Better still, we are currently negotiating a final price on a wonderful old townhouse not far from the center of Bolzano, Italy, a place I have always wanted to live. Finally, I'll be able to practice both German and Italian! But the best part about this particular house, in my eyes, is the attic, which a recent owner finished fully, heat included.

The yellow house in the center of the photo is the one we have purchased.

And I've saved the absolute VERY best part for last, so stay with me just a bit longer. My own attorneys have also been in contact with the folks at the Wargaming Holiday Centre in the U.K., who have agreed, after much begging and cajoling on my part, to sell off their entire stock of painted 25mm Napoleonics to yours truly. It seems they want to start from scratch again given their fairly recent relocation in Southern England, and they have a new staff of painters already hard at work doing just that. Anyway, these figures, some of which date back to the 1970s, will be used to populate the attic of the yellow townhouse above, which will feature a 6'x18' table fully stocked with scenic goodies.

It should take a little while to arrange for the shipping of everything from Britain to Northern Italy, but I'll be onsite by late July this summer to set up the attic and the rest of the house before the Grand Duchess and Young Paul arrive at the start of September. For those of you Grand Duchy of Stollen visitors who might feel like making the journey to Bolzano to spend a few days refighting key Napoleonic battles like Borodino, Leipzig, Austerlitz, or Waterloo (with good brandy and cigars afterwards), there is a standing invitation from mid-autumn onwards. Just contact me offline, so we can set up dates.

In the meantime, I hope I don't have too much trouble with the Tyrolean accent since most of my time in German-speaking Europe has been spent in the north of Germany. It should be interesting though to see how the Italian and German cultures meet and mingle in Bolzano.

Loads and loads of figures like these will shortly be making their way to our new home in the northern Italian city of Bolzano. I cannot begin to describe my excitement.

Happy Easter. . .

2013-03-31T08:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter from all of us in the Grand Duchy of Stollen. I'm off now to breakfast followed by an Easter egg hunt in the back yard for the Young Master. Enjoy the day everyone!

Painting Jackdaw 18th Century Aristocrats. . .

2013-03-25T10:00:00.005-05:00

And a most enjoyable Sunday afternoon it was.

For a few hours yesterday afternoon, I almost felt like Jackson Pollock as I mixed, applied, and dripped oil and acrylic colors everywhere. It was glorious. Most of the large areas of color on 18 Jackdaw and two Minden figures -- plus a couple of Minden horses -- are done now and it's simply a matter of applying lace trim and some other smaller details where necessary and appropriate. Oh, and the vague hint of oils and thinner still lingered in the air early this morning when I brought a mug of coffee down to Zum Stollenkeller. The two aromas mingled for a little while before I began the week in earnest. Somehow, it made Monday morning a little less painful. Know what I mean?

On other related fronts, a Swedish client (and friend), for whom I did a bunch of editing and proofreading recently, had trouble transferring money from her bank account in Budapest to my Paypal account this weekend. She sent me several anguished e-mails expressing annoyance and asked me if I had any idea what we might do to solve the problem.

Without missing a beat, I replied, "W-e-l-l. . ." I hummed and hawed, not wanting to propose anything too radical, "You could just pay me in an alternate form. How about I send you an order for some Holger Eriksson figures (a firm she is completely unfamiliar with) that's comparable to your balance outstanding, you place and pay for it, and send the box of figures on from your parent's home when you visit them in Sweden this summer?"

Problem solved! She was indeed agreeable to the idea of barter (more or less). I think some charging cavalry might be just the thing.

1101 Posts to the GD of S Blog Since August '06 AND a Finished Vignette!

2013-03-21T11:43:00.001-05:00

Two photographs of the 'just finished and glossed' artist vignette. The small clumps of foliage and easel were also glued down only minutes ago. Herr Biedermeyer von Spiesburg (in the brown coat) is busy micromanaging our artiste-at-work while the former's valet fetches something from the painter's kit on the bench.

The figures are from Blue Moon, including a converted duelist, who has apparently become a painter in his spare time. The chair, bench, and crate are from Foundry, and the bucket is a spare from Minden Miniatures. Foliage and grass scatter are Woodland Scenics while the sand beneath, which was first stained brown, comes from my deceased maternal grandparents' place in Berks County Pennsylvania, where I grew up. I collected a small pile of dry sand from the creek bed in front of their fieldstone colonial house during July of '84, and I've carted it along with me ever since in an old loose tea tin. Oh, and the easel is an original Stokes. . . Without a doubt, it will one day fetch a huge sum at Christie's!

As has become the usual practice during the last couple of years or so, most of the painting was accomplished with Winsor & Newton Alkyd Oils that were thinned liberally with Liquin Original. Small details were picked out with Citadel acrylics. The scenic bass is basswood. I used Liquitex matt medium to tack down the sand, which was next stained with a runny wash of brown acrylic paint, before adding the Woodland Scenics materials. The grass is held down with more matt medium while the three clups of foliage are simple glued down with tiny blobs of plain, old super glue gel.

The easel was made with a couple of toothpicks and some slivers of balsa wood and the "canvas" is just a piece of white illustration board that was was base-coated with some white acrylic gesso, given a coat of tan, and then dry-brushed with pure white to give it a little texture, depth, and tone down the stark white of the illustration board.

One thing I seemed to get right with this particular base is the amount of grass scatter material. There isn't much of it and quite a bit of the "dirt" beneath is allowed to show through. It seems to result in a more realistic, effective appearance than when a base is absolutely covered in grass scatter material so that is resembles a well-manicured golf course, which isn't really the effect we want for vignettes of 30mm miniatures. Lesson learned today? Less is more when it comes to scenic materials.

Ok, enough prattle! Time to finish base-coating on the rest of those frolicking 18th century Jackdaw aristocrats and (hopefully) apply their flesh tone this evening.

Later Replies to Comments and Etc. . .

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks! These were terrific fun to paint up and went very quickly. They are indeed glossed heavily with a new medium, Liquitex acrylic gloss varnish. This is considerably easier to control than my usual stand-by that I've used since 2006, Future/Klear acrylic floor polish, which runs everywhere, something I've increasingly grown frustrated with in recent months. The Liquitex stuff, in contrast, while slower to apply, stays put and thus provides a thicker protective coating once dry. It even appears to be slightly glossier, which is fine by me. I think I've found my new gloss medium!

A Few Finished Figures. . .

2013-03-16T16:45:00.002-05:00

Professor Detrius (in green and pink), the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II, and his dogs Max and Moritz out for a country stroll and some philosophical debate.

A couple of staff groups, Minden figures in the foreground (along with one Fife&Drum officer) and two Fife&Drum figures in the rear. Sadly, the large base with the five figures has warped somewhat due to the coats of clear matt varnish that holds down the scatter material. Lesson learned? Keep scenic vignette bases fairly compact.

And finally, here they are, the Grand Duke's court combo, led by the Maestro Bacharach on the clavichord in the foreground. Listen carefully, and you'll hear them playing a newly written tune by the Maestro called Walk on By.

Replies to Comments, Questions, and Further Meaningless Holding Forth

Thank you for the nice comments, men!

-- I fixed the warped base in the middle photograph by slapping some paint on the underside, which seemed to correct the problem overnight.

-- The musicians are indeed meant to be playing outside (part of a much large scene that is underway right now) for a small party thrown by Aunts Hiltrud, Waltraud, and Irmgard.

-- The bases are bass wood that is several millimeters thick. I like it because it's very easy to work with and inexpensive. I might try, though, ordering some of those custom particle board bases at some point from one of the several providers IF they can provide irregular shapes.

-- The large areas on the figures , instruments, and horses shown in the photos above were painted with Winsor&Newton alkyd oils thinned considerably with Liquin Original. Small details were then picked out with the usual Citadel acrylics, though most of the silver and gold lace and buttons were done with Winsor&Newton, Grumbacher, and Rembrandt oils. Oil-based metallics typically dry much, much faster than non-metallics, and you just cannot beat them for brilliance.

-- I've found in the last couple of years or so that a more impressionistic approach, rather than trying to paint in every last detail, yields a pleasing appearance that I can live with, and (most important) the figures get finished pretty quickly once I actually get my 'seat' in the painting seat.

-- And let's be honest here. Only real detail freaks like us are going to notice, when looking over the figures on display, that the Grand Duke's nostrils have been left to the imagination. Non-wargamers -- wives, partners, significant others, boyfriends, girlfriends, and the rest of society -- certainly won't.

Another Painting Tip. . .

2013-03-15T10:42:00.004-05:00

The latest item to join the ranks of stuff on my painting table. . . Liquitex Flow-Aid.

The last couple of days and evenings have seen yours truly actually feel well enough to sit down to the painting table and get some things done, or just about done. I've also started on the base with the painter, country gentleman, and his valet. The usual Winsor&Newton alkyd oils thinned heavily with Liquin Original for the basic clothing colors.

They'll need to dry overnight (I painted in my pajamas early this morning), but the effects will be, I think, some of the nicest yet. The trick seems to be less paint and more Liquin, which, when mixed together on the palette paper, provides a really nice, thin puddle of color to spead around the figure surfaces with the brush and let it settle into folds, creases, etc. I'll post an in-progress photo tomorrow or the next day.

The other items on this same base -- a chair, bench, bucket, and chest of our good artist's painting materials along with his easel -- were given their basic coats of acrylic Citadel hobby paints yesterday evening, and I got sneaky. I've been looking around for a medium to make acrylic paints flow better, much like Liquin does for oils, and I found something on the shelf at our local arts and crafts store midweek, which is pictured above. Liquitex Flow-Aid, which affects the surface tension of paints it is mixed with, thinning them, making them flow better, and extending their working time by just a wee bit. Here's what the Liquitex.com website has to say about the product:

Use in conjunction with any acrylic medium or acrylic color when increased flow and absorption and decreased film tension and friction are important.
A flow enhancer that improves the flow, absorption and blending of any water-soluble paint (i.e. acrylic paint), medium, ink or dye.
Minimizes brush marks by reducing friction of paint application.
Does not contain binder. Over thinning of acrylic paint with Liquitex Flow-AidTM and applying to a non-absorbent surface (i.e. gessoed canvas) may result in poor adhesion. Always make a test piece for your particular application and surface.
On non-absorbent surfaces, will increase the fluidity and open (drying) time of the paint.
On absorbent surfaces, will act as a stain, dye or watercolor.

Acrylic paints that have been mixed the stuff settle better into nooks and crannies on figures surfaces and thin slightly on raised areas (a white undercoat works best), and everything is dry in just a few minutes. If you too are searching around for something that might make your painting a bit easier, you might want to give Flow-Aid a try and see if you like the results.

The long and short of this is that I used a Citadel dark brown (the former GW 'Scorched Brown') thinned with Flow-Aid for all of these wooden items. It settled very nicely into the wood grain modeled by the sculptors, who originally produced the greens for these castings. I'll dry brush with some gray paint to make everything resemble aged, weather wood a bit more, and then all of that should be done, and the figures themselves can be finished in fairly short order.

And what of the musicians, music stands, dogs, and etc? Just a few minor touch-ups and a bit more judicious lining with dark brown (this evening after supper and the Young Master's bedtime), and they'll be ready for a coat of two of the glossy varnish. I got busy yesterday afternoon and attached all of them to their permanent bases, which will then need a bit of terrain work (fine sand, a wash of dark brown acrylic paint, some Woodland Scenics grass scatter material and a tiny shrub or two).

Then, I can turn my full attention to those frolicking aristocrats from Jackdaw. I've already attached these to irregularly shaped bases of two-four figures each: people dancing, conversing, helping themselves to drinks from servants' trays, presenting themselves to ladies, children playing in front of the musical combo as they do, and so forth. I can almost see Dame Maggie Smith dressed in mid-18th century gear, observing the events of the afternoon through her lorgnette. . . and making cutting remarks!

Hoard-Hoard, Organize-Organize. . .

2013-03-13T17:23:00.004-05:00

How's this for a Box o' Bits? Available from most any home improvement or do-it-yourself store, it's a great way to consolidate all of those left over figures, bits, and pieces of stuff that wargamers and figure painters accumulate over the years.

Sounds like one of those 1960s Eurospy James Bond knock-offs, doesn't it? On the mend here, and as such, I was sent on an errand by the Grand Duchess yesterday evening to our local Lowe's home improvement and do-it-yourself store. What do you think caught my eye as I walked down the nail and screw aisle after finding what I had been sent for? Yep, you guessed it. A stack of those plastic organizer boxes for nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. Also ideal for all of bits, bobs, and pieces of stuff we wargamers acquire and hang onto for some eventual use.

Long displeased with my various boxes of bits here in Zum Stollenkeller, I've had a vague idea floating around in the back of my mind for that the situation would need to be addressed at some point. So, as I ambled down the nail and screw aisle at Lowe's yesterday evening in my over-the-counter cold medication induced fog, it was almost like a bolt from the blue struck me when I happened upon the stack of boxes like the one shown above. At reduced prices even.

"This is it!" I shrieked to no one in particular, save the slightly shocked looks of passers-by. Playing the Mondo Dismo card to the hilt, I grabbed one of the plastic organizers from the shelf and limped through the throngs of evening shoppers toward the check-out counter like Chakka the monkey boy in those old Sid and Marty Kroft Land of the Lost episodes on Saturday mornings, answering those oft imagined voices and swearing audibly at them. If people are going to stare, let's give 'em a real show.

My approach to clearing a path through the crowded Lowe's worked like a charm. Good thing too since the only way to step it up a notch would have been public evacuation, and that would have meant police involvement and future banishment from the store. Fortunately, people parted like the Red Sea before me as I lurched toward them, wide-eyed, red-nosed, grumbling to myself, and drooling with a visible slick of mucus on my upper lip. When some poor woman with a furrowed brow said in a hushed scream to her small son, "Timmy? Timmy! Hurry! Don't look! Come to Mommy and run away from the bad man!" I knew nothing could stop me from reaching the check-out counter before everyone else.

Safely home, I retreated to the confines of my underground lair, also know as Zum Stollenkeller, following supper. Turns out that I had more "stuff" floating around here in one of several receptacles than I thought. But the organizer works very well for holding all of those extra odd drummers, artillery tools and buckets, wheels, barrels, and the like. I ought to head back over to Lowe's tomorrow or the next day and pick up another, since this one is almost full.

Now, none of this may be news to most of you GD of S visitors, but it's a windfall to me. And it helps consolidate everything nicely. I'm now down to the above box o' bits and seven largish, plastic pencil boxes that contain the small pile of lead and plastic -- mostly RSM95 Prussian musketeers, dragoons, and hussars along with a regiment of vintage plastic Spencer Smith charging dragoons, officers, and a couple of metal Holger Eriksson figures (standard bearer and trumpeter). Short of ordering some wheels and draft horses with riders from the Dayton Painting Consortium later this year for the planned baggage and pontoon train, I think there's enough here to keep me busy for a while.