SYW Swiss Eptingen - 28mm Front Rank Test Figure Complete

I finished my Seven Years War Swiss Eptingen test figure yesterday and I am very pleased with the results!

 

Considering that I used many new techniques and ideas, I think that this was a big success. I was using my new Citadel paints, all colors and triads were mixed and I used my new Raphael brushes. The Citadel paints covered very well and the Raphael brushes were a dream to work with! Painting eyes has never been easier.


The image above is my mix chart showing my triads that I created. It looks more complicated than it actually was. Most of the triads worked out well (flesh, yellow, black, silver) but some need minor tweaking (red, musket stock, hair). The alterations will mostly be to further differentiate the mid color from the highlight. On a few colors they are too close in value.

That was fun, but now it is time to get cracking on the first stand. I have five others primed and ready to go. It is time to get painting!

Comments

  1. Wonderful painting style! Love the colours! And a nice blog, too...

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  2. Test fig is excellent! The experimentation with creating your own triads appears to be a great success. Is the mixing of your tones adding much painting time?

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  3. Phil - Thank you very much for your kind words. I appreciate it. I felt more than a little rusty when I was doing this. As I was finishing up I realized that I had gone many months without painting in this style. I had done the 50 dipped Zulus, the dipped Austrians, the paint-wash-highlight GW style on the Genestealers, the dipped greatcoated Napoleonic French and the little FoW German before I did this guy. I could definitely tell that I was out of practice. I was tentative as the colors got close to each other and I left too much black line showing. As I get more comfortable that should tighten up. Many of the good painters that I follow often have the colors touch and they just don't worry about it. I need to stop worrying as much.

    Ron - Thanks! I like him too. It did take some extra time to do the mixing experiment. I think that it took about two hours to make the initial grid. But from there the mixing/testing time was absorbed into the painting. I would create two or three triads at a time on my test sheet and then paint them onto the figure. I actually had a fun time doing it. Now that they are done I won't be doing any additional testing (unless I'm not happy with one of my triads). So the only extra time will be to mix up one additional color to the paint. Add color one - rinse - add color two - rinse - swirl paint and add some water to get the proper consistency. The only extra step is adding the second color and one additional rinse. That's not a big deal. The benefit of learning more about color and being able to mix anything far outweighs the cost.

    - Jeff

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  4. Simon - Thanks! I am already into the next five that will complete the first of four stands. The base flesh, the eyes and the base of the red coat have been painted on. I am hoping to get another hour or two today to continue. - Jeff

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  5. This is the way to go Jeff, mixing your own shades and highlights gives you the chance to add more depth and nuance to your painting. Keep it up looking good.

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  6. Dave - I agree with you. I have been learning a lot during this whole process. Learning how the colors interact with each other has been fascinating. In upcoming posts I am going to share some of my formula mixes so that others can try them out. Thanks for reading and thank you for your encouragement! - Jeff

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  7. Jeff, now I've seen this figure in person I can state it is excellent!

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  8. Michael - Thanks! I'm looking forward to finishing up the others and then bringing them to battle! - Jeff

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  9. This has been a great find. I have just finished reading the book "Blue and Yellow don't make Green" and was trying to apply what I read to my miniatures and then I came across this post. Thanks for sharing your attempts and the figures look great.

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    1. Thanks for the comment, Victor! That's a great book and it is filled with solid advice. Working from a limited palette taught me a lot about colors and their relationships to each other. I hope that you enjoy your painting endeavors!

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