Monday 6 February 2012

Work in progress


A quick WIP post for you.

I am slowly putting together a unit of bill to accompany the stand of Sir Henry Willoughby, these will also use figures from the Perry Mercenaries box along with some metals from the EA range. In total there will be 3 stands which will represent troops and captains of the Calais Garrison and thus I have elected to represent them as looking a bit more continental.

On the first figure I have had a foray with the green stuff (getting quite confident with it now) to sculpt the shoulders of the jacket onto armoured arms from the boxed set. The appearance of this figure very closely represents what the best equipped troops of the 1513 campaign would have looked like, mainly in the respect of the long coat. He will carry the banner of the Virgin Mary, which was documented to have been taken, the appearance of which I am still researching - your suggestions are welcome.

The second photograph represents a Sunday 'day off' from painting Tudors! I had a spare figure which did not suit the meticulous positioning dry run for the units I have on my schedule so he attained the status of 'spare'. I thought the figure looked a bit like Graham Turner's depiction of the Duke of Norfolk at the battle of Bosworth; http://www.studio88.co.uk/acatalog/info_BOB_15.html




So that's what it became. I'm quite pleased with it but i'm somewhat slow enough as it is in painting this army and not in need of a side project so this chap may well work his way onto ebay at some point once I decide whether to give him a base or not.


Speaking of distractions I have recently invested in a copy of Henry VIII's Military Revolution by James Raymond and can heartily recommend it. It's in the academic assignment category but is a very good companion to Army Royal by Charles Cruickshank. The book seeks to put down the notion that Henry VIII's army was lacking in theory and development aside its continental rivals and a very good job it does...though I am a bit biased!


That's all for now.

Stuart

9 comments:

  1. Great stuff mate! The chap on the left will look ace with the banner, excellent green stuffing by the way, and Norfolk's surcoat looks brilliant!

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  2. Excellent pieces once again. The heraldry is very cool, you must have better eye sight than me to do that! Good work with the green stuff as well, getting into this a bit myself recently so I know the trials and tribulations. The book sounds interesting, is it generally available?

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  3. Nice work in progress Stuart; good work with that putty.
    As there are no direct references for the flag, I'd be tempted to search online for Flemish late fifteenth century images of the Virgin and Child for the flag. This is just before Henry decided to get rid of such imagery of course, when the King's 'Great Matter' led him towards the reformation.
    Are you going to copy and print it, or try and copy a Flemish Master in 28mm...?
    Simon

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  4. Thanks for your comments chaps.

    Hendrid, the book is most cheaply available via Amazon but in saying that it starts at around £25, i've not seen it anywhere else.

    Simon, thanks for that, I was thinking a Spanish influence for some reason but forgetting that England had been catholic for quite some time so a Flemish style I shall look at, considering a lot of the portraits at that time in England were by Flemish artists it all makes sense.....so long as someone else points it out!

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  5. Nice WIP :-)

    Jason

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  6. Thanks for sharing these figures in progress. I am always inspired by your painting!

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  7. Excellent brushwork Stuart! I'm very impressed with your painterly style of applying the paint yet still retaining the ability to add great renditions of the heraldry!

    Just fab!

    Darrell.

    PS. Might go a hunting for thatn book too.

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  8. Duke of Norfolk looks great. Always like the 3 Lions!

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  9. Awesome work Stuart - as usual.

    Raglan

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