WIP Critique Polish Lancer

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Thanks, Caramba and Malc.

I've started to adjust the blues. I've just done his coat and I'll probably take care of the pants tonight. I hope to do the same thing with the reds... but that color will be tougher. More highlights will end up turning it pink or orange, so I expect I'll use GW's red glaze to fix that. The changes to the blue is pretty subtle, so here are some before and after pics to show the difference.
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Thanks, Pedro. I agree, it's neat to see his take on the figure as well. His SBS on the water isn't going to be very helpful when I start the base.

I'm just about finished with the rider... well, at least until I mount him on the horse. I've fixed the blue on his pants and did the stripes down the side. The last bit before I set him aside is doing the highlights on the black. I've started on the leather at the bottom of his pants. I'm happy with how it's coming along but I'd like to push the highlights a little more. Then I'll tackle the covering on his hat.
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Since the last post I've been focusing on the lancer's horse. Only a few details left before I can mount the rider and start adding the rest of the equipment. This has been a long project but the end is finally in sight! Unfortunately there is still plenty to do before I get there.

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On a side note, when I started on the horse's skin I decided to try out a Raphael brush I'd picked up a little while back. I really like how it worked for me. Great for dealing with the large areas but still sharp enough to handle those smaller details. I've been using mostly Winsor & Newton brushes and while I'll still use them I'll definitely be working some Raphaels into the mix too.
 
The horse is looking real nice... maybe a touch more attention to the mane and tail, digging out a little more detail.
Beyond that I think it's looking fine...

Mounted figs are always a long road... keep up the good work

Colin
 
Thanks, Colin and Konstantin. Colin, I agree. I've started to do more with the tail and mane. I can probably go even further, I'll keep playing with it. I finally attached the rider the other day and now I'm starting on his remaining equipment. Hopefully I'll post some more pictures in the next day or two.
 
Thanks, Pedro. It's fun to watch all the hard work come together. Speaking of which, I was finally able to add the rider to his mount. Seeing it all in one piece felt really satisfying. Well, it's mostly one piece... there's still the carbine, bayonet, sword, and reins to add... but those are just minor details at this point. Of course the trick from here on out is to finish the painting without accidentally bending that lance in half. I've got to be very very careful not to bump it while I'm moving the figure around trying to get the best angle to paint from. I'm starting to regret not waiting and making that the last piece I attached. Oh well, live and learn!

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Great work. I like your skills a lot. I wish you have chosen correct colors for the uniform. He is definitely a lancer but you painted him as a trumpeter. The blue uniform is too bright. Nevertheless I still like how it came out.
 
Great work Bailey, I really think the details on this work is well deserve to mention.
Perhaps the Crimson is leaning towards the red too much instead of a pinkish red, but that lays in the eye of the beholder.
We all have a different idea on what is the crimson color, regardless, this is a very nice painted figure and again, great work!
Cheers
 
First let me say you have done a really good job of painting this figure, but... I must agree with Piotrec. The blue is a bit light for a Polish Lancer.The body of the coat and pants is a very dark blue, much like the blue of an Imperial Guard Grenadier.
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The red is a nice solid primary red and I think you pulled that off pretty well IMHO.
As I said, besides the actual tone, the execution of the paintjob is A1
 
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Yeah, I understand the point about the blue on the uniform. That was a conscious choice to lighten the blue a bit so I still got good shadow to highlight contrast when paired with the bright white straps. I was worried that if I went as dark as it is supposed to be you wouldn't see any of the variation. Whether that is a right or wrong decision depends on the beholder. Wrong from a purely historical standpoint but, in my opinion, makes the figure look better. Others artists can handle dark blue better, but I've had trouble with it on previous figures. I've got the 90mm polish lancer from Andrea. When I finally start that I'll see if I can get a good looking dark blue.
 
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Yeah, I understand the point about the blue on the uniform. That was a conscious choice to lighten the blue a bit so I still got good shadow to highlight contrast when paired with the bright white straps. I was worried that if I went as dark as it is supposed to be you wouldn't see any of the variation. Whether that is a right or wrong decision depends on the beholder. Wrong from a purely historical standpoint but, in my opinion, makes the figure look better. Others artists can handle dark blue better, but I've had trouble with it on previous figures. I've got the 90mm polish lancer from Andrea. When I finally start that I'll see if I can get a good looking dark blue.

Bailey, if you allow me a suggestion, I did a figure in dark blue few months ago, and I gave it an overall 'wash" usin Vallejo blue wash or any similar , like citadel nightshade (some sort of blue/black).
Or you could try dark Prussian blue with a dilution of 1 to 15 drops of distilled water and give it a wash, few passes and your figure will have darker uniform especially on the creaces, then re-touch lights with a lighter blue.
Hope it'll help.
regards and keep up the great work!
 
Hope you got that I wasn't trying to be super picky or knock down your work... Like I said, the execution of this paintjob is very good.
As with anything we do here, we are trying to depict something that hasn't been around for 200 years, so when it comes to creating a shade of a colour, we rely on the "best guess" of a researcher and come up with something that pleases us. We do this for our own pleasure and if you have painted this how you pictured it in your head... then be happy with the outcome :D

I look forward to the further progress of this piece

Colin
 
If it helps on future pieces with a very dark blue... I start with a base of (V) Dark Prussian Blue and Black. I bring up highlights (in very small steps) by adding Prussian Blue and Sky Grey... Then just Sky Grey. If the blue needs to be dirty and worn, you can add a touch of English Uniform to the highlight mix.
The shade, I just add Black to the base in 2 or 3 steps. For the deep shadows, under arms, between legs, seams and under belts or equipment, I with a very thin almost pure black. It really makes the definition jump out.
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Seems to have worked for me so far. For what it's worth, I have a hell of a time with medium and bright blues.

Cheers

Colin
 
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