Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Baggage and pack horses


A selection of baggage elements has been on my to do list for quite some time as they are very useful for a variety of skirmish scenario's and scene fillers for larger games plus I really like the "extras" that various manufacturer's make as they add life and character to games.



This set is from Gripping Beast and was fun to do albeit time consuming. The reason is mainly the wood which I paint individually and construes a large portion of the miniatures, but I feel it's worth it as I prefer the controlled effect rather then a quicker dry brush for example. The horse sculpts were also a bit different then I'm used to as they had hair modeled on the coat so it took a slightly different approach to get the look I generally like.


Since the baggage carts and pack horses can be used for multiple periods I decided to base the peasants individually so they could be traded out for other handlers when needed.


The peasants were painted in a pretty low key color scheme as they didn't looked to be wealthy, but I wouldn't say they were dirt poor so I did add a little bit of color.


Well I'm really having fun with Dark Age figures right now, but I do have some terrain that is demanding attention. I vastly prefer painting figures, but terrain is very important so hopefully I can get some done!


I've been looking into getting a new camera recently as I want to expand my photography portfolio beyond the photobox. It's an area I need to do some work on and learn some new techniques. The camera I have is quite old and does a good job with close shots under good lighting conditions, but suffers when trying to do large shots like gaming tables, army presentation pictures and is very poor in low light or uneven light situations. I still haven't decided what camera to get yet as the selection is huge, but I think I'm leaning towards one with interchangeable lens capability, but with that generally comes a price increase and is a bit less easy to use then an all purpose camera.


Thanks for viewing!
Miniature Company- Gripping Beast

54 comments :

  1. Ridiculously well painted once again, Chris!!!

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  2. Your woodwork jumps off the page! Brilliant painting AND photography!

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  3. These are absolutely tremendous Christopher, wonderful work Sir. Would you be kind enough to share your wood 'recipe'?

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    1. I will second the request, but extend it to the paint mixes used on the peasants, too!

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    2. Thank you kindly Micheal! The wood is Vallejo Chocolate Brown, Beige Brown, Beige Brown/White.

      Christopher

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    3. Robert I used Foundry triad colors for the peasants to include Terracotta, Spearshaft, Sand, Bay Brown, and Moss.

      Christopher

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    4. Thank you Christopher, that is very kind of you, I will certainly be giving that a go.

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    5. Cheers Micheal glad to be of help.

      Christopher

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  4. What camera are you using?

    I generally use my Samsung Galaxy's internal camera, but still remain u satisfied, even with my shiny photobox.

    Thoughts?

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    1. I'm using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100. However, like I said I'm looking to upgrade to interchangeable lens camera.

      I recommend getting a camera that gives you more control over your white balance is crucial and I'm not sure what your phone offers.

      Christopher

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  5. Classwork! I really like these figures giving a gaming table, a special mood. Thank you for sharing 8)

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    1. Please tell me what colors you paint used for painting wooden parts carts?

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    2. Sure, I used Vallejo Chocolate Brown, Beige Brown, Beige Brown/White.

      Christopher

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    3. Many thanks. Vallejo is exactly what I paint, I'll try and be sure to share with you the result of 8)

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  6. Grand effort. Your wood effect looks very realistic.

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  7. Excellent brushwork and basing Christopher!

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  8. Beautiful cart and pack horses!

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  9. Superb additions to the collection :)

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  10. Absolutely outstanding painting and photography as well! I know you've spent quite some time on these but the result certainly was well worth the effort. What colours did you use for the wood? Will certainly have a closer look next time I come over.

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    1. Thank you very much Nick! The wood is Vallejo Chocolate Brown, Beige Brown, Beige Brown/White.

      Christopher

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    2. Thanks Chris! Will give this a try next time I do weathered wood.

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    3. My pleasure. Also Vallejo has "old wood" which also gives a real nice dried out effect as well.

      Christopher

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  11. Hello Christopher,

    Excellent paintjob !!! I like the bases too !!!

    Nikko

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  12. Awesome detail brushing Christopher! The figures look stunning along with great looking flocking of the bases....Marvelous work!

    cheers

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    1. Thank you very much Phil I appreciate the kind words!

      Christopher

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  13. You just locked up my vote for best baggage train. Lovely work as always Christopher!

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  14. Nice, nice, nice, and very good work
    Colors, characters and theme.

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  15. I do like this kind of unit, and you did an awesome job on them, congrats!

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  16. Lovely work Christopher! I love these place-in-life figures. I think some of those might work well for late medieval Peasants Wars... Hmm...

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    1. Thank you very much Curt! Yes, I think you could use them for late medieval without to much difficulty.

      Christopher

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