Incorporated Militia - 1812

[Coyote]

This will be a little departure from the painting commonly seen on Chest of Colors. A little disclaimer before we begin: These are not showcase miniatures, they are wargames miniatures. I have to paint around 600 of these buggers for my current project. That said, it's no excuse to paint like crap. I'm a big supporter of well painted wargames miniatures and think there's always room for appearance.

If you want to give feedback, and I welcome it, remember that I must avoid techniques that add too much time or too many steps. However, ideas on placement of highlights and whether the last highlight needs to be stronger, or there's too much of a jump from one shade to the next, is very useful as that's sometime that I can do without increasing how long it takes to paint each miniature.

Here's a quick look at the steps I take:

1. I start with a base coat. This is my mid colour.
2. A glaze/wash is created using Fluid Matte Medium, Flow-Aid Water, Slow-Dri and paint. So far it's been a tinting colour rather than a darkened version of the base. I will experiment with a darkened version of the base in my next batch. I fould the Slow-Dri to be essential, as much as I didn't want the glaze to dry slower, it tended not to stain the raised areas when I used it. I got back and try to pull any puddles out of the raised areas. This becomes my shade.
3. The first highlight is just the mid colour again. I paint it on like a highlight hitting any surfaces facing towards the light.
4. The second highlight is the mid colour usually lightened with white. I choose white because I generally want items to look washed out and drab. I reserve this for upwards facing edges although one of my biggest challenge is to not over-use it.

Click to see full-sized image
Here is the base I'm planning. The box contains 52 miniatures. Victrix British Peninsular Center Company, 28mm multi-part hard plastic. I am basing them 8 to a 60x60mm base. I am painting in batches of six, because I find it most efficient.

Click to see full-sized image
This is after a couple painting sessions, maybe three hours in. There are six being painted all together, but I cropped to three to better show detail. I've finished the flesh, red of the jackets, and the grey pants. Grey pants were last and it was only when I'd painted three did I discover the positive improvement Slow-Dri made.

Paints are Vallejo Model Colour, mediums by Liquitex.

[mahon]

When you paint 200-300 of them, I will tell you these are some of the best 200-300s miniatures painted I've seen. When you reach 600 keeping this quality, I will be not only impressed but also amazed!

Why? Because I think of units in different categories than single miniatures. And armies - in different categories than units. Each of them is treated like a whole thing, and I like the whole thing to look coherent, interesting, themed. But its elements must be well painted too, with attention to detail.
The difference is what is an element and detail - for a single model the elements may be: clothes, weapons, face, etc. Details are like eyes, facial expression, freehand symbols, etc.
For units - the elements are single models, and for armies - the units are their elements. And here you're lacking sufficient detailing for single miniatures (for now), but for units these models would be pretty decent (except for what is still unpainted), and a whole army painted to this standard is a very nice army.

Finish them, paint these remaining 597 to the standard, and call me shocked...

[arctica]

This is going to be a good thread i know how difficult it is to paint an army and mine compared to this was nothing really. Good luck and it's a good start.

[Coyote]

Click to see full-sized image
It's always a little disheartening when you move from the large areas to the smaller stuff that seems to take forever. The crossbelts have the basecoat and wash, waiting for a couple of highlights. After that I'll decide whether they need further blacklining to stand out.

Another couple of nights and they'll be done.

[Nameless]

all 600?

[Coyote]

Man, I wish.

In the cold light of morning I can't help but notice that the contrast is very poor between shade and highlight. Partly this is due to the photograph, but looking at the figure in person it just doesn't pop enough.
When I'm painting an army I never go back to repair issues with miniatures being painted and often have trouble seeing when I'm not getting the contrast I want. I'll be fixing this on the next batch of six.

[mahon]

I'd pull it up to white. COntrast always looks good, and is a must if you want your minis to look good from longer distances...

[Coyote]

I don't know if I can pull it up that high. We're talking just four steps from darkest to lightest. I'm afraid white would be too harsh of a transition.

[Slawol]

600?

Heh... Good luck!

[mahon]

Sometimes I wonder if a harsh transition is necessarily a bad thing. When you have a whole unit (or even better: army) painted in such a bold and contrasted way it may really look cool.
Just thinking aloud...