Wow, and now I can't wait to see more.

Malc

Nice looking vignette mate, you know my view on tighter composition but it’s a personal thing. Next time I see you will have to chat scale 75 over Jo Sonja acrylics, will look to invest when funds permit and some oils. Your figures and especially skin tones are looking fantastic. Have fun at SMW and see you on the other side.

Hi Nigel,
I'm scared by horror vacui too and always try to keep the elements of the scene close together.
Nevertheless your figures are so evocatory.
Well done!

Trust Telford has gone well for you Nigel.
Really neat seeing how this project is progressing step by step.
Pleased to hear you’ve got value from my book, keep the experiments coming.
MikeTheKiwi

Well, I'm back from Scale ModelWorld which was fantastic, almost back to its pre-Covid levels of activity and really enjoyable. Inspired by what I saw as always, so I will be back on this later in the week.

I hear what you are both saying, but my inspiration here was Georges Leroux's painting "L'enfer" (Hell) in which the figures are lost in a hellscape. So my goal here is to make the shellhole and the mud the centrepiece of the vignette rather than the figures. We'll see how (and if) that works out......

Yep, even more evocatory! those chopped trunks emerging from mud like giant hands crying for help!

OK, I've recovered from Scale ModelWorld which was amazing, and have been working on the French officer figure for several days. Here's some quick photos of where he is at:





The uniform is painted with the AK Interactive French uniforms set and the leather is done with a set of Citadel paints recommended at a local Warhammer shop. I think they worked well, I like the natural sheen the paints give.

Just need to do his helmet and boots, and then muddy him all up!

This is looking great, Nigel, love it!

looking good. It's definitely worth experimenting with paints.

Malc

He looks great Nigel, the leather reciepe certainly worked and the uniform colour is very good. How much of him will be underwater?

Cheers Simon

You have a very, very good brush, Nigel!
Waiting for the next wip.

Thanks very much Steve, Malc, Simon and Eppi. I'm learning all the time and making progress.

Probably just his rear foot. The German casualty will be about half in the water, the French guys will be on the other side getting ready to move to the next shellhole. They will largely be out of the water, but I won't know for sure until I start pouring the resin. Which is always a worrying time!

Looking great Nigel, and I am really looking forward to the water...

Looking great mate, lovely work with the Leather and uniform. Are you doing his Adrian helmet a little darker blue?

Me too. Or possibly not. It's the make or break. When I put my stuff out at shows, it's the diorama with water filled shell holes that attracts the most attention. People seem fascinated by the representation of water in miniature and of course it's so evocative of WWI. But as you pour the resin that's when you find the little holes in the groundwork you haven't sealed up properly, and then the resin can attack the polystyrene..... (ask me how I know...).

Thanks Marcus. Yup, I'm doing the helmet a different shade (darker blue/grey) and I'm also using Vallejo colours so the helmet has a bit of a sheen compared to the cloth of the uniform.

OK, both the French figures are finished. The second one didn't turn out quite as nice as the officer IMO but both figures will be heavily weathered so I'm not going to obsess over getting them exactly how I want. The vignette is more important than the individual figures.





Now it's on to weathering, which is always a challenge. I've been revising by seeing how Bill Horan and Danilo Cartacci approach it, so wish me luck........

These guys are looking great, the leatherwork is exceptional.
good luck with the weathering.

Malc

They both look great, I suppose in this game we are our own worst critics. I know Bill H incorporates his weathering into the main paint job, or at least he used to according to his book. Looking forward to seeing them suitably muddied, so good look.

Cheers Simon

Thanks Malc, I am really liking the way the new Citadel paint selection I bought is working for leather.

Thanks Simon, you are right, I have spent the last week peering at one figure through an optivisor so I know every little brushmark and splooge, so it's hard to step back sometimes and be objective about it.

I'm going to start the weathering with the Bill H approach by mixing some earth tones into the uniform colours. Fingers crossed......