"Is It Monotonous Painting Napoleonics?" Topic

Do you find that it is drudgery painting figure after figure of the same old blue coated French or white coated Austrians, etc? What do you do to break up the monotony of painting large Napoleonic armies.

Everything in large amounts can get tiresome. So whether it is 600 Austrians, 600 French or 600 Romans it can get old.

The nice thing about them is that they are uniformed and there isn't the thinking involved that there is in more random troops types, like Greeks.

When I did my Austrians I did batches of 50 figures. I'd do two batches of line, then one of Grenzers.

I alternate.

I do one or two Line unit, then reward myself with a General or a rare unit (Grenzers, Light Infantry, Hussars etc.) Then back to line duty.

I prefer painting one unit = one regiment as it allows me more diversity (each Austrian line has different facings, each french drummer is different), and it gives more personnality to my units.

I also try to add colours to my drummers and tend to add regimental variations.

I vary my Line units; some of my Austrians will be in shako, some in helmet. Some of french in full dress, others not.

But all in all, since I started this era, I've been pleasantly surprised how not monotonous painting a Napoleonic army is: so many troops types, so many generals, so many possible dioramas, I just can't really get bored.

Since I started painting armies, it's the first time I do not become bored by a period. A matter of taste more than anything else, I would guess.

I need an event to put some pressure on and get me moving. I'm on schedule to have everything ready for the 200th of the Danube campaign.

When I have an upcoming game scheduled that can or will use the units, then I paint with a purpose. That always helps. So, to some degree it is difficult work, particularly once all of the research and analysis is done. But the desire to have the troops on the table always helps. So this seems obvious -- but line up units to paint with enough time before the game where you can use them. Put on some good music (soundtrack to "Patton"). Paint when it is raining. But that is the best I've got on the subject.

God no!

I think the thing is to use your imagination: mix in overcoats, bare heads, bonnets de police, slightly different colored coats, leggings, etc.

Scrowl down for some genuine looking Austrians, all showing rather authentic aspects early 19th century hygiene and dying techniques.

link

(Also, Alte Fritz: have been trying to reach about your Jacobites… how was such a dead-flat achieved with Dullcoat?)

I'm about three quarters finished 50 figures of Austrian line. I was thinking of doing up some generals or Hussars to break up the white. However once you get into a grove painting figures, sometimes it's better to stick with the one type.

For the French:

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The 1st thousand French line infantry are the hard part. After that, you are too brain-dead to care.

I find it tedious, which is not the same thing as monotonous.

I wish it was more like 18th century uniforms, which are much cleaner and easier to paint (and look better.) Napoleonic uniforms have a million overlapping straps, packs ,and various doo-dads hanging off everywhere, and sculptors are obligated to sculpt them all… which means I have to paint them all.

charles has the right of it i think. paint up some line regiments then break with a cav rgt , artillery. or generals. then back to the salt mines.

Hey, compared to doing Templars, Nappies are positively fascinating! Of course, there are all those ugly little guns. I much prefer a good lance or sword. Something errotic about sharp weapons. Guns are, well, blah. My fav part of finishing a mini is always the spear or sword, etc. A nice little swipe of lighter shade metalic as a drybrush accent, across the helmet, mail links and weapon edges, done! Templars have the added advantage of not being seen in legions by the thousands. Nappie fans are the maddest hatters in the hobby.

I once knew a guy who put on Waterloo in 25mm at something like quarter size, on a table easily 15 feet to a side: it was a demo, not a game. Impressive to say the least, but he had to be utterly insane after painting literally a score of thousands of those UNIFORMS!

For some reason I find it much harder to paint units where a lot of individualism is required. I really zone out when I'm painting and whatever music I'm listening to usually takes over much of my conscious thought. Lots of more or less identical uniforms is great because I just cruise along.

Does scale factor in? I think most of you mean 28mm (those Steven Dean French are just awesome!) Are 15mm or smaller any "easier" or faster to paint? Just wondering – I'm thinking of doing some 28mm skirmish (basically so I don't have to commit to a lot of painting right off the bat). BTW, I love the Napoleonic period, but have neglected it too long. v/r, Dean

I usually have a cavalry unit, infantry unit and maybe an artillery unit on the go as well as a few LOTR figures. It all takes a bit longer but it certainly isn't monotonous. In the past I've done large amounts at the same time and tend to miss bits like sword belts or canteens.

I've been finding it tedious. Too many little details, straps, plumes, facings, etc. The excessive detail work is a pain to do, and I've been finding that I have to do small batches or I'd give it up.

6mm is the way to go…..I've just got into this fascinating and complex period and am enjoying painting my baccus 6mm British army. There is enough detail but none of the complex lace to paint.

I can easily finish 2 battalions (48 figs + some skirmishers) from start to completion in a day.

Mind you I do use Charles system, I paint 2 battalions then paint something totally different (WWII stukas next on the list), then back to some Napoleonics and so on.

You could set yourself a target of getting x amount of colours on each figure a day. I find when my motivation starts to slip I switch to this method so instead of trying to paint them quickly I just try and get 2 or 3 colours on them a day and slow down a bit.

MH
:-)

I'm painting 6mm French and Austrians. Both are a bit tedious, so I have to stop once in a while and paint some light cavalry or generals for a bit of variety.

The good thing with 6mm is that you can paint a division a week so you feel you are getting somewhere ;-)

I'm with Pictors. 600 of anything is boring and tedious. So I have stopped painting armies at all. I paint a few units here and there and send out to services for army production. I send a painted sample and am very happy with the results.

But the King of the Island of Tedious Toys has to be more modern stuff. I mean I did 600 WW2 Soviets in 15mm. Not only are they tedious, but the end result is boring to look at. The uniforms are designed to blend in so all that work just feels wasted.

Mark "Extra Crispy" Severin
Owner, Scale Creep Miniatures
scalecreep.com

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I tend to paint a lot since I work largely from home and the only way I can get armies done is to have 3 or 4 different type of things to paint in different scales at the same time. For instance, I have Warmaster Empire 10mm figs, 6mm Baccus SYW Cavalry, some 40K Chaos Figs, and some 15mm FOW units. With that many different types of things, I find I don't get overly bored with any of the painting.

Hope this helps.

Erik

The bulk of the French I've done are in overcoats – that's helped a treat.

The French are worse than many armies as they have so much piping everywhere: cuffs, collar, turnbacks, pockets. That's a pain as it almost always requires some touching up. I have full Dress and Campaign Dress out there somehere that I am dreading to start. I need to catch up on the Russians first. Yeah, that's it, I'll do Russians …

Flashy: I agree with you about the French. I hate to paint all of that piping, but the French look very nice when they are finished.

Austinjacobite: I just use Testors Dullcoat off the rack and it has been giving me the same flat finish for over 20 years.

Sam: I agree with you about the frustration of having to paint all of that extra equipment on the figures. That is why I'd like to see more figure lightly equipped (w/o dead rabbits, pots and pans, etc hanging off the back pack).

I get really bored sometimes working my way through my 28mm French lead pile
I find it helps to have a break…. by working through my 15mm French lead pile

I'm another alternator. Doing two forces at once obviously doubles the size of the project, but gives more things to switch between. That being said, I am getting fed up of painting dark blue…

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Well done Midpoint – that's a force to be proud of!

I really like your collection Midpoint; I like those Foundrys.

Question : No flags?