"Are shields the most important part of a paintjob ?" Topic

Hi guys

I mainly paint ancients in 15mm and more & more lately, I am coming to the conclusion that I should spend less time of the man and more time on the shield ( at least for infantry). When the figures are based on WRG style bases, it is common that you can see little of the figure (from the front) and see mostly shields. This seems especially true for close order infantry with smaller gaps between men and bigger shields, such as legions or hoplites. There are also some armies where you might use fairly plain colours for clothing but can run amok on shield patterns & colours. I have some Gauls dressed in just brown trousers , but have very colourful and intricate shields. Obviously, this depends on what army you are painting, but it seems to be what stands out from the other side of the battlefield.

What say you ?

Phil

Usually I am looking at the back of my own troops so I like them to look good as well. Don't compromise… good 360 degree paintjobs!!!!!

For most periods I find hats are the most important thing, but for shield/pointy stick type periods then shields come second.

Phil,

Leidang gets the nod from me; a good paint job fore and aft is important. However, there are armies that look better with a good shield pattern.

I have twelve elements of Roman Auxilia done but lack the designs. I must buy new brushes as my two best are now spent having done shields for other Roman, Arabo-Aramean, Pre-Islamic and Armenian armies.

I have an Early German army arriving soon. These will have some characteristics of the Harii; black shields and painted bodies. This will be fun.

Cheers,
Robert

I think the eye is drawn to faces, shields and bases so that's what I tend to take my time on.

however a neat paint job is also key

I would tend to agree with you Phil, I'm painting early Germanics right now and the shields seem to make the figures.

Basing. Basing is most important. Get that right and a lot of errors get ignored.

Shields and basing on 15s. On 28s you have to do more, but still the shields can really make the figures.

On some 6s all you do is shield hat and face (in front) and en masse they still look teriffic.

I paint the knuckles on the hands that hold the shields, I expect you all to do the same!

How embarrassing would it be if a sheild fell off…..exposing….Arrgh!

Faces. When I look at someone's work, I usually look at the face first. When I paint a figure, finishing the face seems to add a ton of character. Shields are right up there though.

I spend almost as much time painting the shield as I do the rest of the figure, so I think it's a mighty important component. Some shields are so big it's just about all one can see from the front.

Having said that, I agree with other posters about good basing. It's still one of those things I struggle to find something I'm happy with.

15mm Essex Campanians awaiting basing.

While I do put a bit of effort into the shields I also like them to have a good looking rear as well :)

What is wrong with those hoplites? Don't they realize there is a naked giant (unpainted) and monstrous dragon behind them?

They do not have a LOS to them.

They saw the giant and then turned 90deg, he must be friendly.

Someone once told me to only spend time on their hats as 75% of the time that's all you see. Wrong, of course, but there is something in what he said.

My advice. Paint as well as you can, as fast as you can, because things always look best in the mass.

The mass

and up a little closer

everything merits attention, of course – I always consider basing to be part of the paint job, and good basing is paramount … so basing, shields and banners, perhaps …

Phil
Ancients on the Move

Hello all,
I asked this in another post but never got an answer. I will rephrase it here:
Any recommendations on transfers for Blue Moon/OG 15/18mm Roman shields?
Thanks!
Mike

TMP link