"AB 18mm Habsburg General Staff" Topic

I am currently working through a small selection of Habsburg AB Figures for a commission. I rather enjoyed working on the general staff and have sought to improve my photography skills after comments of poor lighting.

All comments and criticisms welcome. Especially if anyone has ideas on how to paint grey horses.

You can find out more about the project here: link

Perhaps a pale beige or cream colour background to make the figures stand out. White uniforms on white not the best

Very nice! I have to agree that perhaps a little colour to the background would make them pop

Still, very nice!

@dragon6 and @Frederick. Thank you for the advice. Now I reflect on it, white does not constitute a great background. Seeing other painters, especially Rafa "Archiduque", black may be the way to go.

Actually, I think you might find a mid shade such as grey is the better choice. If you use a black background you will have contrast problems, whereas a neutral mid-tone allows a more realistic tonal balance.
Keep up the good work.

I think they photographed very well. The image stands up to magnification very well. another thought is a background photograph, which must be very close to the figures for focussing (as below. AB figures in a scratch built Britzska. I always meant to redo the black trim…….but never did)

In groups of figures the challenge is getting depth of focus, when even the best light is not great. These are small subjects. Aperture closed way down, highest f number you can get, few seconds exposure (so you need a tripod), shutter delay so no shake when you press, maybe raise the ASA/ISO a bit (200 max), lots of lights! Bracketed exposures so chose the best of the three.

I almost prefer the challenge of the photography to the painting. The conversions are top of the list.

very nice deadhead, you are one of a few painters who does a head band and lining of the hat

Thanks.

This was one of my very few excursions into AB 18mm but I simply loved their figures. It was part of a series of carriages I showed here, which I then sent to Julian Mizzi in Sydney, Australia. Lost touch with him since. Is anyone in contact with him?

Every time I see that black/yellow edge I cringe! Plus my eagle does look a bit like Daffy Duck

bear in mind that the photo is very much blown up

von W, I am not your standard, but I can surely paint a better edge than that.

But you are right. The human eye simply does not "see", or rather the brain does not notice, blemishes. Photography does.

So I get away with never painting in eyes on figures. A dark shadow in the eye socket, lighten the zygomatic arch, the nasal dorsum and the tip of the chin….and the brain is programmed to see a face!

Hey Deadhead – I am still alive – just been offline for a spell . Getting back into my Napoleonics though (again) .