As regular viewers know, I've been working on the northeast part of the Waterloo battlefield in recent months. During the Christmas period I had the chance to place the buildings onto the diorama and work on the scenery.
The buildings are made by my father. Where they exist today, the models are based on extant structures, but much research has been done into Belgian building types of the 1815 period. The modern buildings have been tidied up and look quite clinical but at least convey some sense of the close country.
This is a work in progress and there is much snagging to resolve, including the hiding of glue, the tidying up of scenery and lack of water in the Lasne Brook (really a ditch), before the figures get placed in what will be a three way battle between Durutte's French division of D'Erlon's Corps, the Nassau contingent and Prussians.
Here are some images:
An overview of the three sections. I am also working on trees for the Frischermont wood which joins the chateau to Smohain village.
I've experimented with out door and indoor shots using natural and artificial light. The camera is cruel and I'm not yet satisfied with the results, but it is getting there. I should add that Papelotte is also complete but I didn't have time to add it to the scene, but it would have sat just West of La Haye.
Together, the four complexes of Papelotte, La Haye, Smohain and Frischermont sat within complex undulating terrain with woods and the Lasne Brook. Given that the French sought to capture and hold it with just one Division, its no wonder they failed when a whole Corps was thrown at Hougoumont with no greater result.
returns to Flintloque to paint an Ogre.
