Friday, June 5, 2009

Alexander the Great

My Macedonian army is taking shape, so I took some time away from the rank and file to paint the commander.  And who should command the Macedonians but Alexander?


The figure is Foundry, part of a mixed set of Macedonian cavalry I bought on eBay.  I used the famous Pompeii mosaic as my source for colors.  I doubt the authenticity of that very common source, preferring to paint my Macedonians in more utilitarian colors, but I wanted Alexander to stand out.  Anyway, this figure's sculptor clearly used the Pompeii mosiac as his source, so in the spirit of the figure I went along.



I used three tone shading on Alexander's cloak, tunic, and flesh.  And I hit the horse with three tones as well.  I wanted this figure to pop, so I went a little lighter than usual with the highest tone.


None of the eBay horses had the animal skin usually seen on Alexander's mount, so I had to paint a common saddle blanket.  I went through three more elaborate designs before settling on this simple pattern.  The saddle blankets kept overwhelming the figure.

Now that the Macedonians have a leader, I'll start on the companion cavalry.  This army has been a long time taking shape, partly because I keep taking commissions, but I hope to have it done by mid summer.


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