They are a slightly different style from my 'peg doll' soldier as they are made from prefabricated wooden components especially made for wooden toy projects...
This is really inspiring me as I love the stylised and simplified look of these. His soldiers are bigger than my peg soldier so there is more room to paint a more expressive face. He also makes little arms and feet which adds to the charm for the models.
Making arms is something I've been considering for my next test. while painting on features like arms makes my modeller simpler to build it does have it's drawbacks. For example, you are a little restricted on the kind of poses you make because the painted on arms have to be depicted firmly at the side or against the body. Poses like 'at ease' is easy, but holding a gun in a firing position isn't really doable. So maybe simple little stick arms is the way to go (these also make painting easier).
Dale also has a real knack for doing great hats, as this Napoleonic Spanish infantryman illustrates...
The hat, arms and feet really give this little fellow a lot of character, but at the same time still keep things simple. However, they also show that you can do a passable historic uniform without including a lot of three dimensional ornamentation.
Do take a look at Dale's blog - there's lots of different types of gaming pieces on display (I especially liked his trees)!
Thanks for the plug. Although all of the examples you show are mine, I share the blog with Matt, who also does some excellent work. His Anglo-Saxons, Normans, and fantasy figures are great.
ReplyDeleteI am writing a post pointing people to your work too. Thanks again!