Walkerloo March East!
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Четверг, 03.05.2012, 16:28 | Сообщение # 1 |
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| Good day fellow paper soldier lovers,
Thanks for the appreciation of my work on this site. It means a lot to me. Many of you may already know by now my endeavour is neither a hobby nor a business but in fact a real pretend WAR!
At this moment I'm painting like crazy... 12 hours a day, 7 days a week... and I'm very excited because my soldiers are marching into Russia this summer!!. Unlike Napoleon 200 years ago however it's in response to a warm invitation. Any damage and devastation resulting shall be restricted to the sales figures of my sworn enemy - 'movie related mega corporation plastic toys'! GRRRRRRRR.
At the beginning of the year I was approached by an enthusiastic Russian publishing house wondering if I was open to the possibility of them producing my toy soldiers under license for the Russian market (larger print runs and more local production should enable lower prices) - not only that but they wished to commission reinforcements to commemorate the bicentennial of the Great Patriotic War of 1812 and its turning point 'The Battle of Borodino'. When I was drawing up my original plans for Walkerloo, Borodino was always the next subject of my ambition but alone it would not have been possible to achieve it so timely and so soon.
I've now spent three months making good my preparation for a summer offensive in co-operation with my allies but we've still much work to do. For most of the time this work has been in secret but now I can reveal some of the pictures that shall under pin this new army. (apologies: these scans are already out of date certain corrections having been made) But the first force, comprising of the original waterloo pictures approaches completion and shall be in shops and available for floors soon ( all types: wood, carpet or ceramic tile, in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens [advisably not during hot food preparation] although tables are also very acceptable , even the garden when it's not raining... or too windy).
Thanks to all of you who have already helped in my endeavour so far. Particularly Vadim, Dmitry and Alexandre to name but a few.
Paper soldiers advance HURRAH!!!
any objections?
The future
chris.
ps.1 Apologies for my post in English... I hope my pictures translate more immediately.
ps.2 Excellent, I see I am not alone in a Borodino based adventure - I look forward to seeing the Paper Generals Borodino vision!
ps.3 The proportions of my figures do waver with my enthusiasms, i institute no methodic discipline here, sometimes my head gets bigger as the project develops - walkerloo is a self portrait after all. ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythself/7138378511/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythself/7138378571/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythself/6992296216/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythself/6992296394/
Сообщение отредактировал CWalkerloo - Четверг, 03.05.2012, 16:47 |
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полковник | Дата: Четверг, 03.05.2012, 20:59 | Сообщение # 2 |
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| Chris,
Great pictures. Soldiers are looking good. Who do you work on now. I have seen pictures of polish troops and Russian artillery, line infantry and jagers. I really admire you talent and determination ... Even so, I would prefer that soldiers have less cartoonist look and proportions smile Good luck with Borodino smile
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Пятница, 04.05.2012, 00:29 | Сообщение # 3 |
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| Hi полковник
I'm sketching out 'Artillerie à cheval de la ligne' ... French troopers in full dress: fancy Dolman and barrel sashes.
I will regulate the proportions a little digitally across the collection at the end, but the proportions are native to my aesthetic... I always think life measured proportions make effeminate toy soldiers, especially at small scales... and the details get lost... I guess I like the 'growl' of dwarfish figures.
I've had the proportion discussion many times before although it's never an issue with children... and this type of picture is definitely influenced by a childish me and fundamentally for a child other. I would say I keep 'realist' proportions to life model drawing but even here I never use systematic figure division and always enjoy and exaggerate perspective distortion.
Сообщение отредактировал CWalkerloo - Пятница, 04.05.2012, 00:30 |
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полковник | Дата: Пятница, 04.05.2012, 00:42 | Сообщение # 4 |
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| Hello Chris,
'Artillerie à cheval de la ligne' - sounds really exiting I am working now on "Artillerie à Pied de Ligne" but kind of lost focus a bit lately
About proportion - it was my very personal, traditional opinion. I think you have a few good point regarding proportion. I actually like your soldiers very much.
The one thing I would like to ask you about your style - why would you draw thick black line around the edge. From my personal taste - I would prefer white space (if any space at all). What is your take on that?
One more thing - about drawing "back side" of the soldier instead of doing "mirror". Is that efficiency or French paper soldier tradition?
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Сообщение отредактировал полковник - Пятница, 04.05.2012, 00:43 |
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Вторник, 15.05.2012, 19:48 | Сообщение # 5 |
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| Hi,
rergarding the surround... I think at a small scale a black surround works best... I made sample sets of each and thought the surround less intrusive, more integrated as black. But I found the opposite was true at a larger scale... at a larger scale a black surround seemed too heavy and competed with the drawing too much, and so for larger figures i use white and smaller black. My aesthetic opinion... the only one I have!
I think my creative decisions or at least the arguments I construct to defend them , have a plurality. Like evolution, with the exception of extinction through catastrophic failure ... hmmm so here are some reasons I only draw one side of a figure and currently they acheive a suffuceintly strong crossfire so as to keep the one sided argument pinned down for my tastes . I can't remember/decide if any is predominant... perhaps the time one!
1)you only see one side of a paper soldier at any one time. 2)I personally have an ambivalence to right and left... I always forget which side is left and which side is right... it's never very instinctual for me - As a child I always forgot. I would even reverse numbers when i got nervous e.g. writing 01 for 10 etc. (although i never made numeric errors... I was always top of the class at maths even if my numeric system could occaisionally flip the horizontal gravity!) 3)I estimate about 1.5 days per soldier, including research, photos, sketching, painting etc etc... even with a day or two off on long projects. I think that's enough time spent on a toy figure. 4)All my soldiers fight in fact on the same side... the right side!!! You can only turn them against themselves by reflecting them, mirror style. This is my favourite conceit/excuse/reason!
However having said all this if I were to ever make paper soldiers in the other axis, front/back i may consider doing both sides... In humans right/left symmetry is much less critical visually than front back! ... However I've also done sketches of figures with Shields, Romans, Knights ... and I think the shield would work best if it broke out from the main figure plane either diagonally or perpendicularly... If a shield were to work diagonally the figure would work best with a right n left... hmmm but long spears and lances present a whole other problem for paper soldiers. Like the long plumes of the Russian Guard units!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythself/7203602842/ French Horse Artillery http://www.flickr.com/photos/mythself/7203603230/ Carabinier sketches (painting now!)
oh and check out the Meshcheryakov/Walkerloo propaganda movie that is to accompany my march east... I think it's very cool. Nice one Sviatoslav Verpovsky, the film maker, I think he made the whole movie him self!! repect, it's very sharp! (... ...Alas it shows my figures in mirrored auto-conflict but if through this 'exercise' they can achieve strategic proximity to their sworn enemy the Mega Corp Plastic Toys... Like all propaganda, the means will have justified the ends!
Сообщение отредактировал CWalkerloo - Вторник, 15.05.2012, 19:58 |
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полковник | Дата: Среда, 16.05.2012, 21:13 | Сообщение # 6 |
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| Chris, I can see the reasoning behind black outline. But I think it's too thick for 54mm scale. I am actually outlining my soldiers with black ink but in much thinner manner.
The point behind one-sided approach as I understood correctly -> efficiency. I think it's valid point.
This is not really a problem for me I notice that I never completely happy with the publisher. I tend to modify and made my flavor of paper soldiers. It's just reality
Lovely pictures of Horse Artillery Looking forward to see painted Carabiners ...
Propaganda is propaganda - lovely marketing clip
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Среда, 16.05.2012, 22:14 | Сообщение # 7 |
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| полковник, the very thick black line on the PDF sheets is not meant as an exact boundry or edge to the figure, it's simply a forgiving cut zone. I have in fact most of the 54mm sheets with white surround as well... somewhere on my hard-drive... ... as I originally intended to offer both variants on wargame vault but the file size became bloated and I really prefer the black.
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полковник | Дата: Четверг, 17.05.2012, 00:14 | Сообщение # 8 |
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| I see ... I really prefer white Since, I am Master of cutting - no forgiveness But it's hard to argue with the author Добавлено (17.05.2012, 00:14) --------------------------------------------- Chris, changing the subject, what happened with American Civil War soldiers? I saw some pictures. Have you abandon this project?
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Сообщение отредактировал полковник - Четверг, 17.05.2012, 00:01 |
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Магистр | Дата: Пятница, 18.05.2012, 00:26 | Сообщение # 9 |
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| Your proportions - your strength, Chris! Every soldier is unique, each with its own character. This is very cool!
"Гвардия умирает, но не сдаётся!"
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Суббота, 19.05.2012, 13:42 | Сообщение # 10 |
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| The delight in making paper soldiers for me is in making the pictures, when I draw soldiers I play with them in away - Drawing pictures of soldiers has always been play for me. I spend time on each soldier imagining the character and pulling faces as I draw and paint. And each character is based on a photo of me pretending to be a soldier... I used to spend hours pretending to be a soldier with a broom shank in my garden as a boy. I think I've mentioned before this is an important part of my toy soldier making process, see my icon! it's more for practical drawing/painting reference than the imaginative play/performance role it had in childhood... but I embrace it! and enjoy the references to my childhood playing - If i can create 'real world work' out of this performance does this explain the play as valid training for adulthood! - understanding? hmm ... exploring the why through the how helps sustain my justification... without which I'd do something else, paint something else. All of this is why I pretentiously, but truthfully declare walkerloo a self portrait... All of that is what makes the character of my soldiers... although in marathon production sessions like the one I am currently involved with I must remain vigilant against over developed technique killing the character.
полковник whilst painting the brass and copper cuirasses of carabiniers I was thinking about your reduction of my arguments for creating single sided mirror refelected figures... My soldiers aren't very efficent productions. The reasons for any characteristic are multiple. If i thought there would be significant benefit in doing both sides i would force my self to do both sides. I'd make the time http://s20.ucoz.net/sm/24/bash.gif. (wow!! I found the button for more icons to abuse!)
oh and полковник regarding the black surrounds, is it because of excessive use of printer ink? Perhaps I should include figures with white surrounds on my .pdf sheets? Please tell me if there are strong opinions...
Ok back to it... hope to have carabiniers finished early next week. Then I feel I need a german contingent, having already done polish light infantry (I considered doing german skirmishers but thought there green uniforms e.g. Westphalians less iconic and too similar to Russian Jaegers.)
I really think it's going to be the Saxon Garde du corps... ... although I am still pretending to myself Wurtemburg Chevauleger have a chance, Prince Adams Chevauleger... ...
:bash: :bash:
ps. crikey,, sorry each of my entry's turns into a psychiatrist chair event... I'll get my coat....
Сообщение отредактировал CWalkerloo - Суббота, 19.05.2012, 14:02 |
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Магистр | Дата: Воскресенье, 20.05.2012, 23:29 | Сообщение # 11 |
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| Word of the wizard (I admire)!
"Гвардия умирает, но не сдаётся!"
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Вторник, 22.05.2012, 14:33 | Сообщение # 12 |
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| and the Carabiners are finished... lot's of fun to do! Now Russian generals and staff.. ...
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Магистр | Дата: Вторник, 22.05.2012, 14:49 | Сообщение # 13 |
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| Chris, you're not painted Napoleon?
"Гвардия умирает, но не сдаётся!"
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CWalkerloo | Дата: Среда, 30.05.2012, 00:25 | Сообщение # 14 |
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| hmmm... no I decided not to do historical caricatures... although I was very tempted this time with the Marshal Kutusov... ...but perhaps the battle of walkerloo isn't the place.
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полковник | Дата: Среда, 30.05.2012, 00:42 | Сообщение # 15 |
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| Chris, you should read about Kutusov - he was quite a character ... But I would not paint him in Walkerloo style - some of our Russian friends may be upset
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