About this Site

Purpose of this Blog is to become a tool and a place where artist that collect and paint flat figures can find interesting links and news about flats, painting techniques, history and various related articles.English speaking related sites are very few but hopefully this blog will provide the collector and the painter with interesting and valuable information about the Art of the Flat Figure and everything related to it.
During the next days I will post any related info I have collected for a long time about various aspects of Flats. Techniques, photos, links, historic articles, anything that is related. Wherever possible I will including the author of the original article. I apologise if sometimes the author's name is not included. It's not intentional but it is lost through time.

Friday 28 March 2008

The 2007 Painting Project

By Panos Charalampakis

At last, our annual painting project of the British Flat FIgure Society came to an end. Nearly every year, or at least we try to, there is a non competitive choice of one figure of variable subject and scale that is distributed among the interested members of the Society who each of us makes his/her own interpetation of how this figure shoudl be painted.
It's is very interesting comparing the final results since, as many wise painters have said, there are a thousand painting techniques from a thousand artists. Each makes his/her own interpetation, according to his/her likes and preferences, painting style, painitng medium used and so on.
For 2007, a single 30mm figure from the Golbergs was chosen, of a mounted noble lady and a peasant or groom driving the horse taken from a medieval hunting party scene. Sixteen people responded to the call but we hope this number increases next year. So here is the link that will direct you to the proper section in the Society's gallery. Take a moment to observe the different painting schemes from the almost toy soldier-like appearance to the most "sophisticated" heavy shadowed-highlighted painting.

http://www.britishflatfigures.org.uk/gallery/project/gallery-proj.htm

Saturday 23 February 2008

Glorious Empires Battle of Eylau

By Panos Charalampakis

The Battle of Eylau


First Release - First Release - First Release

Glorious Empires presents set nr. 36 : The Battle of Eylau.
One of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic period, with heavy losses on both sides and with no clear winner, it was fought between the French, under Napoleon and the Russians and Prussians under the Russian Bennigsen.
Drama packed with many tense moments, including the artillery duel between 300 French guns and 450 Russian guns, with the famous scene of Colonel Lepic and his Guard Grenadiers (Mignot set) suffering heavily under fire while protecting the Guard Horse artillery.
This set (part 1 of 2) depicts the moment early in the morning of the battle when the artillery duel raged, fought on empty bellies and after a freezing night without fires.
Created after the painting by Benigni it shows General de Brigade Couin, commander of the Artillerie de la Garde presenting his batteries to Napoleon who is accompanied by Marshal Bessières (commander of the Guard), Roustan (his servant) and 2 men from his Chasseur à cheval de la Garde escort, a trumpeter and a trooper carrying the Emperor’s map bag.

It was left to Marshal Ney to sum up. Riding over the fields of Eylau the following morning, Ney said, Quel massacre! Et sans résultat – "What a massacre! And nothing gained."

Created by Glorious Empires, using the best designers and engravers available today, this set is now available, UNPAINTED, for € 24,95. (payment by Paypal, UK cheque or other, email me for options)
To commemorate the “First Release” of this set, Customers who order and pay prior to March 1 will be offered free delivery.
For more information contact Jacques Vullinghs - Glorious Empires

Ad oude Minderbroeders 20
6211 HM - Maastricht
Holland.

http://www.gloriousempires.com/
Having recieved the new GE set today, I must say it really looks great. All figures came without damaged or bent parts with minimum flash that took 10 minutes to clear completely all of them.What is very interesting is that even in the 3/4 depiction of some of them they look good and realistic something that is very tough not to get distortions in detail in such position. Faces and minor uniform and equipment detail is excellent and so is the engraving of the horses. Also, the explosions look very convincing even unpainted. Well done.
A little birdie told me that the next part is finished and soon will be available aslo. From the photo I saw it's of the same quality and a great addition to the first set. I can only imagine what the "diorama bufs" among us will produce using these sets. Looking forward to it.

Friday 25 January 2008

Mignot dismounted General Staff

By Panos Charalampakis

Here is the finished set from Mignot depicting Napoleon and some of his Marshals and Generals with various troops holding their horses. Mignot sets are highly collectable sets since Mignot moulds have been sold to Plassenburg museum of Germany. Quality of the engraving is superb and it definately worths the trouble to find such a set.
All figures have been painted exclusively in oils over a white primer, including the various metal items.


From left to right:
1st row:
Marshal Adolphe Edouard Casimir Joseph Mortier
Mortier's horse held by one of his Guides
Marshal Louis Alexandre Berthier
Chasseurs à Cheval holding Berthier's horse
2nd row:
Marshal Michel Ney
Wuerttemberg Jaeger holding Ney’s horse
General Armand Augustin Louis de CaulaincourtChasseur à Cheval holding Caulincourt's horse
3rd row:
Napoleon Bonaparte
Roustan holding Napoleon’s horse
Marshal Jean Baptiste Bessières
Bessieres' horse held by Polish Lancer
4rth row:
Louis François, Baron Lejeune, ADC to Berthier
Emmanuel Gourgaud, Comte de Las Cases
Chasseur holding Lejeune's and Gourgaud's horses
Marshal Josef Anton Poniatowski
Poniatowski’s Guide holding his horse
5th row:
Marshal Joachim Murat
Murat's horse held by a Neapolitan Hussar
Prince Eugene
Italian Honour Guard holding Eugene's horse