Hello,
I finally had the time and inclination to paint something again. Since I've been studying the Bavarian Landwehr, it naturally had to be a figure that fits the theme.
The resulting figure is a lieutenant in the Munich Landwehr (Fusiliers) from 1851. It was based on a drawing by Johann Baptist Pfeiffer.
Best regards,
Andreas
Hello,
Today I'm showing you my first Bavarian Hartschier. The idea came from Jean-Benoît Pfeiffer, who showed me three beautifully painted Hartschiere from the time of Ludwig II a few days ago. However, I didn't want to simply copy his work; instead, I used it as an opportunity to figuratively depict the history of the uniforms of this Bavarian Guard.
My first figure shows a "Hatschieren" in the uniform introduced by decree of September 7, 1701. I used an engraving by Anton Hoffmann as the basis for my figure. This rider's "rothe Mantel" (red overcoat) is particularly notable: a "scarlet cloth coat, lined with red, with three silver-covered buttons below the collar for closure and three one-and-a-quarter-inch-wide silver loops on each side as buttonhole edging."
This red overcoat was only available to the Hartschier Guard, so I think it's worth depicting.
Until 1701, the Hartschier Guard rode "large bays." According to an order dated September 7, 1701, only "grey" horses were to be ridden. So I finally painted my very first horse and tried to depict a grey one.
The next Hartschier Guard figures are already being planned. 😉
Best regards,
Andreas
1er régiment de grenadiers à pied de la Garde impériale, 1815
Hello,
Today I would like to introduce you to my new project of self-painted soldiers. I plan to make 25 figures and have now finished the first batch of them. The figures show the French 1st Guard Grenadiers in the uniform from the 1815 campaign. I used the color plates by Bernard Coppens and Alexis Cabaret as a template. I also drew some details myself. If you are bothered by my gray-haired sergent, you are of course right. I am of course familiar with Paul Dawson's scientific analysis of the conscription documents, and I know that the sergents were all very young because all the older ones were promoted to officers. But I wanted to convey a little bit of the myth that Maudiut and other veterans of the time created. It will take me a while until all the figures are finished, but then of course I will show the whole troop here.
Best wishes,
Andreas
My very first self-painted paper soldiers
Hello,
today I would like to show you my very first self-painted paper soldiers. At the beginning of January I was in contact with Jean-Benoît Pfeiffer via Facebook, and when he explained to me how he makes his wonderful figures, I didn't want to wait any longer and created the first template and started gluing, cutting and painting.
These were my "test pieces" so to speak. Unfortunately, I didn't pay too much attention to research on the figures, so the piping that was supposed to run in the middle of the chest now runs much too far to the side. I also thought it would look particularly good if I outlined all the details with thin black lines. I did that with acrylic paint, but it was incredibly slow. So I tried out different things and finally found a bottle of black ink. That worked much better - although the ink was a bit shiny after it dried. So I wanted to seal the figures with a layer of matt varnish. That's where the strange shine and the spots that you see in the photos (especially in the dark blue) come from. All in all, more and more things came together that made me unhappy with it. For example, my buttons were still very uneven, etc. So at some point I decided to end this "series" instead of painting figures that I had far too many complaints about from the start.
So those were my first works from the beginning of January 2025. Only a few weeks have passed since then, but I think I've changed my style since then. And these test figures were of great importance for that - even if five of the ten were never finished. At least I learned a few things that I won't do in the future!
Best wishes,
Andreas
Family history - my great-great-grandfather Hans
Hello,
today I would like to show you another hand-painted soldier. It was one of the first ideas I had when I started painting paper soldiers at the beginning of January. I am doing some family tree research and have been able to collect a few photos. Among them is a whole series of "soldier photos" from the period 1890 to 2010. And it is precisely these soldiers from the family that I would like to depict little by little - a military family tree of my family with paper soldiers.
I will start here with my great-great-grandfather Hans. He lived from 1870 to 1938 and is currently the oldest member whose military career I know. He was a soldier for the first time (as a conscript) from 1890 to 1892 in the Royal Bavarian 1st Jäger Battalion "König".
There is also a picture of him from this time. This was originally colored, which at that time meant nothing more than painting over the black and white photo with colors - usually only the head and hands (if visible) remained exposed. Unfortunately, I only have a copy of a copy of this picture. The original picture must have been badly damaged.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only time my great-great-grandfather had to wear a uniform. Firstly, he probably completed another military exercise in the same unit in 1906, and secondly, he was called up again in 1915. I also have some photos and his military records from this time, so there will be another figure for this at some point.
Best wishes,
Andreas
Voltigeurs - 5e régiment d'infanterie de ligne
Hello,
Today I would like to show you two more hand-painted paper soldiers. These are also voltigeurs, only this time from the 5th French Line Infantry Regiment. Since I really like these colorful uniforms, I painted a whole series of voltigeurs from different regiments. One of my soldiers is a caporal.
The basics for the figures were based on graphics by André Jouineau, which I modified to suit my needs.
The historical model for the uniform was a picture by Bucquoy (at least I think it was by him). His voltigeur is dated 1811. The special thing is the completely yellow and red colors. In addition to the yellow collar with red piping, the cuff patches are also yellow. A detail that you really don't find very often. The epaulettes are also yellow with red crescents. The shako bears the special eagle shield of the regiment from 1810, which was apparently used in parallel with the diamond-shaped badges of 1810. There is also a white cord attached to the shako. The pompom is yellow, just like the feather. The tip of the feather is red.
Best regards,
Andreas
Voltigeurs - 111e régiment d'infanterie de ligne
I would like to show you two hand-painted soldiers. They are voltigeurs of the 111th French Line Infantry.
I have not found a historical description of the uniform of the 111th. However, I have found a representation by Alexis Cabaret, who created it as a graphic. And since other representations of him of other regiments that I was able to compare with historical sketches or descriptions matched very closely, I trust his representation here.
His voltigeur is dated 1809. He wears the standard infantry uniform, the yellow collar of the voltigeur company (with red trim), and yellow epaulettes with green crescents.
His shako has a yellow upper edge, the shako cords are also yellow, and he wears a diamond-shaped shako plate.
I painted the 1810 model shako plate with the large stamped numbers. It would have been better to show the 1806 model. If I come back to this regiment and paint more Voltigeurs, I will do the older model for future figures.
The feather on the shako is green with a yellow tip. The pompom, on the other hand, is yellow.
Best regards,
Andreas
Hello, Today I'm introducing a completely different topic. Just for fun, I tried creating some figures using AI. Ultimately, it was qui...
