From KerryT: Italian Wars Gendarmes (165 points & 1 squirrel)

 Morning, afternoon & evening all

I hadn't expected to be posting anything this week as we were meant to be off to the beach to stay. Unfortunately the place where we were meant to be staying is still inaccessible after the cyclone and we had to cancel. I admired the optimism of the agent who was hoping we'd still get there - this little Bach (holiday home/rental) is right on the beachfront and a gentle 20 metre walk from the sea - we stayed there last year -its a bit more difficult now with sand obviously having been washed away - she said "I've put down a ladder so you can access the beach easily!"

Its my birthday today and I decided to still have my week off but we'll visit the local beach later and go out for lunch. Before I go I'll have to finish some basing and take some pictures though.

This is later!

Once more I've painted up a female figure so I can hitch a ride from Lady Sarah and plan on visiting the Arthouse studio my 3rd Blue studio

My ride is courtesy of Lady Diana Mosley a ferocious looking woman from Footsore's VBCW range

God I can't paint feminine faces, she looks like she's got a 'tash!

I'm going to suggest I can claim the Arthouse bonus with these French Gendarmes from the Wargames Foundry Italian Wars range. 

(Studio Quote -From miniatures created out of bottle-tops, to hair-roller armies. Everything artistic is welcome here - whether the art is visual, or just a pose. Want to paint a miniature in just pink paint? Obsessed with Carroburg Crimson ink? This is the Studio for you! Welcome to the location for the quirky, arty and the downright strange. )

They may not be all in pink but like all Gendarmes they are self important, certainly a bit gaudy and arty-farty I think and there's another thing -another arty farty word - "avante-garde"

I hadn't intended to group the colours together when basing

Why are they avante-garde? Why early camouflage of course. Despite being bright and colourful they could still remain hidden and jump out in ambush

I can unequivocally reinforce this claim by proving evidence of early camouflage techniques. Where do you think German WWII Pea-dot camouflage designs originated? I take it you've all head of Leonardo de Vinci, Michelangelo , Raphael and Botticelli....

Well I tell you it was in the Renaissance era and the pioneering work of Leonardo de Jardiniere (otherwise known as Bayleaf the Gardner)

I'm showing my age now

Here is evidence of early Renaissance camouflage  that allowed these elite horsemen to stay hidden in shrubberies

Pete's flag is a dead give away though, they need to roll that up when trying to hide

Now shut your eyes, block out the flag in your mind and open them again and hey presto ...

Where are they? Bet you can't see them now, see what I mean😀

Seriously though, I found these figures quite hard work to complete in the end and have only managed to complete 12 of the remaining 21 that I have. I do wonder if the multicoloured spiraled lances so beloved of wargamers were ever used in the field of battle as opposed to plain wooden lances. Painting those in a single colour or base wood would have saved a lot of time

One would expect these to be single one off weapons that would splinter in in the charge,. Still I suppose there seems to be a plethora of painters in this era and they couldn't all have been employed painting ceilings!

Talking of camouflage this is my final entry, these are my15mm WWII desert armies..... 

That Cammo is just so realistic

... and also my WWII Allied Normandy Armada 

Look at that fleet, more ships than Ken has painted and the Cammo is sublime

As you might be able to see if you squint really hard there are farsands of them but the cammo is so good you're going to have to take my word for it. So that will be another few thousand points please in addition to...

Lady Diana Mosley and Lady Sarah's Limousine - 25 points

12 Mounted Italian Wars French Gendarmes - 120 points for a total of 145

1 Squirrel

Codpiece & Ostrich feathers 120 points

Best wishes

Lovely painting and with such a bravado masterclass in shoehorning, you deserve the Arthouse bonus points, damn you!

Tamsin