Paint Table Saturday - Gael Force!

It's been a busy old week, what with assorted work commitments and non-hobby craft projects (event decoration, believe it or not), but I have still managed to get some traction on the next instalment in my own personal SAGA, the Gall-Gaedhill, or Sons of Death. These Hebridean maniacs will be deployed in support of my Scots (these braw laddies).

OK, so while I was clearly over-optimistic in thinking I'd have enough hobby time to complete eight of these chaps, I threw all my effort into painting up just one and seeing how he turned out. I find that if I paint one fig close to completion, I get a bit more inspired - it sort of worked with the Scots, although the 41 figs for that warband still took over a year to finish...

Anyway, dubious motivational techniques aside, here is the first of the fun-loving Norse Gael for your consideration.

He's bare-legged, like his Scots neighbours, but I decided to steer clear of the tartan and go for a more Viking-influenced colour scheme.

The tunic is plain cloth, but with the decorative borders favoured by Norse folk. I'm not quite up to duplicating the intricate tablet-woven decorative braid designs used all over the Viking world, at least not yet! Shield transfers are by Steve Hales over at Little Big Men Studios.

Here you can see the tufted wool cloak (vararfeldr) common across the Viking world. This one is in grey vadmal, or woollen cloth, with tufts of undyed wool yarn pulled through the weave and knotted to hold them in place. This is a bit of a change from all the plaids I painted up for the Scots; I want these guys to be similar to, but readily distinguishable from the men of Alba.

Here you can see what I've been trying out with the basing. As the Norse Gael were pretty much equal-opportunity raiders, hitting any and all of their neighbours up and down the Irish Sea, I'm trying for a kelp-strewn sea shore. The strands of kelp have been modelled from green stuff, and will be painted brown and given a coat of gloss varnish to give them a suitably 'wet' look. If this looks the business, I'll give the rest of the unit the same treatment.

So, that's it for this week; as now is the time of year when family commitments start to pile up, I can't promise another post for Paint Table Saturday for the next few weeks, but I may be able to get a few out-of schedule posts going in between times.

In any event, you can be guaranteed a packed program over the next few months as the estimable Mr Mills embarks upon the Fifth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge -  this year's theme is 'Anti-Heroes, Rogues and Ruffians', which describes the louche habitués of C&G perfectly!

So stay tuned - more painty goodness coming soon!

Ev