Musings about the diffrence between Napoleoincs and Ancients

So over the last week I've painted 52 Ancients, I've also painted another 20, the week before that.

It has become clear that some how, I'm a better painter of Romans then I'm a painter of Napoleonics, I'm not sure why, I've painted 6000 Napoleonics in diffrent scales, but lets keep to 15 and 28mm, the scales that let you do details and be a little artistic. I've painted problebly 600 28mm Napoleincs, anoter 1500 15mm, but lets narrow it down even more, only the last year has my painting of 28mm, really been much to notice, so lets say 400 28mm Napoleincs and some 700 15mm Napoleonics, so 1100 Napoleoincs to a decent standard, I've gotten some nice comments some people have been very genurous with their comments, some people seem to like my style ect.

But the comments I got after posting my finished Hastati blew any comments I had about my napoleonics out of the water.

I don't know, mabye it's becasue of the slighlty less strict adherance to the standard, mabye it's simply my artistic choice of color that make my ancients pop out more, and no so much the actualy skill. So more my practical aplication of theoratical color mixes, then actual skill with brush.

Now this is ofcourse not all good, while nobody can probebly say out right that my romans are 100% imagi nation, they are probebly not what a real roman unit looked like, I picked the color for the cool look, and that fact that they make shields in so many nice colors, which let me make a theme with my units, Blue/white for my hastati, Yellow/white for my principes and Red/White for my triarii, only the triarii is close to what I guess the colors of a roman unit would be like.

But I asked and said nobody know for SURE the color, of roman units, while white and red is probebly the standard or norm, I made my units on the rather hopefull guess that romans have the same taste in color mixes as me.

Basicly my roman legion is not going to be the most realistic painted legion in the gaming world but it will be intresting and not boring, I apear to have an eye for what looks good, mabye I should become an interior decorator I don't know.

But enough about that, Lets talk about the actual painting.

When painting napoleoincs there is one big chore, muskets, I hate to paint them, whenever I paint figures with muskets, I hate it, it's so boring, brown with metal ontop, From the start of my paintng, I rue the time when I have to start on the muskets, I usualy do this after I've finished with the main colors and flesh, and before I do detail works like straps and facings. Man I hate it.

SO not having to paint muskets is a big pluss for Ancietnts, but instead of 1 chore I now have 2.
1 Flesh, while flesh on horse and musket figures is easy, face, hands and if highlanders the knees. it's fast and easy. I did spend years trying to figure the face out, but got it more or less sorted out. BUT in ancienes, you you face, not only hands but whole arms up to the shoulders, and the legs, not just the knees, but the tighes, and chins, even the toes have to be painted. And while my flesh dosn't look that good, it does take some time to do, I probebly spend 30% of my time on 10 figures just doing dark flesh, flesh was, and light flesh, so thats 30% were I can't really be arstic, just aply the paint, get it over with. It's boring,

2 Shields, this is kida a chore and not, while I thinks it's extremly boring to cut out the transfers, aply them, tuch up the shield, they do look great, And basicly with these big shields, they are like 70% of the impression, that probebly one of the reasons people seem to like my romans, not becasue of me, but becasue the shield transfers from little big men studioes are so fantastic. I just happend to paint my figures to harmonise with the shields. So while I hate to do the shields, it does help the figures so much that it's very very rewarding when you are done, and so it's slightly less of a chore. While I don't think my flesh has any bearings on how good the figure looks, atleast not for the postive, the shields are the big draw the big seller of the figures.
This will be intresitng, as my allied legions, will not be using those great transfers, but I've deicded to make my romans stand out more, the allies will be painted less fancy, the shields will be one color, no markings, so simple white or red shields, will see then if I get the same nice comments.

So far I've only painted 20 figure strong romans, this is fast and easy, two days work, pluss basing. it will be intersting to see what it wille be like to paint the 30 figre Carthagians or even worse the 40 figre barbarians like Spanish and Gauls.

I do know from painting 30+ figure napoleoinc units it's get a little much, you work and work and in the end you only got 1 unit to show for it.

So the question is will my stamina hold out, right now I'm enjoing the crush of first love, never painted romans before, fun colors, small units, how will it be with almost all white carthagians or 40 figre gauls.

Now granted I have over the last week painted much more Romans then I have painted any other period besides Napoleoincs.

This is my track list of late

Napoleonics( billions and billions)
AWI (24)
7YW (12)
30YW (24)
ACW (18)

I have allready painted 72 ancients in less then two weeks. I hope that is a sign I can get a few more units done.
I got a BUNCH of figures on the way, 2 more roman units, I hope to get these done so my legion is finished. 3 units of carthageians, 40 spanish.

So it apears I'm for some unkown reason a better painter of Ancients then Napoleonics, but both periods got their ups and downs. The question is can I see it through, or atleast keep it going for a few more units.