Tips and tricks for painting barding please...

[Harry Faversham]

Anyone got any? I'm on with King Richard the Lionheart and am dreading having a go at the three lions. I once saw a 'how to' on fleur de Lys and wondered if any of our experten know of one on how to do a passable lion!?

[Atheling]

This is going to sound obvious so please brace yourself!

You need to be patient and really take your time.

Try to plan out what you want painting ans where with thin paint and a fine brush then just layer as you would normally do.

I (personally) don't think you can rush the job.

As an alternative you could hop over to Claymore Castings and buy some of the transfer sheets here:
https://claymorecastings.co.uk/new.claymorecastings.co.uk/product-category/flags-transfers-and-weapons/transfers-and-weapons/

Not barding but that is how I built up the colours in the attached image (below). The secret for me it to paint build up the highlights on the heraldic motif at the same time you do the cloth barding/garments.

[HappyChappy439]

Ooof, yeah, Lions for some reason give me the most trouble out of heraldic animals!

Definitely agree with Atheling here too, the key is mostly just time and patience

For Lions rampant I tend to use the 'wireframe' in the Complete Guide to Heraldry and then bulk out the details from there as-necessary (depending on the size) :
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Complete_Guide_to_Heraldry/Chapter_11#172






For Lions passant like in Richard I's heraldry (or any later English heraldry really), I tend to do a squashed S shape as the base, and then add on the front legs, rear leg, tail and head to that:

[has.been]

I would follow Happy's suggestion, for the 'wire frame' style,
then fill it out a bit with either a fine black permanent ink pen,
or a sharpened 2b pencil. Protect it with a spray of varnish.
next stage would be to pick out some detailing within the
black outline. This I would do with a gold gel pen, again protect
with a varnish sprayed on.

Another trick is to do a lovely (large) flag, held by an attendant
on the same base, which has  the design on it.
Then 'suggest' the design on barding etc. People look at the
larger image & the mind is fooled that the smaller image is
as good as the larger one.

[Atheling]

Ooof, yeah, Lions for some reason give me the most trouble out of heraldic animals!

Definitely agree with Atheling here too, the key is mostly just time and patience

For Lions rampant I tend to use the 'wireframe' in the Complete Guide to Heraldry and then bulk out the details from there as-necessary (depending on the size) :
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Complete_Guide_to_Heraldry/Chapter_11#172






For Lions passant like in Richard I's heraldry (or any later English heraldry really), I tend to do a squashed S shape as the base, and then add on the front legs, rear leg, tail and head to that:

Spot on. Plan out what you're going to paint with this paint (some people use fine tip artists drawing pens but I find a brush is easier (horses for courses) and build up the paint work. It will take a few attempts but every one you do will be better then the last if you apply a little patience- god! I sound like a school teacher!

[Harry Faversham]

Thanks chaps, I'm going with this thingy, and a right thin brush!



 

[Highlandbevan]

Plan to mix complicated and easy heraldry on a single base. I tend to have 1 Knight with a lion or similar and one with a pattern of straight lines or crosses. Keeps the painting moving and me motivated.

[MaleGriffin]

Sorry to be a nit picker, but barding is armour and caparisoning is the decorated cloth covering. It's like the difference between armour and a surcoat or jupon.

[Atheling]

Sorry to be a nit picker, but barding is armour and caparisoning is the decorated cloth covering. It's like the difference between armour and a surcoat or jupon.

Very true.

Though I think we all knew what Harry was getting at

[Harry Faversham]

Mission = catastroffic disaster!!!

 

Lion number one turned out like a Lowry painting cat, lion number two out like a Lowry painting dog, lion number three turned out like one of them ACW picket fence thingys.
Morale test went well into the minus side of the scale... so I've ordered some transfers!

[Atheling]

Oh.....

Paint over it and try again mate- these things do honestly get easier with practice- perhaps more importantly patience

[Harry Faversham]

Can't do it for health reasons, if mi' blood pressure goes any higher, mi' melon'll explode!

[Atheling]

Can't do it for health reasons, if mi' blood pressure goes any higher, mi' melon'll explode!

Pay someone?

[Harry Faversham]

Pay someone?

I just have, Fireforge Games... the price of failure.

 

[Maniac]

Outside of a thin brush, I use a thinner paint to outline, or I use a pencil.