Franc Archers of Picardy

[cdr]

Nice franc-archers

If you have some French there is a very good article by Michel Petard (l'homme de 1450) Le Franc archer à Formigny, in a very old issue of Uniformes. Also good is Henri Lachouque 'dix siecles de costume militaire'

Carl

[levied troop]

I've always found your blog fascinating, not just for the period (I'm hoping to do a 1544 force at some point) but particularly for the approach to an 'obscure' army and the really beautiful painting.  Those French are quite inspirational.

[moonshado]

Your usual brilliant work. The composition of your bases is as almost distinctive as your style of painting and both are a joy to view.

[Stuart]

Thanks all

These figures have been a long time in the making. The Tudors were also when I first started but after a while I got into the swing of using a few sources to work out their banners, heraldry, retinues and could usually find out a bit about their role in the campaign. Over the years for quite a few of them I also visited their castles, homes or places of rest - it felt strangely affirming to see their heraldry and badges, i felt privileged to know quite a bit about them. The net result was that I was reasonably confident to give a fairly accurate portrayal of these men.

As for the French, it really has been the opposite, like fumbling in the dark, I haven't been afforded any of the above so scouring libraries, the web and perhaps overall pestering people to try and help me, it's out of my comfort zone 'research' which goes a bit like this 'i notice you're french and like miniatures....can you help me !' the response i've had is great to the extent that people now just email me if they see anything that may be of interest. The power of the web really does help us solitary painters feel part of something.

I'm not a gamer so i'm prepared to wait until I think I have as much as i'm going to get before committing to producing a unit which will hopefully meet that brief of as near a historical depiction as is possible with the figures and information available.

Just reading that back sounds like i'm hoist by my own petard but I think everyone's collection whatever the period feels so much better and personal if you've made it your own by researching particular campaigns or personalities. I think my problem was I started with that then tried to find miniatures rather than the other way round. I don't think anything i've done was simply straight out of the box ! it makes me wonder why I do it sometimes but i can't seem to keep myself away.

So, er - that was longer than I intended but thank you is the short version ! 

Stuart

[Coriolanus]

.....frighteningly good 

[Atheling]

Just reading that back sounds like i'm hoist by my own petard but I think everyone's collection whatever the period feels so much better and personal if you've made it your own by researching particular campaigns or personalities. I think my problem was I started with that then tried to find miniatures rather than the other way round. I don't think anything i've done was simply straight out of the box ! it makes me wonder why I do it sometimes but i can't seem to keep myself away.

Quite right too! A miniature collection of any sort is always a personal thing but as the sources get scarce things tend to become even more personal as you get deeper and deeper into a project. That is why, in my humble opinion, Late Medieval and Renaissance wargaming/painiting/converting etc can't be beaten....  it just takes so much research that it can't help but become a labour of love.

Darrell.

[Arlequín]

Ditto what Darrell said. I've found that when you lack focus and play something like 'The Wars of the Roses' or 'WWII' there's something lacking, but when you do 'The Towton Campaign' or in your case 'France 1513', or something else just as specific, it really comes to life and you tend to immerse yourself into the lives of the people involved... it has 'depth'.

It has been fascinating to watch the collection build up too, doesn't even seem like 'years'. 

So, er - that was longer than I intended but thank you is the short version ! 

Pah! Compared to some of my posts that was barely an 'off hand remark'. 

[dm]

Awesome work all round

[Hubbynz]

love your work

[tomrommel1]

like them a lot