g) Undercoating:
There have been more words written on this subject than on the origins of the Universe! I use black. I have used white, I even tried using flesh at one time (!) but my preferred choice is black, because it means that you have your deepest level of shading already in place when you come to put your other colours onto your figure. All those awkward places like shield backs, under the arms and the underside of horses can all be left because they are already black. If you make any errors with your painting later on, you can simply cover them up with some more black and have another go. Finally, I try to never have two colours running directly into each other, which means that I can use the black undercoat as a barrier between one colour and another. I think that’s enough. I use black!

A regiment of English Civil War infantry undercoated and ready for painting. The figures are from the outstandingly detailed and superbly cast Renegade Miniatures range. These figures are full of character and action and well worth the investment. As usual, I couldn’t wait to paint them all up, so I did a couple through to completion to see what they would look like when done! The flag was produced with Page Plus, simply made by creating one side of the flag before copying to make an identical reverse side with a gap between the two to wrap around the flag pole.