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Modest Sabotage

The Generals

I used the Verlinden “Two Generals” for the German officers, with minor modification to the right arm of the officer wearing the overcoat.

By manipulating one arm, I was able to add an Armand Bayardi 1:32 scale coffee cup to his hand. While the cup is of a larger scale, it appears to simply be a large mug when viewed in this context. The other officer is seen in his stock position, with arm raised pointing and angry finger at the two Frenchmen.

To create a visual backdrop for the piece, I used two sections of buttressed brick wall, which I cast myself. The walls were first primed in a medium gray, then given a first coat of Brick Red (DecoArt acrylic paint), and then dry-brushed with a mix of beige and pink to provide more detail to the rough finish of the brick. Flat white acrylic paint was thinned with water, and this was applied to the edges of the walls. Capillary action pulled the white paint throughout the gaps of the brick to provide the look of aged white mortar. This also helps define the individual bricks.

I cast the cobblestone road in plaster, and used a similar painting technique, using different colors. The primer was dark brown, and the base color chosen was a terra cotta. This was dry-brushed with a light tan, to lift out the stonework, and then a dark gray wash was added to show the wear of a common French commercial road.