Painting Challenge Italians With Polearms

A small post this week.  I've got two projects half way along, but got slowed down by Epic Fail, initial resource gathering for Defensive Terrain and .... well life.

These are 8 Italian men at arms with pole arms (a mix of pole axes and Lucerne hammers) from the Perry Renaissance range.  There are 6 from a the pack labelled Italian Heavy Infantry, a standard bearer from the Italian command pack and a plastic dismounted knight. 

The standard reference for these guys is of course Renaissance art and there is a background figure in Carpaccio's Legend of St Ursula (this period gets the best reference links) that shows up in Ospreys and the like.

The dude with the Lucerne hammer and the red pants by the water.  Note that he is left handed apparently - how sinister.

The heavies figures come with the lovely oval shields that appear in artwork, but it's not clear that you could use an oval shield and poleaxe so I have left them off.  My wife (a fabric junkie) questioned the bright scarlet and yellow hose, but I went with them on the basis of "that's the colour set Raphael used".  I think that she is right, but I want my figs to have the same pop as a Mantegna or a Bellini.

Nicely illustrating the colour palette, that stairclimbers were not needed in the 15th century and why I won't be joining a reenactment group any time soon.

The big change for me is the basing.  I have taken the group's advice and used a Liquidtex Gel medium.   The mix used was the medium, plus small "rocks" plus Raw Umber (which is after all coloured after Renaissance Italian mud).  The Umber looked dark so I dry brushed it with Burnt Sienna (more Italian mud).

The tufts are GW Mordheim turf which looks like dried out grass and weeds to me, and thus suitable for a hot Tuscan summer.

Favourable feedback on my basing is always welcome, constructive criticism will initially be met by curling up in a fetal position and whimpering and then be welcome.