La Canette's Gallery - Updated 11/07//2013

[Manu La Canette]

This is a ranker from the 40e Régiment d'Infanterie "Grenadiers de France". The regiment was created at the end of the War of Austrian Succession when several units were disbanded. French Etat-Major decided to keep the grenadier companies (so to speak the best soldiers of each regiments), but to gather them into ONE single unit, then created the "Grenadiers de France". The regiment took the rank 40 and did admit only grenadiers. Their uniforms reffers to the King's blue color, as the most of the other line infantyr regiments did get the white/grey uniforms. The most of the Maison du Roi was dressed in blue with red facings too, but the Grenadiers de France wasn't a guard unit, even if they were more skilled than a lot of other regiments.

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Upper body close-up :

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[Manu La Canette]

This one is actually a self-portait in the outfit of the 88th Campbell's Highlanders

Those guys were quite different from what we commonly think about those who fought during the Napoleonic era. During the Seven Years War, several regiments of Highlanders were used by the British in Germany. The Campbell’s did quite well.

The regiment was raised in 1760 at Stirling by the Major John Campbell of Dunoon. But on the opposite of what will consist later the Highlanders units (so to speak quality troops heavily trained), those men received almost no formation but a quick bayonet march drill. Yet I represented it with a traditional Scottish broadsword because the privates of Highland regiments still used those during the SYW. During the Napoleonic era, its use remained only for officers. But back then, this terrible weapon did extremely well against European opponents almost defenceless against those heavy blades. It added a lot to the fearsome reputation of the Highlands regiments even later.

Those Highlanders were actually already warriors. Or most likely brigands and looters thus that’s why those guys were raised then sent in Germany during the SYW. Germany at that time turned once again into a massive playground for armies and scoundrels, the favourite one for those men who learned the art of cattle raiding and looting since the early ages. That’s why they were not considered like ‘shock troops’ but most likely as light ones, almost as their irregulars Austrian Pandurs counterpart. They received scavenging, looting, skirmishing, ambushing missions during all the conflict in Europe.

But Campbell’s Highlanders were also took as expendable cannon fodder by some commanders and distinguished themselves at the batlle of Vellinghausen (1761) by repelling several assaults then cutting off and capturing a French regiment.

The deeds of others Highlanders regiments in Europe or in America during the SYW did contribute to forge them a reputation of solid shock troops as well as light forces.

NOTE: The tartan is the one of the ancient Campbell clan (well some details are missing, it’s just painting), but it is possible that many soldiers of the regiment wore different patterns, from other clans maybe or some government pattern. The musket is once again a long pattern Brown Bess.

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Kilt and gear close up :

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[Manu La Canette]

Work in progress on another menu artwork / or loading screen :

UPDATED 06/18/2013

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It features the French regiment "Poitou" passing by a german village (after the loot). It's quite drafty right now (just a couple hours on it) but it will show soldiers scouting the weat field on the right and a woman and child crying on their husband/daddy's body on the left (maybe he tried to resist or was he a Prussian deserter ). My goal is to show a certain face of war : it's horrible yet the world continues to live, it features horrible scenes in beautiful environments. For me the dark side of war does not necessarily imply rainy or gloomy contexts : Nature, animals and the world doesn't care what's happening. Painting SYW is an opportunity for me to deal with this contrast...

[Skyn0s]

Your last works are beautiful but the last one looks just epic !
I look forward to see it finished !
+rep

Skyn0s

[Manu La Canette]

Just finished a quick one.

This is a late Augustean legionary (end of 1st century BC). The armor is a short lorica hamata, the helmet is an Imperial-Gallic helmet type A and the sword a gladius type Mainz. The shape of the scutum is typical of the time and shows the transition from oval to rectangular shields.

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Upper body close-up:

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Mid body close-up:

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[Splatterfox]

Wow man, your work is just awesome. I checked all your work and I'm totally mindblown by your battlescene (the one in your signature).
But your legionnaire is cool, too.

+REP!

[PunitorMaximus]

just amazing!

[Radboud]

On behalf of the art staff welcome to the workshop.

Great stuff you have here, one tiny thing of critique for me is the jagged edges on the zoomed in designs . Keep up the great work.

[Hattori]

Nice.
Are you painting these in Photoshop? You just have to check some more proficient rendering methods to get rid of the jaggies and crude tone transitions and your digital work will really shine.
My favorite is the Spanish lineman, you got a really good expression going on there, also I really admire the audacity in making those big scenes, it's something I want to start trying as I got really focused on smaller scenes lately.

If I may say one more thing: working without reference may seem like a very virtuous thing but I think working with them can be a HUGE help. This doesn't mean you aren't creating an original composition, merely that you are studying the image from the base of something real. It's just a fact of artistic life and every great artist I know bases itself in reality even if the work is fantastical (and when they dont, they still have a huge deal of reality study behind them) It simply adds a huge deal of solidity and credibility to the image and again, it will not deprive you of originality because your personal treatment and technical work will still be there. Anyway just something I though I'd share. Keep it up.

[Hattori]

double

[Joseph Simonyi de Vitézvár]

You're artwork looks really good !

[PunitorMaximus]

*your
its possessive...
no offense

btw: agree!

[Manu La Canette]

Nice.
Are you painting these in Photoshop? You just have to check some more proficient rendering methods to get rid of the jaggies and crude tone transitions and your digital work will really shine.
My favorite is the Spanish lineman, you got a really good expression going on there, also I really admire the audacity in making those big scenes, it's something I want to start trying as I got really focused on smaller scenes lately.

If I may say one more thing: working without reference may seem like a very virtuous thing but I think working with them can be a HUGE help. This doesn't mean you aren't creating an original composition, merely that you are studying the image from the base of something real. It's just a fact of artistic life and every great artist I know bases itself in reality even if the work is fantastical (and when they dont, they still have a huge deal of reality study behind them) It simply adds a huge deal of solidity and credibility to the image and again, it will not deprive you of originality because your personal treatment and technical work will still be there. Anyway just something I though I'd share. Keep it up.

Thanks for all appreciations!

I'm using Corel Painter, not Photoshop. Actually the ugley edges etc. on zoomed-in Roman artwork (or some others) is tied to the fact it's not supposed to be seen on such close-up

Especially the Legionary, it is like I said, relatively quick-made in quite low res (some hours) and this is simply because I'm too lazzy to clean it etc. I may also forgot some details on uploaded artworks and if I correct them, I'll not necessarly re-upload them in final version.

I'm working on two big scenes right now, the one above included, where I shall not go for unecessary details that would not render fine, but rather for an 'impressionist' render. That actually looks better on bigger scenes with a lot and a lot of characters. I shall upload a preview of it soon. Those scenes are designed to fit a large PC screen as font, for loading screens, menu backgrounds or even wallpapers...

[Manu La Canette]

That Georgian lassie will be part of a larger scene setting in a garden, here without background.

It misses details (dress trimmings and patterns...) but the dress is fashion-accurate for a noble woman from mid-18th c.

The hair-style fits the outdoor fahsion of the time aswell, where noble ladies abandonned the wigs for more simple hair-dress along with a hat (broad-brimmed with a ribbon) to hide from the sun.

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[Manu La Canette]

Went on the background landscape lately :

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[Manu La Canette]

Here's a small Joan of Arc piece in progress (note the unfinished sword). I tried to work with more light shades, for a more photo-like rendering and to depict her rather as a 'mad fanatic b***h' than the usual saint stuff. I personally think that I failed to reach the exact feeling I wanted to express here, but well.

Low res:

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Super high res:

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Close up:

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[MANU56BZH]

I love your work. maybe need more shadow. (Ombres propre et ombres portée) but it's a very nice style. pastel, proper and "sobre".

[Manu La Canette]

I love your work. maybe need more shadow. (Ombres propre et ombres portée) but it's a very nice style. pastel, proper and "sobre".

Thanks for appreciation. A lot of previous works lack of shadows indeed, that's something I'm working on as you can see. Actually, I'm going on more 'studies' like the last one to improve on these things, then I'll move again on larger stuff.

Btw, I like your work and your name is cool

[Manu La Canette]

Reworked Joan of Arc. Went back on everything and kept a view centered on the look to avoid the lose of its effect.

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[Giovi]

that's great