Painting Alfresco

On holiday today - accumulated time to get in before the weekend , rather lazy day- then I thought 'why don't I paint outside' . In  40+ years of painting I've never done this before , but seeing we have a newly constructed patio and patio set to go with it thought I'd give it a go . Rather strange painting out side - lots of light and the paint drys VERY  fast (keep your brush wet) but felt a bit odd .

 Felt a bit like a French 19th cent painter - note the hat , but no Sun flowers and managed not to cut my ear off , although did spill a glass of orange juice. Decided to paint a Bavarian gun crew and gun , since I have been neglecting my Napoleonics off late and they have been glaring at me from the painting tray for ages . Here is the result posed appropriately on Osprey's Napoleon's Allies- Bavaria  

They still need basing and a coat of varnish - all in all a plesant way to spend the afternoon .