After an early day Australian battle picture

[Woz]

I've been searching high and low through the internet and books trying to find a picture of an early day Australian army battle. With ANZAC day approaching, I figured I'd make a bit more effort to find what I'm after.

I've always been a fan of this picture...



... and was wondering if anyone knew where to find something that sort of style, but with Australian uniforms/weapons/appeal.

That sort of detailed close-up. A real close combat action shot that could be easily used without having to really be completely redrawn from a grainy black and white sketch, which is pretty much all I'm coming up with.

If anyone could help, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Falcon Coupe]

New Tattoo ehh Woz ?

[Woz]

Spot on, mate. Beats getting the Southern Cross like everyone of my mates has done.

[Falcon Coupe]

Exactly what i thought when i saw the pic, it would make a nice full back job.

[2fishingdogs]

Found this one, Its abit small but might give an idea. Aus v's Japan

[gthofan]

Originally Posted by 2fishingdogs

Found this one, Its abit small but might give an idea. Aus v's Japan

Where the heck did you find that one?? great work!!

[Falcon Coupe]

Hard to find a pic like the first one Woz, an artists impression is more sensational than real life.



Diggers at Anzac cove.






Fuzzy wuzzy help.

[pertuan]

Have you checked the War Memorial? They will have some nice ones in there. And you can ask the people there about some books and such that might have more.

[Woz]

I plan to have it go most of the way around my arm, above my flames and around the lower half of the topless bird who's got the Australian flag wrapped around her waist which is on my shoulder. A good transition, I thought, between the 'mayhem' side of things around my forearm and the 'oh, look, a naked sheila wrapped in the flag' bit.

In the gap where the two sides of the image won't quite meet, I want to stick another character in. Got a couple of ideas of what, but not 100% sure just which one to put there. Thinking along the lines of a lone soldier, uniform torn, wounded, but marching forwards through a smokey sort of setting. Giving the 'always fighting on' impression.

The battle scene was actually something I decided on over 12 months ago, with the picture I've posted being the main influence right from the start (cover art from Iced Earth's "The Glorious Burden" album) but the battle of Gettysburg isn't quite Australian enough for me. That's the only thing holding me back.

[Woz]

An artist's impression may be more what I'm after. The more intense style is something I prefer, which is probably why I've struggled to find something on my own. It doesn't have to be incredibly true-to-life. Due to the fact that I'm gonna have a foreign side in the mix I'm thinking of replacing the opposing army with a skeletal/undead type army. So the more over the top, the better.

[gthofan]

woz, where do you get the work done for you? obsession? /tattoo connection??

[2fishingdogs]

I remember seeing a painting of a battle in framnce during WW1 that could be perfect but I cant seem to find it on the web. But I'll keep looking.

[Woz]

Purple Haze in Narre Warren.

[2fishingdogs]

Maybe you could use this one but have the maid done in the Austalian flag

[jaydee]

Try second hand shops for some bboks that came out during ww2, they're called STAND EASY, AS YOU WERE< SOLDIERING ON, heaps of great pics, charactures, short stories, poems etc by diggers.

[XR Martin]

Visit the War Memorial. Quite a few good paintings in there.

[XR Martin]

Heres a good one.
Not in Australia (its the Menin gate in Ypres, Belgium)
But 12500 Australians died defending that town in WWI.

'Menin Gate at midnight' was painted by Will Longstaff to commemorate those soldiers with no marked graves on the Western Front during the First World War. Longstaff attended a ceremony dedicating the Menin Gate memorial to the soldiers of the British empire forces, just outside the town of Ypres, Belgium, on 24 July 1927. Longstaff was profoundly moved by what he witnessed and that night, unable to sleep, Longstaff returned to Menin Road and later claimed to have had a vision of spirits of the dead rising out of the soil around him. On returning to his studio in London he painted 'Menin Gate at midnight' in a single session. Today 'Menin Gate at midnight' has achieved the status of a national icon, and it remains on permanent display in the Memorial. The painting retains its ability to provoke an emotional response and to communicate the scale of the loss of life and the devastation of war. However as people now have a very different understanding of war, the painting serves a slightly different function. Whereas in the past people responded to the painting as it related to the loss of a loved one and their own personal grief, now the painting communicates the loss experienced by a whole generation. The vast number of those who were killed, and the immensity of the damage wrought during the First World War, requires that those who sacrificed their lives should not be forgotten.

[Walkinshaw]

Off topic Woz, How good is Iced Earth ;)

[kempster1]

Lots of war time pics here, you may find what you want.

Just do a search on what your after, this site is unreal

http://www.pictureaustralia.org/index.html

[MYV8]

Try the Aust War Memorial website www.awm.gov.au.
I got some pics from there for some work I had to do for them.
Takes a bit of digging but they are there.