A cautionary tale....
I embarked on the painting of the two battalions of Regiment du Berry on the expectation it would be a quick job. After all the bulk of the figures had already been blocked in so would just need touching up and a few figures added to fill the gaps....
Well it turns out it wasn't that simple. First I had to add around 8 figures to the same style as the previous painter. OK done. It was then that I examined my existing figures. The new figures were way too dark. Far darker than even my darkest figure's "Gris-blanc" coat, the particular French grey-white shade.
So I tried to remember how I'd painted back then. It was just before switching to black undercoat and layers. It must have been washes and drybrushing (as per Peter Gilder's guide from Military Modelling). So I tried a drybrush of lighter grey. No still too dark.
Part of the problem is my old figures are varnished and the varnish has discoloured giving an antique yellow hue. I cannot see how they were painted.
So, a thin light grey- white wash was applied over the dark drybrushed colour. Red was applied to one battalion. At this stage I began to realise that I would have been better to simply strip the figures and start again.........
Maybe, I'd have been better to not try matching, but just paint in my current style or using Contrast Paint? What was I thinking?
While intellectually I realise you cannot go back in time and be the person you were 20 years ago, I'd assumed you could replicate your painting style?
It turns out trying to paint the way you did 30 to 40 years ago is harder than it seems....
Even realising how long ago it was gives pause for thought......
Anyway, this is where I've got to. I need to finish off a few more colours to see how they look.
Pinpointing the shade of French Gris-blanc is complicated and variable. I do like your lighter shade in this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonathan, the original colour was just too dark. I thought one of my units was painted in a darker grey but when I checked it was nowhere near as dark. All my units have slight variations, which I think helps differentiate them.
DeleteNeil
Neil, the varnish certainly does make it harder to match the first colors.. It? may even be different formulas for the old and new colors.. Remember Humbrol colors? The newer figures do look nice.
ReplyDeleteIt is so long ago I cannot even remember what I painted them in! I *think* it was acrylics, but it may have been around when I was switching from enamels. Looking at them, I am fairly certain they are the early GW acrylic on white primer. I will have mixed the grey, hence every unit is slightly different.
ReplyDeleteThe varnish has yellowed; the flag of Bearn was most effected as the colours faded. With the others, it's the white that's discoloured. I've repainted Bearn's flag and I will probably touch up the others.
Neil
One solution with different shades of colour on uniforms is that all colours fade over time, due to sun, washing, dirt, sweat and quality of material used. So not all uniforms will be an exact colour match.
ReplyDeleteThe French are looking good Neil.
Willz.
That would be my outlook too.
DeleteThanks Willz and Chris, pre-industrial dyes and cloth production you would expect variations; not that was my plan at the time, more happy accident! ☺
DeleteWhat I'm struggling with is to resist temptation to do more than block painting! Flesh always got more attention. I may have to give them a drybrush as I'm sure I did that with the others.
Neil
40 years ago I was painting with finger paint. 😀
ReplyDeleteI exaggerate but only slightly.
I have no good advice as I don’t have any miniatures that old. Good luck! But I’m not sure matching is really all that necessary.
Stew,
ReplyDeleteBesides making me feel really old (more like 35 years ago on reflection), I suspect you may be right - however, I was worried that if I painted them as I do now, they would stand out......
I'm less worried about the Canadian and American troops as I did those in washes, so using Contrast paints will produce a close match. Likewise with the British Regular opposition. I only have Light infantry battalion, painted in washes so no worries about the rest looking different.
Having done a bit more, I'm happier with the result. While I don't feel like I've saved any time, I think I have as there are 28 figures nearly done.
Neil
Can't go back? Probably becuase you have improved your painting in the intervening years, so why would you?
ReplyDeleteI like the French 'gris-blanc', it gives a bit of differentiation from the plain white of Austrians, Saxons etc, and ( I think?) it traces back to the very early days of uniforms 100 years before, when I believe grey became very common because it tended to be the cheapest/most widely available cloth in the sort of quantities needed.
David, indeed. The comment refers to the fact I'm resurrecting an old project and my initial aim was to "paint to match" what had been painted many, many years ago....
DeleteA lot of the Canadian stuff (Marines, militia and First Nations) had been painted quickly with washes for a refight of the Plains of Abraham - someone else had British.
As such, I think using Contrast paints will match them very well.
The Troops de Terre were what I was trying to match; it's almost impossible to unlearn the way I have painted for many years - I thought it would be easier, but it's not. What followed was the realisation I probably shouldn't have tried!
I'm now reasonably happy after drybrushing and pin washes that I've got something that matches - it's taken longer than I anticipated though!
You are correct that undyed wool gives a cheap uniform, ranging in colour from cream to black with every shade in between. The Austrians used the same but whitened their uniforms with chalk; I don't recall if they were bleached originally. It must be in Duffy somewhere.
An C18th battlefield must have been an allergy sufferers nightmare, aside from clouds of gunpowder smoke and unwashed bodies, there were horses, flour dust from powdered hair and chalk dust!
Neil