"Blue for 6mm French and Prussian" Topic

What would be (an) appropriate blue(s) (preferably Vallejo) for 6mm Bacchus French and Prussians from the Franco-Prussian war?

isnt that where "Prussian blue" originated?

Prussian Blue is the name of an insoluble pigment first synthesised about 1700, it cannot be used as a dye so could not be used for clothing.

The blue fabric dyes were almost exclusively based on Indigo or other dyes with Indigotin as their active colourant. Mostly derived from plants the colour varied in tint, shade and intensity depending on the source of the dye, the quality of processing and dying and the cloth used.

Having said that, in wargaming terms, and dullish and purplish deep blue should fit the bill but, if you want the two nations to look different make the French brighter and lighter.

For the French I usually use Intense Blue (a bit too bright but it looks good on 6mm figures) and for the Prussians a roughly 50/50 mix mix of Dark Prussian Blue and Prussian Blue or just straight either Prussian Blue.

Another consideration is whether you want them "accurate" or you want them to "look right." With blues like this on smaller figures I find that under normal gaming lighting and distance they look black. So if you want your armies to be blue on the table go for a lighter blue – base coat on Prussian Blue and highlight in a medium blue mix.

For 6mm FPW I usually aim to make the Prussians darker than the French, but both a lot lighter than their full size counterparts or they just turn into black blobs.

I use GW Midnight Blue for the Prussians and GW Ultramarine (!) blue for the French, so my French all look like little space marines….

6mm is probably the key here to me – the smaller the figure, the lighter I would be tempted to go, as I believe Gildas is implying.

I know I will get laughed at, but this is one of the reasons why I have now settled on the Foundry ("authentic") range, mainly because I can apply the mixture of shade and light to suit the figure and the scale, at least until I am happy with a certain combination which suits my perception.

Having said that (for 6mm) I would think that Dark Prussian Blue would do nicely for a base coat, and then Prussian Blue as an highlight.

And for 6mm French, I would probably be playing around with 'Andrea Blue', possibly as a base coat mixed with a smidge of black, and for the highlights, just as is.

Highlights at 6mm – you immediately know I haven't painted that many.

Plutarch: I've painted lots of 6mm & I use highlights all the time.

Right so, Sven.

I envy your eye-sight, as I am very average at 15mm…