"undercoating for white uniforms in 15mm scale" Topic

What is the best undercoat for white (15mm) uniforms, white, gray or black?

I used gray for my Westphalians

You can do black, but you have to be careful with your choice of white paint. Not knowing what paint you've got, I'd second astronomican's suggestion: go with gray.

Ummmm....why not white? You don't have to worry if your white paint covers the entire undercoat.

black or gray. After it dries drybrush white over it. Let that dry, then paint white.

John

Err. It depends. If you want very strong contrast, black. More subtle contrast, gray. For a dirtier more "weathered" army, prime white then wash with brown.

I prime white and finish with the dip. That gives a campaign look.

ahhh, this old chestnut, seems to come up nearly every month this question. I use black over painted with khaki, humbrols 72, but I've noticed that the citadel Grave ?????something is a similar colour and I will try it next time. I have an Austrian and the beginings of an Italian army painted this way and they look supperb. The way I do it is undercoat black, heavy dry brush of Khaki, light to medium dry brush of a watered down white then paint in the high lights with strait white.

hope this helps

Matyn

Thanks for all the advice, will try the mentioned methods and dicede which suits me the best.

I prefer white as if you use black or gray, you may have to have three coats to cover the primer.

I use black rustolium (metal priming) paint, which I thin down about 20:1 with thinner. Slop it on and blot off any surplus. … Let dry and cure for a day……. This gives a very thin coat of primer, so paint sticks to it well and flows nicely. Also it decorates cracks and crevicess so that these are "magic dipped" prior to the painting. …….. The first coat of paint should be a thin white paint (where the figure will be white) and the "high" elevated surfaces may have some metal sheen showing through. ….. That is okay as after that paint dries, you can touch up those spots with a second coat. … This gives you recessed areas darker, most areas normal white and elevated areas (which should be brighter) brighter.

Either I paint in white acrylic, give it a grey wash but direct the liquid with an 01 brush into the edges of the coat which stains the white, and then re-paint white highlights…
Or, I paint the figure white and spray it with spirit-based lacquer. Then give it a watery darker wash in acrylic and when dry, rub off the highlights with either my thumb or a damp brush.