"Painting Austrian Infantry" Topic

I am planning to paint up an Austrian army next year, just getting all the figures together at present.

I was thinking about how to differentiate between the white uniforms and white cross belts. My figures are 1:72 plastics and I only paint to a standard which looks OK from a few feet away.

Possibilities are:

a. Everything white, but outline the cross belts with a grey shading.

b. Uniforms very pale grey (off-white) on grounds that some sources say this was more accurate, then cross belts in white.

I would appreciate advice as to what will give the best result.

Rod

b.

A
Have tried it a number of ways and the off white look just looks grubby and unfinished – just do a couple and see what you prefer …

White spray paint then dip them in army dip.

For my Austrians I undercoat black then dry-brush white.

I then touch up the cross belts with white (dry-brushing will have already done most of the work)

I then fill in the uniforms in Vallejo Ivory (which is a pale cream colour).

It works pretty well and it is also quick to do. The uniforms still look white but the cross belts stand out nicely.

I did a light grey first coat, then highlight with white. White crossbelts on 25mm Sash and Sabre Figures.

I've done this 800 ways, but am now settling on white primer, followed by a heavy wash (all over the uniform) of Delta Ceramcoat off-white (like a very, very white cream). I then wash the uniform with Vallejo pale wash, which is a slightly grey wash. Then highlight with white.

My method works well too. I spray a white undercoat on the figures and when dry, heavily brush on a mixture of black ink thinned with equal parts water and Future floor finish. (The "Dip")
This lines all the detail you want lined and helps these old eyes paint a stark white figure. I dry brush off-white on the uniform, ivory for the belts, and whatever other detail needs doing. You can do a LOT of whitecoats in a short time with this method, and it looks OK, at least to me.

Does the scale matter to the technique chosen? I.e. do some work better/worse with 15mm as opposed to 28mm?

I do waht Neojacobin does with my 15mm Austrians and really like how it turns out, quick too

Get this:
link

Gray-3, wash or dip and highlight with Gray-1, Voila!

Option B, but remember that off-white doesn't have to mean grey. Wool often re-attained a cream colour (it's natural state in fact) if it wasn't kept very clean – didn't the Austrians pipeclayed their uniforms? – and if you look at the uniforms of re-enactors you can easily see there is a very clear difference between the "cream" of the uniform and the cleaner white of the belts.

Another method I've seen which worked quite well was to use a tone called "Aluminium" – I think it was a Vallejo paint – for the clothing. This gave almost a textural contrast between the very matt look of the uniform and the slight sheen of the belts.

As SM writes, you can achieve this look using Vallejo Stone Grey and Off White for the uniform whilst painting in the belts using normal white. It's a subtle but worthwhile contrast. This is a very easy way to paint whites. Stone grey is a very warm yellowish grey.

Undercoating in any grey that tends towards the cool spectrum ie. blueish grey will not look natural for wool uniforms.

Foundry's Austrian white for the uniform; white for the belts

Thanks for all the suggestions. It seems the best is a very pale grey (so pale as to be off-white) with a true white for cross belts.

I have promised myself to finish my Peninsular war set-up this year and plan to start the Austrians next year.

Rod

I undercoat my 1/72nd plastics with Humbrol Grey enamel. I then lightly dry brush with a slightly diluted white acrylic (usually 2 coats to build the colour up slightly) I then go over the cross-belts with straight white acrylic.

link

I use a dark grey primer and dry brush with white..accent the belts with blacklines and your ready to do the facings

With Foundry Colors..

boki.ee/Military_Uniforms/Uniforms_0003/Military.htm