"Painting Black Uniforms" Topic

What is the best way to paint a 15mm figure that is almost entirely wearing wearing black (Example German Panzer crew)? Is the a good way to get some highlights or contrast?

Thanks

I start with a fairly deep grey and use black washes.

That or go in the opposite direction and paint the uniform black and highlight with gray.

I spray them black, than I paint them black. Than I drybrush with gray. Details are the face and hands, with gray gloves.
Also some white and red stripes as ribbon of the iron cross ect.. Also a white/red kokade on he caps.

That's it…

Greetings and have fun

Dark gray, with medium gray highlights, will really look "black" until you concentrate on what you're actually seeing.

I usually reserve real Black for "void of space", like the barrel of a rifle or inside a Ringwraith's cowl.

Like Lentulus, a dark gray with black washes, and I'll even drybrush very lightly a dark or medium blue over all of that. Doing black uniforms on 15mm figures is tough to pull off and look good with contrasts and details showing. I prefer my exposed tank commanders to be mostly head and shoulder type figures, instead of the waist up command figures. Less uniform to paint and deal with.

Mike

I believe there is a PollyS color called Scale Black. it is a very black gray shade. I have used it as a dry brush over flat black.

I have also gone with the black base and then dry brush on dark blue followed by dry drush on dark gray.

Vince

Here's an example of dark grey on black:

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The Panzerjacket is black as void!
:))))

I use a blue color or Turquoise and dry brush it very liightly for really black uniforms.

Many moons ago I saw an online tutorial on "how to paint black": it was awesome, but I've lost the link! Anybody know what I'm talking about? One hint I seem to remember was adding flesh (or tan, maybe?) to black for painting leather equipment. I'd like to find it again, as I have some Brunswickers waiting in the wings for paint.
Bob

Bob, I hope this helps in some way . I remember reading a topic on this very subject by Sacha Herme , he mixed dwarf flesh (I think) with black when painting his Brunswickers. Just google him to find his site.
Cheers Jeff

The trick is judging the Distance Effect correctly. At range, colors tend to lose intensity, so you're better off going with a grey as your base.

If you want to get excessively experimental, take a swatch of black paint and view it from about 90 feet away (that would be normal viewing range of somebody who occupies the same space in your vision as a 15mm figure). Match the color you see with your paint, and then do the washes and highlights as normal.

Which is a long way of saying "probably a dark gray base, with black shadows and lighter gray highlights."

I used to use black on white primer (which when you think about it is sort of stupid) but have moved to dark grey on black primer

I just paint them black and (very) lightly drybrush with light tan or pure white to bring out the highlights. Good enough for wargamning pieces.

I go the paint it black and highlight with light grey.

Though when doing some Soviet Naval figs in dark blue I undercoated black, heavy drybrush of blue/gey then inked dark blue/black – worked a treat IMHO, sure you could do something similar with Grey/Black.

I go Black, highlight with a dark grey and then hit with a brown ink.

Calpe Prussians painted black with grey high lights.

So many systems for painting black uniforms end u making the figs look like Zebras! Base coat, highlights,shading,… I just finished a lot of Brunswickers for my Waterloo army and I used a flat back overall spray; highlighted in Charcoal black; shaded in Payne's grey ink; used gloss black for belting and leather; and Sequin Black ( a Metallic shade) for the black glass buttons on their uniforms. That way the stuff that should flat and non-reflective is thay way, and the stuff that should reflect does.

Some time back I found a Vallejo recipe somewhere on the net that said to paint black. Then Highlight with 50:50 Black : Falcon Turquoise. I haven't tried it yet but if you do, let us know how it works.