"French Imperial Blue - best paint" Topic

I am finding that I have been using a blue that is actually not dark enough for many of my French. The "Napoleon's Last Army" publisher put out a guide to historical French uniform colors based on actual patches in museums. The Imperial Blue used by the Guard and others is very dark and I don't see anything close from Vallejo or Army Painter. I used to use a dark blue acrylic years ago, but don't remember where I got it from. I am doing the 4th Hussars who had the dark blue Pelisses and my Royal Blue isn't close. I am asking for some suggestions for a darker blue that would be appropriate.

I would suggest using a dark blue or maybe even a black wash – I myself use Tamiya dark blue with a GW dark blue wash

I put a wash of black over the dark blue I use to get it dark enough. While the wash is still wet I wick a bit of it off a few high spots to give a tonal variation.

It's a quick easy way to work.

Here's the problem: the "right" blue when compared to a full scale swatch will be the "wrong" blue when shrunk to 25, 15, or 6mm troops.

I use Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue, highlighted with Prussian Blue. It gives a nice dark blue in 18mm. AND it looks blue across the table.

A "correct" blue will look black at any kind of distance and I want my French to be actually blue.

AK Interactive has just released a 3rd Generation set of acrylic paints that include Dark Prussian Blue and Light Prussian Blue.

I use Americana "Prussian Blue" craft paint for both my Prussians and my French, Napoleonic Wars and Franco_German War both. It is inexpensive and is, to my eye, suitably dark.

Jim

I'm with Extra Crispy, (Vallejo Prussian Dark Blue and Prussian Blue).

Derivan Minis French Blue. Best color i have ever found from painting French Infantry for decades. Unfortunately out of production, good thing i stocked up.

BTW, i hate Vallejo. Always dries out.

indigo

Vallejo dries out? Not for me and some of my pots are 10 years old….

Thanks for the feedback.

Vallejo Prussian Dark Blue for the win!
I've still got Vallejo paints from the turn of the century.

Yup, another vote here for Prussian Dark Blue. It's a nice compromise between actually looking blue instead of black at a distance, yet not being too light. Add some black wash to make the shadows really dark.

Valejio PRussian Dark blue is a popular choice .This can be lightened with PRussian blue or darkened with a dark/black wash according to taste.

PRussian Dark blue was the blue Warlord Games included in their French Nap paint set .