"Painting different shades of British Red?" Topic

I'm getting ready to paint some AWI and ran into this question…
Brandon F., the historical movie critic on Youtube, rants about the different shades of British uniform red; Officer uniforms were scarlet, the Line Infantry were madder red, etc.

I need advice from the AWI reenactors and experts regarding British Red. Do many of you paint your figures with this distinction?

Thanks, Larry

Larry,

I am neither a re-enactor or an 'expert' on British red but I have been painting red-coated miniatures for several decades. I suggest you paint your figures ranging from 'pinkish' through to 'brick red' bordering on brown. Most should still be 'red'. The unit as a whole should present very well and when grouped no individual coat will look out of place. If anything, you'll have a very 'realistic' look.

Color value changes dramatically depending on lighting and wear of uniforms. I would just use a variety of yellows and flesh tones to add to your reds to highlight. Stay away from white as much as possible as this tends to make colors more "chalky". The important thing getting a good highlight is to make sure you have a dark shade next to it and vice versa. Contrast is key.

Yes. The officers and sergeants wore a brighter red coat.

I'm both a gamer and reenactor of the AWI and F&I period.

I use Foundry Scarlet for officers/NCOs and Foundry Madder for other ranks.

I use these for all British from the NYW all the way through to the FRW.

Lol this is ludicrous.

Dyes would vary, get bleached and altered.

British Red in the peninsula was reported to be a very light pink ending in totally bleached white.

Who paints their British foot in pink?

Worrying about shades is a road to madness.

Pick a colour you think looks nice.

Indeed! There is also scale to consider. I used to use Humbrol British Scarlet, then I mixed my own red/pink/orange concoction out of Humbrol gloss (easier to mix as it's the same shade wet or dry) before finding and settling on Vallejo Orange Red.

This foolishness is why I dropped Napoleonic wargaming. As already explained uniforms fade, also get filthy dirty, so a unit of identical colors is absurd. The same applies to the opposing forces.

It seems to me the original answers relate to the colours of regimental coats before they are/ were affected by environmental conditions; that is, how they started out; and it is the case these differed between senior ranks and rank and file. After that it's up to individuals the state in which they chooses to depict them. Seems a perfectly reasonable question to me.

Well said 42nd :-)

I thought the original colour for rank-and-file was venetian red.

The reference to 'pink' is to the dianthus flower which is actually reddish.

In the field the soldier's tunics would fade to orangey-brown – tawny perhaps.

If you like your officers and file-closers to stand-out then scarlet is the way to go – no idea what this fades to.

Even by the 20th century it was still difficult to get uniforms to match in colour, even when they were issued at the same time. In the First World War there was a plan to outfit Welsh soldiers in a unique brethyn llwyd (gray cloth) uniform which backfired due to the scarcity of the correct raw materials (black wool) and the fact that the uniforms were manufactured in several different factories, resulting in a range of shades.

Enlisted costs were dyed red using the madder root, which produced a darker red. This color is often refered to as a brick red.

Officers coats were dyed using conchineal bugs that produced a brighter red.

I've seen a good number of surviving coats, none of which are pink. In fact, the officer coats are still bright red. Fewer enlisted costs survive, but one from the Guards illustrates the darker shade of the madder dye quite well.

Coats in a regiment we're usually handed out once a year to the men, so the wear and tear would be consistent across the ranks. When men were drafted into one regiment from another regiment, they would continue to wear their old uniforms till the new issue for all was handed out.

You asked for advice from a reenactor. I am head of the largest organization of AWI Crown reenactors in existence. I have many coats hanging in my closets, both enlisted and officers'. While I recognize that they were made in the modern era, they are still made of wool, and they have seen years of service in all kinds of weather.

There was a unit some years ago whose old coats faded to a pinkish color, but seeing how those coats were an incorrect color to begin with, that was not surprising. They have since long replaced them with the correct color coats.

Madder Red and Mock Scarlet

najecki.com/repro/Wool.html

Bingo

A big shout out THANK YOU! to historygamer and Phatt, you were on target what I was seeking. I wanted to justify painting my British Officers a brighter Red to make them stand out on the tabletop. Your knowledgeable advice gives me confidence I am on solid ground with historical accuracy.

I have no interest in faded or pink.
I want even novices to recognize my troops as familiar "British Red".

Thanks again, Gentlemen, Larry

Good luck with your lads.

@phat

Fantastic page!

The Halifax Piece Hall museum has examples of broadcloth, serge and shalloon; but no explanation of what they were used for.

Your page provides it. Thanks.

PS. I think the venetian red was the original colour for the New Model Army in 1645!

Correct

What colors in Vallejo paints would work for Madder Red and Mock Scarlet?

Broadcloth was generally used for the body of the coat, shalloon was used for officer or upper class lining, Serge could be used for a variety of clothes, depending on the weight