"Painting caligae (Roman military sandals)?" Topic

I have begin painting Roman (25mm) soldiers, Caesarian and early Imperial, and the caligae boots are a problem for me. Even when well sculpted and cast, I find it impossible to paint those straps over flesh realistically at that scale. How are the rest of you handling these? Any tips?

After various attempts I have basically given up letting any skin show thru the leather straps and just paint a mid-brown over all and then a brown ink to bring out some detail. Who has a better way?

I did much the same but added a few flesh-colored dots in gaps in the leather. At arm's length distance it all washes out!

I just paint them dark leather with a wash and a dry brush. They are called 'boots' after all and generally blend into the base anyway. After a hard day's marching through the mud/dust, I'm not sure much flesh would be showing in any case.

Same as Martin, my Republican Romans just have brown feet with a brown wash, whether leather or flesh it is all going to be dusty in my opinion.

All leather brown on the feet for me, with a spot of flesh on the toes. It's all going to be dirty after a day of marching anyhow.

What happens if you paint the feet brown and use a flesh colored wash or ink or contrast paint or speed paint over the top?

In theory, if you can get the wash to settle into the cracks, it will make a pool of lighter color as it dries. No telling if that would work, or how many coats it would take.

If the gaps in the sandal straps are deeply scribed, you can wipe the flesh color off the top after it dries for a bit. This works better if the leather color is gloss. I use this technique on 1/200 plane canopies all the time, though admittedly in the reverse shade order (dark wash over lighter colors).

I drybrush the straps a dark leather color; If any 'pools' onto the flesh color, I just chalk it up to marching through mud… ;-)

OK, seems like some good feedback here! I don't feel so alone knowing others do what I do (and I do paint the toes!), and I'll experiment with some of these other techniques. Ta!

Now to tackle those pesky shield devices!! Wahh!!

I find that post small openings are not worth it. They create shadows anyway. After painting my sandals brown color I just paint fingers.

Don't forget depending on where and when, they did wear "socks" too. So no flesh on display anyway.

Yes, open footwear gets your feet wet and naked feet dry faster but would you seriously want to be keeping watch on Hadrian's Wall, in February, without them?

Besides, overtime the "sandal" got progressively more "boot"

All noted!! I have to work with what the manufacturers produce and sculptors love those caligae more than boots or socks. Even if those ancients were far tougher than we give them credit for.

Even if those ancients were far tougher than we give them credit for.

There's a difference between tough and dumb! 😄

painted the feet flesh, then used a brown ink and or brown wash just on the sandels.