Dashed little blighters

I've turned the pressure up; I'm now aiming for a unit a week.

My first infantry regiment, 1st Texas



(Bigger version of the pic here).

This week I had a crack at McLellan's zouaves. Their outfits are light grey and red, and as they are two of the worst colours for paintign over black, I thought I'd start with a white undercoat.

Started off well, I tackled them as I would larger figures with lots of ink washes into the recesses and then then the base coats. The red and grey went on much better, but the rest of the painting was a pain in the arse. So much I has to paint in that I normally would just leave as black undercoat showing, and as I said I'm going for a unit a week so I can't afford the time. I decided the most important thing when painting figures in this way is definately the black deep shadows and details (not to mention black on metalwork that would need doing anyway). The time you save not having to worry about that far outweighs the better coverage you get with light colours on a light background.

Anyway, I'm at the stage where most of the base coats are laid down down, along with the details that I'd had to paint in, and they looked pretty bad. I could see all the little areas I'd missed showing through as white spots, the figures all looked generally shabby. Then I hit on an idea. I mised up a fairly strong klear solution, and tinted it with black acrylic. Dipped all the figures in, shook of the excess, then spent a few minutes taking the drips off as they formed with a brush. What I was left with were nicely dirtied down and shaded figures, with no obvious white ares showing. The klear will probably provide a bit of protection too.

So that's another technique for speed painting in the arsenal;

1 White undercoat.
2 Hit the whole lot with several coats of brown wash / ink.
3 Slap on base coats, not worrying about being too tidy. (If you got your initial washes right, you won't need to worry about applying flesh)
4 Ditto details
5 Mix a solution of klear and water, I guess about 1:3, and tint it with a good slug of black acrylic.
6 Dunk your figures in and shake off the excess.
7 For as long as you can be bothered, soak the drips off your figures with a brush or paper towel (I reckon you could probably get away with missing this step - klear self levels really well).
8 Start trimming your next lot.

yeh, they look really good.

Your method of painting them seems a bit crazy to me but I cant say that it doesn't seem to work!

Here's the zouaves I was talking about, along with some other stuff on my bench;



And here's a better pic of the texans.

Basically, although one of those figures takes a whole lot longer than twenty of the little fellas.

... and it's a dog.

Notice the one guy in the back row with the black face - that's what happens if you don't soak off all the excess black wash! note also the flesh and leather work - neither have actually been "painted" they are just ink (or was it acrylic? i can't rememeber) washed over primer.

Also, with these latest figs I've started basing them on sheet steel. I'm never going back to plasticard man! Nice heavy steel bases, and magnetic too, so I can carry them in a magnet lined box, and move them about on magnetic movement trays.

Wow that 'better picture' is a hell of a lot better! Love the hillside they're on too. Man seeing all those Confederates just makes me want to let out a Rebel yell .

Before I start I'd like to congratulate you on your site, first one I have ever joined, really impressed with your work and the comments (that I have read) from your members, it's always nice to find out that one is not alone.

Your rebel horde is rather tasty a nice mix of Italeri figs, reg of zouaves , ESCI figs ?, is a new one on me. Knew about the Louisiana Tigers, Coppens Zouaves and the Charleston Cadets etc.

Just for the record have finished the models I was doing so focus now back on a few Union Corps if your boys are up to it.

As for the lad with the black face I think you will have to repaint him as although the South did indeed allow black troops (circa late 1864 I think) their views / paranoia didn't allow then to be armed although there are plenty of accounts of "the slave fought gallantly by his masters side". Normally employed on digging, wagon train etc.

Have you tried coating them with pva after painting yet?