Horse Painting Techniques
Greg Young
Aren't you in the Trumpeter Club? I remember you from when I
gamed in Vancouver.
IMVHO, you get good results in 15mm : assuming a dark
undercoating with black or preferably dark brown, the bodies are
done using equine browns and some lighter browns, with a few
lighter ones in grey and some white. Then do a lighter wash of
the same colour over the flanks and high points. Don't make the
manes too light in colour.
The bang for the buck is in the use of whites and light browns
for the socks and forehead stars. You can get a really good
effect by doing a light wash on the underbelly as well. Don't do
a sock on every foot of every horse - mix it up.
Good luck--
Greg Young
Charles R. Deily
15mm.
Also note that most brown horses have at least one "stocking"
(the white bit on the leg), usually two or three.
-Charles.
--
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"A man talking sense to himself is no madder
than a man talking nonsense not to himself." Guildenstern
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Brett Drake
I have been using a different kind of horse painting philosophy, intended \
to draw attention *away* from the horses and to the riders, which I feel
are more interesting.
Paint all horses the same color: British Armor Red (sort of a nice
brown-red color) with dark (Earth Brown) manes, tails and hooves.
This yields horses which do not catch the eye but are neat looking and not
a distraction. I find very nice horses (multicolored, detailed) tend to
yield some confusion to the eye when viewed from the distance. I find
that boring and dull horses tend to look better from a distance and worse
up close.
Christopher Salander
but it's mainly a numbers problem. How do you paint
so many quickly and with variety.
1. Horse skin colors
35% dark brown
20% medium brown
20% reddish brown
10% black
10% tan
5% grey
This will vary by region and unit type, but
when it doubt, I just follow these numbers. Add white
horses to taste.
2. Horse "socks"
One reference says that most horses have at least
one leg with a white or pale "sock" above the hoofs. If
you're in a hurry, (especially in 15mm), you can skip these,
but again I use numbers:
20% no socks
20% one socks
20% two socks
20% three socks
20% four socks
I also try to rotate which legs the markings occur on.
I usually use white, off-white, or very pale tan.
3. Manes and tails
I give 1/3 to half of the dark brown horses black manes and
tails, some of the tan horses pale tan m&t, and some grey
horses darker or lighter m&t.
4. Hooves
Gray for gray, black, and white horses. Light tan or
gray for brown horses.
5. Faces
I give approx. half my horses facial marks or white mouths.
Note! Most of these comments apply to line cavalry. Guard
cavalry units frequently went to the trouble of making all
their horses match.
Check out Howard Hues' horse colors: Dun, Bay, Roan, Grey,
White, Brown, Black, and Chestnut.
- Chris Salander
Ken Frost
Imperial Guard Mamelukes. Did these units try to maintain the
same horse colors in their units? I thought the Carabiniers
tried to keep the horses black, or dark grey. I don't have any
information about the Mameluke horses.
--
Ken Frost
75450,31...@compuserve.com
alanp...@delphi.com
>Using real oil paints has a nice effect on the texture, even in
>15mm.
Alan
Allan Wotherspoon
Does anyone have any tips or techniques for painting 15mm horses? I've got a
whole bunch of Franco-Prussian cavalary to paint but I haven't found much about what the best colours for horses are. Also, I'd like some suggestions as to
the markings on the horses. I tried looking in the FAQ, but there was nothing
there.
Thanks,
Allan
--
Allan Wotherspoon (e-mail: awot...@sfu.ca)
Burnaby, B.C. Canada
a
Gustav Bergman
awot...@fraser.sfu.ca writes:
>Does anyone have any tips or techniques for painting 15mm horses?
I've got a
>whole bunch of Franco-Prussian cavalary to paint but I haven't found
much about
>what the best colours for horses are. Also, I'd like some
suggestions as to
>the markings on the horses.
My best looking horses I paint with a mixture of black and brown.
I pour up a small amount of each colour, then I start to paint the
legs with black, then I mix it with brown and paint the upper
parts of the legs and the "sunken" parts of the body. I mix in more
and more brown and finish with the "outstanding" parts. The mane
and the tail I paint in black and then dry brush it with grey if I have
the time and energy. When it has dried I paint the markings with white
(I don't know what they are called in English) this kind of dot or
broad
line in the forhead and just above the hoof.
The other type that looks really good are the greys. I paint them light
grey and then I dry brush them with white. (I sort of dot on the colour
with an almost dry brush which is very "outspread".)
Then you can have the so called "Isabell" colour, light brown with
blond
mane and tail and chestnut(?) which is red-brown with red-brown mane
and tail (dry brush or wash the mane and tail, otherwise it looks too
dull.)
Gustav Bergman
martin hayes
75450...@CompuServe.COM "Ken Frost" writes:
> I'm starting to paint some 15mm Napoleonic French Carabiniers and
> Imperial Guard Mamelukes. Did these units try to maintain the
> same horse colors in their units? I thought the Carabiniers
> tried to keep the horses black, or dark grey. I don't have any
> information about the Mameluke horses.
I am not an expert, but I have had a dig around and here's what I have found.
The Carabineers - I have assumed you mean the 'post 1809' unit. The excellent
Elting's Napoleonic Uniforms Volume 1 shows a white horse. Ugo Pericoli's
'1815, The armies of Waterloo' show a light brown. Funcken's 'Arms and
Uniforms' show similar shades (note there is a black one prior to 1809). I
cannot say if which, or if all, are correct. Sounds as if you have a defence
for your personal favourite, whatever it may be !
The Mamelukes - Funcken indicates that they rode 'the same breeds of charger as
the Chasseurs a Cheval' ('bay or chestnut chargers'). Elting Volume 2 shows
pure white and chestnut in the 4 or 5 illustrations. An interesting point here
is that there were only 18 'true' Mamelukes in the unit when disbanded so don't
go mad on the skin tones !
I believe the accuracy of the uniforms in the 'Elting' is considered high but
I cannot speak for the horses. The Funcken I know to be considered suspect in
some areas but has nevertheless proved a useful guide. The Pericoli ? - I
have not heard comment either way. I am sure that I am about to !
I hope this helps and I have enjoyed the excuse to look through Elting again.
While I'm on can anyone recommend any other groups useful for Napoleonic, ACW,
Vietnam, WWII and general wargaming. I have found the following so far :
alt.war.civil.usa alt.war soc.history.war.misc
alt.war.vietnam soc.history.war.world-war-ii
--
Martin Hayes You get more peas in a packet of peas than you get in
a packet of spuds ! - Think about it . . .
Anton Britten
For colours I use artists acrilyics (mainly Windsor & Newton) in earth
colours. Mix with Acrilyic Medium to get a nice satin finish. Dilute
fairly well to get a wash that runs into the hollows etc.
For mains use black and grey very well dilluted which picks out the highlights
well. Use the same colour on the bottom of legs for bays.
--
Anton Britten
Anton Britten Computing Ltd. You find SYMPATHY in the dictionary
...between sh*t and syphilis