It's dark blue. You can't see the detail on a dark blue jacket.
Bit late to find out, after painting Prussias, and having about 400 Union to paint.
I agree, love painting blue uniforms but that color there is the devil it just looks black most off the time even over white primer
Don't forget - this is 10mm - so you will always lose detail on darker colours; therefore adjust your colours: 'correct' colour matches will be lost on-table so lighten everything up a couple of tones. While you're painting the figures - holding them close - it'll look 'wrong', but once you finished them & they're fighting their little hearts out, they'll 'pop' visually and look superb...
If you look at my FPW French (full pics here: http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,5832.0.html), these are a couple tones lighter - with much lighter highlights - than the colour plates I was using for reference:
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/10mm%20fpw%20french2/IMG_8636.jpg)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/10mm%20fpw%20french2/IMG_8639.jpg)
Another example is my Crusaders - look at the reds here (these are extreme as I wanted them sun-faded as well though!): http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,5311.15.html
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/10mm%20crusader%20batrep%20hattin/STA40123.jpg)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/10mm%20crusader%20batrep%20hattin/STA40128a.jpg)
And then "zoomed out":
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/10mm%20crusader%20batrep%20hattin/STA40129.jpg)
What I'd suggest is doing a very fast highlight on the paintjob you've done - go up a couple notches or three...do that on a couple figures & put them on-table and see if they look better :)
I agree with Nik's comments. When I've used blue I've ended up with pretty much a Space Marines Blue as the main colour, otherwise it just looks black once on the table. Think theatrical make-up where everything has to be exaggerated to show up under the lights, or else it is lost.
Quote from: Last Hussar on 13 October 2012, 01:06:14 AM
I've decided what I hate about painting
It's the results of your dice rolling as soon as you put them on the table? :d
Good point, but blue remains tricky. Look at the lurid, nearly luminous ultra-azure of the lancers and the rough, tough, jolly sailor-men, reeking of rum, tar, and parrots, and rotten with pox and scurvy.
Btw, I am aware that the cavalry weren't carrying colours any longer. Reality is at fault.
Yes, I'm with Nik. "Paint light", seems to be the watch-word.
Here's another blue example (yes, I know some of these are OG :-[ )
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f175/nikharwood/10mm%20acw%20batrep%20summer12/STA40223.jpg)
To date I have painted 0 10mm :o Even tho I have a load of them ready for war (I juts ain't got round to it ok...) so as A 25mm painter, I think I'm decent with the brush (I would live to say 'when I worked at GW I was trained to paint..." However it doesn't make a good painter...
What was I going to say....? Oh yeah, my suggestion would be one of the following. Can you drybrush a lighter blue to pick up the detail. I realise that's hard a such a small model but if you did the blue first, dry brush and do the detail/rest later would that sort it?
... Or, could you do do a lighter blue and then do a few black ink washes to bring it back to the colour you wanted?
Hope this is of help.
Holy poo !
I'm a whole three figures in front of someone !
I still can't figure out how to paint the 'tiny' men remotely half as well as the all the other members of the forum....And I like to think I was pretty damn good painting wise when it came to 25/30mm.
Seems ironic that I can sculpt bits on a figure that YOU lot can paint....But now I just can't manage.
Not that I'm bitter and twisted at all. ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D
I just love seeing what CAN be achieved....You SWINE.
Cheers - Phil.
I'm afraid I chicken out. Unless the beltwork can clearly be seen and easily painted, I'm afraid I don't bother.
I agree with the lighter paint tones, but sometimes they just do not look right.
As someone once said (I think) if you can't see the detail 4" away why bother when you are going to be several feet away.
Chad :-[
Quote from: Chad on 13 October 2012, 03:58:07 PM
As someone once said (I think) if you can't see the detail 4" away why bother when you are going to be several feet away.
Chad :-[
I agree with chad! BTW I (think I) can sculpt 10mm but I don't think I can sculpted at 25... Odd, I wounded if its the opposite to painting?
I'll say it again, coat d'arms deadly nightshade, black wash them a dry brush of it over the top. Mark from timecast then says a highlight of marine blue. I don't bother with that stage myself! :D
Miniature Paints MP23 Royal Blue works a treat for me for all periods' "dark blue".
Alternatively ship your wee men to me and you can have them back painted when you've sent me the cheque.... ;)
Mark
I can paint 10s easier than 25. I'm not so great at shading. The problem is the dark blue jackets. I'm having trouble picking out the MUSKETS! My WW2 soviets are amoung the best I've ever done in any scale (though I am proud of the WH dwarfs I did for my son, but they are quite cartoony). Belts etc I can do in 10mm, just not against Prussina blue.