Painting Info

I’m using this page as an online reference desk for painting triads and similiar stuff.  If others find this information of use,  that’s great.  Most of these ideas have been shamelessly borrowed from other sites on the net.  For general painting information, the best site I’ve found is Steve Dean.  The forum there is top stuff.

For the most part I use Vallejo paints, but also have some GW, P3 and craft paints as the situation demands.   I undercoat my figures with black gesso, so keep that in mind.   Your results will look different if you prime with white.  The triads listed are for 28mm figures… for 15’s I usually only do two tones with a dark wash for shading.

As always, these are just some basic starting points.  Experiment and learn.

Vallejo Model Color Chart

Delta Americana Color Chart

Coat D’ Arms/Vallejo/GW Conversion Chart

Dark Blues (I use this for French & Prussian Napoleonics and Prussian SYW.)

• Base – Vallejo 899 – Dark Prussian Blue
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 965 – Prussian Blue
• 2nd Highlight – Vallejo 963 – Medium Blue

This will give a more blue-y (is that a term?) blue.

OR

• Base – Delta Americana Deep Midnight Blue
• 1st Highlight   – Delta Americana Deep Midnight Blue + small amount Americana Antique White
• 2nd Highlight   – Delta Americana Deep Midnight Blue + more Antique White (until almost grey)

This will give a more washed-out & faded blue.

Enamel:  Humbrol 104

Russian Green Napoleonic or (Maybe) SYW

• Base – Vallejo 896 – Dark Green or 980 – Black Green
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 894 – Russian Green
• 2nd Highlight – Vallejo 823 – Luftwaffe Camo Green (maybe with Naples Yellow highlight)

Enamel:  Humbrol 88   (regular jackets)  Humbrol 80 (early jager uniforms)

Standard Brown (good for mud too)

• Base – Vallejo 941 – Burnt Umber
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 875 – Beige Brown
• 2nd Highlight – Vallejo 843 – Cork Brown

For extra-dark base use Vallejo 822 – German Camo Black Brown and then build up from there.

Standard Red

• Base – Vallejo 985 – Hull Red
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 947 – Red
• 2nd Highlight – Vallejo 817 – Scarlet
• 3rd Highlight – Vallejo 910 – Orange Red

Standard White

• Base – Vallejo 994 – Dark Grey
• 1st highlight – Vallejo 886 – green-gray
• 2nd highlight – Vallejo 971 – green gray JN

This will give (as expected) a somewhat greenish tint to the white.

OR

• Base – Vallejo 820 – Offwhite
• Wash with GW Devlan Mud
• Highlight raised areas with Offwhite again.

This is what I use for 15mm trousers and other large areas of white.  It gives a more brown/black shadow look to things.

For pre-20th century purposes I don’t think the stark true white looks good.
Standard Grey

• Base – Vallejo 992 – Neutral Grey
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 990 – Light Grey

Standard Yellow

• Base – Vallejo 856 – Ochre Brown
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 913 – Yellow Ochre
• 2nd Highlight – Vallejo 953 – Flat Yellow
• 3rd Highlight – Vallejo 952 – Lemon Yellow

Standard Caucasian Flesh

• Base – Vallejo     – Red Leathe  OR Base – Vallejo 860 – Medium Fleshtone
• 1st Highlight – Vallejo 927 – Dark Flesh
• 2nd Highlight   – Vallejo 845 – Sunny Skintone
• 3rd Highlight – Vallejo 815 – Basic Fleshtone OR Vallejo 928 – Light Flesh

There’s no one way to do flesh… these are just some basic notes I try to keep for myself to avoid getting washed out fleshtones.

Bavarian Blue

Enamel:  Humbrol 109

US Airborne WWII

All vallejo

UNIFORM 

• Equal mix of Khaki grey and US Field drab, splash of Tan yellow, Brown sand and English uniform + lots of water.
• highlighted with added buff and white

HELMETS AND KNEE/ELBOW PADS

• US Olive Drab with a bit of Military green, lighten with Russian Uniform

WWII British Battledress

• VGC Charred Brown
• VMC Flat Earth
• VMC US Tan Earth

More Generic Vallejo Triads – Courtesy of Toby from Artmaster Studios via the Steve Dean Forum.

I have finally got around to listing my favourite home made vallejo triads. Some colours are from panzer aces series but most are Model colour.

Any questions please leave a comment below!

I hope you find them useful!

Shadows Flesh
Flesh base
Dark flesh

Black Red
RED 033
RED 029

Dark Grey
London grey
Light Grey

US Feild drab
Golden brown
Golden Yellow

US Feild Drab
Green ochre
Buff

Burnt Umber
English uniform
Khaki grey

Yellow ochre
Flat yellow
Light yellow

Tan Yellow
Beige
Pale sand

German cam orange brown
Tan yellow
Beige

Flat earth
Light brown
Beige red

Burnt umber
US feild drab
Green ochre

Germ camo dark green
Reflective green
Russian uniform WWII

Andrea blue
Deep sky blue
Sky blue

US feild drab
Highlight afrika korps
Deck tan

Black green
Flat green
German camo bright green

Germ camo black brown
Flat brown
Mahogany brown

Feild blue
Grey blue
Pastel blue

Us feild drab
Green ochre
Iraqian sand

Lufftwaffe uniform WWII
Dark blue grey
Pastel blue

Germ dark green
Russian uniform WWII
Middlestone

Tan Earth
Iraqian sand
Pale sand

Light grey
White grey
White

RED 033
RED 029
Orange red

Splinter blotches
biege brown
Brown sand

Dark rust
Leather belt
New wood

Vermillion
Orange red
Light orange

Germ camo medium brown
English uniform
Khaki grey

Canvas
Khaki
Highlight US Tank crew

German dark green
Olive grey
Italian Tank crew

German grey
Basalt grey
Neutral grey (might need to lighten that a smidge)

US olive drab
German tank crew WWII
Green grey