The Tartan Delemma

[Gluteus Maximus]

I've been thinking about he Royal Stewart and I believe I remember the way to cheat and make it look good whilst preserving sanity.

Start with red base. Next paint solid blue horizontal and vertical lines. Then ( and this is the cunning part!) paint khaki over the blue, leaving  blue at the edges and as a square where the vertical and horizontal lines cross. Finally finish with the narrow white stripes. Hopefully the pic from Svennn's excellent link will help explain what I'm on about. bear in mind they have done two sets of fine blue lines, instaed of the thick blue topped with khaki. Pull away from the image on the screen and I think you will see what appears to be khaki between the blue lines.



Though not shown on this tutorial, the khaki actually does fool the eye into thinking there is a lot more going on than there really is.

edit  those white stripes are still killers though 

[Viper]

It's certainly a personal thing but I've never liked red based tartans...and not just because the ones linked to my family aren't red.
 

When it comes to tartan really everyone should just go for whatever design they like the look of, the whole "Clan Tartan" thing is a falacy anyway, it was invented in the 18-1900s rather than being some age old historic Scottish tradition.

Painting it on small scale minis you're probably going to end up with a less is more situation, or paint veeery thin lines. Don't try to get all the details of the tartan on just get the main colours that stand out then if you feel brave go for the little details.
 

[Plynkes]

While clan tartans were invented by romantic fools in the 19th Century, that doesn't make them any less real. Björn said he was sometimes very much into historical accuracy.  "Paint whatever design you like the look of" is good advice if you are doing 18th Century Jacobite Highlanders, but British Army Highland regiments do not have just any old tartan.

I guess it all depends on whether he decides to go historical or creative on this occasion, but it would be incorrect to tell him he could do both at the same time.

[Gluteus Maximus]

I have read that whilst "clan" tartans weren't used in Jacobite times, they would tend to use similar colours within the same clan area due to local availability of dyes etc. So whilst each plaid may not have been of a uniform design, the colours may have been, giving them a fairly uniform look from a distance.

Whether this is true or not I can't say, but I believe I read it in one of Stuart Reid's books so it stands a chance.

[Red Orc]

For what it's worth I totally agree with Plynkes. If you want a real regiment, then you should try to do the tartan (though maybe you spare your eyes and hands by reasoning that from three feet away on a table, that tiny white stripe probably wouldn't be visible anyway).

You can always invent the Hebridean Ranger Battalion or the Fife and Angus Rifle Regiment or the Bredalbane Highlanders or something, and then paint your own design of (simple) tartan. That's what I'd do, but I'm better at inventing names than accurately painting... anything, so it's obviously the easy way out for me!

[former user]

did they have irish kilted regiments at that time?
that would make it simple 

I always envy people who can paint tartans - I tried this long time ago an 1/32 pipers but it didn't turn out very well
guess I'll have to buy painted highlanders if I ever want to own some...

[Viper]

Well yes if you are doing a historically accurate model from a regiment with a specific Tartan then use that one.

I have read that whilst "clan" tartans weren't used in Jacobite times, they would tend to use similar colours within the same clan area due to local availability of dyes etc. So whilst each plaid may not have been of a uniform design, the colours may have been, giving them a fairly uniform look from a distance.

Whether this is true or not I can't say, but I believe I read it in one of Stuart Reid's books so it stands a chance.

That is sort of correct.
An area or a community often only had a single weaver from which they would buy from, pattern would depend upon the preffered styles and dyes avaliable to that person. So if all of one clan lived in that area or community then they would all have the same tartan, but so would anyone else in the area and if there were clan members farther afield they would probably have a different tartan from their local maker.

As far as I know there were no Irish kilted regiments, with kilts usually only ever being worn by pipe band members in Ireland.

[Hammers]

You could do what I have done: get Highlanders with aprons. Then there is just a fringe of tartan seen at below the khaki aprons edge.







I can't find a reference to when these were introduced. They were not a part of the 1908 official and universal webbing. It seems likely that were introduced in time for WWI, in any case not before 1900.

[Plynkes]

They had them in the South African War (or Second Boer War, 1899-1902), Hammers.





(But only on the front. Don't need to camo the back unless you are fleeing from the enemy  )

[Hammers]

I stand corrected.

[Driscoles]

Thank you guys.
I am doing the red or blue green thing.
I will be able to paint Tartan. Vikotnik gives me a short tutorial and it will work.

What if I wanted to paint the 72nd Highlanders who stormed the Peiwar Kotal.
What Kilt color ? Isnt it green and red ?

Thanks
Björn

[Hammers]

Thank you guys.
I am doing the red or blue green thing.
I will be able to paint Tartan. Vikotnik gives me a short tutorial and it will work.

What if I wanted to paint thewho stormed the Peiwar Kotal.
What Kilt color ? Isnt it green and red ?

Thanks
Björn

Apparently so. I also read that they later were absorbed into the Seaforth Highlanders and therefore, logically, wore the MacKenzie tartan...



...which in turn is, as I am sure you know, a variant of the government Black Watch tartan.

[Driscoles]

LoL  isnt it confusing Hammers ?! 

[Hammers]

Nothing of the kind, sir. It is *tradition*!

(I have a soft spot for this, since I understand I am allowed to wear the MacDonald tartan due to maternal lineage. I know fully well I will feel and look a right berk doing so but a tartan... A tartan!)

[Aaron]

I recently did some 77th in government tartan for French and Indian war gaming and it isn't as hard as it seems. I did cheat and use an black engineering pen to get the very fine dark lines in the center of the green stripes.