My attempt at ACUPAT

[ErikB]

Here is my first attempt at ACUPAT.  Mini is one of those magnificent ones from Empress.  I hope I can do them justice with my painting!

I painted a basecoat with deneb stone and then stipled vallejo's Russian Uniform (that's an irony since this is an American soldier).  It seemed to lack contrast so I tried to do a black pin wash which made it too dark.  Then I drybrushed deneb stone again which lightened it back up but now it looks more like A-TACS.

Not pleased with how this turned out as it does not look like what I had in mind.  However, I think it will do.

Anyone have any ideas on how to make it look more crisp?

Thanks for your comments and criticisms!

Two colors, stipling but no wash or highlight.  Face not even attempted yet.




Done, with different lighting, too (please forgive the face...!)

[Arrigo]

what is ACUPAT?

[ErikB]

ACUPAT is the US Army's (dangerously awful) digital camouflage.

ACU is Army Combat Uniform (replaced the BDU, Battle Dress Uniform) and PAT is pattern.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Camouflage_Pattern

[Arrigo]

I think they call it only ACU, ACUPAT is too similar to the evil version... MARPAT... used by those evil people wearing the anchor and the globe... 

I am not 100% sure it is a good result, ended up to green (from a painter standpoint the ACU is awful...)



awful photo, but the solider on the left has a good balance of colors. The one of the right was an half failure.

As sidenote, from a combat standpoint ACU can be good or bad, the idea of an universal patter was bad, but in several locales (urban and forested mainly, ACU works).

[FramFramson]

The ACUPAT is actually based on the earlier CADPAT which is the Canadian Army's digital-pattern camouflage.

We were actually the first nation to implement digital-pattern camouflage [/chauvinist national egotism]. 

[Papa Spanky]

Which replaced the even earlier "Flowing maple syrup" pattern.

[FramFramson]

 

Hey, the old days before MREs, we had to provide battlefield nourishment to our boys somehow. 

[Lowtardog]

They look good, I have linked my attempt and if you scroll down I have given a link provided by the chap who owns Empress as to painting techniques.

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=23178.0

[ErikB]

Thanks, Lowtardog.  I've seen your examples and was looking for them before I started this project.

I didn't read the whole thread but did you mention if you stipled on the pattern?  Used a sponge fragment?  How did you do it?

So strange how ACUs are sometimes greenish and sometimes grayish, sometimes lighter and sometimes darker in different photos.

[Keith]

ACU also seems to wash really badly, bleaching out pretty quickly in theatre - sometimes even developing a slightly pinkish hue.
A lot of images show it pretty imgrained with soil and dust too.

[Lowtardog]

Thanks, Lowtardog.  I've seen your examples and was looking for them before I started this project.

I didn't read the whole thread but did you mention if you stipled on the pattern?  Used a sponge fragment?  How did you do it?

So strange how ACUs are sometimes greenish and sometimes grayish, sometimes lighter and sometimes darker in different photos.

No if you look at the link for the big figure it gives you a guide on how to paint the digital theme, I printed it off and had a copy bedise me, the representation is merely painting very lightly T, H,Z and other shapes with a fine brush. The trick is not to use to many