Painting a Kilt ?

[Major Weenie]

The question mark indicating that I'm soliciting advice,

Not providing hints myself.

Just purchased some Gordon Highlanders from the Perry Brothers.  I've studiously avoided kilts so far.  I can remember an old Imire Risley book with some sort of tips revolving around overlaying a sequence of squares.

Any more modern, and more helpful suggestions?

Even recomendations for tartan colors would be very useful,
MW

[joroas]

In 28mm you could get away with a simple paintjob on a GH kilt.

http://www.the-outdoor.co.uk/shopscr391.html

[Gary Peach]

Hi

Painting kilts is a process not a pleasure...  The picture attached show how I go about it.  I use a 000 and a 0000 brush (Cotman art, they keep their point).

1st a full cover of a dark blue.  Using the 000 - a sage - dark green.  Using the 0000 I use black either side of the green.  Depending on your tartan, using 0000 line in the centre (roughly) the colours...

Hope it helps.

[AndrewBeasley]

This may be hard to find:

 

On a serious point though -

Black Watch is the way to go http://montys-caravan.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/tutorial-black-watch-tartan-in-28mm.html

Other 'simple' steps are http://www.angelfire.com/tx/ToySoldier/tartan.htm (try the Hunting Stewart - the small dark green squares could become one block)

These are for the Vitrix figures http://www.wargametransfers.com/scottish-highland-kilts.html - it may be worth asking if they have them for yours?

Have you considered a pen for the fine lines?

Andrew

[The Breaker]

Hi,

I went for a Camerons kilt, I painted the base colour red then painted the green lines with a no 1 brush then the smaller yellow lines with a no 0 brush. It was a matter of taking my time and going very carefully.

[Argonor]

1st a full cover of a dark blue.  Using the 000 - a sage - dark green.  Using the 0000 I use black either side of the green.  

How about painting in the black first, then the green on top?

I don't think my hand would be sufficiently steady to use such thin brushes  

EDIT:

And for the light colours, I would suggest a 'muted' shade (not bright yellow and/or pure whit, rather a mustard and/or a 'bone' colour). Bright colours tend to look way too bright when applied in very small amounts.

[Cubs]

I do it the way Mr Peach advises. An important aspect is to make sure you keep the spacings nice and even (on flat areas) and use those pleats to hide a multitude of sins.

Try to make sure the pattern either meets back up in an area you can't see (because if it all comes together it will be pure luck), or you use the pleats to hide it. When doing the very thin lighter lines at the end, I put guiding dots in place first in the right places and then join them up, to avoid wobbly-hand syndrome.

[Wirelizard]

Other 'simple' steps are http://www.angelfire.com/tx/ToySoldier/tartan.htm (try the Hunting Stewart - the small dark green squares could become one block)

I've used this page as inspiration for a couple of kilted/tartan-wearing figures, and they give a good result and a good simple breakdown of the elements of a tartan pattern that's reproducible in 28mm.

The only one of my tartan figures I've got a decent photo of is the shotgun-wielding Scot in one of my LPL5 entries.

[Emir of Askaristan]

It's more important to paint what you can actually see and not what  you actually know to be there. With so many pleats in the back much of the colour is hidden, and if the figure is in motion, any patterns will be decidedly un straight .

Personally I use a dark blue base with a dark green check. With the Gordons I use a very fine yellow over stripe , which is really only visible on the front of the kilt. The patterns are much the same for Gordon, Argyll & Sutherland and Black Watch tartan, only the overstripe on the former is different.

[Suber]

My experiences with kilts are quite limited, but I hope this helps:

Three colours. Horizontal stripes first:




Then vertical stripes:



Weathering then:




http://oldschoolworkshop.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/braveheart.html

There are so many different patterns that you can choose almost anything as long as colours match. That's the main rule you must bear in mind. The rest is just a matter of choices .

[Daeothar]

I cut my teeth on a tartan not too long ago myself. I was doing pretty well till I went overboard and decided to highlight each square, like an old-school 2nd ed 40K checker pattern. This turned out ok, but the final lines of red and white completely killed the effect and made it look pretty bad in the end.  

I'm redoing this guy, but I will be using the same method, bar the highlighting of the squares of course...  



Here's what I did: a simple basecoat of dark blue.

Then the green/turquoise vertical bars; I first painted just vertical lines going all around the figure, taking care to make them equidistant from each other. Then I went back and widened the lines into bars, making sure that the bars were all the same thickness and left the same thickness blue inbetween.

Then I did the same horizontaly.

If that went well, you should be left with blue squares inbetween the green bars.

I then mixed up a lighter green (from the original green I used), and painted in squares where the green bars meet. Do this methodically, so you don't accidentaly forget one or two squares...

Following that, use a near-white colour to paint in very thin lines in the middle of the green bars, every other green line. Both vertical and horizontal.

Finally, do the same with a very thin line of red, on the bars you left open in the last step.

And if you did not try to sloppily highlight each and every square, you should end up with a very decent tartan pattern.

I used a 0 brush for the base coat, a 000 for the wider lines and a 0000 brush for the thin red and white lines.

I hope that helps...

[Argonor]

@Suber:

I would have preferred you using the term 'tartan' instead of 'kilt' when referring to the abominations used in that film 

Have you given it thought how they managed to make the pattern flow in different directions on the two ends of that fabric, btw? I know it does on the original, too, but it is beyond me how that can happen, unless it is two separate pieces of fabric (or the fabric has been cut in a strange way).

[smokezombie]

Battle flag do a tartan decal.

http://www.battle-flag.com/

I think it's specifically for the victrix nap highlanders tho.

[traveller]

Great post!

I have to start on those kilts one day...

[Major Weenie]

Many Thanks,

Good stuff with which to get started.

Even the 'plaid paint can' was appreciated.

I have a sinking suspicion that I will 'finish the rest of the figure' first, then go for the kilt.  For fear that I might slop non-kilt paint onto the finished kilt.

I did paint some plaid on Celts a (long) while back, but there I was deliberately trying to be garish. And... I can't find images anywhere, so you'll just have to believe me.

Righto! Back to my Gordons.  Based upon my normal painting speed, expect another post 'some time next year.'
(insert raucous laughter)
MW