The color "butternut"

[Conquistador]

Okay, I know what Sherman Williams has for Butternut paint (but that is house paint.)

I want to paint some Southern troops in newly issued uniforms (to represent a newly raised/uniformed unit) of Buttrernut color (as opposed to the stereotypical "Grey" uniforms.)

1)  Yes, I know colorfast dyes were not used.   

2) Yes, I know the Confederacy had uniformity issues from day 1.   

3) Yes, I know some historians question how common "butternut" actually was.   

4) Yes, I know Grey wasn't always adhered to either, especially early (uniform availability and local standards for state troops) or late (campaigning destroys uniforms) in the ACW.   

So indulge me, okay...       and give me some ideas what you use/would use.

Points to consider:

A) I use craft paints routinely so no, I don't shade, highlight, or use other skilled painting techniques because I can't paint worth a lick.   

B) These will be for 1/600th (3 mm) figures so it "for effect" painting.   

C) I use the 3 foot rule for my abysmal painting skills.   

Gracias,

Glenn

[wrgmr1]

My understanding it that Confederate troops were not issued Butternut, but Grey.
The Butternut was made from cloth dyed with Butternuts. Similar to what the British did with their white uniforms in South Africa. They boiled them in tea.

If you Google Butternuts the inside is a golden brown. If you are not a highlight kind of painter, I would paint them a light golden brown then dip or wash with a medium brown, it will give you a good effect.
Practice with a couple of garbage figures to see what works for your taste. Don't worry about it being exactly correct. Just what you think looks good. After all they are your figures.

Just my humble opinion.

Cheers,
Thomas

[Conquistador]

Usual Wikipedia warnings...

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

"... The exact color of the fabric also ranged from the prewar bright cadet grey, similar to the fabric used by Virginia Military Institute, or West Point U.S. Military Academy dress uniforms, to the sumac and logwood dyed fabrics, that would eventually fade to the ragged butternut appearance..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_tree#Uses

"... Butternut bark and nut rinds were once often used to dye cloth to colors between light yellow[5] and dark brown.[6] To produce the darker colors, the bark is boiled to concentrate the color. This appears to never have been used as a commercial dye, but rather was used to color homespun cloth..."

"... . Later, during the American Civil War, the term "butternut" was sometimes applied to Confederate soldiers. Some Confederate uniforms apparently faded from gray to a tan or light brown. It is also possible that butternut was used to color the cloth worn by a small number of Confederate soldiers.[7] The resemblance of these uniforms to butternut-dyed clothing, and the association of butternut dye with home-made clothing, resulted in this derisive nickname..."

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/butternut-uniforms.44690/

http://historum.com/american-history/35929-confederate-gray-butternut.html

So, you can see why I am just going to fly in the face of "clarity" and paint one unit this color for my own sense of historical humor.

So, back to my question, what paints beyond the one answer suggested earlier?

Gracias,

Glenn

[Cadet13]

Looking through my craft paints I found the colors "Caramel Candy" (Apple Barrel brand) and "Teddy Bear Tan" (Folk Art brand). If I was personally going to paint butternut uniforms I'd mix of both of those colors within a unit: the "Teddy Bear Tan" has a yellow-brown color while the "Caramel Candy" is more of a light brown.

Hope this helps.

-Chuck

[sepoy1857]

Army Painter Desert Yellow Spray can...at that scale what does it really matter!?

[OSHIROmodels]

Army Painter Desert Yellow Spray can...at that scale what does it really matter!?

This 

cheers

James

[HerbyF]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the units being outfitted in Butternut were often coming from poorer areas in the south, so the butternut coat or jacket might have been the only uniform they had. The rest of there clothing & equipment would have been a mix of civillian clothing & equipment.

[Conquistador]

Army Painter Desert Yellow Spray can...at that scale what does it really matter!?

More than you imply, less than the average war gamer  would think...

 

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

Isn't the thing about butternut that they should not all be the same uniform colour or shade? So each figure could have a different jacket and pants - different grays, browns and tans?

[Conquistador]

Isn't the thing about butternut that they should not all be the same uniform colour or shade? So each figure could have a different jacket and pants - different grays, browns and tans?

Well, the same can be said of any 19th Century unit with a long active campaign history and uniforms issued a long time prior...  Homespun, homespun dyed all might vary but would large lot issue vary that much initially?

The whole uniformity thing (based on what i am reading hearing now) is apparently debatable by the "experts" online...

Maybe I shouldn't worry and just paint what appeals to my heretical bent...

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

Looking through my craft paints I found the colors "Caramel Candy" (Apple Barrel brand) and "Teddy Bear Tan" (Folk Art brand). If I was personally going to paint butternut uniforms I'd mix of both of those colors within a unit: the "Teddy Bear Tan" has a yellow-brown color while the "Caramel Candy" is more of a light brown.

Hope this helps.

-Chuck

I will have to pick those up and check them out, thanks!

Gracias,

Glenn

[Too Bo Coo]

Well, the same can be said of any 19th Century unit with a long active campaign history and uniforms issued a long time prior...  Homespun, homespun dyed all might vary but would large lot issue vary that much initially?

The whole uniformity thing (based on what i am reading hearing now) is apparently debatable by the "experts" online...

Maybe I shouldn't worry and just paint what appeals to my heretical bent...

Gracias,

Glenn

I think question may turn on the scale of manufacture.  As I recall, it was not until the mid-19th century that the UK switched from cottage to mass production for their military uniforms.  I would imagine, given the rather poor state of Southern industrial capacity, that Confederate manufacture was probably under a cottage regime.  That would lead one to think that there should be some variation, even within units.  ACW is far from my area of expertise, but given that much of the historical record in this area is muddied, I would say what ever floats your boat and looks pleasing to your eye should not only work from an aesthetic end, but from an historical one as well.  

[wrgmr1]

In my stock of paints, I have Delta Ceramcoat Pigskin which is a yellowish brown.
Delta Ceramcoat Golden Brown, a little darker.
Americana Antique Gold, nice looking color for butternut, especially if you dip.
Liquitex, Yellow Oxide, lighter than the Americana, again good for dipping.

I know Delta is no longer being produced, but you may find some in stores still.

Americana Color chart.
http://www.michaels.com/Americana-Acrylic-Paint/cp0028,default,pd.html

Another chart.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart

Delta's Chart,
http://www.plaidonline.com/delta-ceramcoat-acrylic-paint-2-oz/158/product.htm

Just trying to help.

[Conquistador]

Very helpful!

Gracias,

Glenn

[huevans]

https://www.facebook.com/BeauregardsTailor

If you're on FB, check out the above page. Confederate uniforms are horrendously complicated and not a matter of arbitrarily selecting a brown or grey at random and slapping it on.