The American Civil War (ACW) is a fascinating period for wargamers and miniature painters alike. Recreating the iconic Union army on the tabletop often involves painting large numbers of miniatures. Achieving a cohesive and visually appealing Union army efficiently can be a challenge. This guide explores a fast and effective method for painting Acw Union Uniforms using contrast paints, allowing you to quickly bring your troops to the battlefield.
Achieving Authentic Union Blue Quickly
Traditional painting methods for wargaming miniatures can be time-consuming, especially when painting entire regiments. Contrast paints offer a revolutionary approach by combining base coating, shading, and highlighting in a single application. For painting ACW Union uniforms, this technique is particularly beneficial, allowing you to achieve a tabletop-ready standard swiftly without sacrificing visual appeal.
Materials You’ll Need
Before you begin, gather the following paints and supplies:
- Paints:
- Citadel Contrast Paint: Stormfiend
- Citadel Contrast Paint: Nighthaunt Gloom
- Army Painter Speedpaint: Crusader Skin
- Army Painter Speedpaint: Gravelord Grey
- Army Painter Speedpaint: Pallid Bone
- Citadel Agrax Earthshade (Wash)
- Traditional Silver Metallic Paint
- Citadel Nuln Oil (Wash)
- Traditional Brass or Gold Metallic Paint
- Army Painter Speedpaint: Ashen Grey
- Various Contrast/Speedpaints for hair (browns, greys, reds etc.)
- Contrast Medium (for dilution if needed)
- Other Supplies:
- Miniatures of ACW Union infantry
- Primer (Grey recommended)
- White drybrush paint (Artist’s acrylic recommended)
- Airbrush (optional, for primer and base coat)
- Brushes (various sizes for base coating and details)
- Palette for paints
- Water pot
Step-by-Step Painting Guide for ACW Union Uniforms
This tutorial will guide you through painting your Union infantry efficiently using contrast paints.
1. Priming and Undercoat:
Begin by priming your miniatures with a grey primer. This provides a neutral base for the contrast paints to work effectively. Once the primer is dry, apply a heavy drybrush of white artist’s acrylic over the entire miniature. This crucial step enhances the contrast effect and creates pre-highlights, making the contrast paints work even more efficiently.
2. Coats and Trousers – The Union Blue:
For the iconic Union blue uniform, use a combination of Citadel Contrast Stormfiend and Nighthaunt Gloom. Apply Stormfiend and Nighthaunt Gloom contrast paints liberally over the coats and trousers of your miniatures. These paints, used at full strength, will flow into the recesses, creating instant shading and defining the folds and details of the uniform.
3. Painting the Flesh Areas:
For the faces and hands, use Army Painter Speedpaint Crusader Skin. It’s recommended to dilute Crusader Skin with a little contrast medium, as it can be quite strong and may result in overly dark skin tones if applied directly from the bottle. Diluting it ensures a more natural skin tone and prevents the face details from being obscured.
4. Black Leather and Equipment – Gravelord Grey Magic:
Army Painter Speedpaint Gravelord Grey is a game-changer for painting the black elements of ACW Union uniforms. Apply Gravelord Grey to all areas that need to be black: cartridge box, waist belt, haversack, bayonet scabbard, shoes or boots, forage cap brims, and Hardee hats.
After the initial coat of Gravelord Grey dries, you’ll observe that it creates a dusty, blackish-grey tone rather than a solid black. However, its magic lies in its ability to automatically outline straps and equipment with a dark shade, beautifully separating the black elements from the blue uniform.
5. Deepening the Blacks:
To differentiate the leather equipment from the haversack and create a richer black tone for leather parts, apply a second coat of Gravelord Grey, but this time only to the leather areas: cartridge box and waist belt, shoes, boots, and bayonet scabbard, as well as cap brims. This second coat will darken these areas, making them appear closer to true black and providing a subtle but noticeable contrast with the haversack.
6. Canteens – Pallid Bone for a Realistic Tan:
Paint the canteens using Army Painter Speedpaint Pallid Bone. This color yields a fantastic butterscotch or dirty tan shade, perfectly replicating the common jeancloth covers found on many federal issue canteens. This was arguably the most prevalent canteen color in the Union army during the Civil War.
7. Muskets – Rich Wooden Tones:
For the muskets, apply two heavy coats of Citadel Agrax Earthshade. This wash creates a rich, dark wood color for the musket stocks and also shades and outlines all the metallic components like barrel bands and the lock plate in one step.
8. Musket Furnishings – Metallic Details:
For the metallic parts of the musket, use a traditional silver model paint. Once dry, apply a coat of Citadel Nuln Oil over the silver to dull the shine and create a more realistic, battle-worn metallic finish.
9. Brass Plates – Adding a Touch of Color:
Paint the cartridge box plates and waist belt plates with a traditional brass or gold metallic paint to add a touch of historical accuracy and visual interest to the ACW Union uniforms.
10. Blanket Rolls – Ashen Grey for Realistic Texture:
For the blanket rolls, utilize Army Painter Speedpaint Ashen Grey. Apply it at full strength and consider using two coats for enhanced shading. Ashen Grey provides an excellent shading effect on the blankets. Alternatively, you could use brown contrast paints, as both grey and brown were common colors for federal issue blankets, covering approximately 95% of the variations.
11. Hair and Facial Hair – Variety for Realism:
For the hair and facial hair of your soldiers, use a variety of contrast and speedpaints in different brown, grey, and even reddish tones. There’s no need for specific colors; simply choose what looks like convincing hair colors to add individuality and realism to your unit.
Conclusion: Speed and Efficiency for Your Union Army
Using contrast paints is a remarkably efficient method for painting ACW Union uniforms. This technique allows you to paint a full regiment in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods. While close-up inspection might reveal the less refined nature of contrast paints, the overall effect on the tabletop is outstanding, especially when viewing entire units. The speed and efficiency of this method make it ideal for wargamers looking to quickly assemble and paint large armies for their American Civil War battles. Embrace contrast paints and bring your Union regiments to life with impressive speed and tabletop quality!
