Hobby Focus: Painting camouflage

Blood Angel scout with camo cloak

I found this picture on one of the newer FTW Blogger Group member sites the other day. It comes from The Land O Misfit Toys and was part of a series of posts showcasing a great looking Blood Angels army.

The reason it caught my eye is because of the camouflage scheme on the cloak. Wow. Not only does it read as camo, it reads as a certain pattern. By itself, camo patterns can be tough to do, but getting it to look like a particular pattern is even more impressive.

And to top it off, he's accounted for the folds in the material and the pattern being different when you see the next fold.

I think the reason camo is so tough is because of the scale we're working at. I've given it a go before with passable results. Nothing to write home about though.

Dark Angel scout with camo cloakMy attempt was feeble at best. I used a few washes to create some variety and give it the impression of a pattern. Maybe... if you squint your eyes and wave the model around in circles.

This was really to help me escape having to paint all the folds in the material.

I've posted about "how" one would go about painting camo before. Well not me, but I enlisted the help of a couple of guys who knew what they were doing. Admiral Drax and Col. Corbane helped me out with their two cents on the topic.

Adding camouflage patterns to troops or vehicles for that matter is one of those things you need to get right. It's worth looking around to find some good examples and maybe even do a test model before trying it one your whole Imperial Guard army.

That being said, if you get it just right, it's an amazing effect that adds tons of character to your force. My example is not the best, but the one up top is spot on.

4 more FTW Member camo examples



Make sure to check out these posts as they might help:
How to paint camouflage
4 things to keep in mind when painting camo


Ron, From the WarpIf you've got an example in your own work or a trick/tip about this kind of thing, let's hear it.
Make sure to check out the other Hobby Focus Articles too!