What colors for French and Austrians?

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: Miami, FL

Hey everyone!I'm gonna be getting French and Austrians soon and I was wondering what colors I should use to paint 'em.I only have GW's Citadel paints so if someone could give me a list of what colors I'll need that would be great!

Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 117 Location: Cheltenham

You'll need white for both as a highlight. but austrians a bone/yellow build up to white and the frogs be regal blue.

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: Miami, FL

Thanks General Laird! What about the musket straps and the backpacks?

Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 117 Location: Cheltenham

I use Desert yellow ontop of graveyard earth for the straps, and the back packs for me are dark flesh with a brown ink which can be later highlighted if you wish

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: Miami, FL

Well I painted one up but I still have a question.What colors are the plumes on the hats for French line infantry?

Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 117 Location: Cheltenham

I think their diffrent colours depedning on which company they are so voltegiers are green i believe, grenadiers are red and normal line are white i think but i wouldn't be even 30% sure

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: Miami, FL

Thanks! I've now painted up six infantrymen and I'll post pics when I get a chance.

Joined: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 55 Location: Newcastle Australia

Plumes and Pompoms for the French infantry varied over the time that Napoleon ruled in France.

Choose a period you are going to base your army on (1800-1805, 1805-1813 etc), research that period and then paint them those colours. Some regiments had different colour so it makes it difficult. If you not sure what colour just paint them red.

As GL has indicated companies in the regiment also had different colours. To add colour to your regiment, paint the plumes of your core battalion the same, then if you use grenadier and light infantry as attachments paint them accordingly.

Osprey Men At Arms series of books provide good info or just look it up on the interweb.

Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 34 Location: NZ

French company plumes for Line regts. were

red for Grenadiers
green or yellow or a combination for Voltiguers ( light company)
the other four Fusilier companies were :
light green, light blue, yellowbrown or ochre & Purple

cheers,

Evan

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: Miami, FL

Thanks for all the replies! I've only managed to paint two companies so far but hope to finish my first battalion soon.