CTS Confederates - some painted - suggestion needed (2 Viewers)

[Thyer]

Thought I would throw up 3 of 8 figures I am painting from CTS confederates. These figures are a blast to paint as they have crisp detail and very dynamic poses. Only finished these first 2, but kinda stumped on the 3rd one's blanket roll. Any suggestions? Should I leave in plain, or paint it up as a homespun quilt?

 

[Fubar]

Solid black, as a waterproof gum blanket/poncho. Kind of boring but common. Great work by the way. Will these match in size with Conte/ Britains?
Fubar

 

[Scott]

Grain in the rifle stock!!! The upside down US belt plate looks great to!

 

[Thyer]

Thanks everybody for the gracious comments! These guys are really fun to bring to life! To answer your question Fubar, these match up great with Conte guys, on my next post of these CTS guys I'll be sure include some of the Conte rebs I have painted up already for a reference. I assume they will blend well with Britians but cannot say as I don't have any. Thanks for the suggestion on the gummed blanketroll, I'll try that on another one as I already have this one painted tan/white. I actually painted it last night as blue gingham. Does anyone have a web source of images perhaps for civil war blankets? I am sure not many exist anymore. That wood grain isn't as hard to put on there as one might think, just wash out a dark brown really thin, use a skinny brush and draw some lines, then I go back and double up a few areas irregularly to create that grain look. Sometimes I get carried away detailing these guys and it takes me wayyy longer than it should, but it's fun!

 

[kilted vampire]

Hi nice work. Especially the blankets and muskets. CTS figures? Really? Very nice. May try to get some of those myself. Why not a Union blue for the blanket as picked up off of a dead Yankee? Or perhaps using that same color red with green strips.

Hope that helps.

KV

 

[Scott]

You're not far off with the yellow brown blanket for Union Issue. I have a VERY EXPENSIVE repro made to match some relic blankets including it's length and width. Issue blankets were just cut to size off of a woven roll and could be common throughout a unit. Several state units were issued bright red blankets such as Rhode Island. The yellow brown and dirty gray color, some with stripes, covers both sides of the conflict. I do like the quilt/comforter option for the Confederates. That's just me and NOT documentation.

The outside patches on clothing are more of a "reenactorism." Garments tended to be mended from the inside out with the same color material if possible, but I wouldn't throw rocks at how you have painted your figures.

 

[Scott]

Here's quick reference. I'm guessing that these are the clothing and blankets the prisoners had when they were captured at Fort Donelson.

"A Visit to the Rebel Prisoners [Camp Douglas, Chicago].
“As it was a chilly day, many of the prisoners were out on the sunny side of their quarters, conversing amongst themselves or with visitors. Their dress was a butternut colored jean, which gave a characteristic brown hue to every group. Except in this, and that some of the Companies were clothed in Negro cloth, a coarse dirty gray stuff, they wore no uniforms. They had all kinds of hats and caps and every imaginable sort of blankets, from a fiery red to a patched quilt, tattered and torn into shreds. So far as dress and cleanliness is concerned, they were about as hard looking set of men, as can well be imagined.”
JANESVILLE, WI. DAILY GAZETTE. February 28, 1862."

 

[Thyer]

Thanks Scott for the historical info, that yankee description of the prisoners is pretty cool. I actually use that same yellow brown (spice tan) on the uniforms as you can tell, as a butternut - the unfished rebel at the bottom has a spiced tan coat, I have another brown - territorial beige I also use for butternut shade - and the grays I use maybe 3-4, but I guess historically the 'butternut' rebel was most common? So the rebels were clearly 'rag tag', maybe another reason they add the patches on these figures perhaps, to make them more raggy. They are molded on there but I guess if you wanted to you could trim them off. Here's the other one I just finished off:

 

[Oddball]

Thyer,

Great job on the painting, these look really good.

One thing you mentioned was "... I guess historically the 'butternut' rebel was most common?" Well, no. Despite popular opinion and Hollywood, brown uniforms on Rebs were not as common as gray. Was "brown" clothing used? Sure it was, but most government issue clothing started out some shade of gray. Oxidation of some the natural dyes used, dirt, dust, smoke, etc might give the appearance of a light brown shade over time, but generally the clothing would appear some sort of gray. By the summer of 1863, for example, the Richmond QM Depot was issuing jackets made of a dark-blue gray English wool cloth ("Army cloth") brought in through the blockade. These jackets were issued until the end of the war, along ones made of cloth from Southern mills.

Rebs were ragged at times on campaign, but the soldiers did get issued new clothing. For example, most of Longstreet's Corps was issued new uniforms in Virginia prior to the move to Chickamauga. A South Carolina officer in Kershaw's Brigade described their uniform as "dark blue jackets and light blue trousers." These were made of the English cloth.

If you are interested, I would recommend that you take a look at the Time-Life Echoes of Glory series, which will give you a good overview of original uniforms, weapons and equipment for CS and US soldiers. Also, Don Troiani paintings are a good guide, as he pays attention to the details, and doesn't let "artistic license" get out of hand. Much of his work has been printed in several books that are available most places.

When you get a chance, I too would like to see a photo of the CTS figures with some Conte troops.

Thanks,
Oddball

 

[wds0855]

This paintjobs are excellent! I have been to a lot of ACW re-enactmanets, and most of the re-enactors I see have plain colored blanket rolls. Not sure how accurate that is though.

 

[Fubar]

Oddball is correct.
" DON TRIONI'S CIVIL WAR" and " A SOLDIERS VIEW " BY Kieth Rocco both provide plenty of color paintings to serve as painting guides . Very inspirational work by great Historians and Artists.
FubaR

 

[Thyer]

finished up another rebel and here are also a few shots of the CTS rebs mixed in with Conte's:

 

[Ragnar]

Thanks for the pics Thyer i might have to pick up a bag of these CTS Rebs,look like a good fit with the Conte.

 

[Oddball]

Thyer,

Good job on these. Thanks for adding the photos with the Conte figures.

Oddball.

 

[kilted vampire]

Those look better than some of the original Conte! Sorry RC you did not just read that.{eek3}