Painting different units with similar but clearly different paint schemes.

[CanvasBack]

How do you keep them clearly differentiated? Or do you?

If you decided to paint Kell Hounds one project then switched to Wolf's Dragoons Black Widow Company for the next. What would you do to make the Red/black stand apart from the black/red? Does it all come down to surface area and chroma of the red? Or would it be down to using appropriate decals? There are probably MANY other examples so use the one you're thinking of in response or play with this one.

[Luciora]

Patterns of colors, ratios of colors, and appropriate decals for me.  The black and red of the Lexington Combat Group is different than say the Robinson Rangers or the Kell Hounds.  LCG has a stripe on the left side, Robinson Rangers is more red with maybe random black camo splotches kind of a 70/30 mix, while Kells seem to me maybe to be more a symmetrical 50/50 red and black, with the black trim on the legs and upper arms.  Wolf Dragoons have more black than red, with symmetric red trim. 

There are ways to keep them distinct.  Decals always help though.

[Hellraiser]

The Dragoons are "highlights" so less of them over all in terms of the Red than the Kells who are closer to 50/50.

Also, if you'll notice the Kells in many of their images have sort of a Boots, Gloves, Torso coverage for the Red & the Black is often on the Upper Arms & Thighs.
That particular pattern isn't on every image but its common enough that I follow it & use it to make them different from other Black/Red schemes.
I sort of think of it as a Mechwarrior with Cooling Vest with Heat Resistant Boots/Gloves like you see in many of the older art from the SW.

The Tikonov Republican Guards do their Red/Black in a "quartered" pattern on each mech with Upper/Right & Lower/Left matching in color v/s & the other 2 being the opposite color.

Meanwhile the Skye Rangers do an all Red Torso/Legs while just the Arms are fully painted black.


Check out Camospecs.com for great pics to reference.

[worktroll]

The other thing I do is paint the edges of the hex bases in factional colours. So the Tikonovs got alternating black & red sides, the Wolf's Dragoons would get grey (mercs), Robinson Rangers would get mustard, and so on.

[Hellraiser]

The other thing I do is paint the edges of the hex bases in factional colours. So the Tikonovs got alternating black & red sides, the Wolf's Dragoons would get grey (mercs), Robinson Rangers would get mustard, and so on.

I do this as well.
Gold for the Suns,  Red for the DC,   Silver for Mercs ($$),   Flat Grey for the Wolves,   Charcoal for the Jags,  etc etc.

[CanvasBack]

Patterns of colors, ratios of colors, and appropriate decals for me.  The black and red of the Lexington Combat Group is different than say the Robinson Rangers or the Kell Hounds.  LCG has a stripe on the left side, Robinson Rangers is more red with maybe random black camo splotches kind of a 70/30 mix, while Kells seem to me maybe to be more a symmetrical 50/50 red and black, with the black trim on the legs and upper arms.  Wolf Dragoons have more black than red,...

So for the Black Widow company, I was considering using a black base coat and then painting white highlights and then over painting the white with red. For Kell Hounds should I prime white or gray then apply red and black base coats?

[Hellraiser]

So for the Black Widow company, I was considering using a black base coat and then painting white highlights and then over painting the white with red. For Kell Hounds should I prime white or gray then apply red and black base coats?

So, I'm sure some of the pros will disagree w/ me here, but, when I'm doing a scheme that involves major amounts of Black/White/Grey, then I prime in that color heavily & it works as primer/base coat.

Now, in the case of putting Red on Black, yeah, I end up having to do my Highlights a few times because yes, putting bright red over black will leave you showing black through quite a bit, but, I'll take that any day over having little bits of Grey/White that just refuse to get covered & keep peeking through when I'm doing a Black/Red or Black/Green scheme.

I was doing Jade Falcons Epsilon last year sometime IIRC & it was a royal PITA when I'd think I'd completed my Black/Green only to find little tiny spots of White/Grey primers on this little crack or that little edge.

I had run out of Black Primer but still had the White & Grey so I thought, no big deal, well, yes, it was a big deal, total pain to try & get black or green into every nook & cranny on just over a binary of mechs.

I should note that I don't own an airbrush & everything is brushes except primer coats from the old rattle cans.

PS.  I should also note that I have WAY too much Red v/s my White which is down to the last bottle, so for me, going over highlights w/ extra Red is fine v/s the White undercoat you mentioned.

[Joel47]

So for the Black Widow company, I was considering using a black base coat

Suggestion: When painting black, don't paint black. Instead, paint dark grey. That way you can still have shadows. It's much easier to darken the recesses back down to black than it is to glaze grey over black to create mid-tones.
(Prime black though. As Hellraiser notes above, chasing dots of exposed lighter primer is not fun.)

[CanvasBack]

Well I'm not sure exactly when I'll get to these projects but I might as well set goals with my pile of shame. Thanks for the advice gentlemen. I'll definitely keep this in mind once I start in on this path.