After a flurry of painting, I have completed all of the French infantry that came with my starter set for Eagles of Empire. I had the presence of mind to slow down on my last squad and document my process. What follows is my interpretation of how to paint Imperial French line infantry for the 1870 campaign.

  1. Basecoat the model black. Any method works - I’ve started using either a satin black rattlecan or black brush-on primer depending on the weather.
  2. Paint the pants and the top of the kepi Citadel Khorne Red. This is a nice base from which to work up from,
  3. Paint the coat Vallejo Intense Blue. This is a great dark blue that is again a nice base to work up from.
  4. Paint the skin areas Citadel Wratihbone. I use Contrast paints for fleshtones these days and this looks really nice as an undercoat.
  5. Paint the breadbag and its strap in Wraithbone as well
  6. Paint the straps, bags, and other leatherwork in Vallejo Black.
  7. Paint the rifle stock in Citadel Dryad Bark
  8. Paint the overcoat (slung over the backpack) with Citadel Zandri Dust
  9. Paint the leather backpack (under the overcoat) with Vallejo Flat Earth
  10. Wash the whole model in Citadel Agrax Earthshade. Make sure you don’t allow the wash to pool and give time for it to dry fully (about 10 minutes usually)
  11. Paint the red areas with Citadel Evil Sunz Scarlet. This will likely need multiple coats. Just be patient and build up the color on the raised areas, leaving some of the shaded tone in the shadows
  12. Paint the blue areas with Vallejo Dark Blue - again go slow, build up the color over a layer or two making sure to leave shaded details. Also paint the brim and rear of the kepi.
  13. Paint the flesh with Citadel Contrast Darkoath Flesh. Similar to applying a wash, dont allow any pooling to occur and spread the paint evenly to avoid tide marks. This is a fantastic one stop shop color for rank-n-file fleshtones.
  14. Paint the barrel of the rifle with Citadel Ironbreaker (optionally wash with Nuln Oil - depends on your taste)
  15. Paint the cookware Vallejo Sea Grey (I’ve seen mixed photos and sources on if the skillet was copper or iron - likely both were used so go nuts)
  16. Paint the gaiters (the thing between the boots and the pants) white - I use Vallejo Foundation White.
  17. Touch up the beltwork with Vallejo Black.
  18. Do the belt clasp and buttons in Balthasar gold.
  19. Don’t forget the facial hair! I use a mix of browns, blacks, and greys for variety.

Here is the final result done up nice in my photo setup: FrenchFinished FrenchFinished

The flags are from Warflag - follow their instructions to get a good result.

The Prussians are already underway, I should have a gallery post up this weekend with the first Section and I have a game lined up for Friday night to try the system out!