Fieldcraft most versatile base color for cerekote

[boomer81]

i know it's preference and im probably overthinking stuff but i got a new mk-12 upper coming from high caliber. and a good early 90's preban gov/leo bushmaster lower. im thinking of having them cerekoted a solid color and hitting them with different colors of krylon from time to time. i love fucking with camo. i know terrain has every thing to do with color choice. but what would be the most versatile base color fde,od green,or other green, grey,black ive been thinking about a flat grey. seems like grey is the constant in most all seasons in most all terrain. just good fun thanks to all.

 

[CthulhuAwakens]

I've always started with the lightest color and added progressively darker shades on top. So...FDE would be my recommendation.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I like lighter shades because everything darkens up in the shade, and because lighter shades are easier to cover.

For areas where green foliage is present, I like base coat of something like sage green.

Camo details/splotches should be darker.

After doing some shallow research into color theory for painting military aircraft and armor models, the idea that camo colors are mostly grays with tints came across as a core concept.

Again, I choose to work with a lighter palette, since everything looks darker when it dries, and lighting tends to make colors look darker in shaded light conditions. When mixing one's colors, this is most easily accomplished by simply mixing in some white.

Also, lighting can make a single color appear as two with a contrast line between. For example, a rifle barrel will appear lighter on top and darker on its bottom. The net result is a straight line that stands out where nature abhors a straight line.

This can be remedied by mixing a very small amount of white into a flat clear coat and drybrushing/spraying the lower painted surface with it to achieve a slightly lighter tint on the bottom.

When we recently had siding put onto our home, the field color is a buttery cream color, with a light sage for the trim. The roof was done with dark green architectural shingles. The interior is being repainted in Southwest style light sandstone variations, and pecan shade woodwork.

Celia comes up with essentially all the colors.

Although we use color matching technology to bring different elements together (like paint for the garage T1-11 board, Decksaver coating for the rear deck, and the home's vinyl siding), the alternate colors (like the mailbox) are chosen to complement, and not to match.

Greg

 

[Redmanss]

The tacticool color seems to be gravitating to urban gray shades right now, but I still prefer Coyote or FDE for the base coat if I actually wish to camouflage the weapon. It's always easier to darken than lighten, which you want to do in the final steps of painting to add slight shadows to effectively break up the lines. Gray is more evident in shadows than it is elsewhere in nature and you can't always hang out in the shadows, unless you're in the Rockies in which case it would be a wise decision.

 

[Larry Jones]

Same here for coyote as base color.

 

[camotoe]

Tan and grey

 

[Sean the Nailer]

If it ain't black then you ain't operat'n.

 

[Dougie308]

I used to build very detailed aircraft models. I always laid down a flat white base coat. It both give color coats something to grip and shows colors more vividly.

Below is a recent paint job of mine. The weathering is all made up of lighter and darker versions of the base coat.

 

[HogsLife]

Coyote as a base is my preference. Light base color.

 

[elwarpo]

My choice would be a medium grey. Why? you can use the top colors to match the terrain, but grey is everywhere as a shadow. In the desert add browns,in the forest add greens, in the snow add whites.. Green in the desert stands out as does light brown in the forest. Grey is nowhere and everywhere.

BTW I am a paint chemist who has been inventing paints for the last 30 years.

 

[Cheyenne Bodie]

Thankfully nobody has said that black is night camo yet, lol. Just to put it out there, camo is universal to the available terrain, not the available light. If you look darker than everything around you then that's bad camo no matter what time of day. It's good for break-up patterns when used sparingly, otherwise not a fan of black in camo. Grey is where it's at in my opinion, foliage and bark colors change everywhere, but there are always grey rocks. Here in VA they tend to be kind of bluish, out west more yellow, northern glacial deposits are darker with a mixture of everywhere else in between, etc. It's all about the specific area like you said. I'd probably go with specifically Battleship Gray and then bring it home with Krylon. You could even do white as a base, but then you'd be darkening it every single time to get a realistic palette.

 

[HogsLife]

My choice would be a medium grey. Why? you can use the top colors to match the terrain, but grey is everywhere as a shadow. In the desert add browns,in the forest add greens, in the snow add whites.. Green in the desert stands out as does light brown in the forest. Grey is nowhere and everywhere.

BTW I am a paint chemist who has been inventing paints for the last 30 years.

Grey is a great base, as well as Coyote Tan. It’s a med brown with a tint of green. Doesn’t matter where you go, it works. Then top it with some colors dependent on the AO you’re working in.

 

[Soulezoo]

Pink......









If you're in Saudi.

 

[MarinePMI]

Assuming it's three color camo; FDE or Coyote Brown.

Based on the environment, I can then lean dark or light, with primary color being the last (top) color. Generally, since I live in the SW, it ends up as base coat of FDE or CB, followed by stencils over sprayed with a darker color, followed by stencils and a top coat color of something light, like "desert sand". This way, the base coat gives a palette to let you use the dark/light combo to best match your environment. How much the stencils cover the previous coat, determines how dark or light the finished look will be.

Essentially: Base coat, then heavy amount of stencils with dark color, then light amount stencils with the lighter color. This give a lighter camo pattern. If you do want a darker pattern (say hunting in dense forest/jungle or creek bottoms) then flip the amount of stencils for each of the two follow on colors (light amount of stencils with dark color, and heavy amount of stencils with light color). The camo will still have the same colors, but will have drastically different looks in the field.

Like mentioned, you generally (IME) want to stay away from too dark a pattern, as it stands out in nature as being out of place in most environments.

At least, that's what seems to work for me...

 

[Soulezoo]

Pink ....