How to paint your face like an Indian. Julius Caesar: blue faces are “more terrible to look at than others”

Along with the development of language as a communication tool, non-verbal methods of communication developed. Before learning to speak coherently, a person used the limbs of his hands and facial expressions to communicate, unconsciously learning to put so much meaning into every arc and straight line on his face that all of this was enough to be fully understood by his interlocutor. When going to war or hunting, he applied a symmetrical pattern to his face, emphasizing his intentions, and with the help of facial muscles, the coloring came to life and began to work according to specific rules.

It is known that war paint It was also used by the ancient Celts, who used indigo blue obtained from woad for this purpose. The Celts applied the resulting solution to the naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it cannot be said with complete confidence that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of applying war paint to the face - woad was used back in the Neolithic era.

Woad dyeing

New Zealand Maoris applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called “ta-moko”. This type of tattoo was extremely important in Maori culture; could be read by "ta-moko" social status man, but, in addition, it was an attempt to make “permanent camouflage” and at the same time create a prototype military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman first reached the shores of New Zealand and came face to face with the local inhabitants. In the diaries preserved from that time, there is not a word about the fact that he met people with tattoos on their faces. And the expedition of 1769, which included naturalist Joseph Banks, witnessed in its observations strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local aborigines. That is, at least another hundred years passed before Maori began to use tattoos.

North American Indians used paints to apply patterns to their skin, which helped them, as with the Maori, for personalization. The Indians believed that patterns would help them gain magical protection in battle, and colored patterns on the faces of fighters helped them look more fierce and dangerous.

Besides coloring own body the Indians put patterns on their horses; it was believed that a certain pattern on the horse's body would protect it and give it magical abilities. Some symbols meant that the warrior was showing respect to the gods or was blessed with victory. This knowledge was passed on from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, the Indian had the right to apply a certain design only after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, every mark and symbol on the body carried an important meaning. The palm, for example, meant that the Indian distinguished himself in hand-to-hand combat and had good fighting skills. In addition, the palm print could serve as a talisman, symbolizing that the Indian would be invisible on the battlefield. In turn, a woman from the tribe, who saw an Indian warrior with a handprint, understood that with such a man nothing threatened her. The symbolism of the patterns went far beyond just ritual actions and social markings; it was necessary as an amulet, as a bodily placebo that instills strength and courage in the warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each symbol. Symbols painted in red denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have completely peaceful connotations - beauty and happiness - if faces were painted with similar colors.

Black color meant readiness for war, strength, but carried more aggressive energy. Those warriors who returned home after a victorious battle were marked black. The ancient Romans did the same when returning to Rome on horseback after a victory, but they painted their faces bright red, imitating their god of war, Mars. White color meant sorrow, although there was another meaning - peace. Patterns in blue or green colors were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors signified wisdom and endurance. Green color closely associated with harmony and the power of providence.
Later, the Indians began to use coloring not only for intimidation, but also as camouflage - they selected the colors of the coloring in accordance with the conditions. Flowers were used to “treat”, protect, prepare for a “new life”, express the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting were applied as decorative elements.
The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. Military personnel apply black face paint under the eyes and on the cheeks to reduce reflections. sun rays from the surface of the skin, which is not protected by camouflage fabric.

Rules for applying coloring

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information received from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the overall picture into its component parts. When the eye looks at a vertical line with green spots, the brain receives a signal and identifies it as a tree, and when the brain perceives many, many trees, it sees them as a forest.

Consciousness tends to recognize something as an independent object only if this object has a continuous color. It turns out that a person has a much greater chance of being noticed if his suit is absolutely plain. In the jungle a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a complete object, because the jungle is literally made up of small parts.

Exposed areas of skin reflect light and attract attention. Usually, in order to apply the paint correctly, soldiers help each other before the start of an operation. Shiny parts of the body - forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears and chin - are painted in dark colors, and the shadow (or darkened) areas of the face - around the eyes, under the nose and under the chin - in light green shades. In addition to the face, coloring is also applied to exposed parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage patterns are often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not camouflaged, but if in military operations the hands are used as a communication tool, that is, they serve to transmit non-verbal tactical signals, they are also camouflaged. In practice, three are most often used standard type face paints: loam (clay color), light green, suitable for all types of ground forces in areas where there is not enough green vegetation, and clay white for troops in snowy terrain.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: protection and safety of the soldier. The safety criterion means simplicity and ease of use: when a soldier applies paint to exposed parts of the body, it must remain stable in conditions environment, resistant to sweating and suitable for uniforms. Face painting does not reduce the soldier's natural sensitivity, has virtually no odor, does not cause skin irritation and does not cause harm if the paint accidentally gets into the eyes or mouth.

Modern methods

Currently, there is a prototype of paint that protects a soldier’s skin from the heat wave of an explosion. What is meant: in reality, the heat wave from the explosion lasts no more than two seconds, its temperature is 600 ° C, but this time is enough to completely burn the face and severely damage unprotected limbs. As stated, new material capable of protecting exposed skin from minor burns for 15 seconds after the explosion.
There are face paint designs that reflect infrared rays and protect soldiers from mosquitoes and other insects. Typically, the soldier would first apply a protective layer of insect repellent cream to protect exposed skin from bites, and after the cream had been absorbed into the skin, protective face paint would be applied. Today there are developments in which these two functions fit into one bottle.
Digital security CV (Computer Vision, or facial recognition system) is being developed in military institutions, but there is also a civilian version called CV Dazzle. It is based on Dazzle naval camouflage from the First World War - black and white lines are applied to the skin of the face, which does not allow the computer system to recognize the face. The project started in 2010 and is aimed at digitally protecting people from city cameras, of which there are more and more more than a year from year.

Man, as a herd and social “animal,” began to paint his body, including his face, from ancient times. Each tribe had different ritual makeup, but it was performed for the same purposes:

Designation of tribal (family) affiliation;
Defining and emphasizing your status within the tribe;
Announcement of special achievements and merits;
Designation of the unique qualities and skills inherent in a given individual.
Determination of occupation in this moment (fighting, hunting and supplying the tribe, reconnaissance, peacetime, and so on).
Obtaining magical or mystical protection to support one’s actions, both during military operations and when participating in special rituals.

In addition to painting your own body (and a photo of an Indian’s paint job can be seen in our article), North American Indians They also drew corresponding patterns on horses. And for almost the same purposes as on yourself.

Indian war paint

As you can guess from the name, not only graphics played a role in coloring, but also color, which denoted different phenomena:

Red - blood and energy. According to beliefs, it brought good luck and success in battle. In peacetime, it highlighted the beauty and family happiness.
Black - readiness for war, striking aggressiveness and strength. This color was mandatory when returning with victory.
White meant sorrow or peace. These two concepts were very close among the Indians.
The intellectual elite of the tribe painted themselves blue or green: wise and enlightened people, as well as people who knew how to communicate with spirits and gods. Green color also carried information about the presence of harmony.

Entering the “warpath”

“A great day to die” - with this motto the North American Indians greeted the news of the beginning of a military campaign and began to apply war paint to their faces. It confirmed the warrior's fierce courage and unshakable courage, his status and past merits. It was supposed to instill terror in the enemy, including those defeated or captured, instill fear and despair in him, and provide magical and mystical protection to the wearer. The stripes on the cheeks confirmed that their owner had repeatedly killed enemies. When applying war paint, factors were taken into account that not only terrify the enemy, but also provide additional protection, including camouflage.

The image of a palm could mean good hand-to-hand combat skills or possession of a talisman that gives the owner stealth and invisibility on the battlefield. Uneven, but uniform war paint gave a feeling of unity and kinship in battle, just like modern army uniforms do now. He also emphasized the status of a fighter, like insignia and orders today.

The war paint of the Indians turned out to be effective means to boost their morale. He also helped to cope with the fear of death, since one had to die like a hero, with a thirst for blood overflowing the heart. It was impossible to let him be filled with the fear of death and the desire to live, for this is a shame for a warrior.

Features of horse war paint

After finishing the ceremony of painting, if the Indian did not fight on foot, they switched to horses. Light paint horses were painted with dark colors, and animals with light colors were painted with red paint. White circles were applied to the horses’ eyes in order to improve their vision, and the places of wounds, like their own, were marked in red.

Symbolism

Almost every Indian, from the very beginning of his youth, thoroughly knew the features of the usual and war paint of both members of his tribe and related and allied tribes, as well as all known enemies. Despite the fact that the meaning and meaning of the same symbol or combination of colors among different tribes, in different time, could differ significantly, the Indians perfectly navigated this almost endless sea of meanings, which caused genuine surprise and envy of the whites who came into contact with him. Some openly admired, but most of the “white-skins” only hated the Indians more for such qualities as loyalty to their word and unwritten code of conduct, honesty and frankness in demonstrating their intentions by the Indians, which was confirmed by the war paint on their faces.

An interesting fact: at present, there is a persistent stereotype that North American Indians received the nickname “redskins” for their skin color, which supposedly has a reddish tint. In fact, their skin is slightly yellowish and has a slight tint of light brown (this shade may vary among different tribes, especially those living far from each other). But the term “redskins” arose and took root due to the coloring of the faces of the Indians, in which red predominated.

Let us note one more interesting fact. Only warriors who distinguished themselves in battle had the right to apply paint to the faces of their wives.

The role of “pale faces” in the implementation of coloring

Naturally, even before the advent of the whites, the Indians, with their ability to produce on an industrial scale and, accordingly, supply anyone with paints of any shade, applied war paint. The Indians knew different varieties clays, soot, animal fat, charcoal and graphite, as well as vegetable dyes. But with the advent of traveling traders among the tribes, as well as after the Indians began visiting trading posts, the only product that could compete with alcohol (fire water) and weapons was paint.

Meaning of individual elements

Each element of the combat, and not only, coloring of the Indians necessarily meant something specific. Sometimes it’s the same for different tribes, but more often it’s just very, very similar. In addition, being drawn separately, the pattern could mean one thing, and in combination with other elements of such “tattoos”, something generalizing or clarifying, and in some cases - the exact opposite. The meaning of Indian war paint:

A palm print on the face usually meant that a warrior was successful in hand-to-hand combat or a very good stealth scout. For women of their own or allied tribe, this element served as a guide reliable protection.
For many tribes, vertical red lines on the cheeks and above indicated the number of enemies killed. Some tribes had blacks talking about the same thing. horizontal stripes on one of the cheeks. And the vertical marks on the neck meant the number of battles.
Some of the tribes painted their faces with black paint, in whole or in part, before the battle, and the majority after a victorious battle, before returning home.
Very often the area of the face around the eyes was painted over, or they were outlined in circles. Usually this meant that the enemy would not be able to hide and the warrior would attack him and defeat him with the help of spirits or magic.
Traces of wounds were marked with red paint.
Transverse lines on the wrist or hands meant a successful escape from captivity.
On the thighs, painting with parallel lines meant that the warrior fought on foot, and with crossed lines - on horseback.

Peculiarities

The Indians, as a rule, really wanted to emphasize all their achievements in war paint, but did not attribute too much to themselves, but moved from one status level to another only based on victories, murders, scalps, recognition by fellow tribesmen, and so on. At the same time, the war paint of the Indians was applied to a minimum by young men who had just arrived at the appropriate age, as well as by young warriors who had not yet had the opportunity to distinguish themselves in combat battles. Otherwise, the spirits of the ancestors might not recognize their own and not provide them with the help you need, or even worse.

The Indians, of course, were very well versed in the social hierarchy and knew their leaders, including the military. But this did not mean that the leaders did not emphasize their high status with clothing, headdress and war paint. Thus, the image of a square indicated that its bearer was the leader of a given military detachment.

Drawings in the form of heads of predatory animals

Separately, it should be said about tattoos or paint drawings in the form of heads of predatory animals, which were depicted on the head or body and which were very difficult to earn. In particular, they meant:

coyote - cunning;
wolf - ferocity;
bear - power and strength;
eagle - courage and vigilance.

Items of clothing and military weapons were subject to coloring. On the shields, if the warrior used it, there was a lot of space, and it was possible to put on it not only existing achievements, but those that he was striving for. And by the sewing, finishing and coloring of the moccasins, even a child could determine the tribal affiliation of its owner.

War paint on military faces

In our practical times, war paint is given a purely practical, down-to-earth meaning. Military personnel, including intelligence and special forces, need to reduce the visibility of the face and exposed areas of the body, including the eyelids, ears, neck and hands. "Makeup" should also decide important task for protection from:

Mosquitoes, midges and other insects, no matter whether they are blood-sucking or not.
Solar and other types of combat and (non-combat) burns.

During preparation, a lot of time is spent practicing applying camouflage makeup using improvised means. As a rule, it should be two-color and consist of parallel straight or wavy stripes. Earth, dirt, ash or clay is the main element. In summer you can use grass, sap or parts of plants in summer, and in winter you can use chalk or something similar. There should be several zones on the face (up to five). The makeup is applied by the warrior himself and must be quite individual.

Children's coloring

Indian war paint for children is now very often done, especially for boys. Therefore, having painted their faces and stuck a feather of any bird into their hair, they cheerfully chase each other, waving a toy tomahawk and screaming loudly, using the method of rhythmically pressing them to their mouths. open palm. This makeup is perfect for children's carnivals and parties. Safe face painting perfectly imitates the war paint of Indians from a photo original drawings and is easily washed off with soap and water.

Conclusion

So, we looked at the essence and features of the war paint of the Indians. As you can see, each color and pattern has its own meaning. At the moment, it will be difficult to see Indians painted in this way (except at carnivals), but several hundred years ago great attention was paid to this nuance, and coloring had its own power.

Scientists believe that the first means of applying combat makeup was blood. Ancient people smeared themselves with animal blood not only before hunting, but also before raiding a neighboring tribe. And it is unknown what was primary in this - the creation of a kind of olfactory protection from one’s own human smell or giving oneself a creepy appearance that would plunge enemies into horror. Covered in the blood of the enemy, the warrior demonstrated his strength and aggression - and not only to the enemy, but also to his comrades and to himself.

Bloody masquerade

In some tribes of Africa, America and Oceania, blood for this scary decoration warriors used their own. This symbolized determination and contempt for pain and death, a kind of “battle frenzy” - akin to that demonstrated by berserkers in northern Europe. Tacitus noted that the barbarians who opposed the Roman army in Britain deliberately “scratched their faces with a sword” in order to appear more terrible.

Pride in their wounds and their traces - scars - forced the ancient inhabitants of Europe, the Celts, to prevent them from healing without a trace. This is evidenced by Theodor Mommsen, describing the Celts in the History of Rome: “Everything was a reason for boasting - even a wound, which was often deliberately widened in order to show off a wide scar.” Sometimes, in order to prevent the memory of a wound from disappearing, mineral dyes were specially added to non-dangerous wounds, emphasizing them with blue, red or black colors. Clay, soot, ocher or coal dust helped to “touch up” the wound. (Perhaps this is exactly how the birth of the art of tattooing once happened - from the accidental entry of paint into a healing wound - to the deliberate violation of the integrity of the skin with the introduction of dye).

Blue-faced Picts

Along with tattooing and scarring, the Celtic tribes of Europe widely used a wide variety of combat cosmetics. Tertullian’s mention: “the legion curbed the wild Scots (Scots) and studied the steel-colored patterns on the faces of the slain” - says a lot. The Romans succinctly called the tattoos and war paint of their opponents “stigmata Britonium”, British signs.

The name of a group of tribes living in the north of Scotland, given to them by the Romans, is directly related to this custom - the word “Picts” means “painted”, covered with drawings. The Picts were not of heroic height, judging by the remains found in their military graves - no higher than 170 cm. It was vital for them to give themselves a frightening appearance. Pictish tattoos depicted their patron animals (totems).
Clay with a high content of copper compounds - malachite and azurite, with bluish or greenish tints, was especially revered by the Picts for combat makeup. In addition, they achieved a bright blue color from the use of a dye made on the basis herbaceous plant called woad. The blue woad pigment could compete in the brightness and purity of tone with expensive indigo - it was known to people since Neolithic times, later it was called “German indigo” and was used throughout Europe and even in Rus' for dyeing wool. Not only the Picts, but also other Celtic warriors frightened opponents throughout Europe with their “cyanosis.” Caesar in his Notes on the Gallic War notes: “All Britons paint themselves with woad, which gives their bodies a blue color, and this makes them look more terrible than others in battle.”

The “dead” skin tone of the painted warriors was intended to show the enemies their lack of fear of death - since they were already, to some extent, “dead and blue.” The area for applying war paint was considerable: the Picts went into battle almost naked. In addition to homogeneous blue background, the Picts painted totemic symbols on their bodies and faces - images of animals, birds and fish. Geometric and spiral patterns were popular, the meaning of which is still unknown to history. There is a version that these are also highly stylized images of totems.
Continental Celtic tribes, for example, the Bagaudas, more often used orange pigment for war paint on their faces.

Military make-up

The Romans, who faced off against the blue-faced Celtic warriors, were also no strangers to military makeup. True, they used it not in battle, but in victorious processions, and not during the Gallic and British wars, but several centuries earlier. Participants in triumphal parades in ancient Rome often painted their faces red, which symbolized the god Mars, whose attribute was red.

Other northerners - the Vikings - at the height of their era - from the 9th to the 13th centuries. - they often also used war paint, but in it they were no longer interested in this or that color - they were varied, but in the graphic symbol of the totemic animal - the patron saint of the clan. It is known that the Vikings had a special passion for the color red, applying it with ocher, clay or blood.

Modern military personnel use combat cosmetics a little less frequently than their distant ancestors. As before, applying combat makeup has two main goals: to a greater extent, camouflage and, to a lesser extent, psychological impact on the enemy. A combination of these purposes is often used, for which bright blue color not very suitable: a combination of gray, brown, green and black in the form of a specific “camouflage” pattern hides much more effectively and is no less frightening. By destroying the color continuity of the visual image of a person’s face, combat makeup allows a special forces soldier to remain unnoticed for a long time, and when he jumps out to meet the enemy, he can frighten and demoralize him.

Bloody masquerade

In some tribes of Africa, America and Oceania, warriors used their own blood for such terrible decoration. This symbolized determination and contempt for pain and death, a kind of “battle frenzy” - akin to that demonstrated by berserkers in northern Europe. Tacitus noted that the barbarians who opposed the Roman army in Britain deliberately “scratched their faces with a sword” in order to appear more terrible.

Blue-faced Picts

The name of a group of tribes living in the north of Scotland, given to them by the Romans, is directly related to this custom - the word “Picts” means “painted”, covered with drawings. The Picts were not of heroic height, judging by the remains found in their military graves - no higher than 170 cm. It was vital for them to give themselves a frightening appearance. Pictish tattoos depicted their patron animals (totems).
Clay with a high content of copper compounds - malachite and azurite, with bluish or greenish tints, was especially revered by the Picts for combat makeup. In addition, they achieved a bright blue color by using a dye made from a herbaceous plant called woad. The blue woad pigment could compete in the brightness and purity of tone with expensive indigo - it was known to people since Neolithic times, later it was called “German indigo” and was used throughout Europe and even in Rus' for dyeing wool. Not only the Picts, but also other Celtic warriors frightened opponents throughout Europe with their “cyanosis.” Caesar in his Notes on the Gallic War notes: “All Britons paint themselves with woad, which gives their bodies a blue color, and this makes them look more terrible than others in battle.”

The “dead” skin tone of the painted warriors was intended to show the enemies their lack of fear of death - since they were already, to some extent, “dead and blue.” The area for applying war paint was considerable: the Picts went into battle almost naked. In addition to the uniform blue background, the Picts painted totemic symbols on their bodies and faces - images of animals, birds and fish. Geometric and spiral patterns were popular, the meaning of which is still unknown to history. There is a version that these are also highly stylized images of totems.
Continental Celtic tribes, for example, the Bagaudas, more often used orange pigment for war paint on their faces.

Military make-up

Modern military personnel use combat cosmetics a little less frequently than their distant ancestors. As before, applying combat makeup has two main goals: to a greater extent, camouflage and, to a lesser extent, psychological impact on the enemy. A combination of these purposes is often used, for which bright blue is not very suitable: a combination of gray, brown, green and black in the form of a specific “camouflage” pattern hides much more effectively and is no less frightening. By destroying the color continuity of the visual image of a person’s face, combat makeup allows a special forces soldier to remain unnoticed for a long time, and when he jumps out to meet the enemy, he can frighten and demoralize him.

In this material, we tried to highlight the main milestones in the history of war paint, find out how it is used today, and also compile short instructions by application.

The history of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used indigo blue, obtained from woad. The Celts applied the resulting solution to the naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it cannot be said with complete confidence that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of applying war paint to the face - woad was used back in the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maoris applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called “ta-moko”. This type of tattoo was extremely important in Maori culture; by “ta-moko” one could read the social status of a person, but, in addition, it was an attempt to create “permanent camouflage” and at the same time create a prototype of a military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman first reached the shores of New Zealand and came face to face with the local inhabitants. In the diaries preserved from that time, there is not a word about the fact that he met people with tattoos on their faces. And the expedition of 1769, which included naturalist Joseph Banks, witnessed in its observations strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local aborigines. That is, at least another hundred years passed before Maori began to use tattoos.

dyeing woad

In addition to painting their own bodies, the Indians applied patterns to their horses; It was believed that a certain pattern on the horse's body would protect it and give it magical powers. Some symbols meant that the warrior was showing respect to the gods or was blessed with victory. This knowledge was passed on from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, the Indian had the right to apply a certain design only after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, every mark and symbol on the body carried an important meaning. The palm, for example, meant that the Indian distinguished himself in hand-to-hand combat and had good fighting skills. In addition, the palm print could serve as a talisman, symbolizing that the Indian would be invisible on the battlefield. In turn, a woman from the tribe, who saw an Indian warrior with a handprint, understood that with such a man nothing threatened her. The symbolism of the patterns went far beyond just ritual actions and social markings; it was necessary as an amulet, as a bodily placebo that instills strength and courage in the warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each symbol. Symbols painted in red denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have completely peaceful connotations - beauty and happiness - if faces were painted with similar colors.

Later, the Indians began to use coloring not only for intimidation, but also as camouflage - they selected the colors of the coloring in accordance with the conditions. Flowers were used to “treat”, protect, prepare for a “new life”, express the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting were applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. Military personnel apply black face paint under the eyes and on the cheeks to reduce the reflection of sunlight from the surface of the skin, which is not protected by camouflage fabric.

Those warriors who returned home after a victorious battle were marked in black.

Rules for applying coloring

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information received from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the overall picture into its component parts. When the eye looks at a vertical line with green spots, the brain receives a signal and identifies it as a tree, and when the brain perceives many, many trees, it sees them as a forest.

Exposed areas of skin reflect light and attract attention. Usually, in order to apply the paint correctly, soldiers help each other before the start of an operation. Shiny parts of the body - forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears and chin - are painted in dark colors, and shadow (or darkened) areas of the face - around the eyes, under the nose and under the chin - in light green shades. In addition to the face, coloring is also applied to exposed parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage patterns are often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not camouflaged, but if in military operations the hands are used as a communication tool, that is, they serve to transmit non-verbal tactical signals, they are also camouflaged. In practice, three standard types of face paint are most often used: loam (clay color), light green, applicable to all types of ground forces in areas where there is not enough green vegetation, and clay white for troops in snowy terrain.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: protection and safety of the soldier. The safety criterion means simplicity and ease of use: when a soldier applies paint to exposed parts of the body, it must remain durable in environmental conditions, resistant to sweating and suitable for uniforms. Face painting does not reduce the soldier's natural sensitivity, has virtually no odor, does not cause skin irritation and does not cause harm if the paint accidentally gets into the eyes or mouth.

Exposed skin reflects light and attracts attention

Modern methods

Currently, there is a prototype of paint that protects a soldier’s skin from the heat wave of an explosion. What is meant: in reality, the heat wave from the explosion lasts no more than two seconds, its temperature is 600 ° C, but this time is enough to completely burn the face and severely damage unprotected limbs. As stated, the new material is able to protect exposed skin from minor burns for 15 seconds after the explosion.