Russian army coloring book. History and rules for applying war paint. History of war paint

In this article we will try to raise the main milestones in history war paint, find out how it is used today, and also study a short instruction on how to apply it.

History of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used indigo blue obtained from the woad plant. The Celts applied the resulting solution to a naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it is impossible to say with complete certainty that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​applying war paint to the face - woad was used as far back as the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maori applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called "ta-moko". Such a 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 make "permanent camouflage" and at the same time create a prototype of a military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman reached the shores of New Zealand for the first time and came face to face with the locals. In the diaries that have survived 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 the naturalist Joseph Banks, testified in their observations to strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local natives. That is, it took at least another hundred years before the Maori began to use tattoos.

The North American Indians used dyes to create patterns on the skin, which helped them, as in the case of the Maori, for personification. The Indians believed that the patterns would help them gain magical protection in battle, and the colored patterns on the faces of the fighters made them look more ferocious and dangerous.

In addition to painting their own body, 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 abilities. Some symbols meant that the warrior expressed respect for the gods or was blessed to win. This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during the wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, an Indian was only entitled to apply a certain pattern after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, each 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, a 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 nothing threatened her with such a man. 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 a warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each character. Symbols applied with red paint denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have quite 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 in black. So did the ancient Romans, returning to Rome on horseback after a victory, but they painted their faces bright red in imitation of their god of war, Mars. White color meant sorrow, although there was another meaning - peace. Blue or green patterns were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors meant wisdom and endurance. Green was 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 “treated”, protected, prepared for a “new life”, expressed the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting was applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. The military applies dark paint to the face 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.

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the big 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 already 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 is much more likely to be noticed if his suit is absolutely plain. In jungle conditions, a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a holistic object, because the jungle is literally made up of small details.

Exposed areas of the skin reflect light and attract attention. Usually, in order to properly paint, the soldiers help each other before the start of the operation.

The shiny parts of the body - the 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 open parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage paint is more often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not masked, 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 masked.

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: the protection and safety of the soldier. The criterion for safety means simplicity and ease of use: when applied by a soldier to exposed parts of the body, it must remain resistant to environmental conditions, resistant to perspiration and match the uniform. Face painting does not detract from the soldier's natural sensitivity, is virtually odorless, does not irritate the skin, and is not harmful if accidentally splashed into the eyes or mouth.

Modern tendencies

Currently, there is a prototype paint that protects the skin of a soldier and from the heat wave during 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 a slight burn for 15 seconds after the explosion.

Along with the development of language as a communication tool, non-verbal ways of communication developed. Before learning to speak coherently, a person used the limbs of the hands and facial expressions to communicate, unconsciously learning to put so much meaning into each arc and straight line on the face that all this was enough to be fully understood by the interlocutor. Going to war or hunting, he applied a symmetrical ornament 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.

In this article, we tried to raise the main milestones in the history of war paint, find out how it is used today, and also draw up a short application instruction.

History of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used for this blue indigo, obtained from dyeing woad. The Celts applied the resulting solution to a naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it is impossible to say with complete certainty that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​applying war paint to the face - woad was used as far back as the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maori applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called "ta-moko". Such a 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 make "permanent camouflage" and at the same time create a prototype of a military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman reached the shores of New Zealand for the first time and came face to face with the locals. In the diaries that have survived 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 the naturalist Joseph Banks, testified in their observations to strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local natives. That is, it took at least another hundred years before the Maori began to use tattoos.

dyer's woad

The North American Indians used dyes to create patterns on the skin, which helped them, as in the case of the Maori, for personification. The Indians believed that the patterns would help them gain magical protection in battle, and the colored patterns on the faces of the fighters made them look more ferocious and dangerous.

In addition to painting their own body, 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 abilities. Some symbols meant that the warrior expressed respect for the gods or was blessed to win. This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during the wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, an Indian was only entitled to apply a certain pattern after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, each 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, a 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 nothing threatened her with such a man. 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 a warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each character. Symbols applied with red paint denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have quite 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 in black. So did the ancient Romans when they returned to Rome on horseback after a victory, but they painted their faces bright red in imitation of their god of war, Mars. White color meant sorrow, although there was another meaning - peace. Blue or green patterns were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors meant wisdom and endurance. Green was 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 “treated”, protected, prepared for a “new life”, expressed the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting was applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. The military applies black paint to the face 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.

Coloring rules

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the big 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 already 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 is much more likely to be noticed if his suit is absolutely plain. In jungle conditions, a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a holistic object, because the jungle is literally made up of small details.

Exposed areas of the skin reflect light and attract attention. Usually, in order to properly paint, the soldiers help each other before the start of the operation. The shiny parts of the body - the 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 open parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage paint is more often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not masked, 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 masked. 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 areas.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: the protection and safety of the soldier. The criterion for safety means simplicity and ease of use: when applied by a soldier to exposed parts of the body, it must remain resistant to environmental conditions, resistant to perspiration and match the uniform. Face painting does not detract from the soldier's natural sensitivity, is virtually odorless, does not irritate the skin, and is not harmful if accidentally splashed into the eyes or mouth.

Exposed areas of the skin reflect light and attract attention

Modern methods

Currently, there is a prototype paint that protects the skin of a soldier and from the heat wave during 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 a slight burn for 15 seconds after the explosion.

Along with the development of language as a communication tool, non-verbal ways of communication developed. Before learning to speak coherently, a person used the limbs of the hands and facial expressions to communicate, unconsciously learning to put so much meaning into each arc and straight line on the face that all this was enough to be fully understood by the interlocutor. Going to war or hunting, he applied a symmetrical ornament 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.

In this material, we tried to raise the main milestones in war paint, find out how it is used today, and also draw up a short application instruction.

History of war paint

It is known that war paint was used by the ancient Celts, who used for this blue indigo, obtained from dyeing woad. The Celts applied the resulting solution to a naked body or painted its bare parts. Although it is impossible to say with complete certainty that the Celts were the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​applying war paint to the face - woad was used as far back as the Neolithic era.

New Zealand Maori applied permanent symmetrical patterns to the skin of the face and body, which were called "ta-moko". Such a 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 make "permanent camouflage" and at the same time create a prototype of a military uniform. In 1642, Abel Tasman reached the shores of New Zealand for the first time and came face to face with the locals. In the diaries that have survived 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 the naturalist Joseph Banks, testified in their observations to strange and unusual tattoos on the faces of local natives. That is, it took at least another hundred years before the Maori began to use tattoos.

Woad dye

The North American Indians used dyes to create patterns on the skin, which helped them, as in the case of the Maori, for personification. The Indians believed that the patterns would help them gain magical protection in battle, and the colored patterns on the faces of the fighters made them look more ferocious and dangerous.

In addition to painting their own body, 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 abilities. Some symbols meant that the warrior expressed respect for the gods or was blessed to win. This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation until the culture was destroyed during the wars of conquest.

Just as modern soldiers receive awards for their achievements in military affairs, an Indian was only entitled to apply a certain pattern after he had distinguished himself in battle. Therefore, each 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, a 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 nothing threatened her with such a man. 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 a warrior.

Not only graphic markers were important, but also the color basis of each character. Symbols applied with red paint denoted blood, strength, energy and success in battle, but could also have quite 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 in black. So did the ancient Romans when they returned to Rome on horseback after a victory, but they painted their faces bright red in imitation of their god of war, Mars. White color meant sorrow, although there was another meaning - peace. Blue or green patterns were applied to the most intellectually developed and spiritually enlightened members of the tribe. These colors meant wisdom and endurance. Green was 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 “treated”, protected, prepared for a “new life”, expressed the internal state and social status, and, of course, face and body painting was applied as decorative elements.

The modern interpretation of war paint is purely practical. The military applies black paint to the face 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.

Coloring rules

When we look at an image, the brain processes a huge amount of information from the eyes and other senses. In order for consciousness to extract some meaning from what it sees, the brain divides the big 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 already 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 is much more likely to be noticed if his suit is absolutely plain. In jungle conditions, a large number of colors in a camouflage pattern will be perceived as a holistic object, because the jungle is literally made up of small details.

Exposed areas of the skin reflect light and attract attention. Usually, in order to properly paint, the soldiers help each other before the start of the operation. The shiny parts of the body - the 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 open parts of the body: the back of the neck, arms and hands.

Two-tone camouflage paint is more often applied randomly. The palms of the hands are usually not masked, 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 masked. 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 areas.

In the development of protective paints, two main criteria are taken into account: the protection and safety of the soldier. The criterion for safety means simplicity and ease of use: when applied by a soldier to exposed parts of the body, it must remain resistant to environmental conditions, resistant to perspiration and match the uniform. Face painting does not detract from the soldier's natural sensitivity, is virtually odorless, does not irritate the skin, and is not harmful if accidentally splashed into the eyes or mouth.

Modern methods

Currently, there is a prototype paint that protects the skin of a soldier and from the heat wave during 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 a slight burn for 15 seconds after the explosion.

There are face paint designs that reflect infrared rays and protect soldiers from mosquitoes and other insects. Typically, a soldier first applied a protective layer of insect repellent cream to protect exposed skin from bites, and after the cream was absorbed into the skin, a protective face paint was applied. Today, there are developments in which these two functions fit in one bottle.

Digital protection CV (Computer Vision, or face recognition system) is being developed in military institutions, but there is also a civilian version called CV Dazzle. It is based on the Dazzle naval camouflage of 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 digital protection of a person from city cameras, which are becoming more and more year by year.