Fieldcraft Ghillie suit raffia color field testing

[Ghillie art design]

Hi everyone,

My name is Bart and i represent " ghillie art design", a youtube page that posts movies about ghillie concealment. Building ghillie suits begon as a hobby but evolved to a passion. So in this thread i want to share some information/ pictures with everyone who's interested in ghillie suits. Im personal not use this for hunting or military goals but for wildlife photography. Okay lets start with my first prototype color test. For me its important to understand the natural texture before producing a ghillie suit, that why i always start with a prototype piece to evaluate if my colors are correct ( also keeping in mind nature changes ). Under this text i post the first prototype wich contains basic lime green and dark brown, with this test i can determine if this color tones work and begin fine tune. So Heres my first:

Like you can see the pictures shows that the green is to light so i begon to modify the green color and more variatie greens with this new prototype as result:

YouTube link: YouTube video
YouTube link: YouTube video 2

The color tones blend in very good on this pics but i also tested it on other places where my green was still TO bright. But on this stage i was not sure wich color was to bright so i decided to make another prototype with only green tones. With this test i can find out if it was the green thats to bright or the brown, here are the result:

Like you can see on this picture the green tones are to bright so im gonna expermint with dye mixes to make the green more natural and darker. Ik gonna post the results later. In meanwhile i decided to make a ghillie hood myself :

Keep you updated. You can also find me on youtube if you search under " ghillie art design "

Thanks,
Bart

 

[Hobo Hilton]

How many strands do you work with when making one loop of material ? Photo on left is 3 strings doubled over. I'm trying to balance between coverage and weight of the unit. Third photo on right is great cover but too heavy for a suit, used 6 strands doubled over.

 

[Ghillie art design]

I use like 3 a 4 threads of raffia en the length is like 20 cm and knot them in the middle On my ghillie base. On the sample i place them aprox every 2 cm in my opinion it keeps the ghillie not bulky and provides enough cover. Im gonna try to make a movie when i start knitting my ghillie but for now im still improving my color to obtain maximum effect..

But when i see your ghillie suit pics Ive noticed that you use artificial jute in standard colors. If i may so free to advice you i would create my own colors. The big advantage in creating your own colors is that you can fully adjust to your natural habitat. If making a effective ghillie suit its very important that you use the correct color structure in order to blend in properly in your environment.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

I use like 3 a 4 threads of raffia en the length is like 20 cm and knot them in the middle On my ghillie base. On the sample i place them aprox every 2 cm in my opinion it keeps the ghillie not bulky and provides enough cover. Im gonna try to make a movie when i start knitting my ghillie but for now im still improving my color to obtain maximum effect..

But when i see your ghillie suit pics Ive noticed that you use artificial jute in standard colors. If i may so free to advice you i would create my own colors. The big advantage in creating your own colors is that you can fully adjust to your natural habitat. If making a effective ghillie suit its very important that you use the correct color structure in order to blend in properly in your environment.

I agree that custom colors would be an advantage.... My environment, Montana, goes through some very distinct color changes.

 

[Ghillie art design]

I agree that custom colors would be an advantage.... My environment, Montana, goes through some very distinct color changes.

Correct, its somethimes hard to choose colors for a ghillie concealment beacuse of the changing in areas. But there are mostly some universal colors that come back in every part of natural habitat. The key is to find those colors ( the difficult part ) haha.. or to choose for colors where you be the most of your time spending and add natural veg. Also change from veg. When a area change.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Correct, its somethimes hard to choose colors for a ghillie concealment beacuse of the changing in areas. But there are mostly some universal colors that come back in every part of natural habitat. The key is to find those colors ( the difficult part ) haha.. or to choose for colors where you be the most of your time spending and add natural veg. Also change from veg. When a area change.

We are in agreement.

Do you ever use the color black in your mix of colors ?

 

[Ghillie art design]

We are in agreement.

Do you ever use the color black in your mix of colors ?

No, beacuse it quickly can make a color to dark....Also sometimes when mixing dye colors it sometimes gives a strange result. For example if you follow the mixologie of acrylic paint color you would mix bleu en yellow you would get green. Ive tryed it and the result was light bleu so.....

 

[Hobo Hilton]

No, beacuse it quickly can make a color to dark....Also sometimes when mixing dye colors it sometimes gives a strange result. For example if you follow the mixologie of acrylic paint color you would mix bleu en yellow you would get green. Ive tryed it and the result was light bleu so.....

Many do not use black. Their theory is in nature there is nothing black. In nature black represents a shadow. I will add black to get the resemblance of a shadow. Again, like you, it is a work in progress.

 

[Ghillie art design]

Many do not use black. Their theory is in nature there is nothing black. In nature black represents a shadow. I will add black to get the resemblance of a shadow. Again, like you, it is a work in progress.

Yes thats correct. If something is black it easily gives away your position. But thats also the same with to bright tan like natural jute. The color is to bright, i always break up that color by using tan dye.

Best way in my opinion and experience is using middle tones except green. Green is a difficult color beacuse wrong green also gives away position. But also like many people in still learning every day..

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Yes thats correct. If something is black it easily gives away your position. But thats also the same with to bright tan like natural jute. The color is to bright, i always break up that color by using tan dye.

Best way in my opinion and experience is using middle tones except green. Green is a difficult color beacuse wrong green also gives away position. But also like many people in still learning every day..

I get some supplies here... Basically local to me. Quick shipping, good customer service.

Arcturus | Legendary Hunting Camo & Rugged Outdoor Gear | Est. 2007

We're Arcturus, the maker of the Ghost Ghillie Suit and one of the top manufacturers of ghillie suits, ghillie kits, and unique 3D leafy ghillie suits. Not a hunter? No problem. We've got multipurpose ponchos, heavy duty survival blankets, rugged wool blankets, and a full line of...

arcturusgear.com

 

[Ghillie art design]

Today i field tested my new green tone color. If you look at the pictures the colors are much better but im still a little bit to bright. I added 2 black white filtered pics to let you see the difference in colors of my sample and the actual grass..

Black white filter pics show the brightness of my sample... Still a bit to bright. Colors Ive made are good be i just need to make 1 tone darker.

 

[Ghillie art design]

Hi people,

Yesterday i finally had the time to test out my new sample with 1 new modified darker green color tone. For me the colors are near perfect for multiple green environments.

Today i tested the new modified colors in my environmental nature with these results:

YouTube link: video

 

[Ghillie art design]

Im sorry , beacuse of the bad and cold weather in Belgium i cant continue.. if the weather improves i will continue.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Im sorry , beacuse of the bad and cold weather in Belgium i cant continue.. if the weather improves i will continue.

Should be no problem to blend some white in with the grass colors. Here in Montana, this is normal weather for December.

 

[Ghillie art design]

Hi man, the problem is im stil fine tuning my green colors.. so i need the green nature. It looks like a long proces but i only begin on my ghillie suit when te colors are 100%. Im developing green color tones wich can be used in multiple green surroundings thats why it takes a little longer.. but its an very important process.

 

[Ghillie art design]

The last 2 weeks ive been crafting a ghillie cobra hood ( proapto based ), using a car trailer net 3cmx3cm maze. I made 2 arm sleeves, back and hood and connected all with micro paracord. The sleeves and hood are adjustable trough elastic cord and cord stopper, the torso also adjustable with webbing and buckle. My goal was to created a ghillie system thats fully breathable and very lightweight. Only disadvantage is that the car netting is very sensitive to head and melts together when catching fire.. but this one was a experiment so the next will be improved. Here is the result:

The whole base

Sleeve end can be adjusted.

Torso with webbing and buckle

The hood with adjustable elastic cord and cord stoppers.

 

[Ghillie art design]

Today start building the back, this is the result ( working prograss )

 

[TheGerman]

@Ghillie art design

A few random thoughts from my experience:

- Do not make the base netting skeleton in black. It is the absolute worse IR color there is. I know its designed to be covered, but if someone who knows what they are doing and isn't trying to look like a ghille monster, some will still show.

- Use material for the base netting that other than NOT being black, it also has a IR reduction coating as well as is fire retardant.

- In the construction on the back, I think you will need some material running horizontally across it to give support. In the old school volley ball net suits, they tended to sag with material on them and tore at the pressure points. Think of it as beams in a house.

- The length of the arms that goes to the hands needs to be longer if you would ever sell these as A. people have different arm lengths and B. id prefer one that kind of went over part of my hand or just had a bit of slack there that would incorporate a thumb hole. Crawling in this will just pull the arms up.

- I'd mess around with the idea of 2 securing buckles on the front instead of 1. They should be spaced so that when wearing armor or a chest rig, the rack area is unobscured and you could pull magazines without messing with anything.

- Hood needs more depth to it to where it could be pulled down over the face a bit.

 

[Ghillie art design]

@Ghillie art design

A few random thoughts from my experience:

- Do not make the base netting skeleton in black. It is the absolute worse IR color there is. I know its designed to be covered, but if someone who knows what they are doing and isn't trying to look like a ghille monster, some will still show.

- Use material for the base netting that other than NOT being black, it also has a IR reduction coating as well as is fire retardant.

- In the construction on the back, I think you will need some material running horizontally across it to give support. In the old school volley ball net suits, they tended to sag with material on them and tore at the pressure points. Think of it as beams in a house.

- The length of the arms that goes to the hands needs to be longer if you would ever sell these as A. people have different arm lengths and B. id prefer one that kind of went over part of my hand or just had a bit of slack there that would incorporate a thumb hole. Crawling in this will just pull the arms up.

- I'd mess around with the idea of 2 securing buckles on the front instead of 1. They should be spaced so that when wearing armor or a chest rig, the rack area is unobscured and you could pull magazines without messing with anything.

- Hood needs more depth to it to where it could be pulled down over the face a bit.

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback i will consider your advice. I have been looking for IR resistance netting but without any succes here in Belgium. Do you have any idea where to get this ?

Also the point working horuzontal is a good one thank you.. i will input these.

 

[TheGerman]

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback i will consider your advice. I have been looking for IR resistance netting but without any succes here in Belgium. Do you have any idea where to get this ?

Also the point working horuzontal is a good one thank you.. i will input these.

For the netting, I'm not sure, but start at a place like RockyWoods and go from there. They either have it or can steer you in the right direction.

I know Nexus makes the 'ghilleTex' plastic parts you can use.

 

[Ghillie art design]

For the netting, I'm not sure, but start at a place like RockyWoods and go from there. They either have it or can steer you in the right direction.

I know Nexus makes the 'ghilleTex' plastic parts you can use.

After following your advice i started allover again and the result is much better. Thanks

 

[Ghillie art design]

Before completing the suit i decide to perform a final test to see if the suit meets my standards. These are the results :

 

[Ghillie art design]

And the suit is finished, here are pics from the front and back. I hope everyone has enjoyed this topic and i will start soon with a new ghillieproject.. if interested please subscribe my YouTube channel for all recent updates about my activitie.

Link youtube

I also started a next project, you can find it here on snippers hide forum by clicking here

 

[Devildog]

That was a lot of work. Looks great, good job!

 

[Ghillie art design]

That was a lot of work. Looks great, good job!

Yes it was.. now i could work faster but i have 2 little juniors so beeing daddy slows the project a little bit down hahha